Advanced Micro Devices Corporation

Globalfoundries Inc.

Signetics

Philip J Keller

Matthew James Fischer

Yatin Acharya

Colin D Nayler

Kyongsoo Michael Jung

Paul K Jung

A novel method of configuring a transceiver for data transmission via residential wiring. The method involves setting a DC level at the output terminal of the transceiver, comparing a value representing the DC level with a predetermined threshold level, and controlling an output driver of the transceiver until this value is equal to the threshold level. The output driver may be controlled during initialization of the transceiver. To implement the method, the transceiver is provided with an output drive control system for comparing a DC level set at the output terminal with the threshold signal to control the output driver so as to maintain the transmit signal at a prescribed level.

Automatic output drive level control in home networking transceiver

A novel method of configuring a physical layer transceiver for providing data communications via residential wiring. A transmit section of the transceiver produces a pulse signal having selected amplitude. This pulse signal received by an input circuit in a receiver section of the transceiver is used for adjusting the gain of the input circuit to a fixed optimum level. In particular, the gain of the input circuit may be adjusted in response to at least one pulse. A calibration circuit of the transceiver includes a comparator for comparing the receive signal produced at the output of the input circuit, with a threshold level, and controller that supplies the input circuit with a gain control value, and sets the threshold level. The controller reduce the gain control value to decrease the gain of the input circuit when the receive signal exceeds the threshold level. The gain control value is increased to raise the gain of the input circuit when the receive signal is less than the threshold level.

Self-calibration procedure in physical layer transceiver for home telephone wire network

A network interface includes a network medium interface operatively coupled to a software device driver arrangement, with a legacy media access controller (MAC) therebetween. The device driver arrangement includes a legacy MAC device driver configured to communicate with the legacy MAC, and an intermediate driver configured to communicate with the network medium interface. The intermediate driver and the network medium interface may communicate with one another by use of special frames, for example to send and receive control information. The special frames are formatted to pass through the legacy MAC, and include an identifier so that they can be identified at the intended destination, either the intermediate driver or the network medium interface. Upon identification, the control information is extracted at the destination. The network medium interface may include one or more MACs as well as one or more physical layer devices (PHYs).

Network interface apparatus and method of internal communication within the same

A method of testing a network physical layer device (PHY) having a media independent interface (MII) includes sending information between the PHY and a tester along the data buses of the MII. The information may be sent in the form of special frames, the special frames being sent from the tester to the PHY including an identifier. The PHY includes means for detecting the identifier, for extracting control information from the special frames, and for using the control information to execute write operations to and read operations accessing the memory registers of the PHY, and for sending information to the tester. The information may be passed between the PHY at an exemplary rate of 100 Mb/sec.

Method of testing a network device through a medium independent interface (MII)

A local area data network includes two separate and unique twisted pair telephone networks joined by a coupler to form a common data network. The coupler operates to pass pulse position modulated data signals (PPM) and quadrature amplitude modulate (QAM) data signals between the telephone networks and isolate each plain old telephone service (POTS) signals on one telephone network from the other telephone network.

Coupling device connecting multiple pots lines in an HPNA environment

A method of indirect addressing involves use of a bank select register and a bank of multiple directly-accessible registers to indirectly access registers of a memory device. Bank select data is written to the bank control register, specifying a bank of registers to be indirectly accessed. Read and/or write operations are then performed, for example, reading data from the specified bank of registers and transferring it to the bank of directly-accessible registers, or writing data to the bank of directly-accessible registers from an external source, and transferring the data to the registers of the specified bank.

Indirect addressing method and device incorporating the same

A physical layer transceiver of a home network station connected to a telephone medium has an architecture enabling adaptation of detection circuitry based on received network signals to enable reliable recovery of data signals. The physical layer transceiver includes an input amplifier that amplifies network signals according to one of 128 gain settings set by a receiver gain control signal. A signal conditioning circuit includes an envelope detector configured for outputting an envelope of the amplified received signal, and an energy detector configured for outputting an energy signal of the amplified received signals. The envelope signal and the energy signal are supplied to slicer threshold circuits, configured for outputting noise, peak, data event and energy event signals based on noise threshold, peak threshold, data transition threshold, and energy threshold signals, respectively. A digital controller controls the input amplifier gain and the threshold values, and adjusts the gain and threshold values based on the noise event signal and the peak event signal within an access ID (AID) interval. The physical layer transceiver of the home network station includes link detection logic enabling the physical layer transceiver to determine whether a valid link is detected on the telephone line medium. The home network station is configured for communication with the home network physical layer transceiver, as well as other physical layer transceivers, via a shared media independent interface (MII), to determine which network port to use for network communications. If none of the other physical layer transceivers indicate a valid link is present on the corresponding network medium, the home network station automatically configures the network communication software for selecting the port corresponding to the physical layer transceiver connected to the telephone line medium.

Apparatus and method for automatically selecting a network port for a home network station

A local area network having a telephone line medium in a home network environment includes physical layer transceivers having transmit and receive state machines enabling each network station to determine a link status on the telephone line medium. The transmit state machine is configured for transmitting a link packet within a prescribed interval (T), less than a minimum packet length of a data packet, and having a preamble and a sufficient number of bytes to allow for transmission. Hence, the link packet will be detected by the other stations on the network, but will not be processed, since it is classified as a runt packet by the media access control layers. The receive state machine monitors the telephone line medium, and if after a prescribed interval (2T) the station has not detected a valid preamble from a data packet or a link packet, then the link status indicator for that station is set to an invalid condition, and subsequently supplied to the station operating system.

Apparatus and method of determining a link status between network stations connected to a telephone line medium

An arbiter circuit includes a latch made of two crosscoupled NAND gates, one of which is a Schmitt NAND gate, a difference detector, and two output NOR gates. The output of the latch is coupled to the difference detector and to one input of the NOR gates. The NOR gates receive another input from the difference detector. The difference detector is responsive to a voltage difference that exceeds one V.sub.BE, thereby blocking signals that originate in the latch during oscillating or metastable states of the latch, which may include rut pulses.

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Fremont, CA, United States of America

Philip J Keller