Method to overlay a secondary communication channel onto an encoded primary communication channel
View Patent ↗Disclosed herein is a method and system for providing a secondary communication channel overlaid on a primary communication channel using an enhanced encoding method to effectively expand the utilized information capacity of the primary communication channel. Aspects of the invention may include encoding a portion of at least a first word of one or more data packets in a datastream. A running disparity of the encoded word may be reversed. Hence, if an encoded running disparity of an encoded word is RD positive, i.e., RD(+), then the running disparity is reversed to RD negative, i.e., RD(−). Similarly, if an encoded running disparity is RD negative, i.e., RD(−), then the running disparity is reversed to RD positive, i.e., RD(+). The word may be a data word, control word, or an idle word corresponding to a data packet, a control packet, and an idle packet, respectively.
1. A method for creating a communications channel, the method comprising:
encoding information for a primary communication channel into a plurality of encoded codewords, wherein the plurality of encoded codewords comprises a first encoded codeword having a determined running disparity specified by the encoding; and
overlaying a secondary communication channel on the primary communication channel, wherein the overlaid secondary communication channel comprises at least a second n-bit encoded codeword, wherein the second n-bit encoded codeword comprises a running disparity that is reversed with respect to at least a corresponding portion of the first encoded codeword.
2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
multiplexing a plurality of the n-bit encoded codewords into at least one serial bitstream for transmission; and
converting the multiplexed at least one serial bitstream from a digital format to an analog format for transmission.
3. The method according to claim 2 , further comprising decoding a received plurality of the n-bit encoded codewords in the converted at least one serial bitstream.
4. The method according to claim 3 , further comprising:
converting at least one received serial bitstream from the analog format to the digital format; and
translating the converted at least one received serial bitstream into a datastream comprising n-bit encoded codewords.
5. The method according to claim 3 , further comprising looping back the transmitted multiplexed at least one serial bitstream that was converted to the analog format for transmission.
6. The method according to claim 5 , further comprising one of internally configuring the looping back and externally configuring the looping back.
7. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising receiving raw digital information for the primary channel from an upstream digital component.
8. The method according to claim 7 , further comprising encrypting the received raw digital information upstream prior to the encoding, wherein the raw information comprises 8-bit codewords.
9. The method according to claim 8 , further comprising translating the 8-bit codewords into n-bit codewords, wherein n is greater than 8.
10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein translating the 8-bit codewords results in an additional left over (n−8) bits, wherein the left over (n−8) bits provide data redundancy for error detection.
11. A system for creating a communication channel, the system comprising:
a primary communication channel for which received information is encoded into a plurality of codewords by an encoder, wherein the plurality of codewords comprises a first encoded codeword having a determined running disparity specified by the encoding; and
a secondary communication channel overlaid on the primary communication channel, wherein the overlaid secondary communication channel comprises at least a second n-bit encoded codeword, wherein the second n-bit encoded codeword comprises a running disparity that is reversed with respect to at least a corresponding portion of the first encoded codeword.
12. The system according to claim 11 , further comprising:
a multiplexer that multiplexes a plurality of the n-bit encoded codewords into at least one serial bitstream for transmission; and
an analog-to-digital converter that converts the multiplexed at least one serial bitstream from an analog format to a digital format for transmission via a transmitter side of a communication link.
13. The system according to claim 12 , wherein the communication link further comprises a receiver side, and the receiver side comprises a decoder that decodes n-bit encoded codewords in the converted at least one serial bitstream.
14. The system according to claim 13 , wherein the receiver side further comprises:
an analog-to-digital converter that converts the at least one serial bitstream from the analog format to the digital format; and
a demultiplexer that translates the digitally formatted at least one serial bitstream into a datastream comprising n-bit encoded codewords.
15. The system according to claim 13 , further comprising a loopback path communicatively coupling the transmitter side and the receiver side of the communication link.
16. The system according to claim 15 , wherein the loopback path is one of internally configured and externally configured.
17. The system according to claim 11 , wherein the encoder receives raw bytes from an upstream digital component.
18. The system according to claim 17 , wherein the raw bytes are 8-bit codewords previously encrypted by one of an upstream component of the communication system and an upstream component of the communication link.
19. The system according to claim 11 , wherein the encoder encodes 8-bit codewords by translating the 8-bit codewords into n-bit codewords, wherein n is greater than 8.
20. The system according to claim 19 , wherein translating the 8-bit codewords results in an additional left over (n−8) bits, wherein the left over (n−8) bits provide data redundancy for error detection.