Computer implementation method and system for communicating with radio frequency amplifier in optical fiber coaxial hybrid network

Abstract

The invention provides a computer-implemented method for communicating with a radio frequency amplifier in a hybrid fiber coaxial network, the computer-implemented method comprising: providing, by one or more computer processors, a return communication from one or more radio frequency amplifiers to a head end; and providing, by the one or more computer processors, forward communication from the head to the one or more radio frequency amplifiers, wherein: the return communication and the forward communication use an out-of-band communication protocol.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a computer implementation method and system for communicating with a radio frequency amplifier in a hybrid fiber-coaxial network, and more specifically, to a head-end virtual gateway of a hybrid fiber-coaxial network of a cable television. Background Art

[0002] Broadband communication networks are used to provide high-speed, high-bandwidth transmission to and from devices in the network over a communication path. In some broadband networks, such as hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) networks used for cable television (CATV), at least a portion of the communication path includes coaxial cables that carry downstream and upstream radio frequency (RF) signals. For example, in a CATV network, the downstream RF signals may include video and IP data sent from the headend of the HFC network to the subscriber's device, and the upstream RF signals may include control and IP data sent from the subscriber's device to the headend. In such broadband networks, it is often necessary to transmit additional information (such as control or status data) to or from devices in the network, for example, to have a more resilient and reliable broadband network and to be able to perform preemptive strategic maintenance to avoid disruptions. However, providing additional two-way transmission over coaxial cable and other physical communication media without interfering with existing downstream and upstream RF signals is challenging.

[0003] For example, in an HFC network, a coaxial distribution network may include RF amplifiers to extend the transmission distance of RF signals, thereby extending the coverage of CATV services provided to subscriber locations. For the purpose of remotely controlling and / or monitoring the RF amplifier, it is necessary to provide two-way communication with the RF amplifier. According to one solution, a Data over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS) cable modem transponder may be incorporated into the RF amplifier to provide control of and communication with the RF amplifier; however, DOCSIS transponders tend to consume a large amount of power and generate a large amount of heat. As broadband network bandwidths increase (e.g., 1.8 GHz), managing power consumption and heat generation in network equipment has become a greater challenge. Specifically, in RF amplifiers in CATV networks, the amplification of CATV RF signals may consume a large amount of power while generating excessive heat, especially as the bandwidth of CATV networks expands. The inclusion of additional components in the RF amplifier may pose additional challenges in reducing power consumption and limiting energy dissipation and heat.

[0004] To overcome the power consumption and heat generation of DOCSIS cable modems, low data rate, low power, bidirectional transmission can be implemented in RF amplifiers. As cable distribution systems move to newer technologies, such as DOCSIS 4.0, the distributed architecture with many functions moves to software rather than hardware.

[0005] Therefore, there is a need for a relatively low power system and method for providing two-way communication over existing coaxial cables in a broadband network without substantially interfering with existing downstream and upstream RF signals for software implementation in a distributed architecture HFC network. Summary of the invention

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, a computer-implemented method for communicating with a radio frequency (RF) amplifier in a hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) network is provided. The computer-implemented method includes: providing return communication from one or more RF amplifiers to a headend by one or more computer processors; and providing forward communication from the headend to one or more RF amplifiers by one or more computer processors, wherein: the return communication and the forward communication use an out-of-band (OOB) communication protocol.

[0007] According to another aspect of the present invention, a system for communicating with a radio frequency (RF) amplifier in a hybrid fiber coaxial (HFC) network is provided. The system includes: a head end; one or more RF amplifiers; one or more computer processors; one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media; and program instructions stored on the one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media for execution by at least one of the one or more computer processors. The program instructions include instructions for: providing return communication from the one or more RF amplifiers to the head end; and providing forward communication from the head end to the one or more RF amplifiers, wherein: the return communication and the forward communication use an out-of-band (OOB) communication protocol.

[0008] According to another aspect of the present invention, a system for communicating with a radio frequency (RF) amplifier in a hybrid fiber coaxial (HFC) network is provided. The system includes: a headend; one or more RF amplifiers; one or more computer processors; one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media; and program instructions stored on the one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media for execution by at least one of the one or more computer processors. The program instructions include the following instructions: providing out-of-band (OOB) return communication from one or more RF amplifiers to a headend, including the following instructions: receiving data to be sent from one or more RF amplifiers to the headend; converting the data into a return digital bit stream; packetizing the return digital bit stream into one or more return payloads for OOB transmission; converting the one or more return payloads into one or more return Ethernet packets; transmitting the one or more return Ethernet packets to the headend; providing OOB forward communication from the headend to one or more RF amplifiers, including instructions for the following operations: receiving one or more forward Ethernet packets from the headend; extracting one or more forward payloads from the forward Ethernet packets; converting the one or more forward payloads into frequency shift keying (FSK) packets; converting the FSK packets into a forward digital bit stream; packetizing the forward digital bit stream into one or more return Ethernet packets; and transmitting the one or more return Ethernet packets to the one or more RF amplifiers. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] Reference should be made to the following detailed description, which should be read in conjunction with the following drawings, wherein like numerals refer to like parts.

[0010] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) network for CATV according to the present invention.

[0011] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a remote physical layer (R-PHY) HFC network for low data rate, low power, bidirectional transmission between network equipment and a head end according to the present invention.

[0012] Figure 3 is a functional block diagram of an illustrative example of a software head-end virtual gateway according to the present invention.

[0013] Figure 4 FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of a narrowband digital return (NDR) depacketizer according to the present invention.

[0014] Figure 5FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram showing a frequency-shift keying (FSK) demodulator according to the present invention.

[0015] Figure 6 is a functional block diagram showing a FSK packet mode receiver according to the present invention.

[0016] Figure 7 is a functional block diagram showing an Ethernet packager and a transmit (Tx) physical layer (PHY) according to the present invention.

[0017] Fig. 8A and Figure 8B is a functional block diagram showing a downlink FSK packet according to the present invention.

[0018] Figure 8C 4 is a table of example header values ​​for implicit headers of Downstream External PHY Interface (DEPI) framing in accordance with the present invention.

[0019] Fig.8D is a table of example header values ​​for DEPI-framed explicit headers consistent with the present invention.

[0020] Fig. 9 is a functional block diagram showing a downlink FSK modulator according to the present invention.

[0021] Fig.10 is a functional block diagram illustrating downstream external PHY interface (DEPI) framing consistent with the present invention.

[0022] Fig.11 It is a description of the present invention Fig.13 A flow chart of the operations of returning control of a virtual gateway on a distributed data processing environment.

