System and method for block-coding transcoding

Abstract

A system and method for block-code transcoding. An input signal is analyzed to determine if the input signal comprises multiple data words and multiple control words, multiple data words and a single control word or multiple data words only. If the input signal comprises multiple control words, the method includes, generating a control word location map and mapping the control codes and data words to a block-code encoded transmission signal. If the input signal comprises a single control word, the method includes, generating a control word location address indicating a location of the single control word and mapping the control word and the data words to a block-code encoded transmission signal. If the input signal comprises multiple data words only, the method includes, mapping the multiple data words sequentially into the block-code encoded transmission signal. Accordingly, the bandwidth efficiency of the transmission signal is improved by varying the encoding technique used dependent upon the contents of the input signal.

What we claim is: 
     
         1 . A method for block-code transcoding, the method comprising:
 receiving a block-code encoded input signal at a decoder, the block-code encoded input signal encoded using a first block-code, and decoding the block-code encoded input signal to generate an input signal comprising multiple data words and multiple control words, multiple data words and a single control word or multiple data words only;   receiving the input signal at a block-code encoder, the input signal to be mapped into a block-code encoded transmission signal encoded using a second block-code, wherein the second block-code is more bandwidth efficient than the first block-code;   determining at the block-code encoder if the input signal comprises multiple data words and multiple control words and if the input signal comprises multiple data words and multiple control words, the method further comprising:
 generating a control word location map; 
 encoding each of the multiple control words to generate multiple control codes; 
 mapping the control word location map, each of the multiple control codes and the multiple data words into the block-code encoded transmission signal to indicate a location of each of the multiple control words in the input signal; 
   determining at the block-code encoder if the input signal comprises multiple data words and a single control word and if the input signal comprises multiple data words and a single control word, the method further comprising:
 generating a control word location address indicating a location of the single control word in the input signal; 
 encoding the single control word to a control code; 
 mapping the control word location address, the control code and the multiple data words into the block-code encoded transmission signal; and 
   determining at the block-code encoder if the input signal comprises multiple data words only and if the input signal comprises multiple data words only, the method further comprising mapping the multiple data words sequentially into the block-code encoded transmission signal.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein if the input signal comprises multiple data words and multiple control words, the method further comprising mapping the multiple data words and each of the multiple control codes into the block-code encoded transmission signal at locations corresponding to the location of each of the multiple data words and each of the multiple control words in the input signal. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein if the input signal comprises multiple data words and multiple control words, the method further comprising mapping each of the multiple control codes into a beginning of a block of the block-code encoded transmission signal and mapping the multiple data words into the block following the multiple control codes, according to the order of the multiple data words in the input signal. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein if the input signal comprises multiple data words and multiple control words, the method further comprising:
 setting a control block indicator flag bit for the block-code encoded transmission signal to a first logic level;   setting a multiple control word indicator for the block-code encoded transmission signal to the first logic level;   mapping the control block indicator flag bit into the block-code encoded transmission signal; and   mapping the multiple control word indicator into the block-code encoded transmission signal.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein mapping the multiple control word indicator, the control word location map, each of the multiple control codes and the multiple data words into the block-code encoded transmission signal further comprises, for each block of the block-code encoded transmission signal, wherein each block comprises a plurality of bytes:
 mapping the multiple control word indicator and the control word location map to a first byte of the block;   mapping, beginning with a second byte of the block, the multiple data words into the block according to the order of the multiple data words in the input signal until a control word is reached in the input signal, and when a control word is reached;
 mapping the control code associated with the control word of the input signal to a first plurality of bits at a control word location of the block; and 
 mapping the control code associated with a next control word in the input signal to a second plurality of bits at the control word location if the next control word is the last control word in the input signal or mapping padding bits to the second plurality of bits of the byte if the next control word is not the last control word in the input signal. 
   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the control word location map explicitly indicates whether each word in the input signal contains a data word or a control word, except for the last word of the input signal, and the mapping of each of the multiple control codes and the multiple data words into the block-code encoded transmission signal implicitly indicates whether the last word of the input signal contains a data word or a control word, wherein:
 two control codes mapped to a byte of the block-code encoded transmission signal associated with the last control word location explicitly indicated by the control word location map implies that the last word of the input signal is a control word; and   two control codes mapped to a byte of the block-code encoded transmission signal associated with the next to last control word location explicitly indicated by the control word location map implies that the last word of the input signal is a data word.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein if the input signal comprises multiple data words and a single control word, the method further comprising:
 setting a control block indicator flag bit of the block-code encoded transmission signal to a first logic level;   setting the multiple control word indicator to a second logic level opposite to the first logic level;   mapping the control block indicator flag bit into the block-code encoded transmission signal; and   mapping the multiple control word indicator into the block-code encoded transmission signal.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein mapping the multiple control word indicator, the control word location address, the control code for the single control word and the multiple data words into the block-code encoded transmission signal further comprises, for each block of the block-encoded transmission signal, wherein each block comprises a plurality of bytes:
 mapping the multiple control word indicator to a first bit of a first byte of a block of the block-code encoded transmission signal;   mapping the control word location address to a first plurality of bits following the first bit of the first byte of the block of the block-code encoded transmission signal;   mapping the control code for the single control word to a second plurality of bits following the first plurality of bits of the first byte of the block of the block-code encoded transmission signal; and   mapping, beginning with a second byte of the block, the multiple data words into the block according to the order of the multiple data words in the input signal.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein if the input signal comprises multiple data words only, the method further comprising:
 setting the control block indicator flag for the block-code encoded transmission signal to a second logic level opposite the first logic level; and   mapping the control block indicator flag into the block-code encoded transmission signal.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first block-code is an 8B/10B block-code and the second block-code is a 64B/65B block-code. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first block-code is a 64B/66B block-code and the second block-code is a 512B/513B block-code and wherein the 64B/66B block-code comprises a 56-bit field comprising data words and one or more control codes and the method maintains the 56-bit field in the 512B/513B block-code. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the block-code encoded input signal is received over a first communication channel, the method further comprising transmitting the block-code encoded transmission signal from a transmitter over a second transmission channel that is different than the first communication channel. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 receiving the block-code encoded transmission signal transmitted over the second transmission channel at a block-code decoder and decoding the block-code encoded transmission signal to recover the input signal.   
     
