Method and multi-carrier transceiver supporting dynamic switching between active application sets

Abstract

A transceiver and method for communicating over a communications channel having a plurality of subchannels are described. In particular, the transceiver is capable of dynamically switching between communicating data for a first active application set and communicating data for a second different active application set. An active application set is defined as the set of one or more active applications for which the transceiver is currently communicating data. As part of communicating data for the first active application set, the transceiver allocates the subchannels to the one or more applications in the first application set. The transmission requirements of the first active application set defines a first communication state of the transceiver. When the transceiver dynamically transitions to communicating data for the second different application set, the transceiver reallocates the subchannels to the one or more applications in the second different application set. The transmission requirements of the second different active application set defines a second communication state of the transceiver. In one embodiment the transceiver modifies the data rates of subchannels in the Bit Allocation Table according to the transmission requirements of the application whose data is being transmitted on the particular subchannel. In another embodiment, the transceiver is capable of dynamically switching from transmitting data for an Internet access application to transmitting data for a voice telephony application in addition to the Internet access application. In a further embodiment, the ABCD voice telephony signaling bits can be transmitted with either the data from the Internet access application or the data from the voice telephony application.

1 . In multicarrier communications having a plurality of subchannels, a system configurable to support at least two applications comprising: 
 means for associating each application in a set of currently active applications with a different Framer/Coder/Interleaver block for processing bits associated with that application;    means for allocating at least one subchannel to one application in the set of currently active applications for carrying bits processed by the Frame/Coder/Interleaver block associated with that application; and    means for allocating the at least one subchannel, in response to a change in the set of currently active applications, to a second different application in the changed set of currently active applications, for carrying bits processed by the Framer/Coder/Interleaver block associated with the second application.    
     
     
         2 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the means for allocating the at least one subchannel to the second application includes means for changing the number of bits carried on that subchannel.  
     
     
         3 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the means for allocating the at least one subchannel to the second application includes means for allocating a first subset of the bits of the at least one subchannel to the second application and means for allocating a second subset of the bits of the at least subchannel to at least one other application.  
     
     
         4 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the first application is an asynchronous transfer mode data application and the second application is a voice telephony application.  
     
     
         5 . The system according to  claim 1 , further comprising means for selecting one or more subchannels that are allocated to one of the applications, and wherein the means for selecting includes: 
 means for ordering the subchannels based on the frequency of the subchannels, and    means for and iteratively ascending through the subchannels starting from the lowest frequency subchannel until a sufficient number of bits are allocated to that one application.    
     
     
         6 . The system according to  claim 1 , further comprising means for selecting one or more subchannels that are allocated to one of the applications, and wherein the means for selecting includes: 
 means for ordering the subchannels based on the frequency of the subchannels, and    means for and iteratively descending through the subchannels starting from the highest frequency subchannel until a sufficient number of bits are allocated to that one application.    
     
     
         7 . The system according to  claim 1 , further comprising means for selecting one or more subchannels that are allocated to one of the applications, and wherein the means for selecting includes: 
 means for ordering the subchannels based on the number of bits carried by the subchannels, and    means for iteratively ascending through the subchannels starting from the subchannel carrying the lowest number of bits until a sufficient number of bits are allocated to that one application.    
     
     
         8 . The system according to  claim 1 , further comprising means for selecting one or more subchannels that are allocated to one of the applications, and wherein the means for selecting includes: 
 means for ordering the subchannels based on the number of bits carried by the subchannels, and    means for iteratively descending through the subchannels starting from the subehannel carrying the highest number of bits until a sufficient number of bits are allocated to that one application.    
     
     
         9 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein one of the applications in the second active application set is a voice telephony application having a plurality of bits including a set of ABCD signaling bits, and the ABCD signaling bits are processed by a different Framer/Coder/Interleaver block than the other bits of the voice telephony application.  
     
     
         10 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein one of the applications in the second application set is a voice telephony application having a plurality of bits including a set of ABCD signaling bits, and the ABCD signaling bits are processed using the same Framer/Coder/Interleaver block as the other bits of the voice telephony application.  
     
     
         11 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the applications in the first active application is not used in the second different active application set.  
     
     
         12 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the subchannels is allocated to at least two applications.  
     
     
         13 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the changed set of currently active applications includes an ATM data application and a voice telephony application.  
     
     
         14 . In multicarrier communications having a plurality of subchannels, a system. that is configurable to supporting at least two applications comprising: 
 means for associating each application in a set of currently active applications with a different Framer/Coder/Interleaver block for processing bits associated with that application;    means for allocating at least one subchannel to each application in the set of currently active applications for carrying bits processed by the Framer/Coder/Interleaver block associated with that application; and    means for allocating a previously unallocated subchannel, in response to a change in the set of currently active applications, to one application in the changed set of currently active applications for carrying bits processed by the Framer/Coder/Interleaver block associated with that one application in the changed currently active application set.    
     
     
         15 . In multicarrier communications having a plurality of subchannels, a system that is configurable to support at least two applications comprising: 
 means for processing bits associated with one or more applications in a first active application set using a different latency path for each application in the first active application set;    means for allocating subchannels to the one or more applications in the first active application set for carrying bits associated with the one or more applications in the first active application set;    means for transitioning to processing bits associated with one or more applications in a second different active application set over a different latency path for each application in the second different active application set; and    means for changing the allocation of subchannels to the one or more applications in the second different active application set for carrying bits associated with the one or more applications in the second active application set.    
     
     
         16 . The system according to  claim 15 , wherein the means for changing the allocation of subchannels includes means for reallocating at least one subchannel from one application to a second different application.  
     
     
         17 . The system according to  claim 15 , wherein the means for changing the allocation of subchannels includes means for changing the number of bits carried on at least one subchannel.  
     
     
         18 . The system according to  claim 15 , wherein the means for changing the allocation of subchannels includes means for allocating at least one of the subchannels to at least two of the applications in the second different application set.  
     
     
         19 . The system according to  claim 15 , wherein the first active application set includes an asynchronous transfer mode data application and the second different active application set includes the asynchronous transfer mode data application and a voice telephony application.  
     
     
         20 . The system according to  claim 15 , wherein the first active application set includes an asynchronous transfer mode data application and a voice telephony application and the second different active application set includes the asynchronous transfer mode data application and excludes the voice telephony application.  
     
     
         21 . The system according to  claim 15 , wherein the means for changing the allocation includes means for allocating to the second different active application set a subchannel previously used by one of the one or more applications in the first active application set.  
     
     
         22 . The system according to  claim 15 , wherein at least one subchannel that was used by at least one application in the first active application set is unused by the applications in the second different active application set.