WO2001028149A1 - Systeme et procede destines a permettre des communications numeriques multivoies simultanees avec des dispositifs clients multiples sur une liaison de communication partagee - Google Patents

Systeme et procede destines a permettre des communications numeriques multivoies simultanees avec des dispositifs clients multiples sur une liaison de communication partagee Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2001028149A1
WO2001028149A1 PCT/US2000/028330 US0028330W WO0128149A1 WO 2001028149 A1 WO2001028149 A1 WO 2001028149A1 US 0028330 W US0028330 W US 0028330W WO 0128149 A1 WO0128149 A1 WO 0128149A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
host
mhz
pni
recited
frequency
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Application number
PCT/US2000/028330
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Alan Albert Jones
Benjamin Elie Isaac
Kenneth Henry Oehrig
David Warren Loar
Forrest James Brown
Todd Bedros Smith
Original Assignee
Sharegate Inc.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Sharegate Inc. filed Critical Sharegate Inc.
Priority to AU78793/00A priority Critical patent/AU7879300A/en
Publication of WO2001028149A1 publication Critical patent/WO2001028149A1/fr

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Classifications

    • HELECTRICITY
    • H04ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04MTELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04M11/00Telephonic communication systems specially adapted for combination with other electrical systems
    • H04M11/06Simultaneous speech and data transmission, e.g. telegraphic transmission over the same conductors
    • H04M11/062Simultaneous speech and data transmission, e.g. telegraphic transmission over the same conductors using different frequency bands for speech and other data
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H04ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04LTRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04L12/00Data switching networks
    • H04L12/28Data switching networks characterised by path configuration, e.g. LAN [Local Area Networks] or WAN [Wide Area Networks]
    • H04L12/2803Home automation networks
    • H04L12/2838Distribution of signals within a home automation network, e.g. involving splitting/multiplexing signals to/from different paths
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H04ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04LTRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04L12/00Data switching networks
    • H04L12/28Data switching networks characterised by path configuration, e.g. LAN [Local Area Networks] or WAN [Wide Area Networks]
    • H04L12/2854Wide area networks, e.g. public data networks
    • H04L12/2856Access arrangements, e.g. Internet access
    • H04L12/2858Access network architectures
    • H04L12/2861Point-to-multipoint connection from the data network to the subscribers
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H04ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04LTRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04L27/00Modulated-carrier systems
    • H04L27/26Systems using multi-frequency codes
    • H04L27/2601Multicarrier modulation systems
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H04ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04LTRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04L45/00Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H04ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04LTRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04L45/00Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks
    • H04L45/24Multipath
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H04ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04MTELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04M3/00Automatic or semi-automatic exchanges
    • H04M3/005Interface circuits for subscriber lines
    • H04M3/007Access interface units for simultaneous transmission of speech and data, e.g. digital subscriber line [DSL] access interface units
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H04ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04LTRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04L12/00Data switching networks
    • H04L12/28Data switching networks characterised by path configuration, e.g. LAN [Local Area Networks] or WAN [Wide Area Networks]
    • H04L12/2803Home automation networks
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H04ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04LTRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04L12/00Data switching networks
    • H04L12/28Data switching networks characterised by path configuration, e.g. LAN [Local Area Networks] or WAN [Wide Area Networks]
    • H04L12/2803Home automation networks
    • H04L12/283Processing of data at an internetworking point of a home automation network
    • H04L12/2836Protocol conversion between an external network and a home network
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H04ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04LTRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04L12/00Data switching networks
    • H04L12/28Data switching networks characterised by path configuration, e.g. LAN [Local Area Networks] or WAN [Wide Area Networks]
    • H04L12/2803Home automation networks
    • H04L2012/284Home automation networks characterised by the type of medium used
    • H04L2012/2843Mains power line
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H04ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04LTRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04L12/00Data switching networks
    • H04L12/28Data switching networks characterised by path configuration, e.g. LAN [Local Area Networks] or WAN [Wide Area Networks]
    • H04L12/2803Home automation networks
    • H04L2012/284Home automation networks characterised by the type of medium used
    • H04L2012/2845Telephone line

Definitions

  • Embodiments of the present invention claim priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/159,378, filed October 14, 1999, and are related to a U.S. utility patent application entitled "System and Method for Enabling
  • the present invention relates, generally, to a customer premises communication system and, in preferred embodiments, to such systems and processes for enabling simultaneous multi-channel digital communications with multiple customer premises devices over a shared communication link.
  • POTS Plain Old Telephone Service
  • Additional channels may be added by connecting additional twisted pair telephone lines into the home.
  • each channel may be connected to multiple telephone extensions by connecting multiple telephones to the twisted pair telephone line corresponding to that channel.
  • TDM time division multiplexed
  • a PBX could connect the 24 reconstructed telephone signals directly to 24 individual telephones, but this would be an inefficient use of the corresponding telephone lines because the telephone circuits are idle most of the time.
  • on-premises switching equipment typically connects the telephone devices to a circuit only when a call is present. To do this, the switching equipment is provided with a method for determining which telephone is to be connected to a particular call. For incoming calls, for example, a caller might be prompted to enter an extension. For outgoing calls, the caller might have to enter a selected digit (e.g. , "8" or "9") to request an available circuit (i.e., a line for placing an outgoing call, referred to as an "outside line"). While such call connection activity is basic, it requires a significant amount of logic devices. Accordingly, many telephone switches are implemented using relatively large and powerful computers or processing devices.
