U.S. patent application number 12/945324 was filed with the patent office on 2011-03-10 for method and system for an asymmetric optical phy operation for ethernet a/v bridging and ethernet a/v bridging extensions.
Invention is credited to Wael William Diab, Yongbum Kim.
Application Number | 20110058811 12/945324 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 40026962 |
Filed Date | 2011-03-10 |
United States Patent
Application |
20110058811 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Diab; Wael William ; et
al. |
March 10, 2011 |
Method And System For An Asymmetric Optical Phy Operation For
Ethernet A/V Bridging And Ethernet A/V Bridging Extensions
Abstract
A network device comprising an asymmetric, multi-rate, Ethernet,
optical MAC and an asymmetric, multi-rate, Ethernet, optical PHY,
communicates optical signals via a network utilizing NV bridging
services. Higher bandwidth NV optical signals are communicated and
lower bandwidth optical signals are received and/or vice versa.
Optical signals may be communicated based on a plurality of
different single mode Ethernet optical protocols and/or different
multimode Ethernet optical protocols. Optical signals may be
communicated at 10 Gbps in one direction and at a lower rate in a
reverse direction. Extended range mode may be utilized. PDUs
comprise time stamps, traffic class designations and/or destination
addresses. Data rate requests, resource reservation messages and/or
registration for delivery of PDUs may be communicated. Time stamps
enable end to end transport within a specified latency target.
Video signals may be compressed, uncompressed, encrypted,
unencrypted and/or formatted for a video display interface.
Inventors: |
Diab; Wael William; (San
Francisco, CA) ; Kim; Yongbum; (San Jose,
CA) |
Family ID: |
40026962 |
Appl. No.: |
12/945324 |
Filed: |
November 12, 2010 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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11864136 |
Sep 28, 2007 |
7839872 |
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12945324 |
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60917870 |
May 14, 2007 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
398/58 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04N 21/64322 20130101;
H04N 7/106 20130101; G09G 2370/10 20130101; H04N 21/43632 20130101;
Y02D 30/00 20180101; H04L 12/2805 20130101; H04N 21/6373 20130101;
H04N 21/43615 20130101; H04N 19/172 20141101; Y02D 30/32 20180101;
H04L 12/2816 20130101; H04N 5/85 20130101; H04N 19/176 20141101;
H04N 9/8042 20130101; H04N 19/61 20141101; G09G 5/006 20130101;
H04L 2012/2849 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
398/58 |
International
Class: |
H04J 14/00 20060101
H04J014/00 |
Claims
1-26. (canceled)
27. A method for communicating data, the method comprising: in a
first network device that comprises an asymmetric Ethernet optical
media access controller (MAC) and an asymmetric Ethernet optical
PHY transceiver: communicating optical signals via a network
comprising one or more intermediate nodes, to one or more
corresponding other network devices and receiving optical signals
from said one or more corresponding other network devices,
utilizing A/V Bridging services with quality of service
descriptors, wherein said asymmetric Ethernet optical MAC and said
asymmetric Ethernet optical PHY transceiver are operable to
transmit data utilizing one or more of a plurality of different
rates in a first direction, and concurrently with said
transmitting, to receive data utilizing one or more of a plurality
of other different rates in a corresponding second direction,
wherein said asymmetric Ethernet optical MAC is operable to handle
addressing of said one or more other network devices and/or is
operable to control access to said network.
28. The method according to claim 27, comprising communicating
higher bandwidth audio/video (NV) optical signals to said one or
more corresponding other network devices and receiving lower
bandwidth optical signals from said one or more corresponding other
network devices or communicating lower bandwidth audio/video (NV)
optical signals to said one or more corresponding other network
devices and receiving higher bandwidth optical signals from said
one or more corresponding other network devices.
29. The method according to claim 27, wherein said first network
device is configurable to communicate and/or receive optical
signals via said network, based on one or more single mode Ethernet
optical protocols and/or based on one or more multimode Ethernet
optical protocols.
30. The method according to claim 27, wherein said first network
device is configurable to communicate optical signals at 10 Gbps in
a first direction and communicate optical signals at a lower rate
in a second direction.
31. The method according to claim 27, comprising communicating
optical signals to said one or more corresponding other network
devices and/or receiving optical signals from said one or more
corresponding other network devices in extended range mode.
32. The method according to claim 31, wherein said extended range
mode comprises one or more of: reducing a communication rate of at
least one of said communicated optical signals and said received
optical signals; reducing a symbol rate of at least one of said
communicated optical signals and said received optical signals;
utilizing longer than standard fiber optic cable lengths.
33. The method according to claim 27, comprising one or both of:
generating at least one protocol data unit (PDU) comprising one or
more of a time stamp value, a traffic class designation and/or a
destination address for said communicating of optical signals to
said one or more corresponding other network devices; and receiving
at least one PDU comprising one or more of a time stamp value, a
traffic class designation and a destination address for said
receiving of optical signals from said one or more corresponding
other network devices.
34. The method according to claim 33, comprising one or more of
requesting a data rate, generating a resource reservation message
and registering a request for delivery of data, for one or both of:
communicating said at least one PDU to said one or more
corresponding other network devices; and receiving said at least
one PDU from said one or more corresponding other network devices;
via said asymmetric Ethernet optical MAC and said asymmetric
Ethernet optical PHY transceiver based on one or more of said time
stamp value, said traffic class designation and/or said destination
address.
35. The method according to claim 33, wherein said time stamps
enable intermediate optical network nodes to transport said at
least one PDU along an end to end path from said first network
device to said one or more corresponding other network devices
within a specified latency target.
36. The method according to claim 27, wherein said first network
device handles one or more of: compressed video signals;
uncompressed video signals; encrypted video signals; unencrypted
video signals; and video signals formatted for a video display
interface.
37. A system for communicating data, the system comprising: one or
more processors and/or circuits for use within a first network
device, said first network device comprising an asymmetric Ethernet
optical media access controller (MAC) and an asymmetric Ethernet
optical PHY transceiver, said one or more processors and/or
circuits being operable to: communicate optical signals via a
network comprising one or more intermediate nodes, to one or more
corresponding other network devices and receive optical signals
from said one or more corresponding other network devices,
utilizing A/V Bridging services with quality of service
descriptors, wherein said asymmetric Ethernet optical MAC and said
asymmetric Ethernet optical PHY transceiver are operable to
transmit data utilizing one or more of a plurality of different
rates in a first direction, and concurrently with said
transmitting, to receive data utilizing one or more of a plurality
of other different rates in a corresponding second direction,
wherein said asymmetric Ethernet optical MAC is operable to handle
addressing of said one or more other network devices and/or is
operable to control access to said network.
38. The system according to claim 37, wherein said one or more
processors and/or circuits are operable to communicate higher
bandwidth audio/video (A/V) optical signals to said one or more
corresponding other network devices and receive lower bandwidth
optical signals from said one or more corresponding other network
devices, or communicate lower bandwidth audio/video (A/V) optical
signals to said one or more corresponding other network devices and
receive higher bandwidth optical signals from said one or more
corresponding other network devices.
39. The system according to claim 37, wherein said first network
device is configurable to communicate and/or receive optical
signals via said network, based on one or more single mode Ethernet
optical protocols and/or based on one or more multimode Ethernet
optical protocols.
40. The system according to claim 37, wherein said first network
device is configurable to communicate optical signals at 10 Gbps in
a first direction and communicate optical signals at a lower rate
in a second direction.
41. The system according to claim 37, wherein said one or more
processors and/or circuits are operable to communicate optical
signals to said one or more corresponding other network devices
and/or receive optical signals from said one or more corresponding
other network devices in extended range mode.
42. The system according to claim 41, wherein said extended range
mode comprises one or more of: reducing a communication rate of at
least one of said communicated optical signals and said received
optical signals; reducing a symbol rate of at least one of said
communicated optical signals and said received optical signals;
utilizing longer than standard fiber optic cable lengths.
43. The system according to claim 37, wherein said one or more
processors and/or circuits are operable to one or both of: generate
at least one protocol data unit (PDU) comprising one or more of a
time stamp value, a traffic class designation and/or a destination
address for said communication of optical signals to said one or
more corresponding other network devices; and receive at least one
PDU comprising one or more of a time stamp value, a traffic class
designation and a destination address for said reception of optical
signals from said one or more corresponding other network
devices.
44. The system according to claim 43, wherein said one or more
processors and/or circuits are operable to, one or more of, request
a data rate, generate a resource reservation message and register a
request for delivery of data, for one or both of: communication of
said at least one PDU to said one or more corresponding other
network devices; and reception of said at least one PDU from said
one or more corresponding other network devices; via said
asymmetric Ethernet optical MAC and said asymmetric Ethernet
optical PHY transceiver based on one or more of said time stamp
value, said traffic class designation and/or said destination
address.
