Broadcom Corporation

Broadcom Homenetworking, Inc.

Agere Systems Inc.

Epigram

John T Holloway

Jason A Trachewsky

Edward H Frank

Kevin H Peterson

Eric Jon Ojard

Tracy D Mallory

Alan G Corry

Larry C Yamano

Craig Stephen Forrest

Timothy B Robinson

Dane Snow

Henry S Ptasinski

Matthew James Fischer

Steven E Strauss

Raymond Hayes

David Fifield

Henry Ptasinski

Jay Pattin

Lixi Wu

A method and apparatus for coupling a system propagating home networking communications signals over telephone lines to a system propagating television signals over a coaxial cable system to a television device. A three port adapter has a phone line port, a first coaxial cable port and a second coaxial cable port. The first coaxial cable port is coupled to the phone line port through a low pass filter and wideband balun adapted to pass home networking communications signals while being adapted to reject television signals. The first coaxial cable port is also coupled to the second coaxial port through a high pass filter while being adapted to reject home networking communications signals. The phone line port is coupled to the system propagating home networking communications signals. The first coaxial cable port is coupled to the system propagating television signals over coaxial cable. The second coaxial cable port to the television device.

Apparatus for transporting home networking frame-based communications signals over coaxial cables

A network interface is presented that receives packet data from a shared medium and accomplishes the signal processing required to convert the data packet to host computer formatted data separately from receiving the data packet. The network interface receives the data packet, converts the analog signal to a digitized signal, and stores the resulting sample packet in a storage queue. An off-line processor, which may be the host computer itself, performs the signal processing required to interpret the sample packet. In transmission, the off-line process converts host-formatted data to a digitized version of a transmission data packet and stores that in a transmission queue. A transmitter converts the transmission data packet format and transmits the data to the shared medium.

Off-line broadband network interface

A receiver circuit of the modem is coupled to receive a continuous analog signal from a communication channel. This analog signal includes both packet and idle information. A burst mode protocol is also provided, in which packets of digital information are modulated by a transmitter circuit of the modem, thereby converting the packets of digital information into analog signal bursts of discrete duration. These analog signal bursts are transmitted from the transmitter circuit to a telephone line. A receiver circuit monitors the telephone line to detect the analog signal bursts. Upon detecting the presence of the analog signal bursts on the telephone line, the receiver circuit demodulates the analog signal bursts using full processing capabilities of the receiver circuit. However, upon detecting the absence of the analog signal bursts on the telephone line, the demodulating function of the receiver circuit is disabled. The burst mode protocol enables multi-drop and multi-cast operation, as well as reducing required DSP resources.

Method and apparatus for reducing signal processing requirements for transmitting packet-based data

A method of providing for synchronizing one or more synchronous terminals with one or more synchronous endpoints, each synchronous terminal and each synchronous endpoint having an asynchronous communications network coupled between at least one synchronous terminal and at least one synchronous endpoint. A synchronization protocol is established between a synchronous terminal and a synchronous end point by providing a gateway between the asynchronous communications network and the synchronous end point, the gateway communicating with the synchronous terminal over the asynchronous communications network in accordance with the synchronization protocol. The synchronization protocol includes sending a message from the gateway to the synchronous terminal, the message containing a timestamp identifying a clock associated with the synchronous end point. The synchronous terminal establishes a clock associated with the synchronous terminal by creating a clock estimate based upon the timestamp message and access jitter expected from the asynchronous communications network such that the clock associated with the synchronous terminal enables packet sampling and transmission onto the asynchronous communications network to and from the synchronous terminal to be synchronized with the clock associated with the synchronous end point.

Synchronized transport across non-synchronous networks

A method and signal therfor embodied in a carrier wave for sending information from transmit stations to receive stations over a transmission medium of a frame-based communications network. The information is sent in transmit frames having a frame format comprising a fixed rate header, followed by a variable rate payload, followed by a fixed rate trailer. The fixed rate header includes a preamble. The preamble has a repetition of four symbol sequences for facilitating power estimation, gain control, baud frequency offset estimation, equalizer training, carrier sensing and collision detection. The preamble also includes a frame control field. The frame control field has scrambler control information for frame scrambling initialization, a priority field to determine the absolute priority a transmit frame will have when determining access to the transmission medium, a payload encoding field which determines constellation encoding of payload bits in the variable rate payload, and a header check sequence for providing a cyclic redundancy check. The variable rate payload is transmitted pursuant to dynamic adjustable frame encoding parameters for improving transmission performance for a transmit frame being transmitted from a transmitting station to a receiving station. The header also includes a destination address field, a source address field and an ethertype field.

