U.S. patent application number 15/983303 was filed with the patent office on 2018-09-20 for spectrum analysis capability in network and/or system communication devices.
This patent application is currently assigned to Avago Technologies General IP (Singapore) Pte. Ltd .. The applicant listed for this patent is Avago Technologies General IP (Singapore) Pte. Ltd .. Invention is credited to Bruce J. Currivan, Roger Fish, Thomas J. Kolze, Harold Raymond Whitehead.
Application Number | 20180270143 15/983303 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 49477193 |
Filed Date | 2018-09-20 |
United States Patent
Application |
20180270143 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Currivan; Bruce J. ; et
al. |
September 20, 2018 |
Spectrum analysis capability in network and/or system communication
devices
Abstract
Spectrum analysis (SA) capability is included in various
communication devices within a communication network. One or more
of the devices use the SA information from other devices in the
system to determine status of various communication links were
devices in the system. One or more processors within one or more
devices can identify any actual/existing or expected failure or
degradation of the various components within the system. Such
components may include communication devices, communication
channels or links, interfaces, interconnections, etc. When an
actual/existing or expected failure or degradation is identified,
the affected components may be serviced or devices within the
system may operate to mitigate any reduction in performance caused
by such problems. Such SA functionality/capability may be
implemented in one communication device or in a distributed manner
across a number of devices in a communication system.
Inventors: |
Currivan; Bruce J.; (Los
Altos, CA) ; Fish; Roger; (Superior, CO) ;
Whitehead; Harold Raymond; (Suwanee, GA) ; Kolze;
Thomas J.; (Phoenix, AZ) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Avago Technologies General IP (Singapore) Pte. Ltd . |
Singapore |
|
SG |
|
|
Assignee: |
Avago Technologies General IP
(Singapore) Pte. Ltd .
Singapore
SG
|
Family ID: |
49477193 |
Appl. No.: |
15/983303 |
Filed: |
May 18, 2018 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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14551313 |
Nov 24, 2014 |
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15983303 |
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13931626 |
Jun 28, 2013 |
8897147 |
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14551313 |
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13428309 |
Mar 23, 2012 |
8948316 |
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13931626 |
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13428698 |
Mar 23, 2012 |
8891699 |
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13931626 |
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61666750 |
Jun 29, 2012 |
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61819279 |
May 3, 2013 |
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61467659 |
Mar 25, 2011 |
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61467638 |
Mar 25, 2011 |
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61467659 |
Mar 25, 2011 |
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61467673 |
Mar 25, 2011 |
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61474186 |
Apr 11, 2011 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04L 25/022 20130101;
H04L 43/50 20130101; H04L 25/0222 20130101; H04L 2025/03414
20130101; H04L 1/20 20130101; H04L 25/03006 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H04L 12/26 20060101
H04L012/26; H04L 25/02 20060101 H04L025/02; H04L 1/20 20060101
H04L001/20 |
Claims
1. A communication device comprising: a communication interface;
and processing circuitry that is coupled to the communication
interface, wherein at least one of the communication interface or
the processing circuitry configured to: receive at least one signal
from at least one other communication device via a communication
channel that includes one or more upstream (US) channels and one or
more downstream (DS) channels within a communication system;
process the at least one signal to generate first spectrum analysis
(SA) information based on a first full bandwidth of an US usable
frequency spectrum for the one or more US channels within the
communication system; process the at least one signal to generate
second SA information based on a second full bandwidth of a DS
usable frequency spectrum for the one or more DS channels within
the communication system, wherein full bandwidth of a usable
frequency spectrum in the communication system spans both the first
full bandwidth and the second full bandwidth; and transmit the
first SA information and the second SA information to another
communication device to be used by the another communication device
to determine a performance characteristic of at least one of the
one or more US channels or at least one of the one or more DS
channels within the communication system.
2. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the at least one of
the communication interface or the processing circuitry is further
configured to: process the at least one signal that is received
from the at least one other communication device via the
communication channel to identify a plurality of pilot tones
therein; process the plurality of pilot tones therein based on
expected values of the plurality of pilot tones to determine at
least one other performance characteristic of the communication
channel that includes the one or more US channels and the one or
more DS channels within the communication system; and generate at
least one of the first SA information or the second SA information
based on the at least one other performance characteristic of the
communication channel that includes the one or more US channels and
the one or more DS channels within the communication system.
3. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the at least one of
the communication interface or the processing circuitry is further
configured to: process the at least one signal that is received
from the at least one other communication device via the
communication channel based on equalization using a plurality of
equalizer coefficients; process at least one of the plurality of
equalizer coefficients or changes of the plurality of equalizer
coefficients made during the equalization to determine at least one
other performance characteristic of the communication channel that
includes the one or more US channels and the one or more DS
channels within the communication system; and generate at least one
of the first SA information or the second SA information based on
the at least one other performance characteristic of the
communication channel that includes the one or more US channels and
the one or more DS channels within the communication system.
4. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the at least one of
the communication interface or the processing circuitry is further
configured to: process the at least one signal that is received
from the at least one other communication device via the
communication channel to identify an internal frequency response of
the communication device; and process the internal frequency
response of the communication device to determine at least one
other performance characteristic of the communication channel that
includes the one or more US channels and the one or more DS
channels within the communication system; and generate at least one
of the first SA information or the second SA information based on
the at least one other performance characteristic of the
communication channel that includes the one or more US channels and
the one or more DS channels within the communication system.