[0023] Fig.12 It is a description of the present invention Fig.13 A flow chart of the operations of forward control of a virtual gateway on a distributed data processing environment.

[0024] Fig.13 is a functional block diagram, generally designated 1300 , illustrating a distributed data processing environment suitable for operation of a virtual gateway program 1304 in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Fig.14 Describes an implementation for performing Fig.13 A block diagram of components of a computing device of a software headend virtual gateway program code within a distributed data processing environment.

[0026] [Description of Reference Numerals]

[0027] 100: HFC network

[0028] 102: Subscribers

[0029] 110: Headend / Hub

[0030] 111: Forward path optical fiber

[0031] 112: Fiber optic trunk line

[0032] 113: Reverse Path Fiber

[0033] 114: Optical Node

[0034] 115: Coaxial cable

[0035] 116: Coaxial Cable Distribution Network

[0036] 117: Tap

[0037] 118: User terminal equipment

[0038] 119: Line Extender RF Amplifier

[0039] 200: HFC network

[0040] 210: Headend

[0041] 212: Fiber Optic

[0042] 214: HFC node

[0043] 216: Coaxial cable

[0044] 219a, 219b, 219c: RF amplifier

[0045] 220: CCAP Core

[0046] 222: Coupling to Converged Interconnect Networks

[0047] 224: Out-of-band core

[0048] 226: Gateway device

[0049] 228: PNM system

[0050] 230: Remote physical layer device

[0051] 300: Virtual gateway

[0052] 302: NDR depacketizer module

[0053] 304: FSK demodulator module

[0054] 306: FSK packet mode receiver module

[0055] 308: Return to LoRaWAN module

[0056] 310: Tx physical layer module

[0057] 312: NDF Packer Module

[0058] 314: Downlink FSK modulator module

[0059] 316: FSK packet mode transmitter module

[0060] 318: Forward LoRaWAN module

[0061] 320: Rx physical layer module

[0062] 322: Ethernet Rx Module

[0063] 330: Cloud

[0064] 332: NDR

[0065] 334: Control Packet

[0066] 336: NDF

[0067] 340: Cloud

[0068] 342: PNM

[0069] 402: FIFO module

[0070] 404: Gearbox module

[0071] 602: Data de-whitening module

[0072] 604: Preamble and sync word search module

[0073] 606: Header and Payload Module

[0074] 702: Ethernet Packetizer Module

[0075] 704: Ethernet Tx PHY module

[0076] 802: Payload module

[0077] 804: Header module

[0078] 806: LoRa packet creation module

[0079] 810: Mode Module

[0080] 812: Implicit module

[0081] 814: Explicit modules

[0082] 902: FIFO module

[0083] 904: Data whitening module

[0084] 1002: FIFO module

[0085] 1004: Framing module

[0086] 1102,1104,1106,1108,1110,1202,1204,1206,1208,1210,1212: Step 1302: Computing device

[0087] 1304: Virtual Gateway Program

[0088] 1306: Information Repository

[0089] 1310: Network

[0090] 1320: Headend

[0091] 1330:RF amplifier-1

[0092] 1332: RF Amplifier-n

[0093] 1400: Computing Device

[0094] 1402: Communication Structure

[0095] 1404: Processor

[0096] 1406: Memory

[0097] 1408: Persistent Memory

[0098] 1412: Communication unit

[0099] 1414: I / O interface

[0100] 1416: RAM

[0101] 1418: Cache

[0102] 1420: External Devices

[0103] 1422: Display DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0104] The present invention is not limited in its application to the details of the construction and arrangement of the parts set forth in the following description or shown in the accompanying drawings. The examples described herein can have other embodiments and can be implemented or executed in various ways. In addition, it is understood that the wording and terminology used herein are for descriptive purposes and should not be considered as limiting, as those skilled in the art will understand this. Throughout this description, the same element symbols can indicate the same structure in multiple views, and such structures do not need to be discussed separately. In addition, any particular feature of a particular exemplary embodiment can be equally applied to any other appropriate exemplary embodiment of the present invention. In other words, the features between the various exemplary embodiments described herein are interchangeable, rather than mutually exclusive.

[0105] Figure 1 An example of a hybrid fiber coaxial (HFC) network 100 for CATV according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown, which can implement a system and method for low data rate, low power, bidirectional transmission implemented in software. The system and method for low data rate, low power, bidirectional transmission can be implemented as, for example, communicating with an optical node 114 and / or a line extender RF amplifier 119 in the HFC network 100, as described in more detail below. Generally speaking, the HFC network 100 is capable of transmitting cable television programs (i.e., video) and IP data services (e.g., Internet and IP voice) to customers or subscribers 102 through the same optical fiber cable and coaxial cable (i.e., trunk line). Such an HFC network 100 is typically used by service providers such as Comcast Corporation to provide combined video, voice and broadband Internet services to subscribers 102. Although exemplary embodiments of HFC networks are described here based on various standards (e.g., DOCSIS), the concepts described here can be applied to other embodiments of CATV networks using other standards.

[0106] By using frequency division multiplexing to transmit signals on multiple physical channels across the CATV channel spectrum, multiple cable TV channels and IP data services (e.g., broadband Internet and IP voice) can be simultaneously transmitted in the HFC network 100. In the CATV channel spectrum, some physical channels can be assigned to cable TV channels, while other physical channels can be assigned to IP data services. Other channel spectra and bandwidths can also be used and are within the scope of the present invention.

[0107] In addition to transmitting the main signal (also called forward signal) downstream to transmit video and IP data to the subscriber 102, the HFC network 100 can also carry the main signal (e.g., IP data or control signal) upstream from the user (also called reverse signal), thereby providing two-way communication through the trunk. According to one example, the signal spectrum of the reverse signal carried upstream can be up to 600MHz.

[0108] The HFC network 100 generally includes a headend / hub 110 connected via a fiber optic trunk 112 to one or more optical nodes 114, which are connected via a coaxial cable distribution network 116 to customer premises equipment (CPE) 118 at a subscriber location 102. The headend / hub 110 receives, processes, and combines content (e.g., broadcast video, narrowcast video, and network data) to be transmitted as optical signals via the fiber optic trunk 112. The fiber optic trunk 112 includes forward path optical fibers 111 for carrying downstream optical signals from the headend / hub 110 and return or reverse path optical fibers 113 for carrying upstream optical signals to the headend / hub 110. The optical nodes 114 provide an optical / electrical interface between the fiber optic trunk 112 and the coaxial cable distribution network 116. Therefore, the optical node 114 receives downstream optical signals and sends upstream optical signals and sends downstream (forward) RF electrical signals and receives upstream (reverse) RF electrical signals.

