US 9954631

Patent Overview: US 9,954,631 B2

Title: Management system and methods of managing time-division duplex (TDD) transmission over copper

Patent number: US9954631B2

Assignee / current assignee (as listed): Adaptive Spectrum and Signal Alignment Inc; original assignee Assia Spe LLC

Inventors: Kenneth Kerpez, George Ginis, Marc Goldburg, Ardavan Maleki Tehrani

Key dates: Priority date 2012-07-27; filing date 2012-10-12; publication date 2018-04-24; adjusted expiration 2033-03-28

Application number: US14/417,544 (pre-grant publication US20150215059A1)

Purpose: The patent addresses data transmission in channels subject to crosstalk and, in particular, scheduling time slot allocations for such channels. In multi-pair copper cables, systems transmitting alongside each other generate Near-End Crosstalk (NEXT) and Far-End Crosstalk (FEXT); NEXT can be very powerful and debilitate high-speed transmissions. The described approach avoids self-NEXT by synchronizing transmissions on lines so that one line does not transmit downstream while another transmits upstream. The management system receives input data about service levels, traffic, power and other requirements, then determines an assignment of TDD time slots, off times, and asymmetry for optimal performance, minimal traffic delays, and minimal power usage. TDD frames are described as flexible and need not follow a fixed pattern.

Plain-language scope: A time slot management system manages multiple physical channels subject to crosstalk. It determines time slot allocations so upstream transmissions do not occur at the same time as downstream transmissions, and includes a communications interface to make assignments to transmitters of the physical channels. A related method schedules such time slot allocations. The excerpt also describes power-saving TDD, where portions of downstream (D_off) and upstream (U_off) slots suppress transmission, and notes the method may be implemented by a machine operating on a machine-readable medium having stored instructions. Figures cover classic and power-saving TDD slots, channel/crosstalk diagrams, alternative slot assignments, process flows for computing slot and off times, TDD groups with autonomous management, and a TDD management system block diagram.

Source: https://patents.google.com/patent/US9954631/en

What the excerpt does not establish: It provides no claim text, so the exact claimed scope cannot be confirmed. It does not establish the full specification, detailed embodiments, or the complete list of figures/reference numerals. Legal status, ownership transfers, litigation, validity, and prior art are outside the supplied text (and outside this overview's scope).