5. The communication device of claim 1, wherein at least one of:
the first SA information includes a first frequency response of the
first full bandwidth of the US usable frequency spectrum for the
one or more US channels within the communication system; the second
SA information includes a second frequency response of the second
full bandwidth of the DS usable frequency spectrum for the one or
more DS channels within the communication system; the first SA
information includes at least one of first interference or first
noise detected on the first full bandwidth of the US usable
frequency spectrum for the one or more US channels within the
communication system; the second SA information includes at least
one of second interference or second noise detected on the second
full bandwidth of the DS usable frequency spectrum for the one or
more DS channels within the communication system; the first SA
information includes at least one of first reflections on the first
full bandwidth of the US usable frequency spectrum for the one or
more US channels within the communication system; the second SA
information includes at least one of second reflections on the
second full bandwidth of the DS usable frequency spectrum for the
one or more DS channels within the communication system; the first
SA information includes at least one of first frequency nulls on
the first full bandwidth of the US usable frequency spectrum for
the one or more US channels within the communication system; or the
second SA information includes at least one of second frequency
nulls on the second full bandwidth of the DS usable frequency
spectrum for the one or more DS channels within the communication
system; at least one of the first SA information or the second SA
information includes an internal frequency response of the
communication device; or at least one of the first SA information
or the second SA information includes at least one of a change, a
trend, or a degradation associated with at least one other
performance characteristic of the communication channel that
includes the one or more US channels and the one or more DS
channels within the communication system.
6. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the at least one of
the communication interface or the processing circuitry is further
configured to: support communications within at least one of a
wireless communication system, a wired communication system, or a
fiber-optic communication system.
7. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the full bandwidth
of the usable frequency spectrum in the communication system has an
upper bound of approximately 1008 MHz.
8. The communication device of claim 1 further comprising: a cable
modem or a set-top box (STB), wherein the another communication
device includes a cable headend transmitter or a cable modem
termination system (CMTS).
9. A communication device comprising: a communication interface;
and processing circuitry that is coupled to the communication
interface, wherein at least one of the communication interface or
the processing circuitry configured to: receive at least one signal
from at least one other communication device via a communication
channel that includes one or more upstream (US) channels and one or
more downstream (DS) channels within a communication system that
includes at least one of a wireless communication system, a wired
communication system, or a fiber-optic communication; process the
at least one signal to generate first spectrum analysis (SA)
information based on a first full bandwidth of an US usable
frequency spectrum for the one or more US channels within the
communication system; process the at least one signal to generate
second SA information based on a second full bandwidth of a DS
usable frequency spectrum for the one or more DS channels within
the communication system, wherein full bandwidth of a usable
frequency spectrum in the communication system spans both the first
full bandwidth and the second full bandwidth, wherein the full
bandwidth of the usable frequency spectrum in the communication
system has an upper bound of approximately 1008 MHz; and transmit
the first SA information and the second SA information to another
communication device to be used by the another communication device
to determine a performance characteristic of at least one of the
one or more US channels or at least one of the one or more DS
channels within the communication system.
10. The communication device of claim 9, wherein the at least one
of the communication interface or the processing circuitry is
further configured to: process the at least one signal that is
received from the at least one other communication device via the
communication channel to identify a plurality of pilot tones
therein; process the plurality of pilot tones therein based on
expected values of the plurality of pilot tones to determine at
least one other performance characteristic of the communication
channel that includes the one or more US channels and the one or
more DS channels within the communication system; and generate at
least one of the first SA information or the second SA information
based on the at least one other performance characteristic of the
communication channel that includes the one or more US channels and
the one or more DS channels within the communication system.
11. The communication device of claim 9, wherein the at least one
of the communication interface or the processing circuitry is
further configured to: process the at least one signal that is
received from the at least one other communication device via the
communication channel based on equalization using a plurality of
equalizer coefficients; process at least one of the plurality of
equalizer coefficients or changes of the plurality of equalizer
coefficients made during the equalization to determine at least one
other performance characteristic of the communication channel that
includes the one or more US channels and the one or more DS
channels within the communication system; and generate at least one
of the first SA information or the second SA information based on
the at least one other performance characteristic of the
communication channel that includes the one or more US channels and
the one or more DS channels within the communication system.
12. The communication device of claim 9, wherein the at least one
of the communication interface or the processing circuitry is
further configured to: process the at least one signal that is
received from the at least one other communication device via the
communication channel to identify an internal frequency response of
the communication device; and process the internal frequency
response of the communication device to determine at least one
other performance characteristic of the communication channel that
includes the one or more US channels and the one or more DS
channels within the communication system; and generate at least one
of the first SA information or the second SA information based on
the at least one other performance characteristic of the
communication channel that includes the one or more US channels and
the one or more DS channels within the communication system.
13. The communication device of claim 9, wherein at least one of:
the first SA information includes a first frequency response of the
first full bandwidth of the US usable frequency spectrum for the
one or more US channels within the communication system; the second
SA information includes a second frequency response of the second
full bandwidth of the DS usable frequency spectrum for the one or
more DS channels within the communication system; the first SA
information includes at least one of first interference or first
noise detected on the first full bandwidth of the US usable
frequency spectrum for the one or more US channels within the
communication system; the second SA information includes at least
one of second interference or second noise detected on the second
full bandwidth of the DS usable frequency spectrum for the one or
more DS channels within the communication system; the first SA
information includes at least one of first reflections on the first
full bandwidth of the US usable frequency spectrum for the one or
more US channels within the communication system; the second SA
information includes at least one of second reflections on the
second full bandwidth of the DS usable frequency spectrum for the
one or more DS channels within the communication system; the first
SA information includes at least one of first frequency nulls on
the first full bandwidth of the US usable frequency spectrum for
the one or more US channels within the communication system; or the
second SA information includes at least one of second frequency
nulls on the second full bandwidth of the DS usable frequency
spectrum for the one or more DS channels within the communication
system; at least one of the first SA information or the second SA
information includes an internal frequency response of the
communication device; or at least one of the first SA information
or the second SA information includes at least one of a change, a
trend, or a degradation associated with at least one other
performance characteristic of the communication channel that
includes the one or more US channels and the one or more DS
channels within the communication system.
14. The communication device of claim 9 further comprising: a cable
modem or a set-top box (STB), wherein the another communication
device includes a cable headend transmitter or a cable modem
termination system (CMTS).
15. A method for execution by a communication device, the method
comprising: receiving, via a communication interface of the
communication device, at least one signal from at least one other
communication device via a communication channel that includes one
or more upstream (US) channels and one or more downstream (DS)
channels within a communication system; processing the at least one
signal to generate first spectrum analysis (SA) information based
on a first full bandwidth of an US usable frequency spectrum for
the one or more US channels within the communication system;
processing the at least one signal to generate second SA
information based on a second full bandwidth of a DS usable
frequency spectrum for the one or more DS channels within the
communication system, wherein full bandwidth of a usable frequency
spectrum in the communication system spans both the first full
bandwidth and the second full bandwidth; and transmitting, via the
communication interface of the communication device, the first SA
information and the second SA information to another communication
device to be used by the another communication device to determine
a performance characteristic of at least one of the one or more US
channels or at least one of the one or more DS channels within the
communication system.
