Ethernet PHY Filter Tap Shutdown Using Dynamic SNR Thresholds
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Solution Overview
Problem
High-speed Ethernet implementations consume large amounts of power, and conventional techniques for reducing power consumption, such as sharing hardware in echo cancellers and shutting down filter taps below a threshold, do not adequately reduce power while maintaining acceptable performance.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a method to shut down filter taps in an Ethernet receiver by analyzing neighboring taps' coefficients, keeping taps near significant values active and shutting down those below a threshold, and dynamically adjusting the shutdown threshold based on signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and mean square error (MSE) to balance power consumption and performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If filter taps are shut down based on a fixed threshold to reduce power consumption, then power consumption is reduced, but system performance deteriorates due to inadequate adaptation to varying signal conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic threshold adjustment by continuously monitoring signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and adapting the shutdown threshold accordingly. The threshold is no longer fixed but varies with signal conditions, allowing the system to maintain optimal performance across different operating scenarios while still achieving power savings when appropriate.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms by monitoring SNR and using this information to adjust the shutdown threshold. This closed-loop approach ensures that the filter tap shutdown decisions are based on actual signal quality measurements, preventing performance degradation while maximizing power savings when signal conditions permit.
2Device complexity
If conventional hardware sharing techniques are used in echo cancellers, then device complexity is reduced, but power consumption remains excessively high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the echo canceller functionality by implementing independent filter tap units that can be selectively activated or deactivated. Rather than using a monolithic hardware structure, the system divides the processing into discrete tap elements, each with its own control logic, allowing granular power management while maintaining the necessary echo cancellation functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies local quality control by allowing different filter taps to have different operational states based on their individual importance and the current signal conditions. Critical taps remain active while less important taps are shut down, creating a non-uniform operational profile across the filter taps that optimizes both performance and power consumption.
3Use of energy by moving object
If filter taps with low weighting coefficients are shut down to save power, then power consumption is reduced, but signal processing accuracy deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the filter tap shutdown decision dynamic by continuously monitoring SNR and adjusting the threshold accordingly. What constitutes a 'low' weighting coefficient is not absolute but relative to current signal conditions, allowing the system to preserve accuracy when signal quality is poor while enabling power savings when conditions are favorable.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational parameter (shutdown threshold) based on SNR measurements. When SNR is high, a higher threshold can be used, allowing more taps to be shut down. When SNR is low, the threshold is reduced to preserve more taps, thereby maintaining signal processing accuracy across varying channel conditions.
Data Source
AI summary
A method includes receiving an input signal at a filter, where the filter includes a plurality of filter taps, and where each of a first filter tap and a second filter tap has a weighting coefficient. The method also includes shutting down the first filter tap based on the weighting coefficient of the first filter tap being below a threshold and the weighting coefficient of the second filter tap being below the threshold, where the second filter tap is next to the first filter tap.