[0109] The coaxial cable distribution network 116 includes coaxial cables 115, which include trunk coaxial cables connected to the optical nodes 114 and feeder coaxial cables connected to the trunk coaxial cables. The subscriber drop coaxial cables are connected to the distribution coaxial cables using taps 117 and are connected to user terminal equipment 118 at the subscriber location 102. The user terminal equipment 118 may include a set-top box for video and a cable modem for data. One or more line extender RF amplifiers 119 may also be coupled to the coaxial cables 115 for amplifying forward signals (e.g., CATV signals) transmitted downstream to the subscribers 102 and for amplifying reverse signals transmitted upstream from the subscribers 102. In this embodiment, the optical nodes 114 and / or the line extender RF amplifiers 119 may include transponders, and the headend / hub 110 may include a gateway device to achieve low data rate, low power, bidirectional transmission along with downstream and upstream primary signals with higher bandwidth and power.

[0110] Figure 2 An implementation of a system for low data rate, low power, bidirectional transmission in a remote PHY type HFC network 200 is shown. This HFC network 200 also includes a headend 210 coupled to an HFC node 214 using an optical fiber 212, and includes an RF amplifier 219ac coupled to the HFC node 214 using a coaxial cable 216, similar to the above-described and Figure 11. The HFC network 100 shown. In this embodiment of the HFC network 200, for example, low data rate, low power, bidirectional transmission can be implemented in the RF amplifiers 219a-c to communicate with a proactive network maintenance (PNM) system in the head end. In the HFC network 200, digital communication is provided between the head end 210 and the HFC node 214 via the optical fiber 212, and the HFC node 214 includes a remote PHY device (RPD) 230 to handle the digital communication.

[0111] In this embodiment of the HFC network 200, the headend 210 includes an integrated cable modem termination system (CMTS) or converged Cable Access Platform (CCAP) core 220 coupled to a converged interconnected network (CIN) 222. The CCAP core 220 and CIN 222 provide digital optical communications with the RPD 230 in the HFC node 214. The headend 210 also includes a gateway device 226 to establish low data rate, low power bidirectional transmission. In this embodiment, the analog low data rate, low power bidirectional transmission is digitized for communication between the CIN 222 and the RPD 230 in the HFC node 214. The RPD 230 converts the upstream signal from analog to digital and converts the downstream signal from digital to analog. The head end 210 may include an out-of-band (OOB) core 224 coupled to a gateway device 226 to handle analog / digital and digital / analog conversions in the head end 210 to achieve low data rate, low power bidirectional transmission.

[0112] The OOB core 224 may use known techniques and standards in the DOCSIS R-PHY specification known as the OOB (out-of-band) communication protocol, which is further defined in the Remote Out-of-Band (CM-SP-R-OOB) specification. As defined in the CM-SP-R-OOB specification, Narrowband Digital Forward (NDF) and Narrowband Digital Return (NDR) digitize a small portion of the spectrum and send the digital samples as payload within packets transmitted between the CMTS / CCAP core 220 and the RPD 230. This approach is applicable to any type of OOB signal as long as the signal can be contained within the defined passband.

[0113] In the above-described embodiment of the HFC network 200, the headend 210 may include a PNM system 228 coupled to the CMTS 220 and the gateway device 226. The PNM system 228 may be used by cable operators to perform strategic maintenance of the network in advance to avoid long outages and have a more resilient and reliable broadband network. Commands and / or data used by the PNM system 228 may be sent and received via low data rate, low power bidirectional transmission established using the gateway device 226 to provide network maintenance. The PNM system 228 may include an existing PNM system known to those skilled in the art. The headend 210 may use the gateway device 226 and low data rate, low power bidirectional transmission to transmit commands and / or data for managing a large number of network devices, such as nodes and RF amplifiers in the HFC network 200 using existing network management and control systems. Systems and methods for low data rate, low power bidirectional transmission consistent with embodiments of the present invention provide a relatively simple, reliable and low-cost solution for monitoring, controlling and managing broadband networks without detecting interference with primary broadband signals.

[0114] Figure 3 3 is a functional block diagram of an illustrative example of a head-end software virtual gateway 300 according to the present invention. The software virtual gateway 300 replaces a hardware gateway device (e.g., Figure 2 The virtual gateway 300 provides multiple advantages over existing hardware devices. When a distribution network is implemented using hardware gateway devices, many gateway devices may be required on the network along with the necessary housings, including power and thermal considerations for each gateway device. The virtual gateway 300 can be cloud-based, eliminating the need for a hardware gateway device at each head end in the HFC distribution system. The virtual gateway 300 also avoids issues such as requiring unique gateway device hardware for each head end model. In addition, as cable systems move to a distributed architecture with DOCSIS 4.0 and 1.8 Gbps data rates, there is no longer a physical CMTS to connect to the hardware gateway device.

[0115] exist Figure 3 In the illustrative example of , the virtual gateway 300 is digitally connected between the cloud 330 hosting an RF amplifier that supports low data rate, low power, bidirectional transmission, e.g. Figure 2 RF amplifiers 219a-c in, and PNM, e.g. Figure 2 The interface between the RF amplifier and the PNM 228 may be, for example, an Ethernet interface, which may be a 1 Gbps Ethernet, a 10 Gbps Ethernet, or any other Ethernet interface known to those skilled in the art.

[0116] The virtual gateway 300 receives NDR data from the NDR 332 of the RF amplifier and transmits NDF data to the NDF 336 of the RF amplifier via the cloud 330. The Ethernet Rx module 322 of the virtual gateway 300 also receives control packets 334 from the RF amplifier via the cloud 330. The control packets 334 contain information required to translate commands and data into TCP / IP commands and data for transmission. The control packets may include, but are not limited to, FSK messages, such as available frequencies within the spectrum, and Ethernet information, such as the destination and source addresses of forward packets sent from the headend to the RF amplifier and packets returned from the RF amplifier to the headend. The FS and Ethernet information are transmitted to the FSK demodulator module 304, the FSK packet mode receiver module 306, and the return LoRaWAN module 308 for control packets transmitted from the RF amplifier to the PNM in the headend. This FSK and Ethernet information is also transmitted to the FSK modulator module 314, the FSK packet mode transmitter module 316 and the forward LoRaWAN module 318 for control packets transmitted from the PNM in the headend to the RF amplifier. The return LoRaWAN module 308 and the forward LoRaWAN module 318 implement the LoRa communication protocol defined by the FSK or LoRaWAN standard.