16. The method of claim 15 further comprising: processing the at
least one signal that is received from the at least one other
communication device via the communication channel to identify a
plurality of pilot tones therein; processing the plurality of pilot
tones therein based on expected values of the plurality of pilot
tones to determine at least one other performance characteristic of
the communication channel that includes the one or more US channels
and the one or more DS channels within the communication system;
and generating at least one of the first SA information or the
second SA information based on the at least one other performance
characteristic of the communication channel that includes the one
or more US channels and the one or more DS channels within the
communication system.
17. The method of claim 15 further comprising: processing the at
least one signal that is received from the at least one other
communication device via the communication channel based on
equalization using a plurality of equalizer coefficients;
processing at least one of the plurality of equalizer coefficients
or changes of the plurality of equalizer coefficients made during
the equalization to determine at least one other performance
characteristic of the communication channel that includes the one
or more US channels and the one or more DS channels within the
communication system; and generating at least one of the first SA
information or the second SA information based on the at least one
other performance characteristic of the communication channel that
includes the one or more US channels and the one or more DS
channels within the communication system.
18. The method of claim 15 further comprising: processing the at
least one signal that is received from the at least one other
communication device via the communication channel to identify an
internal frequency response of the communication device; and
processing the internal frequency response of the communication
device to determine at least one other performance characteristic
of the communication channel that includes the one or more US
channels and the one or more DS channels within the communication
system; and generating at least one of the first SA information or
the second SA information based on the at least one other
performance characteristic of the communication channel that
includes the one or more US channels and the one or more DS
channels within the communication system.
19. The method of claim 15, wherein at least one of: the first SA
information includes a first frequency response of the first full
bandwidth of the US usable frequency spectrum for the one or more
US channels within the communication system; the second SA
information includes a second frequency response of the second full
bandwidth of the DS usable frequency spectrum for the one or more
DS channels within the communication system; the first SA
information includes at least one of first interference or first
noise detected on the first full bandwidth of the US usable
frequency spectrum for the one or more US channels within the
communication system; the second SA information includes at least
one of second interference or second noise detected on the second
full bandwidth of the DS usable frequency spectrum for the one or
more DS channels within the communication system; the first SA
information includes at least one of first reflections on the first
full bandwidth of the US usable frequency spectrum for the one or
more US channels within the communication system; the second SA
information includes at least one of second reflections on the
second full bandwidth of the DS usable frequency spectrum for the
one or more DS channels within the communication system; the first
SA information includes at least one of first frequency nulls on
the first full bandwidth of the US usable frequency spectrum for
the one or more US channels within the communication system; or the
second SA information includes at least one of second frequency
nulls on the second full bandwidth of the DS usable frequency
spectrum for the one or more DS channels within the communication
system; at least one of the first SA information or the second SA
information includes an internal frequency response of the
communication device; or at least one of the first SA information
or the second SA information includes at least one of a change, a
trend, or a degradation associated with at least one other
performance characteristic of the communication channel that
includes the one or more US channels and the one or more DS
channels within the communication system.
20. The method of claim 15, wherein the full bandwidth of the
usable frequency spectrum in the communication system has an upper
bound of approximately 1008 MHz.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENTS/PATENT APPLICATIONS
Continuation Priority Claim, 35 U.S.C. .sctn. 120
[0001] The present U.S. Utility Patent Application claims priority
pursuant to 35 U.S.C. .sctn. 120 as a continuation of U.S. Utility
application Ser. No. 14/551,313, entitled "Spectrum analysis
capability in network and/or system communication devices," filed
Nov. 24, 2014, pending, which claims priority pursuant to 35 U.S.C.
.sctn. 120 as a continuation of U.S. Utility application Ser. No.
13/931,626, entitled "Spectrum analysis capability in network
and/or system communication devices," filed Jun. 28, 2013, now U.S.
Pat. No. 8,897,147 issued on Nov. 25, 2014, which claims priority
pursuant to 35 U.S.C. .sctn. 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application
No. 61/666,750, entitled "Spectrum analysis capability in network
and/or system communication devices," filed Jun. 29, 2012, and U.S.
Provisional Application No. 61/819,279, entitled "Spectrum analysis
capability in network and/or system communication devices," filed
May 3, 2013, all of which are hereby incorporated herein by
reference in their entirety and made part of the present U.S.
Utility Patent Application for all purposes.
[0002] U.S. Utility application Ser. No. 13/931,626 also claims
priority pursuant to 35 U.S.C. .sctn. 120 as a continuation-in-part
of U.S. Utility application Ser. No. 13/428,309, entitled "Upstream
frequency response measurement and characterization," filed Mar.
23, 2012, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 8,948,316 on Feb. 3, 2015,
which claims priority pursuant to 35 U.S.C. .sctn. 119(e) to U.S.
Provisional Application No. 61/467,659, entitled "Upstream
frequency response measurement and characterization," filed Mar.
25, 2011, all of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference
in their entirety and made part of the present U.S. Utility Patent
Application for all purposes.
[0003] U.S. Utility application Ser. No. 13/931,626 also claims
priority pursuant to 35 U.S.C. .sctn. 120 as a continuation-in-part
of U.S. Utility application Ser. No. 13/428,698, entitled
"Characterization and assessment of communication channel average
group delay variation," filed Mar. 23, 2012, now issued as U.S.
Pat. No. 8,891,699 on Nov. 18, 2014, which claims priority pursuant
to 35 U.S.C. .sctn. 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application No.
61/467,638, entitled "Detection and characterization of laser
clipping within communication devices," filed Mar. 25, 2011; U.S.
Provisional Application No. 61/467,659, entitled "Upstream
frequency response measurement and characterization," filed Mar.