  • ACD automatic call distributors
  • call centers The primary task of the ACD is to minimize the time between the arrival of an incoming call, and the call being answered by an agent.
  • an ACD can route calls to different groups of agents, depending on the incoming line, the time of day, or other conditions.
  • An ACD might also prompt the caller for information and then use this information to further refine the ACD routing decision.
  • the number of idle lines i.e. , trunks
  • Most call centers consequently have a high ratio of trunks to agents.
  • communications e.g. , telephone calls, data transfers, appliance or other device commands and status signaling
  • CPE customer premises equipment
  • controllable devices via different media such as power lines, other network wiring, or wireless systems, using various types of communication protocols.
  • communications e.g., telephone calls, data transfers, appliance or other device commands and status signaling
  • the system includes a host device and a plurality of peripheral node interface circuits (PNIs) couplable to the shared communication link.
  • the host device transmits and receives digital information over the shared communication link using a plurality of first communication channels.
  • Each PNI is associated with a particular first communication channel and receives digital information from the host device over that first communication channel, and transmits digital information to the host device over that first communication channel.
  • a device may be coupled to each PNI for receiving analog information from the PNI, and for transmitting analog information to the PNI.
  • FIG. 1 illustrates a simplified block diagram of a customer premises communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 2 illustrates the frequency spectra of the communication platforms that may be present on the internal communication link according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of a customer premises communication system for communicating signals over an internal communication link according to an embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram of an example interface circuit within the host device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 5 illustrates a spreadsheet of the frequency plan according to preferred embodiments of the present invention.
  • FIG. 6 illustrates a block diagram of an example transmitter and receiver within a PNI according to an embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 6a illustrates the communication of packets of data across the data communication channels and a virtual control channel superimposed over the data communication channels according to an embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 7 illustrates the frequency spectra of the communication platforms that may be present on the internal communication link, and the suck-out that results from ties-ins having a length of about 100-200 feet, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 8 is a circuit diagram of a delay line added to the distal end of each internal communication link tie-in that is connected to a PNI according to an embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 9 illustrates a block diagram of a customer premises communication system for communicating signals over AC power wiring according to an embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 1 illustrates a customer premises communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
  • a telephone company central office (telco CO) 14 is connected to a customer premises 10 via an external communication link 12.
  • the external communication link 12 comprises a twisted pair (TP) telephone line.
  • the external communication link 12 can comprise other types of communication media (e.g. , Tl line, coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, satellite feeds from communications satellites, and the like), and can support protocols and services such as a digital subscriber line (i.e. , xDSL), Internet Protocol (IP) transmissions, POTS, and the like.
  • Tl line twisted pair
  • IP Internet Protocol
  • the customer premises 10 can be, for example, a residence, home office, or business (e.g., a small business) that is provided with one or more internal communication links 16 such as a TP telephone line, an AC power line, a fiber optic link, coaxial cable, a wireless link, and the like.
  • a number of devices 18 e.g. telephones, personal computers (PCs), facsimile machines, appliances, and the like
  • PNI peripheral node interface
  • the PNI 22 may be incorporated as part of the device 18.
  • the PNIs 22 may be specifically configured to accept a particular type of device 18, or may be adaptable to accept different types of devices 18.
  • a PNI 22 configured to accept a telephone may provide AC power, battery power, ringing, voice amplification, and the like, such that the telephone will appear to be a normal POTS telephone to the user.
  • Any telephone jack in the premises can be connected to a PNI, and one telephone can be connected to each PNI.
  • Each telephone connected to a PNI may have its own telephone number and operate essentially as an independent phone line.
  • embodiments of the present invention cover the transmission of digital data over the external communication link to multiple PNIs connected to a common internal communication link. Instead of communicating narrowband FM analog signals, embodiments of the present invention communicate wideband FM frequency shift key (FSK) modulated digital signals.
  • FSK wideband FM frequency shift key
  • a host device 20 is coupled to the external communication link 12 and the internal communication link 16, and enables communications to be transferred between the external communication link 12 and the internal communication link 16.
  • the external communication link 12 may carry POTS and DSL transmissions for communicating regular audio telephone signals and high speed internet access, respectively.
  • the host device 20 and the PNIs 22 operate in accordance with the present invention to allow multiple telephones, facsimile machines, modems, computers, and the like to communicate independently with respect to each other over a single twisted pair (TP) telephone line 16.
  • TP twisted pair
  • the host device 20 and the PNIs 22 of the present invention are also advantageous because they are simple, reliable, scalable, and inexpensive. Although in preferred embodiments the host device 20 resides within the premises, in alternative embodiments the host device 20 may reside outside the premises. Within the host device 20 is an interface circuit 152.
  • the interface circuit 152 is an interface circuit 152.
  • FIG. 2 illustrates the frequency spectra of communication platforms that may be present on the internal communication link 16 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
  • POTS communication occurs from about 0 to 4 kHz
  • ADSL communication occurs in a frequency band from about 25 kHz to 1 MHz.