[0117] NDR packets are first processed by NDR depacketizer module 302. More details are in Figure 4 The NDR depacketizer module 302 uses the frequency information obtained from the control packet 334 in the RF amplifier to convert the Ethernet packet into, for example, 10-bit I / Q (in-phase (I) and quadrature (Q) components) data, which can then be converted into a bit stream by the FSK demodulator module 304. An example of the FSK demodulator module 304 is shown in FIG. Figure 5 The bit stream generated by the FSK demodulator module 304 is converted into the original uplink payload by the FSK packet mode receiver module 306 using the frequency information obtained from the control packet 334. The FSK packet mode receiver module 306 Figure 6 300. The raw uplink data is then converted by the return LoRaWAN module 308 into a payload for OOB transmission. The output from the return LoRaWAN module 308 is then packetized by the Tx PHY 310 and transmitted as an Ethernet packet to the PNM 342 via the headend cloud 340. The Ethernet packet sent by the virtual gateway 300 to the PNM 342 typically includes commands and data for communicating with the RF amplifier in order to remotely control and / or monitor the RF amplifier.

[0118] In the forward direction, the Rx PHY module 320 in the virtual gateway 300 receives packets from the PNM 342 in the headend through the headend cloud 340, decapsulates the packets, and transmits the results to the forward LoRaWAN module 318. The forward LoRaWAN module 318 performs FSK packetization of the client PNM payload and transmits the FSK packets to the FSK packet mode transmitter module 316. The FSK packet mode transmitter module 316 converts the FSK packets into a bit stream using the frequency information obtained from the control packet 334. The bit stream is then modulated by the FSK modulator module 314 into, for example, 10-bit I / Q data. Finally, the modulated data is converted into Ethernet packets, which can be, for example, DOCSIS external downstream interface (DEPI) packets, and the Ethernet packets are sent by the NDF packetizer module 312 through the cloud 330. The NDF packetizer module 312 Fig.10 These data packets are received by the Remote PHY, which converts the NDF payload into an RF signal and forwards it to the RF amplifier.

[0119] Figure 4 4 is a functional block diagram showing an NDR depacketizer module 302 according to the present invention. The NDR depacketizer module 302 receives an Ethernet packet containing an NDR payload from an NDR 332. In a FIFO module 402, the cascaded m-bit data from the payload is input into the FIFO. In an embodiment, the m-bit data may be 16-bit data. Then, the m-bit data without gaps is converted by a gearbox module 404. The gearbox translates a serial data stream of one rate into a serial data stream of a different rate. In an embodiment, the gearbox may convert the m-bit data into 10-bit data in an I / Q format. The output of this module is the payload data. In an embodiment, the data rate may be, for example, 20 bits of 1.28Msps (mega samples per second).

[0120] Figure 5 304 is a functional block diagram showing an illustrative example of an FSK demodulator module 304 according to the present invention. The FSK demodulator module 304 converts the payload data stream from the NDR depacketizer module 302 into a coded bit stream. The FSK demodulator module 304 is only an example of an FSK demodulator. As known to those skilled in the art, many other FSK demodulators may be used.

[0121] Figure 6is a functional block diagram showing an FSK packet mode receiver module 306 according to the present invention. The FSK packet mode receiver module 306 receives a coded bit stream from the FSK demodulator module 304 in the data de-whitening module 602. The LoRa specification supports a data whitening block that can break up a series of identical bits and introduce randomness into the stream. This helps to eliminate DC bias in the data because long bit runs become less likely. De-whitening eliminates the randomness of the data. In one embodiment, the data de-whitening module 602 uses a linear-feedback shift register (LFSR), a shift register whose input bits are a linear function of its previous state. In an exemplary embodiment, the LFSR polynomial can be X9+X5+1.

[0122] The de-whitened data is then processed by the preamble and sync word search module 604. The preamble and sync word search module 604 receives the number of preambles and sync words obtained from the control packet 334 received from the RF amplifier.

[0123] Once the preamble and the number of sync words are extracted from the de-whitened data, the header and payload module 606 retrieves the header, payload, and cyclic redundancy check (CRC) calculation from the de-whitened data, thereby generating the original uplink payload that is sent to the return LoRaWAN module 308. The return LoRaWAN module 308 then obtains the original uplink payload and the Ethernet network information obtained from the control packet 334 (which may include the destination address and the source address), and combines the information into the client's payload data.

[0124] Figure 7 3 is a functional block diagram of an Ethernet packetizer and Tx physical layer (PHY) module 310 consistent with the present invention. The Ethernet packetizer and Tx PHY module 310 performs two functions on the client's payload data. First, the Ethernet packetizer module 702 encapsulates the client's payload data into an Ethernet packet by combining the client's payload data with the Ethernet information obtained from the control packet 334. In an embodiment, this may include, but is not limited to, adding a preamble, a destination address, a source address, an Ethernet type, payload data, and a CRC calculation of the packet. The Ethernet packet is then sent by the Ethernet Tx PHY module 704. In an embodiment, the Ethernet packet may be transmitted over 1G Ethernet, 10G Ethernet, or any suitable network speed or topology known to those skilled in the art.

[0125] Fig. 8A and Figure 8Bis a functional block diagram showing a downlink LoRa packet module 800, which may include an Rx PHY module 320 and a forward LoRaWAN module 318. In the downlink direction, the Rx PHY module 320 may receive an Ethernet packet containing a payload from the PNM 342 and transmit the payload to the forward LoRaWAN module 318. The payload module 802 applies forward error correction (FEC) to the payload and then performs a CRC calculation on the payload. The header module 804 receives the LoRa packet information from the control packet 334 and creates a header. The header may be implicit or explicit. Once the header has been created, the header module 804 performs a CRC calculation on the header. The header and payload are then passed to the LoRa packet creation module 806, which creates a LoRa packet based on the preamble, header and header CRC, and payload and payload CRC.

[0126] Figure 8B This is an example of what is created by the header in the forward LoRaWAN module 318. Figure 8B In the example of , the LoRa packet information is retrieved from the control packet 334. The mode module 810 uses the LoRa packet information to determine whether the LoRa packet is in implicit mode or explicit mode. If the LoRa packet is in implicit mode, the implicit module 812 uses the CRC calculation from the header and the payload and makes the payload length fixed. Figure 8C The table in is an example of a lookup table for the CRC status in an implicit mode header.