     
         14 . A method for block-code transcoding, the method, the method comprising:
 receiving a block-code encoded input signal at a decoder, the block-code encoded input signal encoded using a first block-code, and decoding the block-code encoded input signal to generate an input signal comprising multiple data words and multiple control words, multiple data words and a single control word or multiple data words only;   receiving the input signal at a block-code encoder, the input signal to be mapped into a block-code encoded transmission signal encoded using a second block-code, wherein the second block-code is more bandwidth efficient than the first block-code;   determining at the block-code encoder if the input signal comprises multiple data words and multiple control words and if the input signal comprises multiple data words and multiple control words, the method further comprising:
 setting a control block indicator flag bit for the block-code encoded transmission signal to a first logic level; 
 setting a multiple control word indicator for the block-code encoded transmission signal to the first logic level; 
 generating a control word location map; 
 encoding each of the multiple control words to generate multiple control codes; 
 mapping the control block indicator flag bit, the multiple control word indicator, the control word location map and each of the multiple control codes and the multiple data words into the block-code encoded transmission signal to indicate a location of each of the multiple words in the input signal; 
   determining at the block-code encoder if the input signal comprises multiple data words and a single control word and if the input signal comprises multiple data words and a single control word, the method further comprising:
 setting a control block indicator flag bit of the block-code encoded transmission signal to a first logic level; 
 setting the multiple control word indicator to a second logic level opposite to the first logic level; 
 generating a control word location address indicating a location of the single control word in the input signal; 
 encoding the single control word to a control code; 
 mapping the control block indicator flag bit, the multiple control word indicator, the control word location address and the control code and the multiple data words into the second block-code encoded transmission signal; 
   determining at the block-code encoder if the input signal comprises multiple data words only and if the input signal comprises multiple data words only, the method further comprising:
 setting the control block indicator flag for the block-code encoded transmission signal to a second logic level opposite the first logic level; 
 mapping the control block indicator flag and the multiple data words sequentially into the block-code encoded transmission signal; and 
   transmitting the block-code encoded transmission signal from a transmitter.   
     