45. The system according to claim 43, wherein said time stamps
enable intermediate optical network nodes to transport said at
least one PDU along an end to end path from said first network
device to said one or more corresponding other network devices
within a specified latency target.
46. The system according to claim 37, wherein said first network
device handles one or more of: compressed video signals;
uncompressed video signals; encrypted video signals; unencrypted
video signals; and video signals formatted for a video display
interface.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS/INCORPORATION BY
REFERENCE
[0001] This application makes reference to and claims priority to
U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/917870 (Attorney Docket
No. 18598US01), filed on May 14, 2007, entitled "Method and System
for Ethernet Audio/Video Bridging," which is hereby incorporated
herein by reference in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Certain embodiments of the invention relate to high-speed
communication. More specifically, certain embodiments of the
invention relate to a method and system for an asymmetric optical
PHY operation for Ethernet A/V Bridging and Ethernet A/V Bridging
extensions.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The multimedia consumer electronics market is rapidly
evolving with increasingly sophisticated audio/video products.
Consumers are becoming accustomed to high definition video in their
home entertainment centers as well as high end graphic capabilities
on personal computers. Several audio/video interface standards have
been developed to link a digital audio/video source, such as a
set-top box, DVD player, audio/video receiver, digital camera, game
console or personal computer with an audio/video rendering device
such as a digital television, a high definition video display panel
or computer monitor. Examples of digital video interface technology
available for consumer electronics comprise High-Definition
Multimedia Interface (HDMI), Display Port, Digital Video Interface
(DVI) and Unified Display Interface (UDI) for example. These
audio/video interfaces may each comprise unique physical interfaces
and communication protocols.
[0004] The IEEE 802.3 standard defines the (Medium Access Control)
MAC interface and physical layer (PHY) for Ethernet connections at
10 Mbps, 100 Mbps, 1 Gbps, and 10 Gbps data rates. Data rates
and/or link distances may be improved however with more
sophisticated component technologies. In some cases, newer
technologies may be incorporated to enhance the performance of
legacy infrastructure. For example, laser diodes with narrower
bandwidth such as distributed feedback (DFB) lasers may provide
higher coupling efficiencies. Receiver sensitivity may be improved
by utilizing avalanche photodiodes (APD) rather than P-intrinsic-N
(PIN) diodes. Signal processing techniques such as clock recovery
and pre-emphasis may extend optical link range. Moreover, high
performance fiber properties may reduce impairments such as fiber
attenuation, modal distortion and/or material dispersion that may
limit the data rate and/or the distance that an optical signal can
travel effectively.
[0005] As higher data rates are sought, Ethernet standards are
developed to support higher transmission rates and/or greater
transmission distances over fiber infrastructure. Accordingly,
various IEEE 802.3 standards have been ratified for 10
Gigabit-per-second (Gbps) rates. 10GBASE-SR may support short
distance links between 26 m and 82 m utilizing multimode fiber.
However, link distances may vary according to the physical
properties of the fiber medium utilized. For example 10GBASE-SR may
achieve improved link distances up to 300 m when new 50 micron 2000
MHzkm multimode fiber is utilized. Notwithstanding, 10GBASE-LRM may
support distances up to 208 m over legacy multimode fiber. Long
range optical 10GBASE-LR and extended range optical 10GBASE-ER may
support distances of 10 km and 40 km respectively over single mode
fiber. In another IEEE 802.3 technology, 10GBASE-LX4 utilizes four
separate laser sources each operating at 3.125 Gbps with coarse
wavelength division multiplexing (CWDM) to achieve an aggregate 10
Gbps rate. In this regard, 10GBASE-LX4 may support link distances
in the range of 240 m to 300 m over multimode fiber or 10 km over
single mode fiber. Even greater speeds may be achieved as present
efforts exist within IEEE working groups for increasing
transmission rates to 40 Gbps and 100 Gbps over existing fiber. In
addition, non-standard technologies such as 1000BASE-ZX supporting
70 km links and 10GBASE-ZR supporting 80 km links are in use.
Furthermore, non-standard or intermediate data rates may be
utilized to improve performance and/or create implantation
efficiencies. For example, a 10 Gbps interface may be clocked at a
lower rate such as 2.5 Gbps or 5 Gbps. In this regard, a greater
distance may be reached without significant impairments to the
optical signal. Alternatively, transmitter and/or receiver optical
sub systems may be simplified due to the lower rate traffic also
without significant impairments to the optical signal.
[0006] MAC layer processes may also enable higher transmission
rates for audio and video data by addressing quality of service
issues such as latency restrictions. For example, A/V Bridging
(AVB) comprises a set of specifications, which define service
classes (or AVB services) that enable the transport of audio/video
(NV) streams (and/or multimedia streams) across an AVB-enabled
network (or AVB network) based on selected quality of service (QoS)
descriptors. Specifications, which enable the definition of AVB
service classes, include the following.
[0007] A specification, which enables a set of AVB-enabled devices
(or AVB devices) within an AVB network to exchange timing
information. The exchange of timing information enables the devices
to synchronize timing to a common system clock, which may be
provided by a selected one of the AVB devices within the AVB
network.
[0008] A specification, which enables an AVB destination device to
register a request for delivery of a specified AV stream from an
AVB source device. In addition, an AVB source device may request
reservation of network resource, which enables the transmission of
a specified AV stream. The Stream Reservation Protocol (SRP)
defined within the specification provides a mechanism by which the
AVB source device may register the request to reserve resources
within the AVB network (such as bandwidth) to enable the
transmission of the specified AV stream. The Multiple Multicast
Registration Protocol (MMRP) may enable an AVB destination device
to register the request for delivery of a specified AV stream.
[0009] A specification, which defines procedures by which AV
streams are transported across the AVB network. These procedures
may include methods for the queuing and/or forwarding of the AV
streams by individual AVB devices within the AVB network.
[0010] A typical AVB network comprises a set of AVB devices, which
are collectively referred to as an AVB block. An AVB network may
comprise wired or optical local area networks (LANs) and/or
wireless LANs (WLANs), for example. Individual AVB devices within
the AVB network may include AVB-enabled endpoint computing devices
(such as laptop computers and WLAN stations), AVB-enabled switching
devices (AV switches) within LANs and AVB-enabled access points
(APs) within WLANs, for example. Within the AVB block, AV
destination devices may request AV streams from AV source devices,
which may be transported across the AVB network within specified
latency target values as determined from the QoS descriptors
associated with delivery of the AV stream.
[0011] Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and
traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the
art, through comparison of such systems with the present invention
as set forth in the remainder of the present application with
reference to the drawings.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0012] A system and/or method is provided for an asymmetric optical
PHY operation for Ethernet A/V Bridging and Ethernet A/V Bridging
extensions, substantially as shown in and/or described in
connection with at least one of the figures, as set forth more
completely in the claims.
[0013] These and other advantages, aspects and novel features of
the present invention, as well as details of an illustrated
embodiment thereof, will be more fully understood from the
following description and drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] FIG. 1A is a diagram illustrating an exemplary system for
transfer of video and/or audio data wherein Audio/Video Bridging
(AVB) services may be implemented via an asymmetric Ethernet
optical physical layer (PHY) connection, in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention.
[0015] FIG. 1B is a diagram illustrating an exemplary system for
transfer of video, audio and/or auxiliary data via an optical
network comprising one or more intermediate nodes utilizing AVB
services and an asymmetric Ethernet optical physical layer (PHY)
connection, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
[0016] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating exemplary processes
utilized in AVB managed data transfers from an upstream link
partner to a downstream link partner utilizing asymmetric Ethernet
optical PHY technology, in accordance with an embodiment of the
invention.
[0017] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an Ethernet system
over fiber optic cabling link between an upstream link partner and
a downstream link transmitting asymmetric data traffic with AVB
services, in connection with an embodiment of the invention.
[0018] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary Ethernet
transceiver architecture comprising an asymmetric optical PHY, in
accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0019] Certain embodiments of the invention may be found in a
method and system for transmitting and receiving Audio/Video
Bridging (AVB) streams between devices wherein each device may
comprise a Media Access Control (MAC) layer supporting AVB services
and an asymmetric Ethernet optical physical layer (PHY). The MAC
layer functions that support AVB may enable the end-to-end
transport of Ethernet frames based on specified latency targets by
initiating admission control procedures. The asymmetrical Ethernet
optical PHY functions may enable transmission of AVB streams at a
first data rate and reception of AVB streams at a second data rate
on each of an upstream device and a down stream device. The first
data rate may be different from the second data rate. For example,
the upstream device may transmit high bandwidth audio, video (A/V)
and/or auxiliary data signals at a first data rate and receive
lower bandwidth auxiliary data signals at a second data rate that
may be a slower standard or non-standard data rate. Auxiliary data
may comprise for example control and/or configuration signals,
input from peripheral devices such as keyboards and/or mice, and/or
information utilized for security operations such as encryption
keys for example. Notwithstanding, the downstream device may
transmit the lower bandwidth auxiliary data signals at the first
data rate and receive high bandwidth A/V and/or auxiliary signals
at the second data rate.