  • HomePNA II communication which can be viewed as a half-duplex
  • Ethernet occurs in a frequency band from about 4.5 MHz to about 9.5 MHz.
  • the HomePNA frequency band may be used to enable computers to communicate with each other over the twisted pair telephone lines. However, unlike full duplex communications where computers can simultaneously transmit and receive, with HomePNA a computer can transmit and receive communications, but cannot transmit and receive simultaneously.
  • communication between the host device 20 and the PNIs 22 preferably occurs in a frequency range that does not interfere with the frequency spectra allocated to known communication platforms such as POTS, ADSL, and HomePNA.
  • FIG. 2 illustrates that the ADSL frequency spectrum ends at about 1 MHz, and that the frequency spectrum for HomePNA II starts at about 4.5 MHz, leaving a frequency range from about 1 to 4 MHz in which to implement communications between the host device 20 and the PNIs 22.
  • 2.95 MHz was chosen as an approximate midpoint in the available frequency range, and two frequency bands on either side of that 2.95 MHz midpoint were chosen to transmit and receive signals.
  • a frequency band between about 2 to 2.6 MHz was chosen for transmitting signals from the PNIs 22 to the interface circuit 152.
  • a frequency band between about 3.3 to 3.9 MHz was chosen for transmitting signals from the interface circuit 152 to the PNIs 22.
  • Preferred embodiments of the present invention enable communications between the host device 20 and four PNIs 22, and thus there are actually four discrete channels of communication that occur within each of these frequency bands, corresponding to the four PNIs 22.
  • Each frequency channel occupies a different frequency range. In other words, within the frequency range of about 2 to 2.6 MHz, there are four distinct frequency channels for PNI transmissions to the host device, and within the frequency range of about 3.3 to 3.9 MHz, there are four distinct frequency channels for host device transmissions to the PNIs.
  • a different number of discrete channels of communication may exist within each frequency band. As noted above, FIG.
  • FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary preferred embodiment of the present invention, including the frequency bands chosen for communications between the host device 20 and four PNIs 22.
  • the 4 MHz upper limit may be increased to overlap somewhat with HomePNA.
  • the overlap is possible because embodiments of the present invention employ FM receivers that rely on a 20 dB capture point, and thus low energy amplitude modulated signals from HomePNA will not affect the FM receivers.
  • the frequency bands may be changed to different frequencies. For example, although FIG.
  • guard band 154 of about 700 kHz is used to separate the two frequency bands, in alternative embodiments the guard band could be changed or the frequency bands for transmitting and receiving could be changed. In further alternative embodiments, it is also possible to interleave the various transmit and receive frequencies.
  • the PNIs and the interface circuit are frequency agile and therefore adjustable over the entire frequency band from about 1 to 4 MHz.
  • the transmit and receive frequencies for the PNIs are assigned through a low-speed control channel (explained in further detail below). Because the PNIs are frequency agile, each PNI is physically identical to every other PNI.
  • One benefit to a frequency agile system is that communication channels can be moved away from short-wave radio broadcasts or other sources of interference. In alternative embodiments, however, the PNIs and interface circuit are tuned to a fixed transmit and receive frequency range.
  • FIG. 3 illustrates a customer premises communication system including a simplified block diagram of the host device 20 and a PNI 22 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
  • the external communication link 12 may contain voDSL, high-speed DSL Internet access, POTS, and other DSL- based communications.
  • telco CO 14 within the telco CO 14 up to four channels of analog audio information 164 representing four telephone conversations may be received by a voDSL provider
  • the voDSL data 168 is then communicated over the exterior communications link 12 and is received by the host device 20.
  • the voDSL data 168 (a form of ATM protocol data) is converted by a DSL modem 258 to digital ATM data.
  • Processor 150 takes the digital ATM data and separates it into AAL5 protocol data (Internet/network data) and up to four channels of AAL2 protocol data (voice) 170. Each channel of AAL2 protocol data 170 is then used to modulate a carrier in an FSK transmitter 154 in the interface circuit 152 and generate a host transmit signal 216. Each host transmit signal 216 is then broadcast to the PNIs 22 over the interior communications link 16 at a transmit frequency corresponding to a particular channel.
  • the communication of multiple telephone conversations over a single communication link is known as derived voice or distributed voice.
  • the host transmit signals 216 are then received by each PNI 22 through a transfer relay 228 (explained in further detail below) and delay line 234 (explained in further detail below).
  • the host transmit signals are then filtered by a diplexer 252 and demodulated by an FSK receiver 160 tuned to a receive frequency unique to that PNI 22.
  • the demodulated host transmit signal is then converted to analog audio information by a CODEC 162, passed through a station line interface circuit (SLIC) 230 (explained in further detail below) and the transfer relay 228, and finally sent to the telephone (device 18) connected to the PNI 22.
  • SLIC station line interface circuit
  • analog audio information 254 from a device 18 such as a telephone is received by a corresponding PNI 22, and passed through the transfer relay 228 and SLIC 230.
  • the analog audio information is then converted to digital AA2 protocol data by CODEC 162, and the digital AA2 protocol data is used to modulate a carrier in an FSK transmitter 158 to generate a PNI transmit signal 298.
  • the PNI transmit signal 298 is then filtered by diplexer 252, passed through delay line 234 and transfer relay 228, and broadcast to the host device 20 over the interior communications link 16.
