Physical layer transmitter for use in a broadband local area network

• US 8,621,539 B1
• Filed: 09/29/2005
• Issued: 12/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Entropic Communications, LLC (FIG LLC (d/b/a Fortress Investment Group LLC))
• Original Assignee: Entropic Communications Incorporated (Maxlinear Incorporated)
• Inventors: Porat, Ron, Goh, Wee Peng, Berggren, Magnus, Lee, Ron, Warner, Edward, Bernath, Brett, Ozturk, Yusuf, Monk, Anton
• Primary Examiner(s): CHEN, CAI Y
• Application Number:
  US11/241,748
• Time in Patent Office: 3,015 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 725/111
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2801 Broadband local area networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2838 Distribution of signals within a home automation network, e.g. involving splitting/multiplexing signals to/from different paths adaptations of television systems for transmission by electric cable for domestic distribution H04N7/106; hybrid transport H04L12/6418; home network arrangements specially adapted for distribution of digital video signals H04N7/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2898 Subscriber equipments DSL modems H04M11/062; cable modems H04L12/2801
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6118 involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6143 involving transmission via a satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64784 Data processing by the network data processing in packet switching systems H04L12/56; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; intermediate storage or scheduling H04L49/90; provisioning of proxy services in data packet switching networks H04L67/56

Abstract

A physical layer transmitter that communicates between nodes in a broadband cable network by transmitting and receiving packets containing data and control information. Packets are constructed by the physical layer transmitter and transmitted to one or more receiving nodes that are capable of processing the packets. Packets are directed to specific nodes utilizing link layer control data. The packets may also contain control information that may include formatting, encoding and modulation parameters that are capable of being processed by the appropriate receiving nodes. The physical layer transmitter allows node-to-node communication within a broadband cable network and each node in the network is capable of communicating with every other node in the network.

Claims

1. A modem for communication to at least one node across at least one channel of a coaxial network, the modem comprising:

a transmitter; and

a MAC layer in signal communication with the transmitter, the MAC layer using at least one probe packet as an echo profile probe to measure node delay spread on the network and the MAC layer optimizing the preamble and cyclic prefix requirements or other parameters in response to the measured node delay spread on the network;

wherein the transmitter communicates the at least one transmit packet.

2. The modem of claim 1 wherein the one probe packet has a payload, and the payload includes pseudo random time domain samples generated by a pseudo random sequence.

3. The modem of claim 2 wherein the payload is transmitted with a binary phase shift keying (BPSK) modulated single carrier at the center frequency of the channel.

4. The modem of claim 3 wherein a length of the one probe packet is provided by the MAC layer.

5. The modem of claim 1 wherein the one probe packet has a payload, and the payload consists of pseudo random time domain samples generated by a pseudo random sequence.

6. The modem of claim 5 wherein the payload is transmitted with a binary phase shift keying (BPSK) modulated single carrier at the center frequency of the channel.

7. The modem of claim 6 wherein a length of the one probe packet is provided by the MAC layer.