Systems and methods for physical layer (“PHY”) concatenation in a multimedia over coax alliance network

• US 8,811,403 B2
• Filed: 07/02/2012
• Issued: 08/19/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kliger, Avraham, Klein, Philippe, Ohana, Yitshak
• Primary Examiner(s): HO, DUC CHI
• Application Number:
  US13/539,595
• Publication Number:
  US 20120320922A1
• Time in Patent Office: 778 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/392
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2801 Broadband local area networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2861 Point-to-multipoint connection from the data network to the subscribers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6418 Hybrid transport
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2602 Signal structure
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2607 Cyclic extensions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0044 allocation of payload
• 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 21/43632 involving a wired protocol, e.g. IEEE 1394 high-speed IEEE 1394 serial bus H04L12/40052

Abstract

Systems and methods for concatenating messages in MoCA devices that are connected via a coax network are provided. One embodiment of a system according to the invention includes a home network having a plurality of nodes. The network is implemented over coaxial cable. The network includes a plurality of networked nodes. A transmitter of at least one of the networked nodes is configurable to transmit a concatenated burst. The concatenated burst includes a preamble, a first payload frame and a second payload frame. The first payload frame and the second payload frame are separated by a cyclic prefix of a first symbol of the second payload frame.

Claims

1. A node for use with a network over coaxial cable, the node comprising:

a transmitter configured to transmit a first message, the message comprising a concatenated burst, the concatenated burst comprising;

a preamble;

a first payload; and

a second payload that follows the first payload, the second payload that begins with a cyclic prefix, the cyclic prefix comprising at least a portion of a first symbol of the second payload.

2. The node of claim 1, further comprising:

a receiver which is configurable to request a second message containing a concatenated burst.

3. The node of claim 1, wherein the concatenated burst comprises a third payload, the third payload that follows the second payload and begins with a cyclic prefix, the cyclic prefix of the third payload comprising at least a portion of a first symbol of the third payload.

4. The node of claim 3, wherein the concatenated burst comprises a fourth payload, the fourth payload that follows the third payload and begins with a cyclic prefix, the cyclic prefix of the fourth payload comprising at least a portion of a first symbol of the fourth payload.

5. The node of claim 1, wherein the preamble is transmitted following an inter-frame gap.

6. The node of claim 1, wherein a final payload in the burst is transmitted prior to an inter-frame gap.

7. A method for communicating over a coax backbone between a plurality of network modules, the method comprising:

receiving, at a first node, scheduling instructions from a network controller node to schedule, between successive inter-frame gaps, a concatenated burst message; and

transmitting from the first node the concatenated burst message, wherein the concatenated burst message comprises;

a preamble;

a first payload frame; and

a second payload frame, wherein the second payload frame follows the first payload frame and the second payload frame begins with a cyclic prefix comprising the first symbol of the second payload frame.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising using the first node to receive a request for a message containing a concatenated burst.

9. The method of claim 7 further comprising including a third payload frame in the concatenated burst message, wherein the third payload frame follows the second payload frame and the third payload frame begins with a cyclic prefix comprising the first symbol of the third payload frame.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising including a fourth payload frame in the concatenated burst, wherein the fourth payload frame follows the third payload frame and the fourth payload frame begins with a cyclic prefix comprising the first symbol of the fourth payload frame.

11. The method of claim 7 further comprising transmitting the preamble immediately following a first inter-frame gap of the successive inter-frame gaps.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising transmitting the second payload immediately prior to a second inter-frame gap of the successive inter-frame gaps.

13. A method for communicating over a coax backbone between a plurality of network nodes, the method comprising:

providing a first node from among the plurality of network nodes, the first node that is configurable to transmit and receive concatenated payloads;

receiving, at the first node, a concatenated payload, wherein the concatenated payload comprises;

a preamble;

a first payload; and

a second payload wherein the second payload follows the first payload and the second payload begins with a cyclic prefix comprising at least a portion of a first symbol of the second payload.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising using the first node to receive a request for a message containing a concatenated payload.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising using the first node to transmit a request to send a message containing a concatenated payload.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising, prior to the receiving, ceasing transmission from the first node for a time period, wherein the time period includes at least an inter-frame gap.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein a final payload in the concatenated payload is transmitted prior to a time period of no transmission from the first node, wherein the time period includes at least an inter-frame gap.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

transmitting, from the first node, a concatenated payload, wherein the concatenated payload comprises;

a preamble;

a first payload; and

a second payload wherein the second payload follows the first payload and the second payload begins with a cyclic prefix comprising at least a portion of a first symbol of the second payload.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the transmitting is implemented in response to receiving a concatenated payload transmission instruction from a network controller node.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein each of the first payload and the second payload includes an integer number of symbols.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein each of the first payload and the second payload resets a data-scrambler.

22. The method of claim 13, wherein each of the first payload and the second payload resets a constellation bin-scrambler.