AUTOMATIC RETRAIN METHOD FOR A FULL DUPLEX MODEM HAVING AN ECHO CANCELLER AND AN EQUALIZER

Abstract: The retrain method is provided for first and second modems operating at a full duplex data transmission. An echo canceller cancels an echo produced in response to the modulated signal of the modems. An equalizer equalizes waveform distortions produced on a receiving modulated signal transmitted through a transmission line. A demodu­ lator demodulates the receiving modulated signal into the input data. The retrain method comprises the following steps: detection of the deterioration of the receiving modulated signal from said first modem, suspension of the data transmission from said first modem in response to the detection of deterioration and transmitting at least once of a first training signal having a predetermined pattern and time period (S, , TRN*), suspension of the data transmission from said second modem in response to said first training signal and single transmission of a second training signal having a predetermined pattern and time period (S, , TRN*), and automatical training of said automatic equalizers of said first and second modems alone in response to the second and first training signals. This method retrains an automatic equalizer alone if the retrain is necessary only for the equalizer.

Description: This invention relates to an automatic retrain method for full duplex modems having an echo canceller and an equalizer. When signal receiving conditions deteriorate during data transmission between the prior art full duplex modems using the echo canceller (hereinafter referred to simply as a modem), it is necessary to automatically retrain the echo canceller and automatic equalizer within the modems in order to secure accurate data transmission. A retrain procedure for such a case has been proposed as Recommendation V. 32 by the Consultative Committee for International Telegraph and Telephone (CCITT). The retrain procedure, however, is defective in that it takes too much time before the resumption of data transmission because the recommended procedure always requires a retrain of both the echo canceller and automatic equalizer in the modems even if the retrain of the automatic equalizer alone was sufficient for the resumption of data transmission. An object of the invention is to obviate the aforementioned problem encountered in the prior art and to provide a retrain method for full duplex modems which can retrain an automatic equalizer alone if the retrain is necessary only for the equalizer. This object is solved with the features of the claims. The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when taken with the accompanying drawings in which: FIG. 1 is a block diagram to show full duplex modems to which the retrain method of the invention is applicable, and FIGs. 2A and 2B are the charts to explain the retrain method according to this invention. FIG. 1 is a block diagram to show modems based on Recommendation V. 32 to which the retrain method is applicable. In a local modem 100, the transmission data is modulated, for example, in a quadrature amplitude modulation scheme, by a modulator 1L, and the modulated signal thereof is fed to a transmission line 20 via a hybrid transformer 2L. A modulated signal from a remote modem 200 is supplied as a receiving modulated signal to an echo canceller 3L via a hybrid transformer 2R. As is obvious from the reference numeral of the hybrid transformers 2R and 2L in the remote and local modems, the letter L is prefixed to hardware in a local modem while the letter R is prefixed to hardware in a remote modem. The echo canceller 3L cancels out of the receiving modulated signal an echo which occurs when the modulated signal is transmitted through the hybrid transformer 2L and feeds an echo cancelled signal to an automatic equalizer 4L. The equalizer 4L equalizes in waveform the echo cancelled signal to produce an equalized signal. The equalizer 4L also adjusts and optimizes tap coefficients of the equalizer 4L in response to a demodulated signal which a demodulator 5L demodulates from the equalized signal. Similarly, a signal transmitted from the local modem 100 is demodulated by corresponding elements 3R, 4R and 5R in the remote modem 200. Reference is made for the details of these modems comprising modulators, demodulators, echo cancellers, equalizers and hybrid transformers to an article entitled "Silencing Echoes on The Telephone Network", Proceedings of the IEEE, Vol. 68, No. 8, pp. 948 - 963, Aug. 1980. The modems in FIG. 1 also include encoders (US-A-4,077,021) 6L, 6R which convert transmission data to predetermined codes which are robust in transmission errors and decoders 7L, 7R therefor. The above modems further include sequencers 10L, 10R for controlling start-up procedure as defined by Recommendation V. 32 and retrain procedure of equalizers and cancellers, signal generators 8L, 8R for generating patterns and tones necessary for such procedures, signal quality detectors 9L, 9R for detecting deterioration of receiving modulated signals, pattern detectors 11L, 11R and tone detectors 12L, 12R for detecting patterns and tones transmitted through the line 20. The sequencers 10L, 10R respectively comprise a microprocessor which is programmed to execute the procedures according to Recommendation V.32. The pattern generators respectively comprise, among others, a ROM which produces a desired pattern by the signal from sequencers 10L, 10R as the address. The quality detectors 9L, 9R comprise comparators which compare the difference between the input at the demodulators 5L, 5R and the output thereof with a predetermined value. The pattern detectors 11L, 11R comprise plural comparators which respectively compare the outputs from the decoders 7L, 7R with predetermined patterns. The tone detectors 12L, 12R comprise filters which detect respective tones. The retrain method of the invention will be described referred to FIG. 1 and the time chart in FIGs. 2A and 2B. If it is assumed that the quality detector 9L in the local modem 100 detects deterioration, for example, in the form of the eye pattern at time t₀ during the full duplex data transmission between the local and remote modems 100 and 200, the sequencer 10L responds to the detection signal of deterioration by controlling local data terminal equipment or local DTE (not shown) to suspend the transmission of data D. Then, the sequencer 10L controls the pattern generator 8L to sequentially generate a signal S for indicating the reference timing for start-up of the retrain, a signal S in a phase reversal, and a pseudo random signal TRN*. The signals S and S are identical to those defined by Recommendation V. 32, but the signal TRN* is set to have a shorter time period than that of Recommendation V. 32 signal TRN. When the tone detector 12R detects that the signal S from the local modem 100 has been received for a predetermined time period, it outputs a signal S detection signal. Dotted lines in FIG. 2 indicate that the signal S transmitted from the modem 100 arrives at the modem 200 after a delay TD and the detector 12R detects the reception of the signal S for a predetermined period T₁. Responding to the signal S detection signal, the sequencer 10R controls remote DTE (not shown) so as to suspend the transmission of data D. The sequencer 10R concurrently controls the pattern generator 8R to transmit the signals S, S and TRN* for retraining the equalizer 4L. The equalizers 4L, 4R respectively conduct training of the automatic equalizers 4L and 4R in their own modems with signals S, S and TRN* transmitted from opposite modems or, in other words, adjust respective tap coefficients. After the transmission of the training signal TRN*, the sequencer 10L transmits a rate signal R₁ for indicating receivable bit rates and further transmits a signal E₁ indicating the highest bit rate among the receivable bit rates indicated by the rate signal R₁. For example, if the bit rates receivable by the local modem 100 are 9600 bit/s, 4800 bit/s and 2400 bit/s, the sequencer 10L informs that the three kinds of bit rates are receivable by setting the three predetermined bits in the rate signal R₁ at "1" respectively, and informs the highest bit rate by setting one predetermined bit out of the signal E₁ at "1". These signals R and E are defined by Recommendation V. 32. The sequencer 10R of the remote modem 200 judges the received data signal R₁ and transmits a bit rate signal R₂ which the remote modem 200 can receive and a signal E₂ showing the highest bit rate. The sequencers 10L and 10R respectively transmit signals B₁ which condition descramblers of opposite modems for a predetermined time, and then control the local and remode DTE to resume the transmission of data D. The pattern detector 11L makes the local DTE continue transmission of data D if the bit rate indicated with the signal E₂ sent from the sequencer 10R coincides with that of the signal E₁. In this case, the duration during which the transmission of data D from the local modem 100 is suspended is only from the time t₀ to the time t₁. If the bit rates indicated in signal E₁ and E₂ differ from each other, as shown with the arrow 51, the sequencer 10L controls the local DTE to suspend again the transmission of data D after the delay TD, and controls the pattern generator 8L to transmit the signals S, S , and TRN* for training. The sequencer 10L sends back the signals R₃ and E₃ if transmission is possible in the bit rate indicated by the signal E₂, and then controls the local DTE to send the signal B₁ at the above bit rate to resume the transmission of data D. The suspension time of the data D at the local modem 100 is substantially from the time t₀ to the time t₂. In case no signals for training such as the signal S are sent from the remote modem 200 to the local modem 100 after a predetermined time from the time t₁, it is judged that the recovery from the unsatisfactory condition is impossible by simply retraining automatic equalizers alone, and the procedure is advanced to the conventional retrain procedure provided by Recommendation V. 32. As described in the foregoing, according to the retrain method of this invention, the retrain of equalizers alone is possible instead of retraining both equalizers and echo-cancellers which are conventionally required, and the time required for resumption of data transmission can be remarkably reduced.

