Baseband encoding method and apparatus for increasing the transmission rate over a communication medium

An Ethernet encoder for encoding input data bits supplied by a data source into multilevel pulse amplitude modulated symbols having at least three levels and for supplying said symbols to a channel A twisted pair cable and a channel B twisted pair cable, wherein said symbols are transmitted over said twisted pair cables subject to a maximum baseband bandwidth frequency, said encoder comprising:

• a) a splitter for receiving said input data bits at a first data bit rate from said data source and for splitting said input data bits into channel A data bits and channel B data bits;
• b) a channel A bit stuffer for receiving said channel A data bits from said splitter and for adding channel A descriptive bits to said channel A data bits at a channel A descriptive bit rate, wherein said channel A descriptive bit rate at most equals a maximum channel A descriptive bit rate;
• c) a channel B bit stuffer for receiving said channel B data bits from said splitter and for adding channel B descriptive bits to said channel B data bits at a channel B descriptive bit rate, wherein said channel B descriptive bit rate at most equals a maximum channel B descriptive bit rate;
• d) a channel A modulator for receiving said channel A data and descriptive bits from said channel A bit stuffer, converting said channel A data and descriptive bits into channel A multilevel pulse amplitude modulated symbols having a channel A baud rate, and supplying said channel A symbols to said channel A twisted pair cable;
• and
• e) a channel B modulator for receiving said channel B data and descriptive bits from said channel B bit stuffer, converting said channel B data and descriptive bits into channel B multilevel pulse amplitude modulated symbols having a channel B baud rate, and supplying said channel B symbols to said channel B twisted pair cable;
• f) wherein said channel A and channel B baud rates at most equal a maximum baud rate when said first data bit rate equals the maximum data bit rate and said descriptive bit rates equal the maximum descriptive bit rates, said maximum baud rate having a magnitude equal to a magnitude of said baseband bandwidth frequency.

A four twisted pair full-duplex Ethernet encoding and decoding system comprising:

• a) a first encoder for coupling to a first data node to receive a first set of input data bits, said first encoder encoding said first set of input data bits into a first set of multilevel pulse amplitude modulated symbols having at least three levels;
• b) a second encoder for coupling to a second data node to receive a second set of input data bits, said second encoder encoding said second set of input data bits into a second set of multilevel pulse amplitude modulated symbols having at least three levels;
• c) a channel A twisted pair cable and a channel B twisted pair cable receiving said first set of symbols from said first encoder at a channel A baud rate and a channel B baud rate;
• d) a channel C twisted pair cable and a channel D twisted pair cable receiving said second set of symbols from said second encoder at a channel C baud rate and a channel D baud rate, wherein when said symbols are supplied to said twisted pair cables said symbols are subject to a maximum baseband bandwidth frequency;
• e) a first decoder for coupling to said second data node to supply said first set of input data bits to said second data node, said first decoder receiving said first set of symbols from said channel A and B twisted pair cables and decoding said first set of symbols into said first set of input data bits;
• and
• f) a second decoder for coupling to said first data node to supply said second set of input data bits to said first data node, said second decoder receiving said second set of symbols from said channel C and D twisted pair cables and decoding said second set of symbols into said second set of input data bits;
• g) wherein said channel A, B, C, and D baud rates at most equal a maximum baud rate having a magnitude equal to a magnitude of said baseband bandwidth frequency.

An encoding method for encoding binary data bits supplied by a data source into multilevel pulse amplitude modulated symbols, wherein said symbols are transmitted over a transmission medium subject to a maximum baseband bandwidth frequency, said encoding method comprising the steps of:

• receiving said data bits at a first data bit rate from said data source;
• adding descriptive bits to said data bits at a descriptive bit rate, wherein said first data bit rate at most equals a maximum data bit rate and said descriptive bit rate at most equals a maximum descriptive bit rate;
• and
• converting said data and descriptive bits into multilevel pulse amplitude modulated symbols having a baud rate, wherein said baud rate at most equals a maximum baud rate when said first data bit rate equals the maximum data bit rate and said descriptive bit rate equals the maximum descriptive bit rate, wherein said maximum baud rate has a magnitude equal to a magnitude of said baseband bandwidth frequency such that surplus spectral energy within baseband bandwidth is utilized for said descriptive bits.

An Ethernet encoding method for encoding input data bits supplied by a data source into multilevel pulse amplitude modulated symbols having at least three levels and for supplying said symbols to a channel A twisted pair cable and a channel B twisted pair cable, wherein said symbols are transmitted over said twisted pair cables subject to a maximum baseband bandwidth frequency, said encoding method comprising the steps of:

• a) receiving said input data bits at a first data bit rate from said data source;
• b) splitting said input data bits into channel A data bits and channel B data bits;
• c) adding channel A descriptive bits to said channel A data bits at a channel A descriptive bit rate, wherein said channel A descriptive bit rate at most equals a maximum channel A descriptive bit rate;
• d) adding channel B descriptive bits to said channel B data bits at a channel B descriptive bit rate, wherein said channel B descriptive bit rate at most equals a maximum channel B descriptive bit rate;
• e) converting said channel A data and descriptive bits into channel A multilevel pulse amplitude modulated symbols having a channel A baud rate, and supplying said channel A symbols to said channel A twisted pair cable;
• and
• f) converting said channel B data and descriptive bits into channel B multilevel pulse amplitude modulated symbols having a channel B baud rate, and supplying said channel B symbols to said channel B twisted pair cable;
• g) wherein said channel A and channel B baud rates at most equal a maximum baud rate when said first data bit rate equals the maximum data bit rate and said descriptive bit rates equal the maximum descriptive bit rates, said maximum baud rate having a magnitude equal to a magnitude of said baseband bandwidth frequency.