Wideband cable system

• US 8,457,156 B2
• Filed: 08/10/2010
• Issued: 06/04/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chapman, John T., Dean, Alvar A., Santarpio, Richard J., Prokopik, John P., Healy, Michael J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Thier, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): HAILE, AWET A
• Application Number:
  US12/854,009
• Publication Number:
  US 20110051753A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,029 Days
• Field of Search: 370/235, 370/238, 370/241, 370/252, 370/358, 370/389, 370/468, 370/518, 370/474, 370/503, 370/537, 375/238, 375/240, 709/238, 725/95, 725/119
• US Class Current: 370/468
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/79 using downlink of the CATV systems, e.g. audio broadcast via CATV network
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/97 using uplink of the CATV systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2801 Broadband local area networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2381 Adapting the multiplex stream to a specific network, e.g. an Internet Protocol [IP] network transmission of MPEG streams over ATM H04L12/5601
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/239 Interfacing the upstream path of the transmission network, e.g. prioritizing client content requests hybrid fiber coaxial [HFC] networks for upstream channel allocation for video distribution H04L12/2801; flow control in data networks H04L47/10; real-time communication protocols in data switching networks H04L65/00; scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/437 Interfacing the upstream path of the transmission network, e.g. for transmitting client requests to a VOD server flow control in data networks H04L47/10; streaming protocols, e.g. RTP or RTCP, H04L65/65; scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests in data packet switching networks H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4381 Recovering the multiplex stream from a specific network, e.g. recovering MPEG packets from ATM cells transmission of MPEG streams over ATM H04L12/5601
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6131 involving transmission via a mobile phone network wireless downlink channel access H04W74/006
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6181 involving transmission via a mobile phone network arrangements for providing broadcast or conference services to substation in data switching networks in combination with wireless systems H04L12/189; wireless uplink channel access H04W74/004
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 Transmission or handling of upstream communications

Abstract

A wideband cable modem system increases available bandwidth of a single channel by encoding a data stream into wideband packets. The wideband packets are associated with a logical wideband channel that extends over multiple physical downstream cable channels.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a wideband cable modem configured to receive and decode a logical wideband channel received over a plurality of downstream Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) channels, wherein the logical wideband channel spans across a first combination of some of the downstream QAM channels at a first time and a second different combination of some of the downstream QAM channels at a second later time; and

the wideband cable modem configured to monitor all the downstream QAM channels for packets having a particular packet identifier value that correlates said packets to the logical wideband channel, to track dynamic utilization of the downstream QAM channels by the logical wideband channel over the first and second times according to the monitoring;

wherein the correlated packets include Vertical Alignment Indexes (VAIs) to identify temporal positions of said packets in the plurality of downstream QAM channels, and wherein the wideband cable modem is configured to use the VAIs to temporally realign the packets received over the first combination and the second different combination of the downstream QAM channels.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the wideband cable modem is configured to inspect Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) Packet IDentifier (PID) fields for the particular packet identifier value to distinguish the packets of the logical wideband channel from other packets received over the downstream QAM channels.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein ones of the packets associated with a first transmit time have a same VAI value that is different than a VAI value of those ones of the packets associated with a second different transmit time.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the wideband cable modem includes a plurality of tuners having demodulators each configured to demodulate a different one of the downstream QAM channels.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the wideband cable modem is configured to identify the downstream QAM channels according to a received wideband channel descriptor.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the wideband cable modem is configured to use the same QAM channels for decoding both the logical wideband channel and a narrowband channel.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the received packets have an MPEG header, a wideband header and a Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS) payload that contains Media Access Control (MAC) frames.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the wideband cable modem is configured to inspect continuity values to the packets that identify an order that the packets are transmitted over the first combination and the second different combination of the downstream QAM channels.

9. A method, comprising:

receiving and decoding a logical wideband channel received over a plurality of downstream Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) channels, wherein the logical wideband channel spans across a first combination of some of the downstream QAM channels at a first time and a second different combination of some of the downstream QAM channels at a second later time; and

monitoring all the downstream QAM channels for packets having a particular packet identifier value that correlates said packets to the logical wideband channel, to track dynamic utilization of the downstream QAM channels by the logical wideband channel over the first and second times according to the monitoring;

wherein the correlated packets include Vertical Alignment Indexes (VAIs) to identify temporal positions of said packets in the plurality of downstream QAM channels, and wherein the method further comprises using the VAIs to temporally realign the packets received over the first combination and the second different combination of the downstream QAM channels.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising inspecting Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) Packet IDentifier (PID) fields for the particular packet identifier value to distinguish the packets of the logical wideband channel from other packets received over the downstream QAM channels.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein ones of the packets associated with a first transmit time have a same VAI value that is different than a VAI value of those ones of the packets associated with a second different transmit time.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising demodulating the downstream QAM channels using a plurality of tuners.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising identifying the downstream QAM channels according to a received wideband channel descriptor.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising using the same downstream QAM channels for decoding both the logical wideband channel and a narrowband channel.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the received packets have an MPEG header, a wideband header and a Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS) payload that contains Media Access Control (MAC) frames.

16. The method of claim 9, further comprising inspecting continuity values to the packets that identify an order that the packets are transmitted over the different downstream QAM channels.

17. An article of manufacture including a non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving and decoding a logical wideband channel received over a plurality of downstream Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) channels, wherein the logical wideband channel spans across a first combination of some of the downstream QAM channels at a first time and a second different combination of some of the downstream QAM channels at a second later time; and

monitoring all the downstream QAM channels for packets having a particular packet identifier value that correlates said packets to the logical wideband channel, to track dynamic utilization of the downstream QAM channels by the logical wideband channel over the first and second times according to the monitoring;

wherein the correlated packets include Vertical Alignment Indexes (VAIs) to identify temporal positions of said packets in the plurality of downstream QAM channels, and wherein the operations further comprise using the VAIs to temporally realign the packets received over the first combination and the second different combination of the downstream QAM channels.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 17, wherein the operations include inspecting Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) Packet IDentifier (PID) fields for the particular packet identifier value to distinguish the packets of the logical wideband channel from other packets received over the downstream QAM channels.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 17, wherein the operations include demodulating the downstream QAM channels using a plurality of tuners.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 17, wherein the operations include inspecting continuity values to the packets that identify an order that the packets are transmitted over the different downstream QAM channels.