  • the PNI transmit signals 298 for each of the PNIs 22 are then received in the host device 20 by four FSK receivers 156, each FSK receiver tuned to a particular receive frequency, and demodulated into up to four separate channels of AAL2 protocol data 172.
  • the AAL2 protocol data 172 is then converted by processor 150 into digital ATM data, converted by the DSL modem 258 into up to four voDSL signals 174, and communicated over the exterior communications link 12.
  • the voDSL signals 174 are then received by the voDSL provider 166, where they are converted back to analog audio information.
  • FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram of an example interface circuit 152 within the host device 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
  • a PNI transmit signal 298, which may include communications from multiple PNIs, is received by the host device 20 over the internal communication link 16. In preferred embodiments, up to four communication channels may be received from four PNIs, with carrier frequencies of 2 MHz, 2.2 MHz, 2.4 MHz, and 2.6 MHz, providing a channel separation of 200 kHz from the carrier frequencies of adjacent channels. It should be understood, however, that in alternative embodiments the carrier frequencies and channel separation may be different.
  • the PNI transmit signal 298 is first filtered by a diplexer 180 which separates out the receive band frequencies to produce a host receive signal 182.
  • the host receive signal 182 is then filtered by a pre-selector filter 186.
  • the pre-selector filter 186 acts as an impedance-adaptive pre-selector, or a bandpass filter that performs impedance translation.
  • the pre-selector filter 186 has a narrow passband that covers the receive band frequencies, and has an impedance that is matched to the signal impedance (approximately 39 ohms) and is mismatched with respect to the noise impedance (approximately 200-250 ohms). The net result is an improvement is the noise margin.
  • the filtered host receive signal is then amplified by a receive low noise amplifier (LNA) 184 to produce a buffered host receive signal 196.
  • LNA receive low noise amplifier
  • each FSK receiver 156 includes two filters 306 for creating a bandpass filter with good selectivity (shape).
  • Each FSK receiver 156 receives a local oscillator (LO) frequency 192 from a local oscillator 194 (one for each channel).
  • each local oscillator 194 is a phase-locked-loop (PLL) voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) that generates LO frequencies 10.7 MHz greater than the center frequencies of the receive channels and thus, in the example of FIG. 4, four local oscillators 194 will generate LO frequencies of 12.7 MHz, 12.9 MHz, 13.1 MHz, and 13.3 MHz.
  • a processor 150 through control logic 292, may configure each local oscillator 194 to produce one of the above-identified frequencies by generating a receive channel select control signal 290.
  • the receive channel select control signal 290 causes dividers 294 in the feedback path of the PLL VCO to change, which will cause the LO frequency 192 of the PLL VCO to change.
  • the dividers 294 are located in a programmable logic device (PLD) 296.
  • PLL VCO is phase-locked to a reference source 222 which, in preferred embodiments, generates a 32 MHz signal. It should be understood, however, that in alternative embodiments the reference source and mixing frequencies may be different to correspond with different channel frequencies.
  • each FSK receiver 156 demodulates the buffered host receive signal 196 by subtracting the buffered host receive signal 196 from the LO frequency 192 to produce a modulated MHz IF signal.
  • This IF signal is amplified, limited and sent to a detector, which detects the frequency shifts in the IF signal.
  • the output of the detector is then passed through a differential amplifier configured as a digital slicer to produce demodulated digital AA2 protocol data 172.
  • the AA2 protocol data 172 generated by each FSK receiver 156 is then communicated to the processor 150 through control logic 292.
  • each FSK transmitter 154 there are four FSK transmitters 154 in each interface circuit 152, one FSK transmitter for each channel.
  • a PLL VCO 210 Within each FSK transmitter 154 is a PLL VCO 210.
  • a processor 150 through control logic 292, may configure each PLL VCO 210 to produce a unique host transmit frequency by generating a transmit channel select control signal 300.
  • the transmit channel select control signal 300 causes dividers 304 in the feedback path of the PLL VCO 210 to change, which will cause the transmit frequency of the PLL VCO 210 to change.
  • the host transmit frequencies are 3.3 MHz, 3.5 MHz, 3.7 MHz, and 3.9 MHz, providing a channel separation of 200 kHz from the center frequencies of adjacent channels.
  • the dividers 304 are located in a programmable logic device (PLD) 296.
  • PLL VCO is phase-locked to a reference source 222 which, in preferred embodiments, generates a 32 MHz signal. It should be understood, however, that in alternative embodiments the reference source and LO frequencies may be different to correspond with different channel frequencies.
  • one channel of AAL2 protocol data 170 from processor 150 is communicated to each PLL VCO 210 within each FSK transmitter 154, through control logic 292.
  • the host transmit frequency is modulated by adding the digital pulses of the AAL2 protocol data 170 to the correction voltage (VT) 302 of the PLL VCO 210.
  • the digital pulses of the AAL2 protocol data 170 are used to toggle the least significant bits of the dividers 304, which causes a modulation of the host transmit frequency.
  • Each of the modulated host transmit frequencies is then amplified by an amplifier 212 and summed together through resistors 214 to produce a composite host transmit signal 216.
