Echo Cancellation Filter Segments for Wireline Transceivers
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Solution Overview
Problem
As data rates increase in wireline communication channels, echo cancellation filters grow nonlinearly, leading to increased device area and power consumption, with existing solutions deploying uniform or identical filter segments inefficiently across the channel, resulting in unnecessary power and area usage.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a physical layer transceiver with separate high-dynamic-range and low-dynamic-range echo cancellation filter segments, where control circuitry classifies echoes based on time-domain characteristics and deploys specific filter segments to locations corresponding to their dynamic range, reducing unnecessary filter deployment and optimizing power and area usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If uniform echo cancellation filter segments are deployed across the channel, then echo cancellation coverage is improved, but device area and power consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by deploying different types of filter segments (high-dynamic-range vs. low-dynamic-range) to different locations along the wireline channel based on the characteristics of echoes detected at each location. Control circuitry classifies echoes as high or low dynamic range and selectively deploys appropriate filter segments, ensuring that high-dynamic-range segments are only used where necessary while low-dynamic-range segments handle less demanding locations, thereby optimizing power consumption while maintaining adequate echo cancellation coverage.
2Reliability
If high-dynamic-range filter segments are deployed throughout the channel, then echo cancellation performance is improved, but device area increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent reduces device area by making filter segment deployment selective rather than uniform. High-dynamic-range filter segments, which occupy more area, are deployed only at locations where high-dynamic-range echoes are detected. Low-dynamic-range filter segments, which occupy less area, are deployed at locations where lower-dynamic-range echoes are present. This localized approach maintains echo cancellation performance where needed while minimizing overall device area consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the echo cancellation function into multiple discrete filter segments that can be independently deployed and configured. Each filter segment can be selectively activated and positioned at specific locations along the channel based on echo characteristics. This segmentation allows the system to use only the necessary number and type of filter segments, avoiding the need to deploy high-dynamic-range segments throughout the entire channel and thereby reducing overall device area.
3Measurement precision
If more filter taps are used to handle high-dynamic-range echoes, then echo cancellation accuracy is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent addresses this contradiction by applying local quality to the filter segment deployment strategy. High-dynamic-range filter segments with more taps and higher power consumption are deployed only at locations where high-dynamic-range echoes are detected and high cancellation accuracy is necessary. Low-dynamic-range filter segments with fewer taps and lower power consumption are deployed at locations where lower accuracy suffices. This ensures that high power consumption is localized only where it provides necessary performance benefits.
Data Source
AI summary
A physical layer transceiver for a wireline communications system includes a receive path for communicating signals received from the medium to a functional circuit, a transmit path for communicating signals received from the functional circuit onto the medium, and echo cancellation circuitry for cancelling from the receive path echoes of signals transmitted on the transmit path. The echo cancellation circuitry includes a plurality of high-dynamic-range filter segments, a plurality of low-dynamic-range filter segments, and control circuitry configured to detect on the receive path the echoes of the signals transmitted on the transmit path, classify each echo signal as having a low dynamic range or a high dynamic range, and deploy a high-dynamic-range segment to a location of an echo signal having a high dynamic range, and deploy a low-dynamic-range segment to a location of an echo signal having a low dynamic range.