HFC cable system with alternative wideband communications pathways and coax domain amplifier-repeaters
First Claim
1. A method of selectively repeating radio frequency (RF) signals carried by a hybrid fiber cable (HFC) network, the method comprising:
- for at least one coax domain amplifier-repeater in the HFC network;
receiving a set of RF signals over a set of cable television (CATV) cables;
when the set of RF signals comprises downstream RF signals with frequencies greater than a threshold frequency of at most 1 GHz, gain adjusting and retransmitting the downstream RF signals with frequencies greater than the threshold frequency as downstream RF signals with frequencies greater than the threshold frequency;
when the set of RF signals comprises upstream RF signals with frequencies greater than the threshold frequency, gain adjusting and retransmitting the upstream RF signals with frequencies greater than the threshold frequency as upstream RF signals with frequencies greater than the threshold frequency;
when the set of RF signals comprises downstream RF signals with frequencies less than the threshold frequency, gain adjusting and retransmitting at least some of the downstream RF signals with frequencies less than the threshold frequency as downstream RF signals with frequencies less than the threshold frequency;
when the set of RF signals comprises upstream RF signals with frequencies less than the threshold frequency, canceling the upstream RF signals with frequencies less than the threshold frequency and retransmitting information or waveforms of the upstream RF signals with frequencies less than the threshold frequency as upstream RF signals at a higher frequency; and
using information or waveforms derived from (1) RF signals of the set of RF signals that are greater than the threshold frequency and (2) a set of one or more echo cancellation techniques, to correct at least some of the downstream RF signals with frequencies less than the threshold frequency or upstream RF signals with frequencies less than the threshold frequency for signal distortion caused by the set of CATV cables either prior to;
receiving the set of RF signals over the set of CATV cables;
orretransmitting RF signals with frequencies less than the threshold frequency.
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Accused Products
Abstract
System and method to extend the data carrying capacity of a hybrid fiber cable (HFC) network by adding wideband RF signal capability above 1 GHz, and replacing the CATV amplifier devices with an improved type of Coax Domain Amplifier-Repeater (CDAR) device that, in addition to being a smart reconfigurable amplifier and cable signal diagnostic device, also segments the CATV cable portion of the HFC network into a series of smaller domains. The CDAR often alter RF signals from 5-865 MHz, while more freely passing RF signals over 1 GHz. Upstream capability is enhanced because the CDAR intercept 5-42 MHz upstream signals from each domain and convert to 1 GHz+ signals. Downstream capability is also enhanced because the CDAR can take efficiently encoded 1 GHz+ digital data, modulate it, and locally inject into each domain without crosstalk between domains. CDAR can use active cancellation, and active restoration techniques to improve performance.
37 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method of selectively repeating radio frequency (RF) signals carried by a hybrid fiber cable (HFC) network, the method comprising:
for at least one coax domain amplifier-repeater in the HFC network; receiving a set of RF signals over a set of cable television (CATV) cables; when the set of RF signals comprises downstream RF signals with frequencies greater than a threshold frequency of at most 1 GHz, gain adjusting and retransmitting the downstream RF signals with frequencies greater than the threshold frequency as downstream RF signals with frequencies greater than the threshold frequency; when the set of RF signals comprises upstream RF signals with frequencies greater than the threshold frequency, gain adjusting and retransmitting the upstream RF signals with frequencies greater than the threshold frequency as upstream RF signals with frequencies greater than the threshold frequency; when the set of RF signals comprises downstream RF signals with frequencies less than the threshold frequency, gain adjusting and retransmitting at least some of the downstream RF signals with frequencies less than the threshold frequency as downstream RF signals with frequencies less than the threshold frequency; when the set of RF signals comprises upstream RF signals with frequencies less than the threshold frequency, canceling the upstream RF signals with frequencies less than the threshold frequency and retransmitting information or waveforms of the upstream RF signals with frequencies less than the threshold frequency as upstream RF signals at a higher frequency; and using information or waveforms derived from (1) RF signals of the set of RF signals that are greater than the threshold frequency and (2) a set of one or more echo cancellation techniques, to correct at least some of the downstream RF signals with frequencies less than the threshold frequency or upstream RF signals with frequencies less than the threshold frequency for signal distortion caused by the set of CATV cables either prior to; receiving the set of RF signals over the set of CATV cables;
