Amati Communications Corporation

Racal-vadic, Inc.

Texas Instruments Corporation

Telebit Corporation

The Vadic Corporation

Other

John A Bingham

John Matthew Cioffi

Krista S Jacobsen

Mark B Flowers

Jacky S Chow

Po Tong

Mark P Mallory

Nicholas Philip Sands

Brian Robert Wiese

Ronald K Maxwell

Michael D Agah

Xuong K Dang

Jack H Kurzweil

A variety of bidirectional data transmission systems that facilitate communications between a plurality of remote units () and a central unit () using a frame based discrete multi-carrier transmission scheme are disclosed. In each of the systems, frames transmitted from the plurality of remote units () are synchronized at the central unit (). A variety of novel modem arrangements and methods for coordinating communications between a plurality of remote units () and a central unit () to facilitate multi-point-to-point transmission are disclosed. The invention has application in a wide variety of data transmission schemes including Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line systems that includes the transmission of signals over twisted pair, fiber and/or hybrid telephone lines, cable systems that includes the transmission of signals over a coaxial cable, and digital cellular television systems that include the transmission of radio signals.

Method and apparatus for coordinating multi-point to point communications in a multi-tone data transmission system

A variety of bi-directional data transmission systems that facilitate communications between a plurality of remote units () and a central unit () using a frame based discrete multi-carrier transmission scheme are disclosed. In each of the systems, frames transmitted from the plurality of remote units () are synchronized at the central unit (). A variety of novel modem arrangements and methods for coordinating communications between a plurality of remote units () and a central unit () to facilitate multi-point-to-point transmission are disclosed. The invention has application in a wide variety of data transmission schemes including Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line systems that includes the transmission of signals over twisted pair, fiber and/or hybrid telephone lines, cable systems that includes the transmission of signals over a coaxial cable, and digital cellular television systems that include the transmission of radio signals.

A variety of bi-directional data transmission systems that facilitate communications between a plurality of remote units ( ) and a central unit ( ) using a frame based discrete multi-carrier transmission scheme are disclosed. In each of the systems, frames transmitted from the plurality of remote units ( ) are synchronized at the central unit ( ). A variety of novel modem arrangements and methods for coordinating communications between a plurality of remote units ( ) and a central unit ( ) to facilitate multi-point-to-point transmission are disclosed. The invention has application in a wide variety of data transmission schemes including Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line systems that includes the transmission of signals over twisted pair, fiber and/or hybrid telephone lines, cable systems that includes the transmission of signals over a coaxial cable, and digital cellular television systems that include the transmission of radio signals.

Method and apparatus for coordinating multi-point to-point communications in a multi-tone data transmission system

An improved techniques for synchronizing transmissions and receptions of a data transmission system utilizing time division duplexing is disclosed. The improved synchronization techniques utilize the time-varying nature of the energy of the received data to obtain synchronization. In one embodiment, the improved synchronization technique uses the output signals from a multicarrier modulation unit (FFT unit) and thus provides the ability to avoid frequency tones that are susceptible to RF interference. The improved synchronization techniques can also utilize crosstalk interference levels to obtain synchronization. Remote receivers in the data transmission system are able to synchronize to central transmitters, central receivers in the data transmission system are able to synchronize to remote transmitters, and central transmitters are able to synchronize with one another.

Method and system for synchronizing time-division-duplexed transceivers

Methods and mechanisms for reducing the impact of radio frequency interference in multi-carrier data transmission systems are disclosed. In one aspect of the invention, dummy tones are used to suppress emissions within restricted frequency bands. In another aspect of the invention, signals received on designated quiet tones are detected and used to facilitate canceling of RF interference on adjacent active tones.

Mitigating radio frequency interference in multi-carrier transmission

Disclosed are radio frequency (RF) interference cancellation techniques that effectively estimate RF interference to the data signals being received using a frequency domain model, and then remove the estimated RF interference from the received data signals. Improved techniques for digitally filtering multicarrier modulation samples to reduce sidelobe interference due to the RF interference are also disclosed.

Digital radio frequency interference canceller

A receiver or receiver system for high speed data communications having a radio frequency noise canceller is disclosed. The radio frequency noise canceller removes radio-frequency noise from received signals over a transmission medium by adaptively estimating the radio-frequency noise during data transmission. In one embodiment, the radio frequency noise canceller includes: an adaptive filter for producing a noise cancellation signal by filtering a reference noise signal based on filter parameters, a subtractor for subtracting the noise cancellation signal from the first signal to produce the second signal; and an update circuit for enabling, at predetermined times, modification of the parameters of the adaptive filter based on the then existing second signal. A method for removing radio frequency noise is also disclosed.

