Patent ID: 7593315
Filing Date: 2009-09-22
Classification: H04B

Abstract:
1. A physical layer device (PHY) that is capable of communicating at least about ten gigabits per second (10 Gb/s) and performing cable diagnostics on at least one of a plurality of transmission lines that form one of a corresponding plurality of links that is coupled to the PHY, the PHY comprising: a transceiver section for each of the plurality of transmission lines, the transceiver section has an input path and an output path and the transceiver section is capable of communicating and diagnosing at least one of the plurality of transmission lines, the transceiver section for each of the plurality of transmission lines is configured to pass communications at a rate of at least ten gigabits per second (10 Gb/s), the input path comprising a receiver having an input coupled to the corresponding link, an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) having an input coupled to an output of the receiver, at least one far end cross talk (FEXT)/near end cross talk (NEXT) canceller section, an alien noise canceller section, and an equalizer section and the output path comprising a coding and preconditioning section, a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) having an input coupled to an output of the coding and preconditioning section, and a transmitter having an input coupled to an output of the DAC and having an output coupled to the corresponding link; wherein the transceiver section, when diagnosing at least one of the plurality of transmission lines, is configured to: detect a signal attenuation characteristic of the at least one of the plurality of transmission lines, a FEXT/NEXT coupling characteristic of the at least one of the plurality of transmission lines, and an alien noise level characteristic of the at least one of the plurality of transmission lines; and detect operability of a link to pass communications at a rate of at least 10 Gb/s, the link corresponding to the at least one of the plurality of transmission lines, based upon a combination of the signal attenuation characteristic, FEXT/NEXT coupling characteristic, and the alien noise level characteristic of the at least one of the plurality of transmission lines, wherein the alien noise level characteristic relates to a dynamic noise received by the link from an outside source, and wherein each of the signal attenuation characteristic, FEXT/NEXT coupling characteristic, and the alien noise level characteristic is expressed as a function of frequency.