  • the host transmit signal 216 is then filtered by the diplexer
  • the FSK modulation indicated in FIG. 4 is merely exemplary, and that in alternative embodiments other modulation techniques may be used.
  • the overall frequency plan of the transmitter 154 and receiver 156 of FIG. 4 according to preferred embodiments of the present invention, including the selection of a 32 MHz reference source 222, was designed to provide channel spacings of 200 kHz and produce local oscillator frequencies that could be divided down and phase-locked to a single reference source.
  • the frequency plan of FIG. 4 is designed to accommodate a four PNI communication system. However, in alternative embodiments designed to accommodate a number of PNIs other than four, the frequency plan would be different.
  • ADSL can support up to 16 voDSL channels for 16 telephones.
  • ADSL Internet service will have to cut back.
  • the tradeoff between telephone service and Internet service is one of limited bandwidth resources.
  • 16 telephones are in simultaneous use, there would be no ADSL Internet access capability.
  • 16 telephone capability may be a practical application for businesses that have multiple ADSL lines coming into their offices.
  • One ADSL line may be used for Internet access and the other
  • ADSL line may be used to provide 16 telephone voDSL capability.
  • FIG. 4 (not including the specific frequency plan shown in FIG. 4) is therefore generally applicable to systems which have other than four PNI channel capability, except that there would be a different number of receivers and transmitters than indicated in FIG. 4.
  • FIG. 5 is a spreadsheet illustrating the frequency plan according to preferred embodiments of the present invention, wherein the second harmonic of the transmit frequencies and the second harmonic of the receive frequencies do not interfere with the transmit frequencies and the receive frequencies.
  • the combination of having 200 kHz channel spacing and maintaining a single reference oscillator frequency also eliminates the interference that would occur if multiple oscillators were employed at different frequencies, all beating against each other.
  • each PNI 22 includes a first RJ-11 connector (not shown in FIG. 3) for connecting to the internal communication link 16, and a second RJ-11 connector (not shown in
  • FIG. 3 for connecting to a device 18 (e.g. telephone).
  • a device 18 e.g. telephone
  • the internal communication link 16 and the telephone are connected to a transfer relay 228.
  • the PNI 22 receives power for its electronics from the household AC power source, and power and transmit/receive signals are provided to the telephone through the PNI 22.
  • the transfer relay 228 automatically connects the telephone to the internal communication link 16 to draw power from the external communication link (regular telephone wiring) and provide POTS.
  • SLIC station line interface circuit
  • CODEC 162 station line interface circuit
  • the SLIC 230 is a standard telephone interface chip that is well-known to those skilled in the art, and converts from two-wire telephone wiring to four- wire telephone wiring, rings the telephone, determines when the telephone is on-hook or off-hook, and the like.
  • FIG. 6 illustrates a block diagram of an example FSK transmitter 158 and FSK receiver 160 within a PNI 22 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
  • the circuit of FIG. 6 is similar to the interface circuit of FIG. 4, except that the receive frequencies of FIG. 4 become the transmit frequencies in FIG. 6, and the transmit frequencies of FIG. 4 become the receive frequencies in FIG. 6.
  • each PNI although frequency-agile in preferred embodiments, is tuned to a particular transmit and receive frequency, so there is only one local oscillator 328, one FSK receiver 160, one PLL VCO 308, and one FSK transmitter
  • a host transmit signal 216 is received by the PNI 22 over the internal communication link 16.
  • the host transmit signal 216 may contain up to four communication channels with carrier frequencies of 3.3 MHz, 3.5 MHz, 3.7 MHz, and 3.9 MHz, providing a channel separation of 200 kHz from the carrier frequencies of adjacent channels. It should be understood, however, that in alternative embodiments the carrier frequencies and channel separation may be different.
  • the host transmit signal 216 is first filtered by a diplexer 252 which separates out the receive band frequencies to produce a PNI receive signal 330.
  • the PNI receive signal 330 is then filtered by a pre-selector filter 332.
  • the pre-selector filter 332 acts as an impedance-adaptive pre-selector, or a bandpass filter that performs impedance translation.
  • the pre-selector filter 332 has a narrow passband that covers the receive band frequencies, and has an impedance that is matched to the signal impedance (approximately 39 ohms) and is mismatched with respect to the noise impedance (approximately 200-250 ohms). The net result is an improvement is the noise margin.
  • the filtered PNI receive signal is then amplified by a receive low noise amplifier (LNA) 334 to produce a buffered PNI receive signal 336.
  • the buffered PNI receive signal 336 is then communicated to an FSK receiver 160.
  • the FSK receiver 160 includes two filters 338 for creating a bandpass filter with good selectivity (shape).
  • the FSK receiver 160 receives a local oscillator (LO) frequency 340 from a local oscillator 328.
  • the local oscillator 328 is a phase-locked-loop (PLL) voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) that generates LO frequencies 10.7 MHz greater than the center frequencies of the receive channels and thus, in the example of FIG. 6, the local oscillator 328 will generate LO frequencies of 14 MHz, 14.2 MHz, 14.4 MHz, and 14.6 MHz.
  • control logic 310 will configure local oscillator 328 to produce one of the above-identified frequencies by generating a receive channel select control signal 288.
  • the receive channel select control signal 288 causes dividers 340 in the feedback path of the PLL VCO to change, which will cause the LO frequency 340 of the PLL VCO to change.
