Multi-pair gigabit ethernet transceiver

• US 7,801,240 B2
• Filed: 11/18/2008
• Issued: 09/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kruse, David E., Hatamian, Mehdi, Creigh, John L., Agazzi, Oscar E., Samueli, Henry, Abnous, Arthur
• Primary Examiner(s): Corrielus; Jean B
• Application Number:
  US12/273,436
• Publication Number:
  US 20090180529A1
• Time in Patent Office: 672 Days
• Field of Search: 375229-233, 375/341, 375/285, 375/262, 375/346, 375/348, 375/350
• US Class Current: 375/285
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3004 Current or voltage test
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3008 Quiescent current [IDDQ] test or leakage current test
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3016 Delay or race condition test, e.g. race hazard test
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/31715 Testing of input or output circuits; test of circuitry between the I/C pins and the functional core, e.g. testing of input or output driver, receiver, buffer
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/318502 Test of Combinational circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/318552 Clock circuits details
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/318594 Timing aspects clock circuits G01R31/318552
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/23 using a replica of transmitted signal in the time domain, e.g. echo cancellers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/235 combined with adaptive equaliser
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/32 Reducing cross-talk, e.g. by compensating
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0021 in which the algorithm uses adaptive thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0047 Decoding adapted to other signal detection operation in conjunction with sequence estimation or equalization H04L25/03286
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0053 specially adapted for power saving
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0054 Maximum-likelihood or sequential decoding, e.g. Viterbi, Fano, ZJ algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0059 Convolutional codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/006 Trellis-coded modulation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/242 by comparing a transmitted test signal with a locally generated replica
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2001/0096 Channel splitting in point-to-point links
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2025/03363 Multilevel H04L2025/03369 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2025/03369 Partial response
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2025/03477 : not time-recursive
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2025/0349 : as a feedback filter
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2025/03496 : as a prediction filter
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2025/03503 : as a combination of feedback and prediction filters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2025/03617 : Time recursive algorithms H04L2025/03643 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2025/03745 : Timing of adaptation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/03038 : with a non-recursive structure H04L25/03031 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/03057 : with a recursive structure H04L25/03031 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/03146 : with a recursive structure H04L25/03127 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/03197 : methods of calculation involving metrics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/03203 : Trellis search techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/03235 : with state-reduction using feedback filtering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/03267 : with decision feedback equalisers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/03987 : Equalisation for sparse channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/067 : providing soft decisions, i.e. decisions together with an estimate of reliability H04L25/068 and H04L25/069 take precedence; sequence estimation techniques H04L25/03178
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/14 : Channel dividing arrangements , i.e. in which a single bit stream is divided between several baseband channels and reassembled at the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/4917 : using multilevel codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 25/497 : by correlative coding, e.g. partial response coding or echo modulation coding transmitters and receivers for partial response systems transversal equalizers at the transmitter end H04L25/03343
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 7/0062 : detection of error based on data decision error, e.g. Mueller type detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 7/0334 : Processing of samples having at least three levels, e.g. soft decisions

Abstract

Various systems and methods providing high speed decoding, enhanced power reduction and clock domain partitioning for a multi-pair gigabit Ethernet transceiver are disclosed. ISI compensation is partitioned into two stages; a first stage compensates ISI components induced by characteristics of a transmitter'"'"'s partial response pulse shaping filter in a demodulator, a second stage compensates ISI components induced by characteristics of a multi-pair transmission channel in a Viterbi decoder. High speed decoding is accomplished by reducing the DFE depth by providing an input signal from a multiple decision feedback equalizer to the Viterbi based on a tail value and a subset of coefficient values received from a unit depth decision-feedback equalizer. Power reduction is accomplished by adaptively truncating active taps in the NEXT, FEXT and echo cancellation filters, or by disabling decoder circuitry portions, as channel response characteristics allow. A receive clock signal is generated such that it is synchronous in frequency with analog sampling clock signals and has a particular phase offset with respect to one of the sampling clock signals. This phase offset is adjusted such that system performance degradation due to coupling of switching noise from the digital sections to the analog sections is substantially minimized.

Claims

1. An integrated circuit communication device comprising:

a decoder circuit operable to receive and decode at least one intersymbol interference (ISI) compensated signal sample, and to generate tentative decisions and a final decision; and

a decision feedback equalizer coupled in feedback fashion to the decoder circuit, the decision feedback equalizer including a set of low-ordered coefficients and a set of high-ordered coefficients, the decision feedback equalizer operable to generate a first digital signal that is partially ISI-compensated based on the tentative decisions and the high-ordered coefficients; and

a multiple-decision feedback equalizer operable to generate at least one ISI-compensated signal based on the partially ISI-compensated signal and the low-ordered coefficients, and to provide the at least one ISI-compensated signal to the decoder circuit.

2. The integrated circuit communication device according to claim 1, wherein a second digital signal is combined with the first digital signal to produce a third digital signal partially compensated for ISI.

3. The integrated circuit communication device according to claim 1, wherein the decision feedback equalizer compensates for ISI introduced by transmission channel characteristics.

4. The integrated circuit communication device of claim 1, further comprising a convolution engine operable to convolve the low-ordered-coefficients with a plurality of possible symbol values to derive a set of derived ISI replica components.

5. The integrated circuit communication device of claim 4, wherein the convolution engine provides the derived ISI replica components to the multiple-decision feedback equalizer, and the multiple-decision feedback equalizer generates the at least one ISI-compensated signal based on the partially ISI-compensated signal and the derived ISI replica components.

6. The integrated circuit communication device of claim 1, wherein the decoder circuit comprises a trellis decoder.

7. The integrated circuit communication device of claim 1, wherein the decoder circuit comprises a Viterbi decoder.

8. The integrated circuit communication device of claim 6, wherein the multiple-decision feedback equalizer is operable to provide a plurality of ISI-compensated signals to the decoder circuit, each corresponding to one state of the trellis decoder, and wherein the decoder circuit is operable to decode the plurality of ISI-compensated signals.

9. The integrated circuit communication device of claim 8, wherein the tentative decisions constitute forced decisions corresponding to a best path of the trellis decoding.

10. The integrated circuit communication device of claim 6, wherein the multiple-decision feedback equalizer is operable to receive a set of symbols from the trellis decoder, each symbol corresponding to one path of the trellis decoding, and wherein the multiple-decision feedback equalizer is operable to use the set of symbols to select the plurality of ISI-compensated signals that it provides to the decoder circuit.