[0127] If the LoRa packet is in explicit mode, the explicit module 814 creates a header. In explicit mode, the data packet contains a short header, which contains information about the number of bit groups, the coding rate, and whether CRC is used in the data packet. Fig.8D The table in is an example of a lookup table for the CRC status in an explicit mode header.

[0128] Then, the forward LoRaWAN module 318 transmits the LoRa packet to the FSK packet mode transmitter module 316, which converts the LoRa packet into a bit stream.

[0129] Fig. 9902. The FIFO module 902 forwards the LoRa packet bit stream to the data whitening module 904. As explained above for the data de-whitening module 602, the LoRa specification supports a data whitening block that breaks a series of identical bits and introduces randomness into the stream. In an embodiment, the data whitening module 904 uses a linear feedback shift register (LFSR), a shift register whose input bits are a linear function of its previous state. In an example embodiment, the LFSR polynomial can be X9+X5+1. The data whitening module 904 converts the LoRa packet bit stream into a randomized LoRa packet. The randomized LoRa packet is then converted into a bit stream by the downlink FSK modulator module 314. In an embodiment, the bit stream can be a 10-bit I / Q format.

[0130] Fig.10 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating the NDF packetizer module 312. The NDF packetizer 312 receives a bit stream from the downlink FSK modulator module 314 in the FIFO module 1002 and passes the bit stream containing the LoRa packet to the framing module 1004. The framing module 1004 receives a framing message, such as a DEPI framing message, from the control packet 334 and uses the framing information to convert the bit stream containing the LoRa packet into an Ethernet packet. The Ethernet data packet is then sent to the NDF 336 of the RF amplifier.

[0131] Fig.11 It is a diagram for describing the method according to the present invention. Fig.13 1100 is a flowchart of the operation of a virtual gateway on a distributed data processing environment of FIG. 1100 for return communication from an RF amplifier to a head end. In alternative embodiments, the operations of the workflow 1100 may be performed by any other program when working with the virtual gateway 300.

[0132] It should be understood that the embodiments of the present invention at least provide Fig.13 The return communication operation of the virtual gateway 300 on the distributed data processing environment. Fig.11 This only provides an illustration of one implementation and does not imply any limitation on the environments in which different embodiments may be implemented. Those skilled in the art may make many modifications to the depicted environment without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as set forth in the claims.

[0133] The virtual gateway 300 receives data (operation 1102). In the illustrated embodiment, the virtual gateway 300 receives the NDR data from the NDR 332 of the RF amplifier as one or more NDR Ethernet packets.

[0134] The program converts the data into a digital bit stream (operation 1104). The program may use the frequency information obtained from the control packet 334 from the RF amplifier to convert the serial data into a digital bit stream. In an embodiment, the digital bit stream may be 10-bit I / Q data.

[0135] The process packages the digital bit stream into a payload (operation 1106). The process packages the digital bit stream into a payload for OOB transmission.

[0136] The process converts the payload into a return Ethernet packet (operation 1112). The process encapsulates the payload of the OOB transmission into a return Ethernet packet.

[0137] The process sends an Ethernet packet (operation 1110). The process transmits the returned Ethernet packet to the headend via the cloud 340.

[0138] Fig.12 It is a diagram for describing the method according to the present invention. Fig.13 FIG. 1 is a flowchart of a workflow 1200 for forward communication from the headend to the RF amplifier of the virtual gateway 300 on the distributed data processing environment of FIG. 1100. In an alternative embodiment, the operations of the workflow 1100 may be performed by any other program when working with the virtual gateway 300.

[0139] It should be understood that the embodiments of the present invention at least provide Fig.13 The forward communication operation of the virtual gateway 300 on the distributed data processing environment. Fig.12 This only provides an illustration of one implementation and does not imply any limitation on the environments in which different embodiments may be implemented. Those skilled in the art may make many modifications to the depicted environment without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as set forth in the claims.

[0140] The virtual gateway 300 receives a forward Ethernet packet (operation 1202). In the illustrated embodiment, the virtual gateway 300 receives data in the Ethernet packet from the PNM 342 in the headend through the headend cloud 340.

[0141] The process extracts the payload from the forward Ethernet packet (operation 1204). The process decapsulates the data packet to obtain the client PNM payload.

[0142] The process converts the payload into FSK packets (operation 1206). This process performs FSK packetization of the client PNM payload.

[0143] The process converts the FSK packet into a digital bit stream (operation 1208). The process converts the FSK packet into a digital bit stream. In an embodiment, the process may use the frequency information obtained from the control packet 334 to convert the FSK packet into a digital bit stream.

[0144] The process packets the digital bit stream into NDF Ethernet packets (operation 1210). In an embodiment, the NDF Ethernet packets may include DOCSIS External Downstream Interface (DEPI) packets.

[0145] The process sends the NDF Ethernet packet (operation 1214). The process transmits the NDF Ethernet packet to the RF amplifier via the cloud 330.

[0146] Fig.13 is a functional block diagram illustrating a distributed data processing environment suitable for operation of a virtual gateway program 1304 according to at least one embodiment of the present invention, generally designated 1300. The term "distributed" as used herein describes a computer system that includes multiple physically distinct devices that operate together as a single computer system. Fig.13 This only provides an illustration of one implementation and does not imply any limitation on the environments in which different embodiments may be implemented. Those skilled in the art may make many modifications to the depicted environment without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as set forth in the claims.

[0147] Distributed data processing environment 1300 includes a computing device 1302 that is selectively connected to a network 1310. Network 1310 may be, for example, a CATV network, including an HFC network, a telecommunications network, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), such as the Internet, or any combination thereof, and may include wired, wireless, or fiber optic connections. Network 1310 may include one or more wired and / or wireless networks capable of receiving and transmitting data, voice, and / or video signals, including multimedia signals containing voice, data, and video messages. In general, network 1310 may be any combination of connections and protocols that support communication between computing device 1302 and other computing devices (not shown) within distributed data processing environment 1300.

[0148] The computing device 1302 may be a stand-alone computing device, a management server, a network server, an embedded computing device, or any programmable electronic device capable of communicating with a computing device (not shown) within the distributed data processing environment 1300 via the network 1310. In another embodiment, the computing device 1302 may represent a server computing system utilizing multiple computers as a server system, such as in a cloud computing environment. In another embodiment, the computing device 1302 represents a computing system utilizing a cluster of computers and components (e.g., a database server computer, an application server computer) that act as a single seamless resource pool when accessed within the distributed data processing environment 1300.