[0020] Although AVB services may support video, audio and/or
auxiliary data transfers, the invention is not limited in this
regard. For example, the AVB services may be utilized to support
any latency or bandwidth sensitive data.
[0021] Various embodiments of the invention may enable more
economical solutions for extending range and/or increasing the
capacity of the fiber. For example, lower bandwidth upstream
transmissions may benefit from signal processing techniques as well
as transmitter, receiver and/or fiber technologies designed for
higher data rates.
[0022] FIG. 1A is a diagram illustrating an exemplary system for
transferring video, audio (NV) and/or auxiliary data via a network
utilizing Audio/Video Bridging (AVB) by a media access control
(MAC) layer and an asymmetric Ethernet optical physical layer (PHY)
connection, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
Referring to FIG. 1A, there is shown a server 122, a video display
panel 126, speakers 128a and 128b, a plurality of optical Ethernet
links 132a and 132b, an optical network 110, a digital musical
instrument 123, speakers 125 and optical Ethernet links 133a and
133b.
[0023] The server 122 may be, for example, a computer graphics or a
video server and may operate within a computing cluster or may
operate from a remote location via the optical network 110 and AVB
services. In this regard, the server 122 may be located in a
central office for example. In some embodiments of the invention
the server 122 may be general purpose computer for example a
personal computer or laptop. The server 122 may be enabled to
operate within a public and/or private network such as a
professional A/V service provider network, an enterprise network
and/or a personal network. In addition, the server 122 may be
enabled to transfer HD multimedia data across optical network links
and/or nodes, to one or more destination devices. In this regard
the server 122 may be enabled to handle point to point
communication as well as point to multipoint communication. The
server 122 may be communicatively coupled to the video display
panel 126 and speakers 128a and 128b via the optical Ethernet links
132a and 132b and the optical network 110. The server 122 may be
enabled to transfer high bandwidth data, for example, A/V data to
the video display panel 126 and speakers 128a and 128b and receive
lower bandwidth data from at least the video display panel 126 and
speakers 128a and 128b. The server 122 may comprise an Ethernet
media access control (MAC) layer for encapsulating data in Ethernet
frames and to perform transmission control during data transfers.
In this regard, the MAC layer may support Audio/Video Bridging
(AVB) services wherein end to end quality of service operations may
be enabled according to traffic class designations associated with
Ethernet frames. In addition, the server 122 may comprise and
asymmetric Ethernet optical PHY transceiver. In other embodiments
of the invention, the server 122 may be, for example, a personal
computer, a DVD player, a video game console and/or an A/V
receiver. The invention is not limited to these examples and may
comprise any suitable source of data.
[0024] The video display panel 126 and speakers 128a and 128b may
comprise suitable logic, circuitry and or code to exchange
information with the server 122 via the optical Ethernet links 132a
and 132b and the optical network 110. Tasks performed by the video
display panel 126 and speakers 128a and 128b may comprise reception
of Ethernet frames via the optical Ethernet link 132b and
determination of the payload within Ethernet frames. For example,
the payload may comprise A/V content that may be native video or
A/V content that is formatted by a display interface process such
as HDMI, Display Port or DVI. In addition, the video display panel
and speakers 128a and 128b may extract the formatted or native A/V
content from the Ethernet frames and may render the A/V content. In
this regard, if the A/V data is formatted, the A/V data may
comprise instructions for rendering the formatted video data on the
video display panel 126 and speakers 128a and 128b, for example.
Thus, various embodiments of the invention may enable the video
display panel 126 and speakers 128a and 128b to function as a "thin
client" device that may not comprise high performance hardware
and/or software capabilities utilized in the generation of
multimedia content for high performance video and/or graphics
applications. This in turn may enable the rendering of high
performance video and/or graphics on the remote video display panel
126 and speakers 128a and 128b.
[0025] In addition, the video display panel 126 and speakers 128a
and 128b may comprise an Ethernet MAC layer for encapsulating data
in Ethernet frames and for administration of transmission to and
reception from the server 122 via optical Ethernet links 132a, 132b
and the optical network 110. In this regard, the MAC layer may
support Audio/Video Bridging (AVB) services wherein end to end
quality of service operations may be applied according to traffic
class designations associated with Ethernet frames. Also, the video
display panel 126 and speakers 128a and 128b may comprise an
asymmetric Ethernet optical PHY transceiver linked via the optical
network 110 and optical Ethernet links 132a and 132b. Moreover, the
video display panel 126 and speakers 128a and 128b may comprise
suitable logic, circuitry and or code to process received A/V
and/or auxiliary data from the server 122 for rendering.
[0026] The video display panel 126 and speakers 128a and 128b may
comprise suitable logic circuitry, and/or code that may enable
exchanging A/V and or auxiliary data with the server 122 via
optical Ethernet links 132a, 132b and the optical network 110 as
well as rendering the video and/or audio content. In this regard,
the received data may comprise instructions and/or control
information that be utilized for the rendering processes.
[0027] The optical Ethernet links 132a, 132b, 133a and 133b may
comprise suitable logic, circuitry and/or code to support
asymmetric Ethernet optical PHY operations. Exemplary optical
Ethernet links may comprise an optical wave guide or a fiber cable
transmission medium made of glass or plastic fibers. Various
material compositions and dimensional relationships within a fiber
medium may improve the performance of signal transmissions by
reducing distortion and attenuation of an optical signal. The
optical Ethernet links may comprise a single strand or multiple
strands. In addition, the optical Ethernet links may be single
mode, for example, 100BASE-LX10 comprising two fibers, 1000BASE-LX
comprising two fibers, 100BASE-BX10, 1000BASE-BX10, 1000BASE-ZX,
10GBASE-LR and 10GBASE-ER or the optical Ethernet links may be
multimode, for example 100BASE-LX10 comprising two fibers,
1000BASE-SX, 10GBASE-SR and 10GBASE-LRM. The standard 10GBASE-LX4
supports both multimode and single mode fiber. Signals may be
imposed on the fiber via modulated light from a laser or LED. The
optical signals may be unidirectional within a fiber strand or may
be bidirectional within a fiber strand. Bidirectional standards may
comprise 100BASE-BX10, 1000BASE-BX10, 1000BASE-PX10 and
1000BASE-PX20 that have different standards for upstream and
downstream transmissions.
[0028] Moreover, the standards 1000BASE-PX10 and 1000BASE-PX20 may
support asymmetrical Ethernet optical PHY operations in a point to
multipoint data exchange wherein downstream high data rate traffic
may comprise a 10 Gbps continuous data stream and the upstream low
data rate traffic from multiple sources may be time division
multiplexed. In another embodiment of the invention, wave division
multiplexing may be utilized to transmit high data rate A/V signals
and auxiliary signals on the downlink as well as carrying multiple
lower bandwidth signals from multiple sources on the uplink.
[0029] The optical Ethernet links 132a, 132b, 133a and 133b may be
enabled to handle communications administered by quality of service
mechanisms for example NV Bridging. The optical Ethernet link 132a
may be communicatively coupled with the server 122 and the optical
network 110 wherein asymmetrical optical traffic may be exchanged.
The optical Ethernet link 132b may be communicatively coupled with
the optical network 110 and video display panel 126 and the
speakers 128a and 128b wherein asymmetrical optical traffic may be
exchanged. The optical Ethernet link 133a may be communicatively
coupled with the digital musical instrument 123 and the optical
network 110 wherein asymmetrical optical traffic may be exchanged.
The optical Ethernet link 133b may be communicatively coupled with
the optical network 110 and the speakers 125 wherein asymmetrical
optical traffic may be exchanged.
[0030] The optical network 110 may comprise suitable logic,
circuitry and or code to transfer optical signals between one or
more data source devices for example the server 122 and one or more
data destination devices for example the video display panel 126
and the speakers 128a and 128b. The optical network 110 may
comprise one or more intermediate devices to restore, improve or
direct an optical signal. Intermediate devices may comprise an
optical switch or bridge, an optical amplifier, an optoelectronic
repeater, a passive optical splitter, an add/drop multiplexer, a
wavelength converting transponder, an optical cross connects The
optical network 110 may support AVB services and one or more of
symmetric Ethernet optical PHY operations and/or asymmetric
Ethernet optical PHY operations according to an embodiment of the
invention. The optical network 110 may be communicatively coupled
with the server 122 display panel 126 and the speakers 128a and
128b, the digital musical instrument 123 and the speakers 125 via
the optical Ethernet links 132a, 132b, 133a and 132b
respectively.