  • the dividers 340 are located in a programmable logic device (PLD) 316.
  • PLL programmable logic device
  • each FSK receiver 160 demodulates the buffered PNI receive signal 336 by subtracting the buffered PNI receive signal 336 from the LO frequency 340 to produce a modulated MHz IF signal.
  • This IF signal is amplified, limited and sent to a detector, which detects the frequency shifts in the IF signal.
  • the output of the detector is then passed through a differential amplifier configured as a digital slicer to produce demodulated digital AA2 protocol data 342.
  • the AA2 protocol data 342 generated by the FSK receiver 160 is then communicated to the CODEC 162 through control logic 310.
  • each PLL VCO 308 may configure each PLL VCO 308 to produce a unique PNI transmit frequency by generating a transmit channel select control signal 312.
  • the transmit channel select control signal 312 causes dividers 314 in the feedback path of the PLL VCO 308 to change, which will cause the host transmit frequency of the PLL VCO 308 to change.
  • the host transmit frequencies are 2 MHz, 2.2 MHz, 2.4 MHz, and 2.6 MHz, providing a channel separation of 200 kHz from the center frequencies of adjacent channels.
  • the dividers 314 are located in a programmable logic device (PLD) 316.
  • PLL VCO 308 is phase-locked to a reference source 318 which, in preferred embodiments, generates a 32 MHz signal. It should be understood, however, that in alternative embodiments the reference source and LO frequencies may be different to correspond with different channel frequencies.
  • analog audio information 254 from a device 18 such as a telephone is received by a corresponding PNI 22, and passed through the transfer relay 228 and SLIC 230.
  • the analog audio information is then converted to digital AA2 protocol data by CODEC 162.
  • the AAL2 protocol data 320 is communicated to the PLL VCO 308 through control logic 310.
  • the PNI transmit frequency is modulated by adding the digital pulses of the AAL2 protocol data 320 to the correction voltage (VT) 322 of the PLL VCO 308.
  • the digital pulses of the AAL2 protocol data 320 are used to toggle the least significant bits of the dividers 314, which causes a modulation of the host transmit frequency.
  • the modulated PNI transmit frequency is then attenuated by a pad 324 and amplified by an amplifier 326 to produce a PNI transmit signal 298.
  • the PNI transmit signal 298 is then filtered by the diplexer 252 and transmitted to the host device 20 over the internal communication link 16.
  • the FSK modulation indicated in FIG. 6 is merely exemplary, and that in alternative embodiments other modulation techniques may be used.
  • the overall frequency plan of the FSK transmitter 158 and FSK receiver 160 of FIG. 6 according to preferred embodiments of the present invention, including the selection of a 32 MHz reference source 318, was designed to provide channel spacings of 200 kHz and produce local oscillator frequencies that could be divided down and phase-locked to a single reference source.
  • the local oscillator, transmit, and receive frequencies indicated on FIG. 6 are merely exemplary, and that in alternative embodiments other frequencies may be used.
  • the frequency plan of FIG. 6 is designed to accommodate a four channel communication system. However, in alternative embodiments designed to accommodate a number of channels other than four, the frequency plan would be different.
  • the host device assigns frequency channels as links to PNIs are established, and thus keeps track of which channels are free, and which have already been assigned. Once all four frequency channels are being used, a busy signal would be returned to a caller who is trying to access the premises telephone system.
  • control information including channel selection information, is passed between the host device and PNIs across a low-speed virtual control channel.
  • FIG. 6a illustrates the digital communication stream occurring in four host transmit communication channels 344, including a low-speed virtual control channel superimposed over the four communication channels according to embodiments of the present invention. It should be understood, however, that FIG. 6a is merely exemplary, and that other communication formats and timing may be employed without departing from the scope of the present invention.
  • an 8 kHz sampling rate and 8 bits of data per sample is generally required, and thus 64 kilobytes of data per second are required.
  • 44 bytes of data are transmitted in a single packet in about 5.5 milliseconds, or approximately one byte every 125 microseconds.
  • two-bytes of control information 346 are transmitted for every 44 bytes of data.
  • This control information is being transmitted over every channel at all times, even when a particular channel is idle. Multiple bytes of control information may be required to form a single control word.
  • This continuous stream of control information comprises a low-speed virtual control channel. It should be understood, however, that the timing of the four channels 344 is not synchronized, so the control information and data information in the various communication channels may be staggered.
  • Within each control word is information identifying a targeted PNI for the control word. Because the control information is continuously being transmitted over all channels, all PNIs will continuously be reading the control information.
  • the control logic see reference character 286 in FIG. 6
  • the PNI will respond to the control word. For example, the PNI may be directed to change to another channel, upon which the control logic 286 will send control signals to the PLD which will cause the VCOs to change frequency.
  • the PNIs may communicate two-byte control information over the PNI transmit communication channels.
  • Control information from the PNIs may include heartbeating, which would inform the host device that the PNI is alive but idle.
  • the PNI might also communicate information indicating which channel it is currently tuned to. In this manner, the host device can determine which channels are in use, and which are idle.
  • each byte starts out with a start bit 348 followed by eight bits of data 350. Following the eight bits of data is a control bit 352 which identifies whether this particular byte is a virtual control channel byte or a data byte.
