Adaptive electronic transmission signal cancellation apparatus for full duplex communication

• US 6,373,908 B2
• Filed: 08/16/1999
• Issued: 04/16/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chan, Kevin T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ghebretinsae, Temesghen
• Application Number:
  US09/375,834
• Publication Number:
  US 20010016021A1
• Time in Patent Office: 974 Days
• Field of Search: 375/219, 375/220, 375/295, 375/296, 375/346, 455/296
• US Class Current: 375/346
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/586 using an electronic circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/23 using a replica of transmitted signal in the time domain, e.g. echo cancellers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/32 Reducing cross-talk, e.g. by compensating
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/10 Current supply arrangements

Abstract

An adaptive electronic transmission signal cancellation circuit for separating transmit data from receive data in a bidirectional communication system operating in full duplex mode is disclosed. The output of a main transmitter responsive to a first bias current is connected to the output of a receiver through an internal resistor. A first replica transmitter responsive to a second bias current and matched to the main transmitter current gain and rise/fall time characteristics is connected to the input terminal of the receiver, and produces a cancellation voltage between the output terminal of the main transmitter and the input terminal of the receiver as a function of the second bias current and the internal resistor. A second replica transmitter matched to the current gain and rise/fall time characteristics of the main transmitter and the first replica transmitter and responsive to the second bias current is connected to the output terminal of the main transmitter for canceling excess current, developed by the first replica transmitter, at the output terminal of the main transmitter.

Claims

1. A bidirectional communication system, configured for full duplex communication, comprising:

a communication channel;

a main transmitter having an output for asserting a transmit signal;

a transmit signal path electrically coupled between the communication channel and the output of the main transmitter;

a receiver having an input for receiving a receive signal;

a receive signal path electrically coupled between the communication channel and the input of the receiver, the receive signal path further coupled, in parallel fashion, to the transmit signal path; and

a transmit signal cancellation circuit electrically coupled to the receive signal path, the transmit signal cancellation circuit developing a cancellation signal, representing a transmit signal, and asserting the cancellation signal on the receive signal path so as to prevent the transmit signal from being asserted to the input of the receiver, wherein the transmit signal cancellation circuit includes a first replica transmitter having an output electrically coupled to the receive signal path between the main transmitter and the receiver, and a cancellation impedance circuit electrically coupled into the receive signal path between the output of the first replica transmitter and the output of the main transmitter, and between the output of the main transmitter and the input of the receiver.

2. The communication system according to claim 1, further comprising a second replica transmitter having an output electrically coupled to the transmit signal path between the main transmitter and the cancellation impedance circuit.

3. The communication system according to claim 2, wherein the cancellation signal comprises a first component representing a mirror image of the transmit signal, the first replica transmitter outputting the first component to the receive signal path so as to cancel a first signal characteristic of the transmit signal.

4. The communication system according to claim 3, wherein the cancellation signal further comprises a second component representing a direct image of the transmit signal, the second replica transmitter outputting the second component to the receive signal path so as to cancel a second signal characteristic of the transmit signal.

5. The communication system according to claim 4, wherein the transmit signal is characterized by a voltage component and a current component, the first replica transmitter outputting the first cancellation signal component to the receive signal path so as to cancel the voltage component of the transmit signal, the second replica transmitter outputting the second cancellation signal component to the receive signal path so as to cancel the current component of the transmit signal.

6. The communication system according to claim 5, wherein the main transmitter, the first replica transmitter and the second replica transmitter each comprise a digital-to-analog converter.

7. The communication system according to claim 6, further comprising:

a line interface circuit coupled between the channel at one port and the transmit signal path and the receive signal path at another port, the line interface circuit including a load impedance; and

wherein the digital-to-analog converters are current mode devices, the load impedance defining a voltage mode transmit signal from a current mode transmit signal output by the main transmitter.

8. The communication system according to claim 7, the first replica transmitter defining a current mode cancellation signal, the cancellation impedance circuit defining a voltage mode cancellation signal from the current mode cancellation signal.

9. A method for separating a transmit signal from a simultaneously asserted receive signal in a bidirectional, full duplex transmission system having a transmitter and a receiver sharing a common signal path, comprising the steps of:

generating a transmit signal on the common signal path;

generating a first cancellation signal corresponding to the transmit signal, the first cancellation signal representing a mirror image of a voltage component of the transmit signal;

generating a second cancellation signal corresponding to the transmit signal, the second cancellation signal representing a direct image of a current component of the transmit signal; and

electrically combining the first and second cancellation signals with the transmit signal on the common signal path so as to substantially remove the transmit signal from the common signal path.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

providing a communication channel;

providing an interface circuit coupled between the communication channel and the common signal path, the interface circuit including a load impedance element; and

wherein the transmit signal is a differential current mode signal, the load impedance element defining a differential voltage mode signal therefrom.

11. The method according to claim 10, the first cancellation signal generating step comprising:

generating a first differential current mode cancellation signal; and

converting the first differential current mode cancellation signal to a first differential voltage mode cancellation signal by passing the first differential current mode cancellation signal through a cancellation impedance element.

12. The method according to claim 11, the second cancellation signal generating step comprising:

generating a second differential current mode cancellation signal; and

wherein the positive and negative portions of the second differential current mode cancellation signal are combined with respective positive and negative portions of the transmit signal and with respective negative and positive portions of the first differential current mode signal.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the first cancellation signal and the second cancellation signal are generated by a digital to analog block.

14. A bidirectional communication system, configured for full duplex communication, comprising:

a communication channel;

a main transmitter having an output for asserting a transmit signal;

a transmit signal path electrically coupled between the communication channel and the output of the main transmitter;

a receiver having an input for receiving a receive signal;

a receive signal path electrically coupled between the communication channel and the input of the receiver, the receive signal path further coupled, in parallel fashion, to the transmit signal path; and

a transmit signal cancellation circuit electrically coupled to the receive signal path, the transmit signal cancellation circuit developing a cancellation signal, representing a transmit signal, and asserting the cancellation signal on the receive signal path so as to prevent the transmit signal from being asserted to the input of the receiver, wherein the transmit signal cancellation circuit includes a replica transmitter having an output electrically coupled to the receive signal path between the main transmitter and the receiver.

15. An adaptive transmission signal cancellation circuit for separating transmit data from receive data in a bidirectional communication system comprising:

a transmit DAC having positive and negative output terminals for asserting differential analog transmit signals;

a receive ADC having positive and negative input terminals for receiving differential analog receive signals, the receiver'"'"'s input terminals electronically coupled to the transmitter'"'"'s respective like output terminals over a common signal path;

a replica DAC having positive and negative output terminals for asserting a differential cancellation signal at the input of the receive ADC for cancelling the transmit signal from the receive signal.

16. The transmission signal cancellation circuit according to claim 15, further comprising a second replica DAC having positive and negative output terminals for asserting a second differential analog cancellation signal at the output of the transmit DAC.

17. The transmission signal cancellation circuit according to claim 16, further comprising a cancellation impedance circuit coupled into the common signal path between the transmit DAC and the first replica DAC and between the transmit DAC and the receive ADC.