Claims: A retrain method for first and second modems (100, 200) operating at a full duplex data transmission, each of the first and second modems including modulating means (1L, 1R) for modulating input data to produce a modulated signal, an echo canceller (3L, 3R) for cancelling an echo produced in response to the modulated signal, an equalizer (4L, 4R) for equalizing waveform distortion produced on a receiving modulated signal transmitted through a transmission line (20), and demodulating means (5L, 5R) for demodulating the receiving modulated signal into the input data, said retrain method comprising steps of: detecting deterioration of the receiving modulated signal from said first modem (100), suspending data transmission from said first modem (100) in response to the detection of deterioration and transmitting at least once a first training signal having a predetermined pattern and time period and comprising a sequence of signals (S, S , TRN*, R₁, E₁, B₁), and suspending the data transmission from said second modem (200) in response to a first signal (S) in said sequence of signals of said first training signal and transmitting once a second training signal having a predetermined pattern and time period and comprising a sequence of signals (S, S , TRN*, R₂, E₂, B₁), characterized in that only the automatic equalizers (4L, 4R) of said first and second modems are trained in response to the second and first training signals, and the training signals are transmitted in the full duplex mode. The automatic retrain method as claimed in Claim 1 wherein said first and second training signals include a signal indicating a reference timing, a random signal for training, rate signals (R₁, R₂) for indicating possible transmission rates, a maximum rate signal (E₁, E₂) indicating a maximum bit rate of the rate signals (R₁, R₂) and a signal for conditioning descramblers.

Inventors: HIRAGUCHI, MASAYOSHI
Applicants: NEC CORPORATION
Application year: 1986
Main classification: H04L25
IPC codes: H04L25, H04B3, H04L12, H04L5