[0031] The digital musical instrument 123 may comprise suitable
logic, circuitry and/or code to transfer audio data at a high data
rate to, for example, the speakers 125 via the optical network 110
and the optical Ethernet links 133a and 133b utilizing AVB
services. In this regard, digital musical instrument 123 may
comprise an Ethernet media access control (MAC) layer for
encapsulating data in Ethernet frames and providing transmission
control to the speakers 125. In addition, the MAC layer within the
digital musical instrument 123 may support Audio/Video Bridging
(AVB) services wherein end to end quality of service operations may
be enabled according to traffic class designations associated with
Ethernet frames. Moreover, the digital musical instrument 123 may
comprise an asymmetric Ethernet optical PHY transceiver wherein
high data rate audio may be transmitted to the optical network 110
and lower data rate signals comprising for example control,
configuration and/or security data, may be received from the
optical network 110 via the optical Ethernet link 133a.
Accordingly, the speaker system 125 may receive the high data rate
audio signals from the optical network 110 and transmit the lower
data rate signals to the optical network 110 via the optical
Ethernet link 133b.
[0032] In operation, the server 122 may comprise A/V and/or
auxiliary data that may enable rendering of the A/V data on the
video display panel 126 and speakers 128a and 128b. A user may
request a transfer of A/V data from the upstream server 122 via the
optical network 110 to the down stream video display panel 126 and
speakers 128a and 128b. The server 122 may process the A/V data
prior to transmission. For example, the A/V data may comprise
native video or may be formatted by a display interface process
such as HDMI, Display Port or DVI along with auxiliary data for
example. A MAC layer within the server 122 may convert the A/V
and/or auxiliary data to Ethernet frames and assign the Ethernet
frames a traffic class. The MAC layer within the server 122 may
utilize Audio Video Bridging (AVB) to enable timely transmissions
of the Ethernet frames to the video display panel 126 and speakers
128a and 128b within specified latency constraints.
[0033] The asymmetric Ethernet optical PHY transceiver may receive
the Ethernet frames, convert the electrical signal to an optical
signal and transmit the optical signal via the optical Ethernet
link 132a to the optical network 110. The optical network 110 may
receive the one or more Ethernet frames via a symmetric Ethernet
optical PHY or an asymmetric Ethernet optical PHY transceiver. A
MAC layer within the optical network 110 may administer
transmission of the Ethernet frames to the video display panel 126
and speakers 128a and 128b according to the specified latency
constraints via a symmetric Ethernet optical PHY or an asymmetric
Ethernet optical PHY. In this regard, the video display panel 126
and speakers 128a and 128b may perform signal processing operations
on the received optical signal and convert the optical signal to an
electrical signal within an asymmetric Ethernet optical PHY
transceiver. A MAC layer within the video display panel 126 and
speakers 128a and 128b may convert the Ethernet frames back to the
video interface format such as HDMI, Display Port, DVI or native
video and the A/V data may be rendered.
[0034] Although the A/V and/or auxiliary data may be processed by
the server 122 via a display interface, for example HDMI, Display
Port or DVI, such that it may be intended for device to device data
exchange and may not be network aware nor comprise a means of
network identification (for example a network destination address),
the A/V and/or auxiliary data may be encapsulated within Ethernet
frames at, for example, in the server 122 and transported via
optical Ethernet links 132a and 132b and the optical network 110.
The encapsulated A/V and/or auxiliary data may be decapsulated at a
destination device such as the video display panel 126 and speakers
128a and 128b. Accordingly, in various embodiments of the
invention, the point to point oriented display interface traffic
may be received by the video display panel 126 and speakers 128a
and 128b as though the video display panel 126 and speakers 128a
and 128b were directly attached to the server 122.
[0035] In addition, the video display panel 126 and speakers 128a
and 128b may transmit lower bandwidth data upstream. The lower
bandwidth data may comprise service requests, control information
and/or security operation communications for example. The invention
is not limited in this regard and any other suitable lower
bandwidth data may be communicated on the upstream links.
[0036] The upstream lower bandwidth data may be passed to the MAC
layer of the video display panel 126 and speakers 128a and 128b
that may generate one or more Ethernet frames and schedule
transmission of the Ethernet frames to the optical network 110. The
asymmetric Ethernet optical PHY transceiver within the video
display panel 126 and speakers 128a and 128b may process the
Ethernet frames, convert the electrical signal to an optical signal
and transmit the Ethernet frames via optical signal on the optical
Ethernet link 132b to the optical network 110. The optical network
110 may receive the optical signal from the video display panel 126
and speakers 128a and 128b via a symmetric Ethernet optical PHY or
an asymmetric Ethernet optical PHY transceiver and convert the
optical signal carrying the Ethernet frames back to an electrical
signal. A MAC layer within the optical network 110 may schedule
transmission of the Ethernet frames and the Ethernet frames may be
transmitted via a symmetric Ethernet optical PHY or an asymmetric
Ethernet optical PHY transceiver within to the server 122. In this
regard, the server 122 may perform signal processing operations on
the received optical signal and convert the optical signal to an
electrical signal carrying the Ethernet frames. The MAC layer
within the server 122 may decapsulate the lower bandwidth data and
the data may be processed for operations residing within the server
122.
[0037] FIG. 1B is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary network
that supports Audio/Video Bridging (AVB) services and asymmetrical
Ethernet optical PHY communications in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 1B, there is shown
an AVB server 122, a plurality of AVB optical Ethernet bridges 110a
and 110b, a plurality of AVB display panels 126a, 126b, 126c and
126d and a plurality of optical Ethernet links 132a, 132b, 132c,
132d, 132f and 132g.
[0038] The AVB server 122 in FIG. 1B may be similar or
substantially the same as the server 122 in FIG. 1A. The AVB
display panels 126a, 126b, 126c and 124d may each be similar to or
substantially the same as the video display panel 124 and speakers
128a and 128b shown in FIG. 1A. The optical Ethernet links 132a,
132b, 132c, 132d, 132f and 132g may be similar to or substantially
the same as the Ethernet links 132a, 132b, 133a and 133b in FIG.
1A.
[0039] The optical AVB bridges 110a and 110b may comprise suitable
logic, circuitry and/or code that may enable AVB services within an
AVB network for example, a local area network (LAN). The optical
AVB bridges 110a and 110b may be configured to transmit and/or
receive Ethernet frames via optical Ethernet links wherein the
optical Ethernet links may be coupled to distinct optical ports
within the optical AVB bridges 110a and 110b. For example, the
optical AVB bridge 110a may receive and/or transmit Ethernet frames
via optical Ethernet links 132a, 132b, 132c and 132d. The optical
AVB bridge 110a may communicate with the optical AVB bridge 110b
via the optical Ethernet link 132d. The optical AVB bridge 110a may
communicate with the AVB display panel 126a and 126b via the
optical Ethernet links 132b and 132c, respectively, as well as the
AVB server 122 via the optical Ethernet link 132a. Moreover, the
optical AVB Ethernet bridges 110a and 110b may comprise optical
Ethernet PHY transceivers that may be enabled to handle symmetric
and/or asymmetric optical traffic. In addition, the optical AVB
bridge 110b may be coupled to distinct optical ports within the AVB
display panels 126c and 124d and may be enabled to transmit and/or
receive Ethernet frames with AVB display panels 126c and 124d via
optical Ethernet links 132f and 132g respectively.
[0040] Notwithstanding, one or more of the AVB server 122, AVB
display panels 126a, 126b, 126c and 126d and optical AVB bridges
110a and 110b may comprise asymmetric Ethernet optical PHY
transceivers wherein high bandwidth data may be transmitted
downstream from the server 122 to one or more of the AVB display
panels 126a, 126b, 126c and 126d while lower bandwidth data for
example auxiliary data may be transmitted upstream from one or more
of the AVB display panels 126a, 126b, 126c and 126d to the server
122.
[0041] In operation, the AVB server 122 may be enabled to exchange
optical AVB data streams with one or more AVB display panels 126a,
126b, 126c and 126d via the optical Ethernet links 132a, 132b,
132c, 132d, 132f, 132g and optical AVB bridges 110a and 110b
wherein one or more of the AVB devices may comprise asymmetric
Ethernet optical PHY transceivers. For example, the AVB server 122
may exchange AVB data with one AVB display panel and/or may
communicate and multi-cast optical transmissions with a plurality
of participating AVB display panels.