25, 2011, U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/467,673, entitled
"Upstream burst noise measurement and characterization during data
transmission," filed Mar. 25, 2011; and U.S. Provisional
Application No. 61/474,186, entitled "Characterization and
assessment of communication channel average group delay variation,"
filed Apr. 11, 2011, all of which are hereby incorporated herein by
reference in their entirety and made part of the present U.S.
Utility Patent Application for all purposes.
BACKGROUND
Technical Field
[0004] The present disclosure relates generally to communication
systems; and, more particularly, to characterizing, tracking,
and/or monitoring operation of various components and/or elements
within such communication systems
Description of Related Art
[0005] Data communication systems have been under continual
development for many years. Sometimes, problems may occur that
affect one or more of the various components within such
communication systems so that the overall performance is less than
optimal. Various problems such as equipment failure, degrading
interfaces or connectors, etc. reduce the overall effectiveness of
communications within such communication systems.
[0006] Diagnosis of such problems is typically performed by service
personnel who conduct a service call to one or more locations where
customers complain of poor service. Also, such service personnel
can only analyze one given location at a time. A great deal of time
is required to perform analysis of multiple locations within a
communication system, and this procedure may be very labor and cost
intensive.
[0007] Even after existing problems are identified and repaired,
other problems may subsequently arise and cause other problems
which also lead to degradation of the communication system's
performance. Generally, a communication system's overall
performance and fitness is dynamic and changing over time.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of one or
more communication systems.
[0009] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating another embodiment of one
or more communication systems.
[0010] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a communication device
operative within one or more communication systems.
[0011] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of one or
more communication systems with multi-channel communication
links.
[0012] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating another embodiment of one
or more communication systems with multi-channel communication
links.
[0013] FIG. 6A is a diagram illustrating an example of processing
to identify an actual/existing or expected failure or degradation
within a communication system.
[0014] FIG. 6B is a diagram illustrating a communication channel
partitioned into multiple sub-bands or sub-channels.
[0015] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating communication between
communication devices to generate spectrum analysis (SA)
information.
[0016] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a method
for execution by one or more communication devices.
[0017] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating another embodiment of a
method for execution by one or more communication devices.
[0018] FIG. 10A is a diagram illustrating another embodiment of a
method for execution by one or more communication devices.
[0019] FIG. 10B is a diagram illustrating another embodiment of a
method for execution by one or more communication devices.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0020] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment 100 of one or
more communication systems. One or more network segments 190
provide communication inter-connectivity for at least two
communication devices 110 and 120. Generally speaking, any desired
number of communication devices are included within one or more
communication systems (e.g., as shown by communication devices one
130 and 140). Some or all the various communication devices 110-140
include capability to generate spectrum analysis (SA) information
based on the one or more communication channels via which they
communicate to other devices. For example, SA information may
include various characteristics such as a communication channels
frequency response, a device's internal frequency response (e.g.,
how that devices operation may affect the various communication
channels via which it communicates), interference or noise detected
on communication channel, reflections, frequency nulls on a
communication channel, etc. Also, such SA information may
correspond to changes or trends associated with any such
characteristics. The various devices 110-140 provide SA information
to other of the devices 110-140 for use in determining the
operation of the one or more communication systems. SA information
may be provided automatically between various devices 110-140, such
as at particular times (e.g., periodically, or aperiodically such
as when a device is idle or has processing capability to generate
such SA information, such as when not using all of the device's
processing resources or capabilities). Alternatively, such SA
information may be provided upon one device requesting it from
another. Generally, a device (e.g., cable modem termination system
(CMTS)) can receive various SA information from different devices
in the one or more communication systems. At least some of this SA
information is based on full bandwidth of a usable frequency
spectrum in the one or more communication systems. For example, in
the context of a cable based system, at least some SA information
is wideband to allow observation of the whole cable plant signal
from 54 MHz to 1008 MHz and beyond these limits. Based on the
received SA information, this device then has a great deal of
visibility into the one or more communication systems. From the
perspective of a device such as a CMTS in a cable based system, the
CMTS has a broad range of visibility into the entirety of the
downstream radio frequency (RF) including any or all of the various
service flows included in such a cable plant system such as those
described with reference to FIG. 2.
[0021] For an example of operation, device 110 includes a
communication interface to transmit a signal to device 120 to
request SA information there from. The device 110 includes a
processor to process the received SA information and to determine
one or more other characteristics (e.g., which can be used to
identify an operational error, failure, or degradation, an
operational trend, a future or expected operational error, failure,
or degradation, etc.) associated with performance of one or more
communication channels in the system. Based on the one or more
other characteristics, the device 110 may then identify an
actual/existing and/or expected failure or degradation of
communication associated with those one or more communication
channels.
[0022] In another example of operation, device 110 may receive
first SA information from device 120 and second SA information from
device 130. Device 110 can then employ both the first SA
information and the second SA information to determine an
operational trend of one or more communication channels in the
system. This first SA information and second SA information may
correspond to two entirely different components within the system,
or it may correspond to a common components (e.g., such that the
first and second SA information corresponds to two different
times).
[0023] In an example of SA information generation, device 120 may
receive a signal that includes pilot tones from device 110. Device
120 can then process the received pilot tones, and compared to
their expected values, can determine the effect of the
communication link between devices 110 and 120. That is to say,
device 120 generates SA information based on characterization of
the pilot tones received from device 110. Device 120 can then
provide this SA information may then be provided to device 110
automatically or upon request. In addition, device 120 may use this
recently generated SA information to characterize operation of the
communication link between devices 110 and 120 including
identifying an actual/existing or expected failure or degradation
of communication via that communication link.
[0024] In another example of SA information generation, device 120
may include an equalizer that employs equalizer coefficients to
perform equalization of signals that it receives. Device 120 may
provide SA information to device 110 that is based on the values of
those equalizer coefficients or changes in those equalizer
coefficients relative to prior values.
[0025] Also, any of the various devices 110-140 may have an
internal frequency response that affects operation of the system,
and SA information may be based on a given device's internal
frequency response. For example, device 120 may provide SA
information to device 110 that is based on the frequency response
of the device 120 in terms of its effect on the system.