[0149] In one embodiment, the computing device 1302 includes a virtual gateway program 1304. In one embodiment, the virtual gateway program 1304 is a program, an application, or a subroutine of a larger program for implementing a virtual gateway in software. In an alternative embodiment, the virtual gateway program 1304 can be located on any other device that the computing device 1302 can access via the network 1310.

[0150] In one embodiment, the computing device 1302 includes an information repository 1306. In one embodiment, the information repository 1306 can be managed by the virtual gateway program 1304. In an alternative embodiment, the information repository 1306 can be managed by the operating system of the computing device 1302 alone or together with the virtual gateway program 1304. The information repository 1306 is a data repository that can store, collect, compare and / or combine information. In some embodiments, the information repository 1306 is located outside the computing device 1302 and is accessed through a communication network such as the network 1310. In some embodiments, the information repository 1306 is stored on the computing device 1302. In some embodiments, the information repository 1306 can be on another computing device (not shown) as long as the information repository 1306 can be accessed by the computing device 1302.

[0151] As is known in the art, the information repository 1306 can be implemented using any volatile or non-volatile non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for storing information. For example, the information repository 1306 can be implemented using random access memory (RAM), a solid state disk drive (SSD), one or more independent hard disks, multiple hard disks in a redundant array of independent disks (RAID), or an optical library. Similarly, the information repository 1306 can be implemented using any suitable storage architecture known in the art, such as a relational database, an object-oriented database, or one or more data tables.

[0152] Distributed data processing environment 1300 may include headend 1320. Headend 1320 may be, for example Figure 2 The distributed data processing environment 1300 may also include one or more RF amplifiers, which may include RF amplifier-1 1330 to RF amplifier-n 1332. RF amplifier-1 1330 to RF amplifier-n 1332 may be, for example, Figure 2 RF amplifiers 219a-c in.

[0153] Fig.14 It is suitable for describing the invention Fig.13 A block diagram of an example of components of a computing device 1400 of a software headend virtual gateway within a distributed data processing environment. Fig.14 A computing device or computer 1400 is shown, one or more processors 1404 (including one or more computer processors), a communication structure 1402, a memory 1406, the memory 1406 includes a random access memory (RAM) 1416 and a cache 1418, a permanent memory 1408, a communication unit 1412, an I / O interface 1414, a display 1422, and an external device 1420. It should be understood that Fig.14 This merely provides an illustration of one embodiment and does not imply any limitations on the environments in which different embodiments may be implemented.Many modifications to the depicted environments may be made.

[0154] As shown, computer 1400 operates on a communications fabric 1402 that provides communications between computer processor 1404, memory 1406, permanent storage 1408, communications unit 1412, and input / output (I / O) interface 1414. Communications fabric 1402 may be implemented using an architecture suitable for passing data or control messages between processor 1404 (e.g., a microprocessor, communications processor, and network processor), memory 1406, external devices 1420, and any other hardware components within the communications fabric. For example, communications fabric 1402 may be implemented using one or more buses.

[0155] Memory 1406 and permanent memory 1408 are computer-readable storage media. In the depicted embodiment, memory 1406 includes RAM 1416 and cache 1418. In general, memory 1406 can include any suitable volatile or non-volatile computer-readable storage media. Cache 1418 is a fast memory that enhances the performance of processor 1404 by saving recently accessed data and nearly recently accessed data from RAM 1416.

[0156] Program instructions for the software headend virtual gateway may be stored in the persistent memory 1408, or more generally, in any computer-readable storage medium, for execution by one or more of the corresponding computer processors 1404 via one or more memories of the memory 1406. The persistent memory 1408 may be a magnetic hard disk, a solid-state disk drive, a semiconductor storage device, a flash memory, a read-only memory (ROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or any other computer-readable storage medium capable of storing program instructions or digital information.

[0157] The media used by persistent memory 1408 may also be removable. For example, a removable hard drive may be used for persistent memory 1408. Other examples include optical and magnetic disks, thumb drives, and smart cards that are inserted into a drive to transfer to another computer-readable storage medium that is also part of persistent memory 1408.

[0158] In these examples, communication unit 1412 provides communications with other data processing systems or devices. In these examples, communication unit 1412 includes one or more network adapters. Communication unit 1412 can provide communications using one or both of physical and wireless communication links. In the context of some embodiments of the present invention, the source of various input data can be physically remote from computer 1400 so that the input data can be received and output can be similarly sent via communication unit 1412.

[0159] The I / O interface 1414 allows input and output of data with other devices that may be connected to the computer 1400. For example, the I / O interface 1414 may provide a connection to an external device 1420, such as a keyboard, a keypad, a touch screen, a microphone, a digital camera, and / or some other suitable input device. The external device 1420 may also include a portable computer-readable storage medium, such as a thumb drive, a portable optical or magnetic disk, and a memory card. Software and data for practicing embodiments of the present invention, such as a software headend virtual gateway, may be stored on such a portable computer-readable storage medium and may be loaded into the permanent memory 1408 via the I / O interface 1414. The I / O interface 1414 is also connected to a display 1422.

[0160] Display 1422 provides a mechanism for displaying data to a user and may be, for example, a computer monitor. Display 1422 may also be used as a touch screen, such as a display of a tablet computer.

[0161] According to one aspect of the present invention, a computer-implemented method for communicating with a radio frequency (RF) amplifier in a hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) network is provided. The computer-implemented method includes: providing return communication from one or more RF amplifiers to a headend by one or more computer processors; and providing forward communication from the headend to the one or more RF amplifiers by one or more computer processors, wherein: the return communication and the forward communication use an out-of-band (OOB) communication protocol.

[0162] According to another aspect of the present invention, a system for communicating with a radio frequency (RF) amplifier in a hybrid fiber coaxial (HFC) network is provided. The system includes: a head end; one or more RF amplifiers; one or more computer processors; one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media; and program instructions stored on the one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media for execution by at least one of the one or more computer processors. The program instructions include instructions for: providing return communication from the one or more RF amplifiers to the head end; and providing forward communication from the head end to the one or more RF amplifiers, wherein: the return communication and the forward communication use an out-of-band (OOB) communication protocol.

