Inverse Multiplexing Frame Alignment via Transcoding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current interface technologies lack sufficient frame alignment markers for disinterleaving a single high-speed physical lane into multiple lanes, leading to difficulties in recovering disinterleaved frames, especially in applications like IEEE 802.3ba, which requires compatibility with lower data rates without excessive latency and buffering.
Innovation Solution
A method for disinterleaving and re-interleaving frames with frame alignment markers, where redundant information is transcoded to create alignment markers, allowing frames to be transmitted at the same rate as the original signal, minimizing latency and maintaining throughput by transforming N words into M frames with embedded alignment markers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a single high-speed physical lane is disinterleaved into multiple lanes, then compatibility with lower data rates is achieved, but frame alignment markers become insufficient for recovering disinterleaved frames
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the single high-speed lane into multiple parallel lanes, allowing the system to adapt to lower data rate requirements. Each lane receives a portion of the disinterleaved frame, enabling compatibility with interfaces that cannot handle the full high-speed rate.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent inserts frame alignment markers at predetermined positions within each disinterleaved frame before transmission. These markers are placed in advance to enable synchronous recovery and re-interleaving at the receiving end, solving the frame alignment problem that would otherwise occur during disinterleaving.
2Reliability
If frame alignment markers are inserted in each disinterleaved lane, then frame recovery is enabled, but the number of available markers becomes insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the frame alignment marker function with existing redundant encoding bits in the data stream. Instead of adding separate dedicated alignment markers, the solution combines multiple functions into the existing encoding structure, thereby providing sufficient alignment capability without increasing the overall bit count.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the redundant encoding bits serve multiple purposes: maintaining DC balance, ensuring edge density, and providing frame alignment information. This multi-functionality allows the same bits to fulfill several roles, effectively increasing the availability of alignment markers without adding extra overhead.
3Speed
If disinterleaving is performed without frame alignment markers, then transmission rate is maintained, but temporal skew from buffering causes re-interleaving difficulties
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates frame alignment markers that provide feedback information to the receiving end about the actual arrival time and position of each disinterleaved frame. This feedback enables the receiver to compensate for temporal skew introduced by buffering and to perform accurate re-interleaving despite variations in transmission timing.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method are provided for framing messages in a data streams encoded with redundant information for transmission and recovering the messages at a receiver. The transmission method accepts an energy waveform representing N words at a first bit rate, encoded with redundant information, where each word includes P number of bits. The N words are transformed, creating N transcoded words, where each transcoded word includes Q number of bits, and where Q<P. The N transcoded words are mapped into M lanes in a buffer memory, where M>1 and each lane receives a frame of N/M transcoded words. A frame alignment marker is generated and mapped into each frame. Each frame is represented as an energy waveform that is transmitted on a corresponding physical lane at the first bit rate divided by M.