[0026] Various examples have been described in which a given
device, such as device 110, performs the appropriate processing to
determine an operational trend of one or more components in the
system and also to identify an actual/existing or expected failure
or degradation of communication associated with those one or more
components. Note also that such processing may be implemented in a
distributed manner among two or more of the devices 110-140. That
is to say, two or more of the devices 110-140 may operate
cooperatively to process SA information and to determine any such
actual/existing or expected failure or degradation of communication
associated with those one or more components. The various devices
110-140 may communicate signals amongst one another related to such
actual/existing or expected failure or degradation of communication
associated with those one or more components. Generally speaking,
such SA functionality/capability may be implemented in a
distributed manner across a number of devices within one or more
communication systems. Also, when an actual/existing or expected
failure or degradation is identified, the affected components may
be serviced (e.g., by service personnel) or devices within the
system may operate adaptively to mitigate any reduction in
performance caused by such problems.
[0027] With respect to a particular type of SA functionality
included within a remote device (e.g., within any of the various
devices 110-140), the remote SA functionality may be wideband
(e.g., observing the entire usable frequency spectrum associated
with the communication system). For example, considering a cable
plant type implementation, remotely implemented SA functionality
may be wideband to allow observation of the whole cable plant
signal from 54 MHz to 1008 MHz and beyond these limits. This
permits the headend (or CMTS) to view problems that are affecting
channels other than the ones currently in use by a given
home/premises. For example, a micro-reflection in the cable may
produce a ripple in the frequency response with a relative null on
a given frequency channel "A". The user may at the current time be
using channel "B" which is not affected by the null, so his service
has not yet been compromised by the presence of this reflection.
However, in the future the null could move in frequency close to
channel A (due to phase changes in the physical process producing
the reflection/null), or the service currently on channel B could
be moved to channel A, either of which would cause the null to
begin to affect the service at this customer. With the wideband SA
the headend (or CMTS) will observe the null on channel A, and will
be able to perform preventive maintenance to fix the
reflection/null before the problem occurs.
[0028] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating another embodiment 200 of
one or more communication systems. A cable headend transmitter 230
provides service to a set-top box (STB) 220 via cable network
segment 298. The STB 220 provides output to a display capable
device 210. The cable headend transmitter 230 can support any of a
number of service flows such as audio, video, local access
channels, as well as any other service of cable systems. For
example, the cable headend transmitter 230 can provide media (e.g.,
video and/or audio) to the display capable device.
[0029] The cable headend transmitter 230 may provide operation of a
cable modem termination system (CMTS) 240a. That is to say, the
cable headend transmitter 230 may perform such CMTS functionality,
or a CMTS may be implemented separately from the cable headend
transmitter 230 (e.g., as shown by reference numeral 240). The CMTS
240 can provide network service (e.g., Internet, other network
access, etc.) to any number of cable modems (shown as CM 1, CM 2,
and up to CM n) via a cable modem (CM) network segment 299. The
cable network segment 298 and the CM network segment 299 may be
part of a common network or common networks. The cable modem
network segment 299 couples the cable modems 1-n to the CMTS (shown
as 240 or 240a). Such a cable system (e.g., cable network segment
298 and/or CM network segment 299) may generally be referred to as
a cable plant and may be implemented, at least in part, as a hybrid
fiber-coaxial (HFC) network (e.g., including various wired and/or
optical fiber communication segments, light sources, light or photo
detection complements, etc.).
[0030] A CMTS 240 or 240a is a component that exchanges digital
signals with cable modems 1-n on the cable modem network segment
299. Each of the cable modems coupled to the cable modem network
segment 299, and a number of elements may be included within the
cable modem network segment 299. For example, routers, splitters,
couplers, relays, and amplifiers may be contained within the cable
modem network segment 299. Generally speaking, downstream
information may be viewed is that which flows from the CMTS 240 to
the connected cable modems (e.g., CM 1, CM2, etc.), and upstream
information is that which flows from the cable modems to the CMTS
240.
[0031] At least some of the devices within this diagram support the
SA information functionality described herein. For one example of
operation, the CMTS 240 may be implemented to include a
communication interface to transmit a signal to CM 1 to request SA
information there from. The CMTS 240 includes a processor to
process the received SA information and to determine an operational
trend of one or more communication channels in the system (e.g.,
between the CMTS 240 in the CM 1). Based on the operational trend,
the CMTS 240 may then identify an actual/existing or expected
failure or degradation of communication associated with those one
or more communication channels. Analogously, any of the other
devices within the diagram may also include such SA capability as
described herein. The various devices within the diagram may
communicate SA information to each other and also provide
information based on operational trends and actual/existing or
expected failures or degradations of communications made along the
various communication paths between the various devices in the
diagram. In one example of operation, any one or more of the cable
modems or and/or the STB 220 can include capability to generate SA
information based on one or more communication channels within the
communication system. Some or all of the SA information can be
based on full bandwidth of a usable frequency spectrum in the
communication system. This SA information can be provided to
another device (e.g., the CMTS 240) for use in determining one or
more characteristics associated with performance of the one or more
communication channels in the communication system and for
identifying, based on the one or more characteristics, a
degradation of communication associated with the one or more
communication channels.
[0032] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a communication device 110
operative within one or more communication systems. The device 110
includes a communication interface 320 and a processor 330. The
communication interface 320 includes functionality of a transmitter
322 and the receiver 324 to support communications with one or more
other devices within a communication system. The device 110 may
also include memory 340 to store information including SA
information generated by the device 110 or SA information received
from other devices via one or more communication channels. Memory
340 may also include and store various operational instructions for
use by the processor 330 in regards to the SA functionality
described herein.
[0033] The device 110 operates to transmit and receive SA
information and/or requests for such SA information to and from
other devices within the communication system. For example, the
communication interface 320 may be configured to transmit requests
to one or more other devices within the system to request SA
information. Those other devices will then transmit SA information
to the device 110, and the processor 330 will process the SA
information to determine one or more operational trends associated
with one or more communication channels within the system. Based
upon the identified operational trends, the processor 330 will then
identify any actual/existing or expected failures or degradations
of communications associated with the communication system.