     
         15 . A system for block-code transcoding, the system comprising:
 a block-code encoder configured for:
 receiving an input signal comprising multiple data words and multiple control words, multiple data words and a single control word or multiple data words only; 
 determining if the input signal comprises multiple data words and multiple control words and if the input signal comprises multiple data words and multiple control words, the block-code encoder further configured for:
 generating a control word location map; 
 encoding each of the multiple control words to generate multiple control codes; 
 mapping the control word location map, each of the multiple control codes and the multiple data words into the block-code encoded transmission signal to indicate a location of each of the multiple control words in the input signal; 
 
 determining if the input signal comprises multiple data words and a single control word and if the input signal comprises multiple data words and a single control word, the block-code encoder further configured for:
 generating a control word location address indicating a location of the single control word in the input signal; 
 encoding the single control word to a control code; and 
 mapping the control word location address, the control code and the multiple data words into the block-code encoded transmission signal; 
 
 determining if the input signal comprises multiple data words only and if the input signal comprises multiple data words only, the block-code encoder further configured for:
 mapping the multiple data words sequentially into the block-code encoded transmission signal. 
 
   
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 a decoder configured for receiving a block-code encoded input signal encoded using a first block-code; and   the decoder configured for decoding the block-code encoded input signal to generate the input signal comprising multiple data words and multiple control words, multiple data words and a single control word or multiple data words only;   
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 15 , further comprising a transmitter configured for transmitting the block-code encoded transmission signal. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein if the input signal comprises multiple data words and multiple control words, the block-code encoder further configured for mapping the multiple data words and each of the multiple control codes into the block-code encoded transmission signal at locations corresponding to the location of each of the multiple data words and each of the multiple control words in the input signal. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein if the input signal comprises multiple data words and multiple control words, the block-code encoder further configured for mapping each of the multiple control codes into a beginning of a block of the block-code encoded transmission signal and mapping the multiple data words into the block following the multiple control codes, according to the order of the multiple data words in the input signal. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein if the input signal comprises multiple data words and multiple control words, the block-code encoder further configured for, for each block of the block-code encoded transmission signal:
 setting a control block indicator flag bit for the block of the block-code encoded transmission signal to a first logic level;   setting a multiple control word indicator for the block of the block-code encoded transmission signal to the first logic level;   mapping the multiple control word indicator and the control word location map to a first byte of the block of the block-code encoded transmission signal;   mapping, beginning with a second byte of the block, the multiple data words into the block according to the order of the multiple data words in the input signal until a control word is reached in the input signal, and when a control word is reached;
 mapping the control code associated with the control word of the input signal to a first plurality of bits at a control word location of the block; and 
 mapping the control code associated with a next control word in the input signal to a second plurality of bits at the control word location if the next control word is the last control word in the input signal or mapping padding bits to the second plurality of bits at the control word location if the next control word is not the last control word in the input signal. 
   
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the control word location map explicitly indicates whether each word in the input signal contains a data word or a control word, except for the last word of the input signal, and the mapping of each of the multiple control codes and the multiple data words into the block-code encoded transmission signal implicitly indicates whether the last word of the input signal contains a data word or a control word, wherein:
 two control codes mapped to a byte of the block-code encoded transmission signal associated with the last control word location explicitly indicated by the control word location map implies that the last word of the input signal is a control word; and   two control codes mapped to a byte of the block-code encoded transmission signal associated with the next to last control word location explicitly indicated by the control word location map implies that the last word of the input signal is a data word.   
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein if the input signal comprises multiple data words and a single control word, the block-code encoder further configured for:
 setting a control block indicator flag bit of the block-code encoded transmission signal to a first logic level and mapping the control block indicator flag bit into the block-code encoded transmission signal;   setting the multiple control word indicator to a second logic level opposite to the first logic level and mapping the multiple control word indicator to a first bit of a first byte of a block of the block-code encoded transmission signal;   mapping the control word location address to a first plurality of bits following the first bit of the first byte of the block of the block-code encoded transmission signal; and   mapping the control code for the single control word to a second plurality of bits following the first plurality of bits of the first byte of the block of the block-code encoded transmission signal.