Single pair PHY with auto-negotiation

• US 9,853,803 B1
• Filed: 09/04/2015
• Issued: 12/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Marvell Asia Pte Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Original Assignee: Marvell International Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Inventors: Lo, William
• Primary Examiner(s): Chriss, Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kirillova, Ellen A
• Application Number:
  US14/845,934
• Time in Patent Office: 844 Days
• Field of Search: 370296
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/02 Details
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/14 Two-way operation using the same type of signal, i.e. duplex
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/1438 Negotiation of transmission parameters prior to communication modified according to link quality H04L1/0001
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/16 Half-duplex systems; Simplex/duplex switching; Transmission of break signals non-automatically inverting the direction of transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/24 Negotiation of communication capabilities

Abstract

Systems, methods, and other embodiments associated with auto-negotiating over a single pair PHY are described. According to one embodiment, an apparatus includes a physical layer (PHY) transceiver configured to communicate over a single twisted pair channel. The apparatus includes a setup logic configured to control the PHY transceiver to initiate an auto-negotiation sequence over the single twisted pair channel with a remote device upon detecting a transmission from the remote device on the single twisted pair channel. The auto-negotiation sequence includes an exchange of parameters with the remote device using a half-duplex mode to communicate on the single twisted pair channel.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a physical layer (PHY) transceiver configured to communicate over a single twisted pair channel; and

a setup logic configured to control the PHY transceiver to initiate an auto-negotiation sequence over the single twisted pair channel with a remote device upon detecting a transmission from the remote device on the single twisted pair channel, wherein the auto-negotiation sequence i) utilizes a half-duplex mode for both sending and receiving on the single twisted pair channel, and ii) includes an exchange, with the remote device, of parameters that identify properties of the apparatus and the remote device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a duplex logic configured to control the PHY transceiver to switch from the half-duplex mode to a dual-duplex mode to establish a connection with the remote device over the single twisted pair channel based, at least in part, on the parameters from the auto-negotiation sequence, wherein the PHY transceiver is configured to simultaneously transmit and receive communications on the single twisted pair channel when switched to the dual-duplex mode.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the single twisted pair channel is established in a cable including one twisted pair of wires, wherein the setup logic is configured to determine a length of the cable based, at least in part, on a time to receive a message from the remote device in the auto-negotiation sequence, and wherein one or more of the parameters are based, at least in part, on the length of the cable.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the setup logic is configured to control the PHY transceiver to iteratively transmit a communication on the single twisted pair channel at a predefined time interval until detecting the transmission from the remote device, wherein the predefined time interval includes a wait interval for listening for the transmission from the remote device.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the setup logic is configured to control auto-negotiation sequence between the PHY transceiver and the remote device to be communicated over the single twisted pair channel with the PHY transceiver operating in the half-duplex mode, wherein signals transmitted in the half-duplex mode are encoded with differential Manchester encoding.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the setup logic is configured to control the PHY transceiver to transmit and receive a set of communications spaced at fixed time intervals with the remote device over the single twisted pair channel during the auto-negotiation sequence.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the single twisted pair channel is one of a plurality of channels in a cable.

8. A method, comprising:

initiating an auto-negotiation sequence from a first device with a second device over a single twisted pair channel upon detecting a transmission from the second device on the single twisted pair channel, wherein the auto-negotiation sequence i) utilizes a half-duplex mode for both sending and receiving on the single twisted pair channel, and ii) is an exchange, with the remote device, of parameters that identify properties of the apparatus and the remote device; and

changing from the half-duplex mode to a dual-duplex mode to establish, by the first device, a connection over the single twisted pair channel based, at least in part, on the parameters from the auto-negotiation sequence.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

transmitting and receiving communications on the single twisted pair channel simultaneously by the first device when using the dual-duplex mode.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining a length of a cable used to establish the single twisted pair channel, wherein the length is determined based, at least in part, on a reception time of a message from the second device during the auto-negotiation sequence, wherein one or more of the parameters are based, at least in part, on the length.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

iteratively transmitting a communication from the first device on the single twisted pair channel at a predefined time interval until detecting the transmission from the second device, wherein the predefined time interval includes a first time interval to wait in order to avoid a reflection on the single twisted pair channel and a second time interval for listening for the transmission from the second device.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the auto-negotiation sequence between the first device and the second device is communicated using the single twisted pair channel.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the auto-negotiation sequence includes transmitting and receiving a set of communications spaced at fixed time intervals with the second device over the single twisted pair channel.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the single twisted pair channel is one of a plurality of channels in a cable.

15. An integrated circuit, comprising:

a transceiver configured to communicate over a single twisted pair channel;

a controller configured to control the transceiver to initiate an auto-negotiation sequence over the single twisted pair channel with a remote device upon detecting a transmission from the remote device on the single twisted pair channel, wherein the auto-negotiation sequence i) utilizes a half-duplex mode for both sending and receiving on the single twisted pair channel, and ii) is an exchange, with the remote device, of parameters that identify properties of the apparatus and the remote device; and

a duplex logic configured to control the transceiver to switch from the half-duplex mode to a dual-duplex mode to establish a connection over the single twisted pair channel based, at least in part, on the parameters from the auto-negotiation sequence.

16. The integrated circuit of claim 15, wherein the transceiver is configured to transmit and receive communications on the single twisted pair channel simultaneously when switched to the dual-duplex mode.

17. The integrated circuit of claim 15, wherein the single twisted pair channel is established in a cable including one twisted pair of wires, and wherein the setup logic is configured to determine a length of the cable based, at least in part, on a reception time of a message from the remote device in the auto-negotiation sequence, wherein one or more of the parameters are based, at least in part, on the length.

18. The integrated circuit of claim 15, wherein the setup logic is configured to control the transceiver to iteratively transmit a communication on the single twisted pair channel at a predefined time interval until detecting the transmission from the remote device, wherein the predefined time interval includes a wait interval for listening for the transmission from the remote device.

19. The integrated circuit of claim 15, wherein the setup logic is configured to control the auto-negotiation sequence between the transceiver and the remote device to be communicated over the single twisted pair channel with the transceiver operating in the half-duplex mode.

20. The integrated circuit of claim 15, wherein the setup logic is configured to control the transceiver to transmit and receive a set of communications spaced at fixed time intervals with the remote device over the single twisted pair channel during the auto-negotiation sequence.