[0034] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment 400 of one or
more communication systems with multi-channel communication links.
Communication devices 110 and 120 may communicate with one another
via one or more communication channels (e.g., as shown by CH1
through CH x). Each of the devices 110 and 120 include SA
functionality. For example, device 110 includes a processor 330 in
the memory 340. Device 120 includes a processor 330a memory 340a.
The memories 340 and 340a can store SA information and/or include
operational instructions for use by the processors 330 and
330a.
[0035] Multiple network segments may interconnect the devices 110
and 120 to other respective devices that may also include SA
functionality therein. Any of the various devices may communicate
with one another via the multi-channel communication links and/or
network segments. SA functionality is distributed across multiple
devices within the one or more communication systems. SA
information is determined by these various devices and communicated
to other of the devices for use in determining operational trends
and/or actual/existing or expected failures or degradations of
communications along any of the various communication links within
the system.
[0036] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating another embodiment 500 of
one or more communication systems with multi-channel communication
links. The embodiment 500 has some similarities to the previous
embodiment 400, in that, two respective devices may communicate
with one another via multi-channel communication links. However, in
this diagram, communication device 510 includes SA functionality 1
and communication device 520 includes SA functionality 2. Different
respective devices need not necessarily have the same SA
functionality or capabilities. For example, device 510 includes
components 1, 2, and up to y. Device 520 includes components 1, 2,
and up to x. The devices 510 and 520 may include some common
components, but need not necessarily include the same components.
These different components can generate different types of SA
information. For example, component 1 in device 510 may determine a
channel estimate of a communication link. Component 2 in device 510
may determine a frequency response of that communication link. A
component 3 (not shown) in device 510 may determine interference or
noise detected on that communication link. Generally speaking,
different components can have different respective capabilities and
functions, and the devices 510 and 530 need not necessarily have
the exact same capabilities in terms of generating SA information.
In addition, other respective devices 330 may also include
different respective SA functionalities 3 as well.
[0037] Different devices implemented within the system that include
different SA functionalities can operate cooperatively to provide a
great deal of information regarding the overall operation of the
communication system in which the devices reside. Also, an
implementation that allows for different SA functionalities to be
provisioned within different devices can provide for a more
efficient implementation of resources.
[0038] FIG. 6A is a diagram illustrating an example 601 of
processing to identify an actual/existing or expected failure or
degradation within a communication system. SA information in the
form of frequency responses (e.g., frequency response 1, frequency
response 2, and possibly up to frequency response n) undergo
processing to determine an operational trend of at least one
component within the system. This operational trend assists in the
identification of an actual/existing or expected failure or
degradation of that at least one component in the system.
[0039] FIG. 6B is a diagram illustrating a communication channel
602 partitioned into multiple sub-bands or sub-channels. Some SA
information may be wideband in nature such as spanning two or more
of the sub-bands or sub-channels. In one or more embodiments, SA
information may correspond to full bandwidth of communication
system's usable frequency spectrum. Alternatively, other SA
information may correspond to one of the sub-bands or sub-channels.
Also, when various SA information corresponds to one of the
sub-bands or sub-channels, the SA information may be combined to
generate SA information that corresponds to full bandwidth of
communication system's usable frequency spectrum.
[0040] The SA information can be generated using a combination of
fast Fourier transform (FFT) and swept/stepped techniques.
Considering one example of operation, samples from the wideband
analog-to-digital converter (ADC) can be captured in a memory, an
FFT/DFT (fast Fourier transform, discrete Fourier transform, or
other filter bank technique) taken, and the entire broadband SA
spectrum computed instantaneously based on those samples (e.g.,
corresponding to full bandwidth of communication system's usable
frequency spectrum). Considering another example of operation, a
single analog or digital filter can be swept or stepped across the
band at each frequency that the received power is measured to
provide a swept/stepped SA capability. Intermediate between these
two examples of operation is stepping an FFT across the band to
generate the SA information.
[0041] For example, a filter of 7.5 MHz bandwidth is positioned at
a given frequency, samples are captured, and an FFT is taken. Then,
the filter is moved to the next frequency, and the FFT is repeated.
This process is repeated across the whole band from a first to a
second frequency (e.g., from 54 MHz to 1008 MHz or wider). The
individual narrowband (7.5 MHz) FFT segments are then combined or
stitched together to produce wideband SA information.
[0042] Signaling on a given communication channel may be based on
the given frequency or a given frequency band. Acquired or
generated SA information may be relatively wideband such that it
spans more than the frequency or frequency band associated with the
communication channel. Alternatively, acquired or generated SA
information may be relatively narrowband such that each individual
SA information components may be but based on a sub-band of a
relatively larger frequency band.
[0043] With respect to the particular SA functionality or
capability included within a device, the SA functionality may be
wideband (e.g., observing the entire usable frequency spectrum
associated with the communication system) or narrowband (e.g.,
observing only narrowband portions of the frequency spectrum) such
as with reference to the differing capabilities described in FIG.
5.
[0044] For example, considering a cable plant type implementation
such as with reference to FIG. 2, remotely implemented SA
functionality may be wideband (e.g., corresponding to full
bandwidth of communication system's usable frequency spectrum) to
allow observation of the whole cable plant signal from 54 MHz to
1008 MHz and beyond these limits. This permits a cable headend
transmitter (or CMTS) to view problems that are affecting channels
other than the ones currently in use by a given home/premises. For
example, a micro-reflection in the cable may produce a ripple in
the frequency response with a relative null on a given frequency
channel "A". At the current time, a CM may be using channel "B"
which is not affected by the null, so that's CM's service has not
yet been compromised by the presence of this reflection. However,
in the future, the null could move in frequency close to channel A
(due to phase changes in the physical process producing the
reflection/null), or the service currently on channel B could be
moved to channel A, either of which would cause the null to begin
to affect the service at this customer. With the wideband SA
functionality, the headend (or CMTS) may observe the null on
channel A, and the headend (or CMTS) will then be able to perform
preventive maintenance to fix the reflection/null before the
problem occurs or fully manifests itself. One or more operational
trends of one or more elements within a communication system (e.g.,
any device, communication channel or link, etc. within the
communication system) may be determined, monitored, tracked, etc.
to ascertain historical and current operation of any such elements
and also to estimate or predict future operation of any such
elements.
