Scientific-atlanta, Inc.

Other

Cisco Technology, Inc.

Florin Farcas

Lamar E West, Jr

Joseph Graham Mobley

John Alexander Ritchie, Jr

Jiening Ao

Steven E Blashewski

John W Brickell

Richard J Futch

Donald C Sorenson

John A Ritchie

Lamar E West

An architecture for providing high-speed access over frequency-division multiplexed (FDM) channels allows transmission of Ethernet frames and/or other data across a cable transmission network or other form of FDM transport. The architecture involves downstream and upstream FDM multiplexing techniques to allow contemporaneous, parallel communications across a plurality of frequency channels. Furthermore, the architecture allows a central concentrator to support a plurality of remote devices that each has guaranteed bandwidth through connection-oriented allocations of bi-directional data flows. The upstream and downstream bandwidth allocation can support symmetrical bandwidth as well as asymmetrical bandwidth in either direction. As a local network, the architecture supports guaranteed bandwidth for delivery of data flows to a plurality of host devices.

Clock synchronization in a bidirectional network

An architecture for providing high-speed access over frequency-division multiplexed (FDM) channels allows transmission of ethernet frames and/or other data across a cable transmission network or other form of FDM transport. The architecture involves downstream and upstream FDM multiplexing techniques to allow contemporaneous, parallel communications across a plurality of frequency channels. Furthermore, the architecture allows a central concentrator to support a plurality of remote devices that each have guaranteed bandwidth through connection-oriented allocations of bi-directional data flows. The upstream and downstream bandwidth allocation can support symmetrical bandwidth as well as asymmetrical bandwidth in either direction. The architecture generally can be used to support connection-oriented physical layer connectivity between a remote device and the central concentrator. Furthermore, the architecture may be integrated into other higher level devices such as, but not limited to, bridges, switches, routers, and/or gateways. The architecture generally may peacefully coexist with other services commonly-found in cable distribution networks.

Multi-carrier frequency-division multiplexing (FDM) architecture for high speed digital service

Disclosed herein are methods of providing a client with local area network connectivity and access to other services in a cable network. One such method includes: allocating bandwidth in the network to support bi-directional data communication between the host and a central concentrator. Bandwidth is allocated for a downstream flow on at least one downstream frequency channel based on a mapping between the downstream flow and a particular octet in a downstream packet. Bandwidth is allocated for an upstream flow on at least one non-shared upstream tone. The method also includes conveying a bi-directional data flow between the host and the concentrator over the allocated bandwidth, including conveying the upstream flow using the allocated bandwidth and conveying the downstream flow using the allocated bandwidth. The method also includes utilizing bandwidth in the network not allocated to data communications to provide the host with at least one audio/visual service.

Multi-carrier frequency-division multiplexing (FDM) architecture for high speed digital service in local networks

An architecture for providing high-speed access over frequency-division multiplexed (FDM) channels allows transmission of ethernet frames and/or other data across a cable transmission network or other form of FDM transport. The architecture involves downstream and upstream FDM multiplexing techniques to allow contemporaneous, parallel communications across a plurality of frequency channels. Moreover, an automatic frequency control resolves some issues of a free-running clock in an upstream tuner of the central concentrator by performing adjustments based on the average frequency error of a number of active upstream tones. In the preferred embodiments of the present invention, the automatic frequency control (AFC) utilizes a feedback loop for at least each active upstream tone. Also, the average of the active upstream tones is determined and is utilized in providing feedback to adjust the automatic frequency control (AFC).

Automatic frequency control of multiple channels

Growing community of inventors

Lawrenceville, GA, United States of America

Florin Farcas