Patent ID: 7490345
Filing Date: 2009-02-10
Classification: H04H,H04L

Abstract:
1. A cable modem termination system receiver upstream line card comprising: a plurality of RF means each having an input for coupling to a cable of a hybrid fiber coaxial cable system, for preparing a radio frequency burst signal bearing data for analog to digital conversion; a plurality of analog-to-digital converters (hereafter A/D converter), each having a signal input coupled to receive a signal output by one of said RF means and each having an output; a digital crossbar switch having a plurality of inputs, each coupled to an output of an A/D converter and having one or more outputs and one or more control inputs for receiving signals which control which of said inputs of said crossbar switch is coupled to which of said outputs of said crossbar switch; one or more cable modem termination system physical layer receivers (hereafter PHY receiver), each having an input coupled to an output of said crossbar switch and each having an input for receiving at least upstream channel descriptor (UCD) data and MAP data, said UCD data describing upstream logical channels which will carry bursts said PHY receiver is assigned to receive so that said PHY receiver assigned to receive each burst can configure itself properly to received said assigned burst, said MAP data describing when each burst said PHY receiver is assigned to receive will occur, and each PHY receiver having an output at which appears data recovered from each assigned burst said PHY receiver processed; a control circuit coupled to said one or more control inputs of said crossbar switch and having an input for receiving at least MAP data indicating when authorized bursts on each logical channel on each cable coupled to an input of said crossbar switch will occur, said control circuit for determining which said PHY receiver will be assigned to receive each burst, and for generating control signals to control switching by said digital crossbar switch to couple each said burst to an assigned PHY receiver at a proper time to allow said PHY receiver to receive the bursts assigned to it; and an upstream media access control circuit for generating said UCD and MAP data, and for outputting said UCD and MAP data to said PHY receivers and said RF means, and for outputting said MAP data to said control circuit, and having a plurality of inputs, each coupled to an output of a PHY receiver to receive data recovered from said bursts, and for receiving upstream messages and generating downstream messages to carry out DOCSIS protocols for at least training and registration of cable modems on the system.