Ethernet and OFDM multiplexing on UTP cable

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10069650-B2
Application number	US-201615236252-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 12, 2016
Priority date	Aug 13, 2015
Publication date	Sep 4, 2018
Grant date	Sep 4, 2018

Abstract

Systems, devices, and techniques relating to network upgrade and protocol selection in wireline communication networks are described. A described network device includes ports to connect with destination devices over wireline transmission mediums, wireline transmission mediums respectively comprising at least one pair of wires for transmitting and receiving data; a packet processor configured to forward packets to and from the ports; first transceiver circuitry configured to communicate using an Ethernet protocol over at least a portion of the wireline transmission mediums; second transceiver circuitry configured to communicate using an OFDM broadband protocol over at least a portion of the wireline transmission mediums; and a controller. The controller is configured to determine a protocol used by a destination device connected with the network device, and for communications with the respective destination device, select among the first transceiver circuitry and the second transceiver circuitry based on the protocol used by the destination device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A network device, comprising:
ports to connect with destination devices over wireline transmission mediums, the wireline transmission mediums respectively comprising at least one pair of wires for transmitting and receiving data;
a packet processor configured to forward packets to and from the ports;
first transceiver circuitry configured to communicate using an Ethernet protocol over at least a portion of the wireline transmission mediums;
second transceiver circuitry configured to communicate using an orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) broadband protocol over at least a portion of the wireline transmission mediums; and
a controller configured to (i) determine, from a group of protocols comprising the Ethernet protocol and the OFDM broadband protocol, a protocol used by a respective destination device of the destination devices connected with the network device over a respective wireline transmission medium of the wireline transmission mediums and (ii) for communications with the respective destination device, select the first transceiver circuitry if the Ethernet protocol is the protocol used by the respective destination device or select the second transceiver circuitry if the OFDM broadband protocol is the protocol used by the respective destination device.

2. The network device of claim 1 , comprising:
a transformer coupled with a respective port of the ports, the transformer being configured to transform incoming and outgoing signals for a first transceiver of the first transceiver circuitry and a second transceiver of the second transceiver circuitry; and
a multiplexer coupled with the first transceiver, the second transceiver, and the transformer,
wherein the controller causes the multiplexer to select between the first transceiver and the second transceiver based on the protocol used by the respective destination device for communications via the respective port.

3. The network device of claim 2 , wherein the respective port comprises a connector to receive an Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) cable.

4. The network device of claim 1 , comprising:
a transformer coupled with a respective port of the ports, the transformer being configured to transform incoming and outgoing signals for a first transceiver of the first transceiver circuitry and a second transceiver of the second transceiver circuitry; and
a switch coupled between the first transceiver and the transformer,
wherein the second transceiver is coupled between the switch and the transformer, and
wherein the controller is configured to cause the switch to isolate the first transceiver from the transformer if the second transceiver is selected to communicate with the respective destination device.

5. The network device of claim 1 , wherein the respective wireline transmission medium comprises two or more pairs of wires, wherein the first transceiver circuitry comprises two or more first transceivers configured to communicate respectively via the two or more pairs of wires of the respective wireline transmission medium, and wherein the second transceiver circuitry comprises two or more second transceivers configured to communicate respectively via the two or more pairs of wires of the respective wireline transmission medium.

6. The network device of claim 5 , comprising:
a connector to receive an Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) cable, wherein at least a portion of the two or more pairs of wires are bundled in the UTP cable.

7. The network device of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to detect that multiple pairs of wires are used by the respective destination device and to determine that the OFDM broadband protocol is the protocol used by the respective destination device based on a detection that multiple pairs of wires are used by the respective destination device.

8. The network device of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to determine the protocol used by the respective destination device by causing the first transceiver circuitry to attempt to communicate with the respective destination device via the Ethernet protocol for a first predetermined amount of time and subsequently use the Ethernet protocol if an Ethernet negotiation was successful during the first predetermined amount of time.

9. The network device of claim 8 , wherein the controller is configured to determine the protocol used by the respective destination device by causing the second transceiver circuitry to attempt to communicate with the respective destination device via the OFDM broadband protocol for a second predetermined amount of time and subsequently use the OFDM broadband protocol if a communication was successful during the second predetermined amount of time.

10. The network device of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to cause at least a portion of the first transceiver circuitry to enter a power down mode if the second transceiver circuitry is selected to communicate with the respective destination device via the respective wireline transmission medium, and wherein the controller is configured to cause at least a portion of the second transceiver circuitry to enter a high impedance state if the first transceiver circuitry is selected to communicate via the respective wireline transmission medium.

11. A method for wireline communications, the method comprising:
causing a packet processor of a network device to forward packets to and from ports of the network device, the ports being connectable with destination devices over wireline transmission mediums, the wireline transmission mediums respectively comprising at least one pair of wires for transmitting and receiving data;
operating first transceiver circuitry of the network device to communicate using an Ethernet protocol over at least a portion of the wireline transmission mediums and second transceiver circuitry of the network device to communicate using an orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) broadband protocol over at least a portion of the wireline transmission mediums;
determining, from a group of wireline communication protocols, a protocol used by a respective destination device of the destination devices connected with the network device over a respective wireline transmission medium of the wireline transmission mediums, wherein the group of communication protocols includes the Ethernet protocol and the OFDM broadband protocol; and
selecting for communications with the respective destination device i) the first transceiver circuitry when the Ethernet protocol is the protocol used by the respective destination device or ii) the second transceiver circuitry when the OFDM broadband protocol is the protocol used by the respective destination device.

12. The method of claim 11 , comprising:
operating an interface that comprises a respective port of the ports, a first transceiver of the first transceiver circuitry, a second transceiver of the second transceiver circuitry, a transformer that is coupled with the respective port, and a multiplexer coupled with the first transceiver, the second transceiver, and the transformer, wherein the transformer is configured to transform incoming and outgoing signals for the first transceiver and the second transceiver, and
wherein operating the interface comprises causing the multiplexer to select between the first transceiver and the second transceiver based on the protocol used by the respective destination device.

13. The method of claim 11 , comprising:
operating an interface that comprises a respective port of the ports, a first transceiver of the first transceiver circuitry, a second transceiver of the second transceiver cir

Assignees

• Marvell World Trade Ltd

Inventors

• Munoz David Terol
• Jiminez De Parga Bernal Antonio
• Gonzalez Moreno Jose Luis

Classifications

• H04L69/18

  Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols · CPC title

• H04L49/351

  for local area network [LAN], e.g. Ethernet switches · CPC title

• H04L12/6418 Primary

  Hybrid transport · CPC title

• H04L5/0007

  the frequencies being orthogonal, e.g. OFDM(A) or DMT · CPC title

• H04B3/00

  Line transmission systems (combined with near-field transmission systems H04B5/00) · CPC title