[0045] Also, to improve SA selectivity, window functions such as
Hanning, Hamming, Blackman/Harris, etc. may be applied to the FFT
results in the time and/or frequency domains. Windowing permits the
SA to display signals of large power difference (large dynamic
range) which are close together in frequency, without blurring them
together, and it also permits accurate measurement of signal power.
Also, such techniques may also be extended in various works on
multi-rate signal processing.
[0046] The SA functionality can be calibrated to improve its
accuracy (e.g., at installation, periodically, upon occurrence of
certain events, etc.). For example, a cable modem (CM) or set top
box (STB) has its own internal frequency response which may obscure
the frequency response of the cable system or portions thereof
under measurement. Various techniques can be used to compensate for
the self-response of the CM/STB. One approach is to measure the
self-response during the manufacturing process. Another approach is
to insert pilot signals that permit measurement of the
self-response during operation, or during power-up.
[0047] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating communication between
communication devices 110 and 120 to generate spectrum analysis
(SA) information. This diagram shows communication device 110
transmitting a signal with pilot tones (e.g., such as based on
orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signaling) to
communication device 120 at or during a first time. Then, the
communication device 120 processed the received signal with the
channel-affected pilot tones (shown as pilot tones'). The
communication device 120 then determines SA information (e.g., a
channel estimate, a frequency response, etc. of the communication
channel between communication device 110 and communication device
120). The communication device 120 may then transmit or provide
this SA information to the communication device 110 for use in
identifying an operational trend of the communication channel
between devices 110 and 120 and any actual/existing or expected
failures or degradation of that communication channel.
[0048] In one example of operation, these pilot tones or signals
may be inserted by a CM or STB (CM/STB) itself, or anywhere in the
plant from the headend (or CMTS) downward. In some cases, tilt
compensation may be purposely inserted by the CM/STB ahead of the
analog to digital converter (ADC), and this tilt compensation may
obscure the tilt from the cable plant. It may be decided to
compensate fully or partially and remove the internal or
self-frequency-responses (e.g., self-response), or to leave it in
place, depending on the application. Such compensation may be
performed in the time or frequency domains. Leaving the
self-response in place can show the total response experienced by a
signal transmitted via that communication link. Alternatively,
compensating for and removing the self-response is to permit the
headend (or CMTS) to analyze the performance of the cable plant
itself and perform fault isolation of the plant.
[0049] In addition, any of a number of SA user interface functions
may be included within a given device to provide additional or
alternative SA information (e.g., added in software, such as span,
center frequency, start/stop frequencies, resolution bandwidth,
video bandwidth (averaging), cursors, power between cursors, max
hold, multiple traces, etc.).
[0050] Within a given communication device that includes an
equalizer and equalizer coefficients, those downstream equalizer
coefficients may also be queried and used to analyze the quality of
the downstream signal. The equalizer coefficients give information
on the channel response and the effect of the channel on the
signal. The equalizer coefficients and SA capability provide
further insight into the quality of the signal and can be used to
isolate faults in the plant. Upstream pre-equalizer coefficients
can also be examined and compared to the downstream equalizer
coefficients, as often a fault in the cable plant will cause a
change in both the upstream and downstream signals, and hence in
both the upstream and downstream equalizer coefficients.
[0051] For multi-channel receivers (e.g., such as with reference to
FIG. 4, FIG. 5), there can be a set of downstream equalizer
coefficients for each receiver. For example, a 32-channel CM/STB
can provide equalizer coefficients for each of its 32 channels. The
responses at each channel can be combined to produce a clearer
picture of what is happening to the signal across the band.
[0052] Also, if a spare downstream receiver (e.g., CM/STB) is
available, it can be hopped to different frequencies, and at each
frequency the equalizer coefficients can be obtained, thus giving a
response across the band.
[0053] Moreover, certain examples have been described herein with
respect to one particular type of communication system (e.g., cable
plant and including SA functionality implemented within one or more
user devices [CM, STB, etc.] implemented within the cable system).
Note that such functionality may be extended towards any type of
communication system having any of a number of different respective
types of communication links implemented using any of a number of
different types of communication media (e.g., wired, wireless,
optical, etc.). Any one or more respective devices within the
communication system may include SA functionality to perform
acquisition, processing, analysis, reporting, etc. of any variety
of types of SA information (e.g., frequency responses, channel
estimates, changes of such parameters, etc.).
[0054] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a method
800 for execution by one or more communication devices. Method 800
begins by receiving spectrum analysis (SA) information from one or
more devices in a communication system (block 810). Operation
continues by processing the SA information to determine an
operational trend of one or more communication channels (block
820). Based on the operational trend, method 800 operates by
identifying any actual/existing or expected failure or degradation
of the communication system (block 830).
[0055] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating another embodiment of a
method 900 for execution by one or more communication devices.
Method 900 begins by generating at least one operational trend of
at least one element of the communication system (block 910). Based
on the at least one operational trend, the method 900 operates by
identifying any actual/existing or expected failure or degradation
of the at least one element of the communication system (block
920).
[0056] In decision block 930, the method 900 operates by
determining whether any actual/existing or expected failure or
degradation has been identified (e.g., if one or more conditions
have been met that would indicate any actual/existing or expected
failure or degradation).
[0057] If no actual/existing or expected failure or degradation is
identified, then the method 900 continues operation of the
communication system without modification (block 950).
Alternatively, if an actual/existing or expected failure or
degradation is in fact identified, then the method 900 modified
operation of the communication system without modification (block
950). The method 900 may iterate or loop back continually based on
monitoring of the communication system in attempts to identify
additional actual/existing or future expected failures or
degradations.
[0058] FIG. 10A is a diagram illustrating another embodiment of a
method 1000 for execution by one or more communication devices.
Method 1000 begins by processing first SA information received from
first communication device to generate first result (block 1010).
Method 1000 continues by processing second SA information received
from second communication device to generate second result (block
1020). Method 1000 then operates by combining to generate first
result and second result to determine operational trend of
communication within communication system (e.g., communication
channel, communication device, etc.) (block 1030).