  • FIG. 6a is only exemplary, and that many other formats are possible. Referring again to FIG.
  • the internal communication link 16 within a typical home or business will not be a single line, but will rather contain multiple tie-ins or branches. Furthermore, these tie-ins are not of uniform length because of the variety of placements of telephone jacks within the premises.
  • the internal communication link 16 comprises a twisted pair which, by itself, would have an impedance of about 75 ohms.
  • the branches in the internal communication link 16 create impedance mismatches, which in turn create quarter-wave signal nulls or "suck- outs" as high as -60 dB at certain frequencies. Signals being communicated over the internal communication link 16 at those frequencies may be severely attenuated.
  • any suck-outs that exist between 1 and 4 MHz may cause problems.
  • suck-outs resulting from ties-ins having a length of about 100-200 feet occur at about 1.1 MHz (see dotted line and reference character 232 in FIG. 7), which is in a frequency band above the 1 MHz upper end of the
  • each delay element 234 is a delay line comprised of five capacitors and eight inductors. However, in alternative embodiments, other combinations of capacitors and inductors may be used, and more generally, other types of delay lines or other synthetic line-lengthening circuits capable of passing telephone currents may also be used. In addition, the delay element 234 may comprise an approximately 100-foot length of telephone wire.
  • the delay element 234 is placed within each PNI 22, as illustrated in FIG. 3, and acts as the equivalent of an approximate 100-foot extension to the existing telephone line physical wiring. The net effect of the additional length created by the delay line is to push all of the suck-outs down to about 1.1 MHz, and out of the frequency bands of interest. Note, however, that in alternative embodiments, the delay element 234 may be designed to push the suck-outs to other non- interfering frequencies. More generally, the delay element 234 will be designed to push the suck-outs to a non-interfering frequency, regardless of the selection of transmit and receive frequencies. It should be understood that standard telephone service (POTS) will be unaffected by embodiments of the present invention. As illustrated in FIG. 3, POTS signals 262 are communicated through the telco CO 14 and are passed directly from the exterior communication link 12 to the interior communication link 16 without any processing by the host device 20. One or more telephones 280 connected directly to the interior communication link 20 can receive the standard telephone service.
  • POTS standard telephone
  • DSL Internet data 256 is communicated through the telco CO 14 and is received by the host device 20 over the exterior communications link 12.
  • the DSL Internet data 256 (ATM protocol data running on DSL) is converted by the DSL modem 258 to digital ATM data.
  • Processor 150 takes the digital ATM data and separates out
  • AAL5 protocol data Internet/network data
  • AAL2 protocol data voice
  • the Internet/network data is then sent to a HomePNA/Ethernet Interface 264, which physically connects the Internet/network data to the interior communications link 16 and an Ethernet port 266.
  • NIT Network Interface Card
  • PCs connected to Ethernet port 266 or the interior communications link 16 may send AAL2 protocol Internet/network data through the HomePNA/Ethernet Interface 264 to the processor 150, where it is converted into digital ATM protocol data, converted by the ADSL modem 258 into DSL Internet data 256, and communicated over the exterior communications link 12.
  • the DSL Internet data 256 is then converted to HTTP protocol data by a DSL provider 268 and communicated over the Internet.
  • PCs connected to an Ethernet LAN coupled to the Ethernet port 266 may communicate with each other over the Ethernet using Ethernet protocols without using the host device 20, and PCs connected to the interior communications link 16 through a NIT may communicate with each other over the interior communications link 16 using HomePNA protocols without using the host device 20.
  • Ethernet port 266 may communicate with PCs coupled to the interior communications link 16 through the HomePNA/Ethernet Interface 264 in the host device 20.
  • a PC may also be connected directly to the host device 20 through RS- 232 connector 260, where it may communicate with PCs coupled to the interior communications link 16 through the HomePNA/Ethernet Interface 264, or may communicate with PCs coupled to the Ethernet LAN through the Ethernet port 266.
  • the host device 20 may receive data from sources other than telephone wiring. For example, FIG.
  • the host device 20 may, as an alternative to, or in addition to the ADSL modem 258, include a cable modem 270 or satellite modem 272 to receive data over standard cable TV wiring or over satellite audio/video broadcasts and convert the data to digital ATM protocol data, where it can be further processed by the host device 20 as described above.
  • a cable modem 270 or satellite modem 272 to receive data over standard cable TV wiring or over satellite audio/video broadcasts and convert the data to digital ATM protocol data, where it can be further processed by the host device 20 as described above.
  • the host device 20 may, as an alternative to telephone wiring, communicate with and control other devices and systems (e.g. telephones, computers, appliances, audio/video equipment, security systems, lighting control systems, environment control systems such as heating and air conditioning, and the like) through customer premise AC power lines, wireless communications, or the like.
  • devices and systems e.g. telephones, computers, appliances, audio/video equipment, security systems, lighting control systems, environment control systems such as heating and air conditioning, and the like
  • the FSK transmitters and receivers in the host device 20 and PNIs 22 could be modified to add amplifiers and antennas which would enable voice communications using wireless techniques well-understood by those skilled in the art.
  • NITs could be easily modified to add wireless FM transmitters and receivers which would enable data communications between PCs and the host device using wireless techniques well-understood by those skilled in the art.