[0163] According to another aspect of the present invention, a system for communicating with a radio frequency (RF) amplifier in a hybrid fiber coaxial (HFC) network is provided. The system includes: a headend; one or more RF amplifiers; one or more computer processors; one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media; and program instructions stored on the one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media for execution by at least one of the one or more computer processors. The program instructions include the following instructions: providing out-of-band (OOB) return communication from one or more RF amplifiers to a headend, including the following instructions: receiving data to be sent from one or more RF amplifiers to the headend; converting the data into a return digital bit stream; packetizing the return digital bit stream into one or more return payloads for OOB transmission; converting the one or more return payloads into one or more return Ethernet packets; transmitting the one or more return Ethernet packets to the headend; providing OOB forward communication from the headend to one or more RF amplifiers, including instructions for the following operations: receiving one or more forward Ethernet packets from the headend; extracting one or more forward payloads from the forward Ethernet packets; converting the one or more forward payloads into frequency shift keying (FSK) packets; converting the FSK packets into a forward digital bit stream; packetizing the forward digital bit stream into one or more return Ethernet packets; and transmitting the one or more return Ethernet packets to the one or more RF amplifiers.

[0164] The foregoing description of exemplary embodiments is presented for the purpose of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise form disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the disclosure. The scope of the present invention is not intended to be limited by this detailed description, but rather by the scope of the claims.

[0165] Embodiments of the methods described herein may be implemented using a controller, a processor, and / or other programmable devices. To this end, the methods described herein may be implemented on a tangible, non-transient computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, and when executed by one or more processors, the methods are executed. Thus, for example, the permanent memory 1408 may store instructions (e.g., in firmware or software) to perform the operations described herein. Storage media, such as permanent memory 1408, may include any type of tangible media, such as any type of optical disk, compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), rewritable compact disk (CD-RW) and magneto-optical disk, semiconductor devices such as read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), such as dynamic and static RAM, erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, magnetic or optical card, or any type of medium suitable for storing electronic instructions.

[0166] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that any block diagram herein represents a conceptual view of an illustrative circuit that embodies the principles of the present invention. Similarly, it should be understood that any block diagram, flow chart, state transition diagram, pseudocode, etc. represent various processes that can be basically represented in a computer-readable medium and therefore performed by a calculator or processor, whether or not such a calculator or processor is explicitly shown. Software modules or simple modules that are implicitly software can be represented as flow chart elements or any combination of other elements indicating the execution of process steps and / or text descriptions in this article. Such modules can be performed by hardware that is explicitly or implicitly shown.

[0167] The functions of the various elements shown in the figures, including any functional blocks marked as controllers or processors, can be provided by using dedicated hardware as well as hardware capable of executing software in association with appropriate software. These functions can be provided by a single dedicated processor, a single shared processor, or multiple separate processors, some of which can be shared. In addition, the explicit use of the term controller or processor should not be interpreted as referring exclusively to hardware capable of executing software, and may implicitly include, but is not limited to, digital signal processor (DSP) hardware, network processors, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), and non-volatile memory for storing software. Other conventional and / or custom hardware may also be included.

[0168] As used herein, the term "coupled" refers to any connection, coupling, link, etc., by which a signal carried by one system component is transmitted to the "coupled" component. Such "coupled" devices or signals and devices are not necessarily directly connected to each other and may be separated by intermediate components or devices that can manipulate or modify such signals.

[0169] Unless otherwise stated, the use of the word "substantially" may be interpreted as including the precise relationships, conditions, arrangements, orientations and / or other features and deviations thereof understood by those skilled in the art, as long as these deviations do not have a substantial impact on the disclosed methods and systems. Throughout the entire content of the present invention, the use of the articles "a" and / or "an" and / or "the" to modify nouns may be understood as being used for convenience and including the following one or more modified nouns, unless otherwise explicitly stated. The terms "comprises," "comprising," and "having" are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements in addition to the listed elements.

[0170] Although the method and system have been described with respect to their specific embodiments, they are not limited thereto. Obviously, many modifications and variations can become apparent based on the above teachings. Those skilled in the art can make many additional changes to the details, materials and arrangements of the components described and shown here.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for communicating with a radio frequency amplifier in a hybrid fiber-coaxial network, characterized in that: Include: providing a plurality of return communications from the one or more radio frequency amplifiers to a headend by one or more computer processors; as well as A plurality of forward communications from the headend to the one or more radio frequency amplifiers are provided by the one or more computer processors, wherein: The plurality of return communications and the plurality of forward communications use a plurality of out-of-band communication protocols.

2. The computer-implemented method for communicating with a radio frequency amplifier in a hybrid fiber coaxial network of claim 1, wherein: Providing a plurality of the return communications from the one or more RF amplifiers to the headend comprises: receiving, by the one or more computer processors, one or more narrowband digital return Ethernet packets containing data to be sent from the one or more radio frequency amplifiers to the headend; converting, by the one or more computer processors, the data into a return digital bit stream; packetizing, by the one or more computer processors, the return digital bit stream into one or more payloads for out-of-band transmission; converting, by the one or more computer processors, the one or more payloads into one or more return Ethernet packets; as well as The one or more return Ethernet packets are transmitted to the headend by the one or more computer processors.

3. The computer-implemented method for communicating with a radio frequency amplifier in a hybrid fiber coaxial network of claim 2, wherein: The returned digital bit stream is in I / Q format.

4. The computer-implemented method for communicating with a radio frequency amplifier in a hybrid fiber coaxial network of claim 2, wherein: Converting the data into the return digital bit stream further comprises: The data is demodulated into the return digital bit stream using frequency information derived from one or more control packets received from the one or more RF amplifiers.

5. The computer-implemented method for communicating with a radio frequency amplifier in a hybrid fiber coaxial network of claim 2, wherein: Converting the data into the return digital bit stream further comprises: de-whitening the data by the one or more computer processors; retrieving, by the one or more computer processors, a first number of preambles and a second number of sync words from one or more control packets received from the one or more radio frequency amplifiers; retrieving, by the one or more computer processors, a header, the one or more payloads, and one or more cyclic redundancy check calculations; as well as The first number of preambles, the second number of sync words, the header, the one or more payloads, and the one or more cyclic redundancy check calculations are combined by the one or more computer processors into the return digital bit stream.

6. The computer-implemented method for communicating with a radio frequency amplifier in a hybrid fiber coaxial network of claim 2, wherein: Converting the one or more payloads into the one or more return Ethernet packets further comprises: The return digital bit stream is combined with Ethernet information obtained from one or more control packets received from the one or more RF amplifiers, wherein the Ethernet information includes at least one of a preamble, a destination address, a source address, an Ethernet type, one or more payloads, and a CRC calculation for the return Ethernet packet.