Transceiver method and signal therefor embodied in a carrier wave for a frame-based communications network

A packet-switched multiple-access network system with a distributed fair priority queuing media access control protocol that provides multiple levels of priority of access and fair collision resolution with improved performance is disclosed. In one embodiment, the system provides high-speed transport of multimedia information on a shared channel. Further, in one embodiment, MAC level side-band signaling that is useful to other levels of the network protocol (e.g., the physical layer) is also provided.

Packet-switched multiple-access network system with distributed fair priority queuing

A method for selecting an operating mode for a frame-based communications network consisting of a plurality of stations attached to a transmission medium. The plurality of stations include both a first type station and a second type station. The first type station is capable of transmitting and receiving first protocol frames in accordance with a first protocol. The second type station is capable of transmitting and receiving both first protocol frames and second protocol frames in accordance with a second protocol. The first protocol and the second protocol each use different signals on the transmission medium. The first type station is not capable of reliably detecting second protocol frames. The first protocol has a first protocol frame format containing at least two reserved bits in a first protocol frame header which are ignored in received frames by first type stations and always sent with a same fixed value by first type stations. The first protocol frame format is redefined to provide an updated first protocol frame header wherein two reserved bits in the first protocol frame header are allocated as a mode selection indicator field in the updated first protocol frame header. The mode selection indicator field has meaning for second type stations.

Method for selecting an operating mode for a frame-based communications network

Signature apparatus and techniques that make home networking devices, e.g., in-Home Phoneline Network (herein referred to as &ldquo;HPN&rdquo;) devices, isolation filters, network interface devices, etc., detectable by commercially available metallic loop termination (MLT) test equipment. The invention also provides a method of testing a telephone line for the existence of a signature circuit identifying a home network. The home network signature circuit includes a series combination of a voltage breakdown device (e.g., Zener diodes) and an impedance (e.g., 200K ohm resistor). In operation, the home network signature circuit shunts the tested subscriber line loop with a voltage-dependent impedance in the presence of an appropriate test voltage exceeding 80 volts. Different high voltage thresholds of the voltage breakdown portion and/or different resistance values of the shunt impedance can be implemented in the home network signature device to produce uniquely detectable signatures. In this way, it is possible to remotely differentiate between various types of home network devices if the various types of home network devices include known voltage thresholds and/or shunt impedances. Loop qualification for services such as VDSL could include an automated remote scan from a central office for home network signature devices being served by telephone lines, e.g., existing in the same binder. To sense each of the parallel connected home network signature devices, the test equipment may preferably be made sensitive to the threshold voltage, not to the shunt impedance. The home network signature circuit may simply reside between the tip and ring on an HPN adapter. The home network signature circuit is preferably functional whether or not the network device is powered up. The home network signature circuit, in response to the activation energy signal exceeding a predetermined threshold above 80 volts, will drive an appropriate current back onto the telephone line.

Signature device for home phoneline network devices

A modem and method for operating same. A receiver circuit of the modem is coupled to receive a continuous analog signal from a communication channel. This analog signal includes both packet and idle information. The receiver circuit monitors the analog signal to detect the presence of idle information. Upon detecting idle information, the receiver circuit enters a standby mode in which the processing requirements of the receiver circuit are reduced. A burst mode protocol is also provided, in which packets of digital information are modulated by a transmitter circuit of the modem, thereby converting the packets of digital information into analog signal bursts of discrete duration. These analog signal bursts are transmitted from the transmitter circuit to a telephone line. However, the transmitter circuit does not generate any signals between the analog signal bursts. A receiver circuit monitors the telephone line to detect the analog signal bursts. Upon detecting the presence of the analog signal bursts on the telephone line, the receiver circuit demodulates the analog signal bursts using full processing capabilities of the receiver circuit. However, upon detecting the absence of the analog signal bursts on the telephone line, the demodulating function of the receiver circuit is disabled. The burst mode protocol enables multi-drop and multi-cast operation, as well as reducing required DSP resources.

Method and apparatus for reducing signal processing requirements for transmitting packet-based data with a modem

A packet-switched multiple-access network system with a distributed fair priority queuing media access control protocol that provides multiple levels of priority of access and fair collision resolution with improved performance is disclosed. In one embodiment, the system provides high-speed transport of multimedia information on a shared channel. Further, in one embodiment, MAC level side-band signaling that is usefull to other levels of the network protocol (e.g., the physical layer) is also provided.

Growing community of inventors

Atherton, CA, United States of America

John T Holloway