[0042] In various embodiments of the invention, AVB devices
comprising the AVB server 122, AVB display panels 126a, 126b, 126c
and 126d and/or optical AVB bridges 110a and 110b may associate
with each other based on an exchange of logical link discovery
protocol (LLDP) messages, which may be periodically transmitted
from the respective devices. The LLDP messages describe the
attributes of the device that transmits the message. For example,
the AVB server 122 may transmit LLDP messages, which describe the
attributes of the AVB server 122 via optical Ethernet link 132a.
Similarly, the optical AVB bridge 110a may transmit LLDP messages,
which describe the attributes of the optical AVB bridge 110a via
optical Ethernet links 132a, 132b, 132c and 132d. In a
substantially similar manner, the optical AVB bridge 110b and AVB
display panels 126a, 126b, 126c and 126d may transmit one or more
LLDP messages that may describe their respective attributes via
their respective coupled optical Ethernet links.
[0043] The LLDP messages may comprise a "time-synch" capable
attribute and an AVB-capable attribute. An AVB enabled device such
as the server 122, AVB display panels 126a, 126b, 126c and 126d and
optical AVB bridges 110a and 110b, that receives an LLDP message,
that may comprise the time-synch-capable attribute and AVB-capable
attribute via an optical port, may label the optical port to be an
"AVB" port. Labeling the optical port to be an AVB port may enable
the AV device to utilize AVB services. The AVB devices, which may
be reachable via the optical port, may be referred to as
"participating" devices. The participating devices may utilize AVB
services and may be enabled to transmit optical AVB streams among
the participating AVB device.
[0044] Prior to transmitting the AVB data streams, a source of the
transmission for example the AVB server 122 may propagate requests
for reservation of resources among the participating AVB devices.
The reservation message may comprise a set of reservation
parameters, for example, QoS descriptors based on a traffic class
designation. AVB devices enabled to receive the transmitted AVB
data streams, for example, one or more of the AVB display panels
126a, 126b, 126c and 126d may register requests for delivery of the
AVB streams. The invention is not limited in this regard, for
example, a client may be the source of an auxiliary data stream
transmission and may propagate a request for reservation of
resources while the server 122 and/or another participating device
may register a request for delivery of the auxiliary data
stream.
[0045] Ethernet frames may comprise time stamps which may enable
the AVB network to transport the Ethernet frames along an end to
end path from a data source to a data destination such that the
latency of the transport along the path may be within specified
latency targets or desired values. For example, the path from the
AVB server 122 to the AVB display panel 126c may comprise the
Ethernet link 132a, the AVB optical AVB bridge 110a, the Ethernet
link 132d, the AVB optical AVB bridge 110b and the Ethernet link
132f. Along the path, the AVB optical AVB bridge 110a may utilize
the time stamps to determine a time interval for queuing and
forwarding of Ethernet frames received via the interface 132a and
forwarded via the interface 132d. Similarly, the AVB optical AVB
bridge 110b may utilize the time stamps to determine a time
interval for the queuing and forwarding of Ethernet frames received
via the Ethernet interface 132d and forwarded via the interface
132f.
[0046] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating exemplary transfer of
video, audio (A/V) and/or auxiliary data traffic across an optical
network utilizing Audio/Video Bridging (AVB), in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 2, there is shown a
data source computing device 260 comprising a digital A/V and/or
auxiliary data block 202, a MAC client block 204, a timing shim
block 206, an Ethernet MAC block 208 and a MAC/PHY interface block
210, an optical PHY physical coding sub-layer (PCS) block 212, an
optical PHY physical medium attachment (PMA) block 214 and an
optical PHY physical medium dependent (PMD) block 216. In addition,
an optical AVB bridge 110 may comprise an optical PHY PMD block
220, an optical PHY PMA block 222, an optical PHY PCS block 224, a
MAC/PHY interface block 226, an Ethernet MAC block 228a, a timing
shim 229a, a timing shim 229b an Ethernet MAC block 228b, a MAC/PHY
interface block 230, an optical PHY PCS block 232, an optical PHY
PMA block 234 and an optical PHY PMD block 236. Moreover, a data
destination computing device 280 may comprise an optical PHY PMD
block 240, an optical PHY PMA block 242, an optical PHY PCS block
244, MAC/PHY interface block 246, an Ethernet MAC block 248 and a
timing shim 250. Specific process layers higher than the MAC level
may be varied among different embodiments of the invention and are
not shown in FIG. 2.
[0047] The data source computing device 260 and the data
destination computing device 280 may comprise suitable logic,
circuitry and/or code that may enable handling A/V and/or auxiliary
data. In addition, the data source computing device 260 and the
data destination device 280 may utilize Audio/Video Bridging (AVB)
services. In one aspect of the invention, the data source computing
device 260 may be an upstream link partner wherein an asymmetrical
Ethernet optical PHY transceiver may be configured to transmit high
frequency data, for example, A/V and/or auxiliary data and receive
lower frequency auxiliary data. Accordingly, the data destination
device 280 may be a downstream link partner wherein an asymmetrical
Ethernet optical PHY may be configured to receive high frequency
data, for example, NV and/or auxiliary data and transmit lower
frequency auxiliary data. In this regard, the data source computing
device 260 may be similar or substantially the same as the server
122 described in FIG. 1A and the data destination computing device
280 may be similar or substantially the same as the video display
panel 126 and speakers 128a and 128b described in FIG. 1A for
example.
[0048] In another embodiment of the invention, the data source
computing device 260 may be a downstream link partner wherein an
asymmetrical Ethernet optical PHY transceiver may be configured to
transmit lower frequency data, for example, auxiliary data and
receive high frequency data, for example, A/V and/or auxiliary
data. Accordingly, the data destination device 280 may be an
upstream link partner wherein an asymmetrical Ethernet optical PHY
may be configured to receive low frequency data, for example,
auxiliary data and transmit high frequency A/V and/or auxiliary
data. In this regard, the data source computing device 260 may be
similar or substantially the same as the video display panel 126
and speakers 128a and 128b and the data destination device 280 may
be similar or substantially the same as the server 122 described in
FIG. 1A for example.
[0049] The optical AVB bridge 110 may be similar or substantially
the same as the optical bridges 110a and/or 110b in FIGS. 1A and/or
1B.
[0050] The digital A/V and/or auxiliary data 202 may be stored in
memory and/or may be generated by one or more applications that may
be executing within the data source computing device 260. The
digital A/V and/or auxiliary data 202 may be encrypted or
unencrypted and may be compressed or uncompressed. The digital
video, audio and/or auxiliary data 202 may be passed to the MAC
client 204.
[0051] In some embodiments of the invention, the digital A/V and/or
auxiliary data 202 may be passed to a display interface
encapsulation process wherein the digital A/V and/or auxiliary data
202 may be encapsulated into a format such as HDMI, Display Port or
DVI for example. The display interface encapsulated digital A/V
and/or auxiliary data 202 may comprise instructions to enable
rendering of the A/V data on the data destination computing device
280. In addition, the digital A/V and/or auxiliary data 202 may be
encapsulated into an Ethernet payload format. Accordingly, Ethernet
payloads may comprise compressed, uncompressed, packetized,
unpacketized, encapsulated, decapsulated or otherwise processed
data so as to be formatted as one or more video or multimedia
streams. For example, one or more of IP datagrams, HDMI
datastreams, DVI datastreams, DisplayPort datastreams, raw video,
and/or raw audio/video may be converted to an Ethernet payload. The
Ethernet payload may be passed to the MAC client block 204.
[0052] The MAC client block 204 may comprise suitable logic,
circuitry, and/or code that may enable reception of digital A/V
and/or auxiliary data 202 and/or the Ethernet payloads and may
enable encapsulation of the digital A/V and/or auxiliary data 202
and/or the Ethernet payloads in one or more Ethernet frames. The
Ethernet frames may be passed to the timing shim 206.
[0053] The timing shim 206 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry
and/or code that may enable reception of Ethernet frames the MAC
client block 204. The timing shim 206 may append time
synchronization information, such as a time stamp, to the Ethernet
frames. The timing shim 206 may, for example, append a time stamp
when an Ethertype field within the Ethernet frame indicates that
the Ethernet frame is enabled to utilize AVB capabilities for
transport across a network. The timing shim 206 may pass the
appended Ethernet frames to the Ethernet MAC 208.
