US 9,001,822 B2Granted

Method and system for utilizing a 10/100/1G/10G Base-T PHY device for single channel and shared channel networks

AssigneeBroadcom Corporation

InventorsScott Powell, Mark Berman, Joseph Laurence Cordaro, Manolito Catalasan

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Abstract

Aspects of a method and system for utilizing a 10/100/1G/10GBase-T PHY device for single channel and shared channel networks are provided. In this regard, at least one switching element may be utilized to configure an Ethernet over twisted pair PHY device for communication over a single and/or shared channel. The switching element may enable switching between a transmitter being coupled to a shared channel and a receiver being coupled to a shared channel. Additionally, the switching elements may be based on whether the transmitter is connected to a standard 10/100/1G/10GBase-T network, or to a single and/or shared channel network, for example. In this manner, the configured PHY device may remain compatible with existing Ethernet networks. The PHY device may be configured externally and/or internally. The polarity of transmitted and/or received data may be configured based on a polarity of data received from a shared channel.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A method for enabling communication comprising:

in an Ethernet over twisted pair device configured to communicate over one of a coaxial cable and a twisted pair cable shared channel with two or more link partners:
configuring a plurality of switching elements within a physical layer transceiver (PHY) of said Ethernet over twisted pair device to decouple a transmitter output of said PHY from said shared channel until a polarity of said shared channel is determined;
determining said polarity of said shared channel based on data received from said shared channel at a receiver input of said PHY;
configuring said plurality of switching elements to adjust a polarity of said transmitter output based on said polarity of said shared channel;
configuring said plurality of switching elements such that said PHY is operable to transmit data over said shared channel with said two or more link partners during a plurality of assigned time intervals in accordance with said adjusted polarity of said transmitter output, wherein:
said configuring said plurality of switching elements is controlled via one or more control signals generated by a MAC controller of said Ethernet over twisted pair device.

3 more elements

A system for enabling communication comprising:

one or more circuits disposed within an Ethernet over twisted pair device configured to communicate over one of a coaxial cable and a twisted pair cable shared channel with two or more link partners, said one or more circuits configured to:
configure a plurality of switching elements disposed within a physical layer transceiver (PHY) of said Ethernet over twisted pair device to decouple a transmitter output of said PHY from said shared channel until a polarity of said shared channel is determined;
determine said polarity of said shared channel based on data received from said shared channel at a receiver input of said PHY;
configure said plurality of switching elements to adjust a polarity of said transmitter output based on said polarity of said shared channel;
configure said plurality of switching elements such that said PHY is operable to transmit data over said shared channel with said two or more link partners during a plurality of assigned time intervals in accordance with said adjusted polarity of said transmitter output, wherein:
said plurality of switching elements arc controlled by one or more control signals generated by a MAC controller of said Ethernet over twisted pair device.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 13/296,911Filed 15 Nov 2011 · continuation
Priority: 1 Feb 2007
Published: US 2012/0127892 A124 May 2012
Granted: 7 Apr 2015
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification3 codes

H04L 12/413
With decentralised control: with random access, e.g. carrier-sense multiple-access with collision detection [CSMA-CD]
H04L 12/66
Data switching networks: arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
H04L
Digital communication

Family

Application60/887,674Us provisional application · filed 1 Feb 2007
Application11/851,574Parent of this continuation · filed 7 Sep 2007
US 2012/0127892 A1Pre-grant publication · published 24 May 2012
US 8,081,625 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2008/0186996 A1Published application
US 9,001,822 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.