Gateway for Translating Signals Between a Legacy Frequency Split in a Home Network and a High Frequency Split in A Communications Network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016295251-A1
Application number	US-201514677472-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 2, 2015
Priority date	Apr 2, 2015
Publication date	Oct 6, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Particular embodiments use a network device, such as a gateway, as an interface between a first network, such as a hybrid fiber coax (HFC) network, and a second network, such as a home network. The first network includes a frequency spectrum that may be considered “high split”, and the second network has a frequency split that is used by legacy set-top box boxes. A head-end sends a network downstream signal that includes the out of band downstream signal in the downstream frequency band using the HFC network's frequency split. The out of band downstream signal may be represented by digital data. The gateway can then determine samples from the digital data, which are then used to reproduce the out of band downstream signal at the desired frequency for the home network. That is, the out of band downstream signal may be recreated in the frequency range of 70-130 MHz.

First claim

1 . A method for translating signals between a first network operating at a first frequency split between a first upstream frequency band and a first downstream frequency band and a second network operating at a second frequency split between a second upstream frequency band and a second downstream frequency band, the method comprising:
receiving, by a computing device situated in between the first network and the second network, a first downstream signal containing digital data for an out of band (OOB) downstream signal, the first downstream signal carried within the first downstream frequency band from the first network; determining, by the computing device, samples for the OOB downstream signal from the digital data in the first downstream signal; converting, by the computing device, the samples to the OOB downstream signal for sending at a second frequency in the second downstream frequency band using the second frequency split; and sending, by the computing device, the OOB downstream signal to user equipment at a frequency in the second downstream frequency band, wherein the frequency is within the first upstream frequency band of the first network.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the samples comprises:
modulating the digital data for the OOB downstream signal to create the samples for the OOB downstream signal.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the digital data in the first downstream signal is raw digital data that is unmodulated and uncoded and represents the OOB downstream signal.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the samples for the OOB downstream signal are included in the first downstream signal that is received from a head-end device in the first network.

5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the first downstream signal comprises a plurality of packets that include the samples in a compressed or uncompressed form.

6 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the samples for the OOB downstream signal were sampled from an analog OOB downstream signal in a head-end device in the first network, wherein the analog signal was within the second downstream frequency band of the second network.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the samples for the OOB downstream signal were sampled from the analog OOB downstream signal that is radio frequency modulated and coded using a protocol for sending the OOB downstream signal in the second downstream frequency band.

8 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the samples for the OOB downstream signal were sampled from a version of the analog OOB downstream signal that is downconverted from the analog OOB downstream signal that is radio frequency modulated and coded using a protocol for sending the OOB downstream signal in the second downstream frequency band.

9 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the samples for the OOB downstream signal are I and Q samples obtained from the analog OOB downstream signal that is downconverted from the analog OOB downstream signal that is radio frequency modulated and coded using a protocol for sending the OOB downstream signal in the second downstream frequency band.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein converting comprises:
converting the samples using a digital to analog converter (DAC) to create an analog OOB downstream signal.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the first upstream frequency band comprises a 5-204 MHz range and the first downstream frequency band comprises a 250-1700 MHz range, and the second upstream frequency band comprises a 5-42 MHz range and the second downstream frequency band comprises a 54-1700 MHz range.

12 . An apparatus configured for translating signals between a first network operating at a first frequency split between a first upstream frequency band and a first downstream frequency band and a second network operating at a second frequency split between a second upstream frequency band and a second downstream frequency band, the apparatus comprising:
receiver circuitry configured for receiving, in between the first network and the second network, a first downstream signal containing digital data for an out of band (OOB) downstream signal, the first downstream signal carried within the first downstream frequency band from the first network; OOB processing circuitry configured for determining samples for the OOB downstream signal from the digital data in the first downstream signal; converter circuitry for converting the samples to the OOB downstream signal for sending at a second frequency in the second downstream frequency band using the second frequency split; and transmission circuitry for sending the OOB downstream signal to user equipment at a frequency in the second downstream frequency band, wherein the frequency is within the first upstream frequency band of the first network.

13 . The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the receiver circuitry comprises a tuner configured to tune to a frequency to receive the first downstream signal.

14 . The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the receiver circuitry comprises an analog to digital converter configured to convert the first downstream signal from an analog signal to a digital signal.

15 . The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the receiver circuitry comprises a cable modem circuit configured for separating packets for the first downstream signal from other downstream signals.

16 . The apparatus of claim 12 , further comprising:
a modulator for modulating the digital data for the OOB downstream signal to create digital samples of the analog OOB downstream signal

17 . The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the converter circuitry comprises a digital to analog converter for converting the samples for the OOB downstream signal to an analog OOB downstream signal.

18 . A method for supplying a required signal to a local device through a connected network that cannot supply the signal to the local device, the method comprising:
receiving digital data from a network connection; determining packets containing the digital data for constructing the required signal for the local device; translating the digital data from the packets to construct the required signal; and providing the required signal to the local device in an otherwise unused radio frequency band on the connected network.

19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the required signal is sent in an out of band channel and the local device is user equipment.

20 . The method of claim 19 , wherein the otherwise unused radio frequency band is between 70 and 130 MHz.

Assignees

• Arris Entpr Inc

Inventors

• Cloonan Thomas J
• Ansley Carol J

Classifications

• H04N21/615

  Signal processing at physical level (signal processing in analog two-way television systems H04N7/173) · CPC title

• H04N21/2383 Primary

  Channel coding {or modulation} of digital bit-stream, e.g. QPSK modulation (arrangements for detecting or preventing errors in the information received by adapting the channel coding H04L1/0009; analogue front ends or means for connecting modulators, demodulators or transceivers to a transmission line H04L27/0002) · CPC title