Upgrading ATM embedded networks to carry IP signals

• US 20050201384A1
• Filed: 03/10/2004
• Published: 09/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
• Original Assignee: Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
• Inventors: Medford, Brad A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,014,405 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/395.520
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways

Abstract

An Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) signal is phase modulated based on an Internet Protocol (IP) signal to form a combined ATM/IP signal. The ATM signal is phase modulated without exceeding a specified tolerance of symbol period of the ATM signal. The combined ATM/IP signal is communicated on a passive optical network to multiple receiving locations. An ATM stream specific to a receiving location can be extracted from the combined ATM/IP signal by an existing ATM-based optical network termination (ONT). An IP stream can be extracted at a receiving location by phase demodulating the combined ATM/IP signal.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

phase modulating an Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) signal based on an Internet Protocol (IP) signal to form a combined ATM/IP signal.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said phase modulating comprises phase modulating the ATM signal based on the IP signal without exceeding a specified tolerance of symbol period of the ATM signal.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said phase modulating encodes multiple bits of the IP signal per pulse in the ATM signal.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said phase modulating encodes two bits of the IP signal per pulse in the ATM signal.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

communicating the combined ATM/IP signal on an ATM-based network;

receiving the combined ATM/IP signal via the ATM-based network; and

phase demodulating the combined ATM/IP signal to extract the IP signal.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the ATM-based network comprises a G.983-based network.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

communicated the combined ATM/IP signal to multiple locations including a first location and a second location;

receiving the combined ATM/IP signal at the first location;

extracting, at the first location, an ATM stream specific to the first location from the combined ATM/IP signal;

receiving the combined ATM/IP signal at the second location; and

phase demodulating the combined ATM/IP signal at the second location to extract an IP stream.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the combined ATM/IP signal is communicated via a passive optical network to the multiple locations.

9. A method of upgrading an embedded Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM)-based passive optical network (PON) having a plurality of existing ATM-based optical network terminals (ONTs), the method comprising:

upgrading an optical line terminal (OLT) to comprise a phase modulator to modulate a phase of an ATM signal based on an Internet Protocol (IP) signal;

replacing at least one of the existing ATM-based ONTs with an IP-based ONT having a phase demodulator;

generating, at the OLT, a combined ATM/IP signal by phase modulating the ATM signal based on the IP signal;

communicating the combined ATM/IP signal to multiple locations via the PON;

receiving the combined ATM/IP signal at one or more ATM locations having an existing ATM-based ONT;

extracting, at each of the ATM locations, a respective ATM stream specific to the location from the combined ATM/IP signal using its existing ATM-based ONT;

receiving the combined ATM/IP signal at one or more IP locations having an IP-based ONT; and

extracting, at each of the IP locations, an IP stream by phase demodulating the combined ATM/IP signal.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said phase modulating comprises phase modulating the ATM signal based on the IP signal without exceeding a specified tolerance of symbol period of the ATM signal.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein said phase modulating encodes two bits of the IP signal per pulse in the ATM signal.

12. An optical network terminal (ONT) comprising:

a phase demodulator to phase demodulate a combined Asyncrhonous Transfer Mode (ATM)/Internet Protocol (IP) signal to extract an IP stream.

13. The ONT of claim 12 wherein the phase demodulator is to decode multiple bits of the IP stream per pulse in the combined ATM/IP signal.

14. The ONT of claim 12 wherein the phase demodulator is to decode two bits of the IP stream per pulse in the combined ATM/IP signal.

15. An optical line terminal (OLT) comprising:

a phase modulator to phase modulate an Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) signal based on an Internet Protocol (IP) signal to form a combined ATM/IP signal.

16. The OLT of claim 15 wherein the phase modulator is to phase modulate the ATM signal based on the IP signal without exceeding a specified tolerance of symbol period of the ATM signal.

17. The OLT of claim 15 wherein the phase modulator encodes multiple bits of the IP signal per pulse in the ATM signal.

18. The OLT of claim 15 wherein the phase modulator encodes two bits of the IP signal per pulse in the ATM signal.