Radio frequency noise canceller

A method and apparatus for transmitting digital sound is disclosed. The method contemplates transmitting a digital radio signal (such as an FM band signal) over a plurality of sub-channels subject to some constraints on the digital signal power. A control sub-channel, sometimes referred to as an auxiliary overhead channel is used to transmit control information which is interpreted by the receiver to identify the location and potentially the mode of the digital signals.

Digital sound broadcasting using a dedicated control channel

A method of coordinating very high speed bi-directional data transmissions between a central unit and a plurality of remote units over distinct twisted pair transmission lines that share a binder is described. Specifically, periodic synchronized upstream and downstream communication periods are provided that do not overlap with one another. The upstream and downstream communication periods for all of the wires that share a binder are synchronized. With this arrangement, all of the very high speed transmissions within the same binder are synchronized and time division duplexed such that downstream communications are not transmitted at times that overlap with the transmission of upstream communications. In some embodiments, quiet periods are provided to separate the upstream and downstream communication periods. The described invention may be used in conjunction with a wide variety of modulation schemes, including both multi-carrier and single carrier transmission schemes. It is backwards compatible with existing systems and has particular advantages in very high performance systems.

Time division duplexed high speed data transmission system and method

A transmission system includes transmit and receive paths coupled via a hybrid circuit to a bidirectional transmission path. The transmit path includes a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) having a given range and precision. The transmit path signal is limited and truncated to this range and precision before the DAC. In one arrangement including an echo canceller coupled between the transmit and receive paths, a difference of the transmit path signal before and after limiting and truncation is used to produce an estimated echo response which is subtracted from the receive path signal. In another arrangement, all of the inputs to the echo canceller are derived from the transmit path after the limiting and truncation. Instead, or in addition, the amplitudes of transmit path signal samples can be shaped in conjunction with the limiting. The system can in particular be an ADSL transmission system using multicarrier modulation. In such a system the amplitudes of transmit path signal samples can be scaled to reduce clipping, with an indication of the scaling being transmitted to a remote receiver.

Mitigating clipping and quantization effects in digital transmission

An oversampling technique that improves signal-to-quantization noise ratio without requiring substantial amounts of processing power is disclosed. The oversampling technique determines the oversample values by successively scaling the previous value using a scaling factor. The effect of the invention is the randomize the quantization error for each of the oversample values so that the quantization error becomes uncorrelated from one oversample value to the next. When such decorrelation occurs, the quantization noise is spread over the enlarged frequency band associated with the oversampling. The invention is applicable to any transmission scheme which utilizes oversampling and digital-to-analog conversion.

Method and apparatus for randomized oversampling

A variety of methods of coordinating communications between a plurality of remote units and a central unit to facilitate communications using a frame based discrete multi-tone (DMT) transmission scheme am disclosed. In one aspect of the invention, synchronized quiet times are periodically provided in the upstream communication stream. The synchronized quiet times are used to handle a variety of control type functions such as synchronization of new remote units, transmission channel quality checking and handling data transfer requests. The information received is used to facilitate the dynamic allocation of bandwidth during use. In another aspect, a data request signal may be used to indicate either a desire to transmit at a particular data rate or a desire to transmit a particular amount of information. In the former case, the central unit allocates sufficient sub-channels to the remote unit to facilitate transmission at a requested data rate that is specified in the data request information. In the latter case, the central unit allocates one or more sub-channels for an amount of time sufficient to transmit an amount information that is specified in the data request information.

Methods for coordinating upstream discrete multi-tone data transmissions

Apparatus and methods for informing the central unit of the transmission requirements of a remote unit in a bi-directional data transmission system that facilitates communications between a central unit and a plurality of remote units using a frame based discrete multi-tone (DMT) transmission scheme. The method includes the step of transmitting, using a fast access transmission mode, a communication access request from a selected first remote unit to the central unit during any symbol period. The communication access request includes a unique remote unit identifier associated with the selected first remote unit and is transmitted from the selected first remote unit on at least one unused sub-channel using a modulation scheme that does not require equalization to decode at the central unit. The method further includes the step of allocating at least one sub-channel to the selected first remote unit in response to the communication access request for facilitating upstream communications between the selected first remote unit and the central unit.

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Palo Alto, CA, United States of America

John A Bingham