[0059] FIG. 10B is a diagram illustrating another embodiment of a
method 1001 for execution by one or more communication devices.
Method 1001 begins by processing first SA information received from
communication device at first time to generate first result (block
1011). Method 1001 then operates processing second SA information
received from the same communication device communication device at
a second time to generate second result (block 1021). Method 1001
continues by combining to generate first result and second result
to determine operational trend of communication within
communication system (e.g., communication channel, communication
device, etc.) (block 1031).
[0060] The present invention has been described herein with
reference to at least one embodiment. Such embodiment(s) of the
present invention have been described with the aid of structural
components illustrating physical and/or logical components and with
the aid of method steps illustrating the performance of specified
functions and relationships thereof. The boundaries and sequence of
these functional building blocks and method steps have been
arbitrarily defined herein for convenience of description.
Alternate boundaries and sequences can be defined so long as the
specified functions and relationships are appropriately performed.
Any such alternate boundaries or sequences are thus within the
scope and spirit of the claims that follow. Further, the boundaries
of these functional building blocks have been arbitrarily defined
for convenience of description. Alternate boundaries could be
defined as long as the certain significant functions are
appropriately performed. Similarly, flow diagram blocks may also
have been arbitrarily defined herein to illustrate certain
significant functionality. To the extent used, the flow diagram
block boundaries and sequence could have been defined otherwise and
still perform the certain significant functionality. Such alternate
definitions of both functional building blocks and flow diagram
blocks and sequences are thus within the scope and spirit of the
claimed invention. One of average skill in the art will also
recognize that the functional building blocks, and other
illustrative blocks, modules and components herein, can be
implemented as illustrated or by discrete components, application
specific integrated circuits, processors executing appropriate
software and the like or any combination thereof.
[0061] As may also be used herein, the terms "processing module,"
"processing circuit," "processing circuitry," and/or "processing
unit" may be a single processing device or a plurality of
processing devices. Such a processing device may be a
microprocessor, micro-controller, digital signal processor,
microcomputer, central processing unit, field programmable gate
array, programmable logic device, state machine, logic circuitry,
analog circuitry, digital circuitry, and/or any device that
manipulates signals (analog and/or digital) based on hard coding of
the circuitry and/or operational instructions. The processing
module, module, processing circuit, and/or processing unit may be,
or further include, memory and/or an integrated memory element,
which may be a single memory device, a plurality of memory devices,
and/or embedded circuitry of another processing module, module,
processing circuit, and/or processing unit. Such a memory device
may be a read-only memory, random access memory, volatile memory,
non-volatile memory, static memory, dynamic memory, flash memory,
cache memory, and/or any device that stores digital information.
Note that if the processing module, module, processing circuit,
and/or processing unit includes more than one processing device,
the processing devices may be centrally located (e.g., directly
coupled together via a wired and/or wireless bus structure) or may
be distributedly located (e.g., cloud computing via indirect
coupling via a local area network and/or a wide area network).
Further note that if the processing module, module, processing
circuit, and/or processing unit implements one or more of its
functions via a state machine, analog circuitry, digital circuitry,
and/or logic circuitry, the memory and/or memory element storing
the corresponding operational instructions may be embedded within,
or external to, the circuitry comprising the state machine, analog
circuitry, digital circuitry, and/or logic circuitry. Still further
note that, the memory element may store, and the processing module,
module, processing circuit, and/or processing unit executes, hard
coded and/or operational instructions corresponding to at least
some of the steps and/or functions illustrated in one or more of
the Figures. Such a memory device or memory element can be included
in an article of manufacture.
[0062] As may be used herein, the terms "substantially" and
"approximately" provides an industry-accepted tolerance for its
corresponding term and/or relativity between items. Such an
industry-accepted tolerance ranges from less than one percent to
fifty percent and corresponds to, but is not limited to, component
values, integrated circuit process variations, temperature
variations, rise and fall times, and/or thermal noise. Such
relativity between items ranges from a difference of a few percent
to magnitude differences. As may also be used herein, the term(s)
"configured to," "operably coupled to," "coupled to," and/or
"coupling" includes direct coupling between items and/or indirect
coupling between items via an intervening item (e.g., an item
includes, but is not limited to, a component, an element, a
circuit, and/or a module) where, for an example of indirect
coupling, the intervening item does not modify the information of a
signal but may adjust its current level, voltage level, and/or
power level. As may further be used herein, inferred coupling
(i.e., where one element is coupled to another element by
inference) includes direct and indirect coupling between two items
in the same manner as "coupled to". As may even further be used
herein, the term "configured to," "operable to," "coupled to," or
"operably coupled to" indicates that an item includes one or more
of power connections, input(s), output(s), etc., to perform, when
activated, one or more its corresponding functions and may further
include inferred coupling to one or more other items. As may still
further be used herein, the term "associated with," includes direct
and/or indirect coupling of separate items and/or one item being
embedded within another item.
[0063] Unless specifically stated to the contra, signals to, from,
and/or between elements in a figure of any of the figures presented
herein may be analog or digital, continuous time or discrete time,
and single-ended or differential. For instance, if a signal path is
shown as a single-ended path, it also represents a differential
signal path. Similarly, if a signal path is shown as a differential
path, it also represents a single-ended signal path. While one or
more particular architectures are described herein, other
architectures can likewise be implemented that use one or more data
buses not expressly shown, direct connectivity between elements,
and/or indirect coupling between other elements as recognized by
one of average skill in the art.
[0064] The term "module" is used in the description of one or more
of the embodiments. A module includes a processing module, a
functional block, hardware, and/or software stored on memory for
performing one or more functions as may be described herein. Note
that, if the module is implemented via hardware, the hardware may
operate independently and/or in conjunction with software and/or
firmware. As also used herein, a module may contain one or more
sub-modules, each of which may be one or more modules.
[0065] While particular combinations of various functions and
features of the one or more embodiments have been expressly
described herein, other combinations of these features and
functions are likewise possible. The present disclosure of an
invention is not limited by the particular examples disclosed
herein and expressly incorporates these other combinations.
* * * * *