[0054] The Ethernet MAC 208 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,
and or code that may enable addressing and/or access control to an
optical network and may enable the transmission of the Ethernet
frames via an optical network. In this regard, the Ethernet MAC 208
may be enabled to buffer, prioritize, or otherwise coordinate the
transmission and/or reception of data via the MAC/PHY interface
210. The Ethernet MAC 208 may be enabled to perform additional
packetization, depacketization, encapsulation, and decapsualtion of
data. The Ethernet MAC 208 may enable generation of header
information within the Ethernet frames, which enable the
utilization of AVB services within a network for transport of the
Ethernet frames. The Ethernet MAC 208 may also enable traffic
shaping of transmitted Ethernet frames by determining time instants
at which Ethernet frames may be transmitted to an optical network.
The Ethernet MAC 208 may also enable generation of header
information within the Ethernet frames, which utilize conventional
Ethernet services. The conventional Ethernet services may not
utilize traffic shaping and/or AVB services for example. The
Ethernet MAC 208 may pass the Ethernet frames and/or link
management control signals to the MAC/PHY interface 210.
[0055] The MAC/PHY interface may comprise suitable logic, circuitry
and/or code to enable data transfers between the Ethernet MAC 208
and the optical PHY PCS 212. The MAC/PHY interface may, for
example, comprise a transmit bus and/or a receive bus that may
transfer parallel bits of data between the Ethernet MAC 208 and the
optical PHY PCS 212. The number of bits transferred depends on
which IEEE Ethernet standard or non-standard scheme is utilized for
an embodiment of the invention.
[0056] The optical PHY PCS 212 may comprise suitable logic,
circuitry and/or code to receive data from the MAC/PHY interface
and transmit data to the optical PHY PMA 214 and/or receive data
from the optical PHY PMA 214 and transmit data to the optical
MAC/PHY 210. In this regard, the optical PHY PCS 212 may manage
resource contention in embodiments of the invention that may carry
multiple streams of data per optical Ethernet link. In addition,
the optical PHY PCS 212 may encode data received from the MAC/PHY
interface 210 to maintain DC balance and enhance error detection
and/or may decode data received from the optical PHY PMA 214. In
various embodiments of the invention, the optical PHY PCS 212 may
enable serialization/de-serialization of data. In this regard,
during serialization, parallel data received from the MAC/PHY
interface 210 may be converted to serial data for transmission to
the optical PHY PMA 214. During deserialization, serial data
received from the optical PHY PMA 214 may be converted to parallel
for transmission to the MAC/PHY interface 210.
[0057] The optical PHY PMA 214 may comprise suitable logic,
circuitry and or code to receive data from the optical PHY PCS 212
and transmit data to the optical PHY PMD 216 and/or receive data
from the optical PHY PMD 216 and transmit data to the optical PHY
PCS 212. In various embodiments of the invention, the PHY PMA 214
rather than the optical PHY PCS 212 may perform the
serialize/de-serialize operations. In addition, the optical PHY PMA
214 may recover clock information from encoded data supplied by the
optical PHY PMD 216. Moreover, the PHY PMA 214 may map bits from
one layer to another.
[0058] The optical PHY PMD 216 may comprise suitable logic,
circuitry and or code to receive data from the optical PHY PMA 214
and transmit data to the optical AVB bridge 110 and/or receive data
from the optical AVB bridge 110 and transmit data to the optical
PHY PMA 212. The optical PHY PMD 216 may convert electrical signals
to optical signals and/or optical signals to electrical signals. In
this regard, a transmitter sub-assembly may comprise a light source
such as a light emitting diode (LED) or a laser diode for example,
that may impress an optical signal on a fiber medium and enable
transport of the Ethernet frames to the AVB bridge 110 utilizing
AVB services. Moreover, a receiver sub-assembly may convert optical
signals received from the AVB bridge 110 to electrical signals. In
this regard, the receiver may comprise a photo diode to detect and
convert the optical signals to electrical signals for example.
[0059] The optical PHY PMD blocks 220, 236 and 240, the optical PHY
PMA blocks 222, 234 and 242, the optical PHY PCS blocks 224, 232
and 244 and the MAC/PHY interface blocks 226, 230 and 246 may be
similar or substantially the same as the optical PHY PMD 216,
optical PHY PMA 214, the optical PHY PCS 212 and the MAC/PHY
interface 210 respectively. Moreover, the Ethernet MAC 228a, 228b
and 248 may be similar or substantially the same as the Ethernet
MAC 208.
[0060] Optical signals may be received by the optical AVB bridge
110 from the data source computing device 260 via the optical PHY
PMD block 220 that may convert the optical signals to electrical
signals of encoded data and may pass the encoded data to the
optical PHY PMA block 222. The encoded data may be processed and
passed to the optical PHY PMA block 222. The encoded data may be
passed to the optical PHY PCS block 224 where it may be decoded and
passed to the MAC/PHY interface 226. The MAC/PHY interface may pass
the data to the Ethernet MAC 228a
[0061] The Ethernet MAC 228a may enable the Ethernet bridge 110 to
receive the Ethernet frames from the data source computing device
260 and may determine that the data destination computing device
280 is the destination for receipt of the Ethernet frames. The
Ethernet frame may be sent to the timing shim 229 that may extract
the time synchronization information appended to the Ethernet frame
and may append updated time synchronization information. The
Ethernet MAC layer 228b may utilize time stamp information and
quality of service descriptors to schedule the transmission of the
Ethernet frames to the data destination device 280. The MAC 228b
may pass the Ethernet frames to the MAC/PHY interface block 230.
The optical PHY blocs PCS 232, PMA 234 and PMD 236 may process the
data in operations similar to or substantially the same as in
optical PHY blocks PCS 212, PMA 214 and PMD and transmit an optical
signal to the data destination computing device 280.
[0062] Accordingly, the optical signals may be received and
processed in the optical PHY blocks PMD 240, PMA 242, PCS 244 and
MAC/PHY interface 246 may process the data in operations similar to
or substantially the same as in blocks PMD 220, PMA 222, PCS 224
and MAC/PHY interface 226. Ethernet frames from the MAC/PHY
interface 226 may be sent to the Ethernet MAC 248. The Ethernet MAC
248 may extract the Ethernet payloads and information comprised in
fields of the Ethernet frames as well as any information comprised
within additional encapsulation fields if present, for example,
display interface fields and may reconstruct the digital
video/audio/auxiliary data according to information therein. The
MAC layer may determine the type of data extracted and/or
reconstructed from the frame and/or encapsulation fields and may
process, store and/or forward the data accordingly. The MAC layer
may determine that data may be forwarded to higher level
applications for rendering of the video and/or audio content. The
timing shim 250 may extract time synchronization information from
the Ethernet frame.
[0063] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an Ethernet system
over an optical fiber cabling link between an upstream link partner
and a downstream link partner for asymmetric data traffic supported
by Audio Video Bridging (AVB) services, in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 3, there is shown a
system 300 that comprises an upstream link partner 302 and a
downstream link partner 304. The upstream link partner 302 may
comprise a host processing block 306a, a medium access control
(MAC) controller 308a, and an optical transceiver 304a. The
downstream link partner 304 may comprise a display video processing
block 306b, a MAC controller 308b, and an optical transceiver 310b.
Notwithstanding, the invention is not limited in this regard.
[0064] The upstream link partner 302 and the downstream link
partner 304 communicate via one or more fiber cables 312. The fiber
cables 312 may be similar or substantially the same as the optical
Ethernet links 132a, 132b 133a and 133b described in FIG. 1A.
[0065] The transceiver 310a may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,
and/or code that may enable asymmetric Ethernet optical
communication, such as transmission and reception of data, for
example, between the upstream link partner 302 and the downstream
link partner 304, for example. In this regard, the transceiver 310a
may enable optical transmission at a high data rate to the
downstream link partner 304 while also enabling reception at a low
data rate from the downstream link partner 304. Similarly, the
transceiver 310b may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, and/or
code that may enable asymmetric Ethernet optical communication
between the downstream link partner 304 and the upstream link
partner 302, for example. In this regard, the transceiver 310b may
enable optical transmission at a low data rate to the upstream link
partner 302 while also enabling reception at a high data rate from
the upstream link partner 302.
[0066] The data transmitted and/or received by the optical
transceivers 310a and 310b may be formatted in a manner that may be
compliant with the well-known OSI protocol standard, for example.
The OSI model partitions operability and functionality into seven
distinct and hierarchical layers. Generally, each layer in the OSI
model is structured so that it may provide a service to the
immediately higher interfacing layer. For example, layer 1, or
physical (PHY) layer, may provide services to layer 2 and layer 2
may provide services to layer 3. In this regard, the transceiver
310a may enable optical PHY layer operations that are utilized for
asymmetric data communication with the downstream link partner 304.