  • the host device 20 may be adapted to communicate with PNIs over existing AC power wiring.
  • the impedance of AC power wiring is essentially zero.
  • the impedance begins to rise rapidly because AC power wiring is single-ended.
  • the impedance is essentially constant at about 10 ohms.
  • the host device 20 interface circuit 152 is transformer coupled to the AC power wiring rather than the interior communication link 16. FM transmit signals are communicated over the AC power wiring between the host device and PNIs transformer coupled to the AC power wiring.
  • the host device interface circuit 152 is similar to that shown in FIG. 4, except that the transmitter and receiver components would be selected to account for transmit and receive frequencies preferably in the range of 25 kHz to 250 kHz.
  • the PNI circuit diagram is similar to that shown in FIG. 6, except that the transmitter and receiver components would be selected to account for transmit and receive frequencies preferably in the range of 25 kHz to 250 kHz.
  • the transmit and receive frequencies of the host device and PNIs would be selected to avoid the frequency bands utilized by CEBus and X-10 (e.g. approximately 38 kHz for CEBus, 120 kHz for X-10).
  • Control modules for transmitting CEBus or X-10 compatible control signals over a transformer-coupled AC power line have been developed and are commercially available.
  • Corresponding interface modules that plug into the AC power line, receive control signals from the control modules, and control electronics connected to the interface modules have also been developed and are commercially available.
  • the host device and processor of embodiments of the present invention can be readily adapted by those skilled in the art to interface with, and control, the control module of existing power line control systems.
  • CEBus control data from a user's remote Web browser is converted to
  • DSL Internet data 256 by a DSL provider 268, and then communicated through the telco CO 14 over the exterior communications link 12 to the host device 20.
  • the DSL Internet data 256 (ATM protocol data running on DSL) is converted by the DSL modem 258 to digital ATM data.
  • Processor 150 takes the digital ATM data and separates out CEBus protocol data. The CEBus protocol data is then sent to a
  • CEBus Interface 274 which converts the CEBus protocol data to CEBus control signals and transmits these control signals over the transformer-coupled AC power wiring 276.
  • Devices 284 connected to the AC power wiring 276 through a CEBus interface module 278 may then receive and respond to the CEBus control signals.
  • a similar communication path would be employed for X-10 devices.
  • control or feedback signals from the CEBus interface modules 278 would be received by the CEBus Interface 274 and forwarded to the processor 150, which would convert the CEBus protocol data to digital ATM data.
  • the digital ATM protocol data would be converted by the ADSL modem 258 to DSL Internet data 256 and transmitted over the exterior communication link 12.
  • the DSL Internet data 256 is received by the DSL provider 268 and converted to HTTP for communication over the Internet to a user Web browser or organizational Web server (such as in an appliance company's service department).
  • embodiments of the present invention provide a system and method for simultaneously receiving DSL communications, POTS, and other information, and distributing this information to and from devices within the customer premises over a single twisted pair telephone line without interference, and without interfering with HPNA or other protocol communications that may also be present on the single twisted pair telephone line.
  • Embodiments of the present invention also utilize digital communications to increase noise immunity, and enable the changing of communication frequencies (channels).
  • embodiments of the present invention utilize existing twisted pair household telephone wiring, which minimizes the need for rewiring household telephone lines.
  • embodiments of the present invention also provide a system and method for distributing communications (e.g. , telephone calls, data transfers, appliance or other device commands and status signaling) to and from different types of customer premises equipment (CPE) and controllable devices via different media such as power lines, fiber optic links, coaxial cable, wireless links, and other network wiring, using various types of communication protocols.
  • communications e.g. , telephone calls, data transfers, appliance or other device commands and status signaling
  • CPE customer premises equipment
  • controllable devices via different media such as power lines, fiber optic links, coaxial cable, wireless links, and other network wiring, using various types of communication protocols.

Abstract

La présente invention concerne un système de communication comprenant un dispositif hôte (20) et plusieurs circuits d'interface de noeud périphérique (PNIs) (22) couplés à la liaison de communication partagée (16). Le dispositif hôte émet et reçoit une information numérique sur la liaison (16) en utilisant plusieurs premières voies de communication. Chaque PNI est associé à une première voie particulière de communication et reçoit ou émet une information numérique depuis ou vers le dispositif hôte, sur la première voie. Il est possible de coupler un dispositif (18) à chaque PNI afin de recevoir ou d'émettre une information analogique depuis ou vers le PNI.
PCT/US2000/028330 1999-10-14 2000-10-13 Systeme et procede destines a permettre des communications numeriques multivoies simultanees avec des dispositifs clients multiples sur une liaison de communication partagee WO2001028149A1 (fr)

Priority Applications (1)

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AU78793/00A AU7879300A (en) 1999-10-14 2000-10-13 System and method for enabling simultaneous multi-channel digital communicationswith multiple customer premises devices over a shared communication link

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

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US15937899P 1999-10-14 1999-10-14
US60/159,378 1999-10-14

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PCT/US2000/028510 WO2001028164A1 (fr) 1999-10-14 2000-10-13 Systeme et procede de validation de communications analogiques a multiples voies simultanees

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AU1087501A (en) 2001-04-23

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