7. The computer-implemented method for communicating with a radio frequency amplifier in a hybrid fiber-coaxial network of claim 1, wherein: Providing a plurality of the forward communications from the headend to the one or more RF amplifiers further comprises: receiving, by the one or more computer processors, one or more forward Ethernet packets from the headend; extracting, by the one or more computer processors, one or more payloads from the one or more forward Ethernet packets; converting, by the one or more computer processors, the one or more payloads into a frequency shift keying packet; converting the frequency shift keying packet into a forward digital bit stream by the one or more computer processors; Packaging, by the one or more computer processors, the forward digital bit stream into one or more narrowband digital forward Ethernet packets; as well as The one or more narrowband digital forward Ethernet packets are sent by the one or more computer processors to the one or more radio frequency amplifiers.

8. The computer-implemented method for communicating with a radio frequency amplifier in a hybrid fiber coaxial network of claim 7, wherein: Converting the frequency shift keying packet to the forward digital bit stream further comprises: Frequency information obtained from one or more control packets received from the one or more RF amplifiers is used.

9. The computer-implemented method for communicating with a radio frequency amplifier in a hybrid fiber coaxial network of claim 7, wherein: The forward digital bit stream is in I / Q format.

10. The computer-implemented method for communicating with a radio frequency amplifier in a hybrid fiber coaxial network of claim 7, wherein: The one or more narrowband digital forward Ethernet packets include a DCSIS external downstream interface packet.

11. A system for communicating with a radio frequency amplifier in a hybrid fiber coaxial network, characterized in that: The system includes: One end; one or more radio frequency amplifiers; one or more computer processors; one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media; as well as A plurality of program instructions stored on the one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media for execution by at least one of the one or more computer processors, the program instructions comprising the following instructions: providing a plurality of return communications from the one or more radio frequency amplifiers to the headend; and A plurality of forward communications are provided from the headend to the one or more radio frequency amplifiers, wherein: The plurality of return communications and the plurality of forward communications use an out-of-band communication protocol.

12. The system for communicating with a radio frequency amplifier in a hybrid fiber coaxial network according to claim 11, wherein: Providing a plurality of the return communications from the one or more RF amplifiers to the headend further comprises: receiving one or more narrowband digital return Ethernet packets containing data to be transmitted from the one or more RF amplifiers to the headend; converting the data into a return digital bit stream; Packaging the return digital bit stream into one or more payloads for out-of-band transmission; converting the one or more payloads into one or more return Ethernet packets; as well as The one or more return Ethernet packets are transmitted to the headend.

13. The system for communicating with a radio frequency amplifier in a hybrid fiber coaxial network as claimed in claim 12, characterized in that: Converting the data to the returned digital bit stream further comprises: De-whiten the data; retrieving a first number of preambles and a second number of sync words from one or more control packets received from the one or more radio frequency amplifiers; retrieving the header, the one or more payloads, and one or more CRC calculations; as well as The first number of preambles, the second number of sync words, the header, the one or more payloads, and the one or more CRC calculations are combined into the return digital bit stream.

14. The system for communicating with a radio frequency amplifier in a hybrid fiber coaxial network according to claim 12, wherein: Converting the data to the returned digital bit stream further comprises: The data is demodulated into the return digital bit stream using frequency information derived from one or more control packets received from the one or more RF amplifiers.

15. The system for communicating with a radio frequency amplifier in a hybrid fiber coaxial network of claim 12, wherein: Converting the one or more payloads into the return Ethernet packet further comprises: The return digital bit stream is combined with Ethernet information obtained from one or more control packets received from the one or more RF amplifiers, wherein the Ethernet information includes at least one of a preamble, a destination address, a source address, an Ethernet type, the one or more payloads, and a CRC calculation for the return Ethernet packet.

16. The system for communicating with a radio frequency amplifier in a hybrid fiber coaxial network of claim 11, wherein: Providing a plurality of the forward communications from the headend to the one or more RF amplifiers further comprises: receiving one or more forward Ethernet packets from the headend; extracting the one or more payloads from the one or more forward Ethernet packets; converting the one or more payloads into a frequency shift keying packet; converting the frequency shift keying packet into a forward digital bit stream; Packaging the forward digital bit stream into one or more narrowband digital forward Ethernet packets; as well as The one or more narrowband digital forward Ethernet packets are sent to the one or more radio frequency amplifiers.

17. A system for communicating with a radio frequency amplifier in a hybrid fiber coaxial network, characterized in that: The system includes: One end; one or more radio frequency amplifiers; one or more computer processors; one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media; as well as A plurality of program instructions stored on the one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media for execution by at least one of the one or more computer processors, the program instructions comprising the following instructions: Providing out-of-band return communications from the one or more radio frequency amplifiers to the headend includes the following instructions: receiving one or more narrowband digital return Ethernet packets containing data to be transmitted from the one or more RF amplifiers to the headend; converting the data into a return digital bit stream; Packaging the return digital bit stream into one or more return payloads for out-of-band transmission; converting the one or more return payloads into one or more return Ethernet packets; transmitting the one or more return Ethernet packets to the headend; Providing out-of-band forward communication from the headend to one or more RF amplifiers includes the following instructions: receiving one or more forward Ethernet packets from the headend; extracting one or more forward payloads from the forward Ethernet packet; converting the one or more forward payloads into a frequency shift keying packet; Converting the frequency shift keying packets into a forward digital bit stream; Packaging the forward digital bit stream into one or more narrowband digital forward Ethernet packets; as well as The one or more narrowband digital forward Ethernet packets are sent to the one or more radio frequency amplifiers.

18. The system for communicating with a radio frequency amplifier in a hybrid fiber coaxial network of claim 17, wherein: Converting the data to the returned digital bit stream further comprises: De-whiten the data; retrieving a first number of preambles and a second number of sync words from one or more control packets received from the one or more radio frequency amplifiers; retrieving a header, the one or more return payloads, and one or more CRC calculations; as well as The first number of preambles, the second number of sync words, the header, the one or more return payloads, and the one or more CRC calculations are combined into the return digital bit stream.

19. The system for communicating with a radio frequency amplifier in a hybrid fiber coaxial network of claim 17, wherein: Converting the data to the returned digital bit stream further comprises: The data is demodulated into the return digital bit stream using frequency information derived from one or more control packets received from the one or more RF amplifiers.

20. The system for communicating with a radio frequency amplifier in a hybrid fiber coaxial network of claim 17, wherein: Converting the one or more return payloads into the one or more return Ethernet packets further comprises: The forward digital bit stream is combined with Ethernet information obtained from one or more control packets received from the one or more RF amplifiers, wherein the Ethernet information includes at least one of a preamble, a destination address, a source address, an Ethernet type, the one or more return payloads, and a CRC calculation for the return Ethernet packet.

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