Moreover, the optical transceiver 310a may enable PHY layer
operations that are utilized for asymmetric data communication with
the upstream link partner 302.
[0067] The optical transceivers 310a and 310b may enable asymmetric
communications. In this regard, the data rate in the upstream
and/or the downstream direction may be <10 Mbps, 10 Mbps, 100
Mbps, 1000 Mbps (or 1 Gbps) and/or 10 Gbps, or any suitable data
rate for example. The optical transceivers 310a and 310b may
support standard-based asymmetric data rates and/or non-standard
asymmetric data rates. The optical transceivers 310a and 310b may
utilize wave division multiplexing (WDM) where multiple data
streams are carried on a plurality of multiplexed optical channels
or carrier wavelengths within an optical signal's bandwidth. The
optical transceivers 310a and 310b are not limited with regard to
modulation and/or demodulation techniques and may utilize any
suitable form of modulation and/or demodulation.
[0068] The optical transceivers 310a and 310b may be configured to
handle all the physical layer requirements, which may include, but
are not limited to, encoding/decoding data, data transfer,
serialization/deserialization (SERDES) and optical-electrical
conversion in instances where such an operation is required. Data
packets received by the optical transceivers 310a and 310b from MAC
controllers 308a and 308b, respectively, may include data and
header information for each of the above six functional layers. The
optical transceivers 310a and 310b may be configured to encode data
packets that are to be transmitted over the fiber cables 312 and/or
to decode data packets received from the fiber cables 312.
[0069] The MAC controller 308a may comprise suitable logic,
circuitry, and/or code that may enable handling of data link layer,
layer 2, operability and/or functionality in the upstream link
partner 302. Similarly, the MAC controller 308b may comprise
suitable logic, circuitry, and/or code that may enable handling of
layer 2 operability and/or functionality in the downstream link
partner 304. The MAC controllers 308a and 308b may be configured to
implement Ethernet protocols, such as those based on the IEEE 802.3
standard, for example. In various embodiments of the invention, one
or more optical nodes, for example one or more optical Ethernet
bridges, may be communicatively coupled to the upstream link
partner 302 and the downstream link partner 304 such that data
streams may be transported between the link partners via the one or
more optical nodes. In this regard, Audio/Video Bridging protocol
such as IEEE 802.1AS may be utilized to synchronize the upstream
link partner 302 and the downstream link partner 304. Accordingly,
an Audio/Video Bridging protocol such as IEEE 802.1Qat may be
utilized to reserve resources for the data streams. Optical nodes
comprised within the reserved path may implement IEEE 802.1Qav to
govern forwarding and queuing of time sensitive data.
Notwithstanding, the invention is not limited in this regard.
[0070] The MAC controller 308a may communicate with the transceiver
310a via an interface 314a and with the host processing block 306a
via a bus controller interface 316a. The MAC controller 308b may
communicate with the transceiver 310b via an interface 314b and
with the display video processing block 306b via a bus controller
interface 316b. The interfaces 314a and 314b correspond to Ethernet
interfaces that comprise protocol and/or link management control
signals. The interfaces 314a and 314b may be asymmetric interfaces.
The bus controller interfaces 316a and 316b may correspond to PCI
or PCI-X interfaces. Notwithstanding, the invention is not limited
in this regard.
[0071] The host processing block 306a and the display video
processing block 306b may comprise suitable logic, circuitry and/or
code to enable graphics processing and/or rendering operations. The
host processing block 306a and/or the display video processing
block 306b may comprise dedicated graphics processors and/or
dedicated graphics rendering devices. The host processing block
306a and the display video processing block 306b may be
communicatively coupled with the MAC 308a and the MAC 308b
respectively via the bus controller interfaces 316a and 316b
respectively.
[0072] In an embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG. 3, the
host processing block 306a and the display video processing block
306b may represent layer 3 and above, the MAC controllers 308a and
308b may represent layer 2 and above and the transceivers 310a and
310b may represent the operability and/or functionality of layer 1
or an optical PHY layer. In this regard, the host processing block
306a and the display video processing block 306b may comprise
suitable logic, circuitry, and/or code that may enable operability
and/or functionality of the five highest functional layers for data
packets that are to be transmitted over the cable 312. Since each
layer in the OSI model provides a service to the immediately higher
interfacing layer, the MAC controllers 308a and 308b may provide
the necessary services to the host processing block 306a and the
display video processing block 306b to ensure that data are
suitably formatted and communicated to the optical transceivers
310a and 310b. During transmission, each layer may add its own
header to the data passed on from the interfacing layer above it.
However, during reception, a compatible device having a similar OSI
stack may strip off the headers as the message passes from the
lower layers up to the higher layers.
[0073] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary Ethernet
optical transceiver architecture comprising an asymmetric optical
PHY, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Referring
to FIG. 4, there is shown a link partner 400 that may comprise an
optical transceiver 402, a MAC controller 404, a host processing
block 406, an interface 408, and a bus controller interface 410 and
an optional wavelength multiplexer 420.
[0074] The optical transceiver 402 may be an integrated device that
comprises an optical physical media dependent (PMD) receiver 412,
an optical PMD transmitter 414 and an optional wavelength
multiplexer 420. The operation of the optical transceiver 402 may
be the same as or substantially similar to the optical transceivers
310a and 310b as described in FIG. 3. For example, when the optical
transceiver 402 is utilized in an upstream link partner, the
optical transceiver 402 may enable a high rate for data
transmission and a low rate for data reception. In another example,
when the optical transceiver 402 may be utilized in a downstream
link partner, the transceiver 402 may enable a low rate for data
transmission and a high rate for data reception. In this regard,
the optical transceiver 402 may provide layer 1 or optical PHY
layer operability and/or functionality that may enable asymmetric
data traffic.
[0075] Similarly, the operation of the MAC controller 404, the host
processing block 406, the interface 408, and the bus controller 410
may be similar or substantially the same as the respective MAC
controllers 308a and 308b, the host processing block 306a and the
display video processing block 306b, interfaces 314a and 314b, and
bus controller interfaces 316a and 316b as disclosed in FIG. 3. In
this regard, the MAC controller 404, the host processing block 406,
the interface 408, and the bus controller 410 may enable different
data transmission and/or data reception rates when implemented in
an upstream link partner or a downstream link partner. The MAC
controller 404 may comprise an interface 404a that may comprise
suitable logic, circuitry, and/or code to enable communication with
the optical transceiver 402 at a plurality of data rates via the
interface 408.
[0076] The asymmetric optical transceiver 402 may comprise suitable
logic, circuitry, and/or code that may enable operability and/or
functionality of optical PHY layer requirements for asymmetric data
traffic. The asymmetric optical transceiver 402 may communicate
with the MAC controller 404 via the interface 408. The asymmetric
optical transceiver 402 may be configured to perform the physical
coding sub layer (PCS) and physical media attachment (PMA)
processes described in FIG. 2. In various embodiments of the
invention, the asymmetric optical transceiver 402 may handle one or
more serial data lanes for transmitting and receiving data from the
optical PMD transmitter 414 and/or optical PMD receiver 412.
[0077] The asymmetric optical transceiver 402 as well as the
optical PMD transmitter 414 and/or optical PMD receiver 412 may be
configured to operate in one or more of a plurality of
communication modes, wherein each communication mode may implement
a different communication protocol. These communication modes may
include, but are not limited to IEEE 802.3 standards 100BASE-LX10,
1000BASE-LX, 100BASE-BX10, 1000BASE-BX10, 1000BASE-PX10,
1000BASE-PX20, 1000BASE-ZX, 1000BASE-SX, 10GBASE-LR, 10GBASE-ER,
10GBASE-SR, 10GBASE-LRM and 10GBASE-LX4, or, other similar
protocols and/or non-standard communication protocols that enable
asymmetric optical data traffic. The asymmetric optical transceiver
402 may be configured to operate in a particular mode of operation
upon initialization or during operation. In some embodiments of the
invention, the communication mode 10GBASE-LX4 supporting data
transfer over four strands of fiber may be utilized, for example,
for downstream high data rate A/V traffic. In this regard, the
aggregate data rate may be distributed over the four strands of
fiber. Accordingly, each of the four strands of fiber may carry
lower data rate traffic.
[0078] The optical PMD transmitter 414 may comprise suitable logic,
circuitry, and/or code that may enable optical transmission of data
from a transmitting link partner to a remote link partner via the
fiber optic cable 312 in FIG. 3, for example. In this regard, when
the transmitting link partner is an upstream link partner, the
optical PMD transmitter 414 may operate at a higher data rate than
the data rate received from the downstream link partner. Similarly,
when the when the transmitting link partner is a downstream link
partner, the optical PMD transmitter 414 may operate at a lower
data rate than the data rate received from the upstream link
partner.