orretransmitting RF signals with frequencies less than the threshold frequency. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method of selectively repeating radio frequency (RF) signals carried by a hybrid fiber cable (HFC) network with a cable head end, at least one optical fiber, at least one optical fiber node terminating on a set of cable television (CATV) cables, the set of CATV cables connected to a plurality of branch CATV cables thus forming a CATV Tree and Branch Network, and a plurality of communication devices connected to the CATV Tree and Branch Network,
the RF signals comprising upstream RF signals with frequencies less than a threshold frequency of at most 1 GHz, downstream RF signals with frequencies less than the threshold frequency, upstream RF signals with frequencies greater than the threshold frequency, and downstream RF signals with frequencies greater than the threshold frequency; -
wherein at least some of the communications devices receive downstream RF signals at frequencies less than the threshold frequency, and wherein at least some of the communications devices further transmit upstream RF signals at frequencies less than the threshold frequency; wherein the coax domain amplifier-repeater additionally comprises at least one software controlled processor configured to receive control commands transmitted over the set of CATV cables; the method comprising; placing at least one coax domain amplifier-repeater comprising at least one processor at junctions in the set of CATV cables, thereby partitioning the set of CATV cables into cable segments between the at least one coax domain amplifier-repeater, at least some of the cable segments connected to at least some of the communications devices; and for the coax domain amplifier-repeater; receiving, gain adjusting, and retransmitting downstream RF signals with frequencies greater than the threshold frequency as downstream RF signals with frequencies greater than the threshold frequency; receiving and retransmitting the information or waveforms from a substitution set of narrowcast downstream RF signals with frequencies greater than the threshold frequency as selected narrowcast downstream RF signals with frequencies less than the threshold frequency, wherein the substitution set of narrowcast downstream RF signals are selected by the software controlled processor and the control commands; receiving, gain adjusting, and retransmitting upstream RF signals with frequencies greater than the threshold frequency as upstream RF signals with frequencies greater than the threshold frequency; receiving, gain adjusting, and retransmitting at least some downstream RF signals with frequencies less than the threshold frequency as downstream RF signals with frequencies less than the threshold frequency; actively canceling, a cancelable set of selected narrowcast downstream RF signals with frequencies less than the threshold frequency, wherein actively canceling comprises using information or waveforms carried by downstream RF signals with frequencies greater than the threshold frequency to cancel the cancelable set of selected narrowcast downstream RF signals with frequencies less than the threshold frequency; receiving, canceling, frequency shifting, gain adjusting, and retransmitting upstream RF signals with frequencies less than the threshold frequency, as upstream RF signals with frequencies greater than the threshold frequency. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
using the first cable connection to receive downstream RF signals and retransmit upstream RF signals over the first set of CATV cables; and using the second cable connection to retransmit downstream RF signals and receive upstream RF signals over the second set of CATV cables.
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18. The method of claim 13, wherein at least some of the RF signals are retransmitted by the coax domain amplifier-repeater with an adjusted RF signal intensity designed to overcome RF signal impairments on the set of CATV cables.
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19. The method of claim 13 further comprising:
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analyzing the RF signals for the effects of CATV cable induced spectrum attenuation or noise sources; and transmitting information pertaining to the effects of the spectrum attenuation or noise sources to a local optical fiber node over the set of CATV cables.
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20. The method of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises using information or waveforms derived from (1) RF signals that are greater than the threshold frequency and (2) a set of one or more echo cancellation techniques, to correct at least some of the downstream RF signals with frequencies less than the threshold frequency or upstream RF signals with frequencies less than the threshold frequency for signal distortion caused by the set of CATV cables either prior to:
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receiving RF signals;
ortransmitting RF signals with frequencies less than the threshold frequency.
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Specification