[0079] The optical PMD receiver 412 may comprise suitable logic,
circuitry, and/or code that may enable receiving data from a remote
link partner via the optical cable 312, for example. In this
regard, when the receiving link partner is an upstream link
partner, the optical PMD receiver 412 may operate at a lower data
rate than the data rate transmitted to the downstream link partner.
Similarly, when the when the receiving link partner is a downstream
link partner, the optical PMD receiver 412 may operate at a higher
data rate than the data rate transmitted to the upstream link
partner.
[0080] The wavelength multiplexer 420 may be an optional element
within the optical transceiver 402 depending on the number and
composition of optical channels handled relative to the number of
fibers within the fiber cable 312. The wavelength multiplexer 420
may comprise suitable logic circuitry and/or code that may enable
multiplexing a plurality of signals comprising different
wavelengths or colors on one or more optical fibers in accordance
with an embodiment of the invention. The wavelength multiplexer 420
may enable for example, wave division multiplexing (WDM), coarse
wavelength division multiplexing (CWDM) or dense wavelength
division multiplexing (DWDM). In another embodiment of the
invention, a time division multiple access (TDMA) multiplexer may
be utilized to handle a plurality of data streams within the
optical transceiver 402. Moreover, multiple data rates may be
handled by different channels within the wavelength multiplexer 420
or a TDMA multiplexer.
[0081] In operation, the link partner 400 may be an upstream link
partner 302 or a down stream link partner 304 as shown in FIG. 3.
In various embodiments of the invention, the link partner 400 may
be configured to operate as an upstream link partner 302. In this
case, the link partner 400 may be for example a video server 122
described with respect FIG. 1A that may transmit data at a high
data rate and receive data at a lower data rate. In this regard,
the host processing block 406 may manage transmission of high data
rate A/V and/or auxiliary data via the MAC controller 404
(utilizing AVB services) and the optical transceiver 402 to an
optical receiver within a downstream link partner 304. Accordingly,
high data rate downstream traffic may be handled by network
elements comprising for example the optical PMD transmitter 414,
fiber cable 312 and one or more optical receivers within the
downstream link partner 304. In various embodiments of the
invention, highly sophisticated components for example, narrow
bandwidth laser diodes such as distributed feedback (DFB) lasers,
high performance fiber and/or avalanche photodiodes (APD) may be
utilized for the A/V and/or auxiliary data. In addition, signal
processing techniques such as clock recovery and pre-emphasis may
be utilized.
[0082] In another embodiment of the invention, the link partner 400
may be configured to operate as a downstream link partner 304. In
this regard, the link partner 400 may be, for example, the video
panel 126 and/or speakers 128a and 128b described in FIG. 1A that
may receive high bandwidth A/V and/or auxiliary data at a high data
rate and transmit auxiliary data at a lower rate. In this regard,
the host processing block 406 may manage transmission of the lower
data rate auxiliary data via the MAC controller 404 (utilizing AVB
services) and the optical transceiver 402 to an optical receiver
within an upstream link partner 302. Accordingly, the lower data
rate upstream traffic may be handled by network elements
comprising, for example, the optical PMD transmitter 414, fiber
cable 312 and one or more optical receivers within the upstream
link partner 302.
[0083] In various embodiments of the invention, less sophisticated
network elements may be utilized for the lower data rate traffic,
for example, a Fabry-Perot laser or a light emitting diode (LED)
may be utilized rather than a DFB laser. Moreover, lower
performance or legacy fiber infrastructure may be utilized for
lower data rate traffic. In addition, the optical PMD receiver 412
in the upstream link partner may, for example, handle the lower
data rate traffic with a P-intrinsic-N (PIN) diode rather than an
APD and/or may require less sophisticated signal processing logic,
circuitry and/or code than the receivers in the downstream link
partner handling high data rate traffic.
[0084] Performance benefits and/or cost savings may be enabled by
transmitting and receiving traffic at a lower data rate in the
upstream direction of an asymmetrical Ethernet optical PHY. For
example, utilizing one or more of the less sophisticated network
elements for lower data rate upstream traffic may enable a cost
saving. Notwithstanding, utilizing one or more of the more
sophisticated network elements for lower data rate upstream traffic
may provide performance benefits such as extended length
transmissions and/or greater capacity per Ethernet optical
link.
[0085] Additional cost and/or performance benefits may be enabled
in some embodiments of the invention comprising a
point-to-multipoint network topology wherein an upstream link
partner may have a plurality of downstream link partners. In this
regard, the upstream link partner, for example the server 122, may
broadcast one stream of high data rate A/V and/or auxiliary traffic
that may be split into a plurality of optical data paths and
transmitted to a plurality of down stream link partners. For
example, a plurality of downstream link partners such as video
display panels 126 and/or speakers 128a and 128b may receive and
render the stream of high data rate A/V and/or auxiliary traffic.
Accordingly, the plurality of video display panels 126 and/or
speakers 128a and 128b may transmit lower data rate upstream
traffic to the server 122. In this regard, the upstream link
traffic may be multiplexed by the wavelength multiplexer 420.
[0086] In an embodiment of the invention, optical signals are
communicated between an upstream link partner device 122 and one or
more down stream link partner devices for example 126 and/or 128a
and 128b, wherein each of the link partner devices 122 and 126
and/or 128a and 128b comprise an asymmetric Ethernet optical
physical layer (PHY) to handle the communication. Moreover, optical
communications between the link partners 122 and 126 and/or 128a
and 182b are handled via A/V Bridging services with quality of
service descriptors. The optical signals transmitted from the
upstream link partner 122 to the downstream link partner 126 and/or
128a and 128b may comprise high bandwidth audio/video (NV) optical
signals. Low bandwidth optical signals may be transmitted from the
downstream link partner 126 to the upstream link partner 122.
Protocol data units (PDUs) may be generated comprising one or more
of a time stamp value, a traffic class designation and/or a
destination address.
[0087] Prior to communicating PDUs via an asymmetrical Ethernet
optical PHY between the upstream link partner 122 and the
downstream link partner 126 and/or 128a and 128b, a data rate
request message and a resource reservation message may be generated
based on one or more of a said time stamp value, a traffic class
designation and/or a destination address. Furthermore, an upstream
link partner 122 or downstream link partner 126 may register for
the deliver of the PDUs via the asymmetric Ethernet optical PHY.
The data rate within optical signals may be reduced prior to
distribution of the optical signals among one or more links
coupling the upstream link partner 122 and the downstream link
partner 126. In this regard, the aggregate data rate may be
distributed evenly or unevenly among the one or more optical links
coupling the upstream link partner 122 and the downstream link
partner 126 and/or 128a and 128b via the asymmetrical Ethernet
optical PHY. The distributed communication rate received from the
upstream link partner 122 or the down stream link partner 126
and/or 128a and 128b may be aggregated via the asymmetric optical
PHY. The asymmetric Ethernet optical PHY may handle compressed
and/or uncompressed video signals as well as encrypted o
unencrypted video signals. Moreover, the communication optical
signals may be modified and/or processed by at least one of forward
error checking (FEC) and clock recovery.
[0088] Another embodiment of the invention may provide a
machine-readable storage, having stored thereon, a computer program
having at least one code section executable by a machine, thereby
causing the machine to perform the steps as described herein for
enabling communicating data via an asymmetric optical physical
layer (PHY) operation for Ethernet A/V Bridging and Ethernet A/V
Bridging extensions.
[0089] Accordingly, the present invention may be realized in
hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. The
present invention may be realized in a centralized fashion in at
least one computer system or in a distributed fashion where
different elements are spread across several interconnected
computer systems. Any kind of computer system or other apparatus
adapted for carrying out the methods described herein is suited. A
typical combination of hardware and software may be a
general-purpose computer system with a computer program that, when
being loaded and executed, controls the computer system such that
it carries out the methods described herein.
[0090] The present invention may also be embedded in a computer
program product, which comprises all the features enabling the
implementation of the methods described herein, and which when
loaded in a computer system is able to carry out these methods.
Computer program in the present context means any expression, in
any language, code or notation, of a set of instructions intended
to cause a system having an information processing capability to
perform a particular function either directly or after either or
both of the following: a) conversion to another language, code or
notation; b) reproduction in a different material form.
[0091] While the present invention has been described with
reference to certain embodiments, it will be understood by those
skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents
may be substituted without departing from the scope of the present
invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a
particular situation or material to the teachings of the present
invention without departing from its scope. Therefore, it is
intended that the present invention not be limited to the
particular embodiment disclosed, but that the present invention
will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the
appended claims.
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