Inverted Passive Optical Network/inverted Passive Electrical Network (iPON/iPEN) Based Data Fusion and Synchronization System
First Claim
1. A communication system located between a first location, including a data store, and a plurality of data sensors remote from the first location, at least some of the data sensors remote from other data sensors, said system comprising:
- a network controller at the first location generating and embedding plural timing and control signals, the timing and control signals arranged so that data which is synchronous with the timing signals will allow for data fusion notwithstanding wide geographic dispersion among said data sensors;
a passive communication medium connecting said network controller and the remote data sensors and transmitting the timing and control signals from the network controller to the remote data sensors;
a plurality of network gateways, each said network gateway coupled between said passive communications medium and one or more adjacent data sensors, each network gateway adapting the timing and control signals for extracting and generating timing signals to adjacent data sensors;
a plurality of the data sensors responding to the timing signals for generating data signals, each of the network gateways responding to data signals from adjacent sensors for generating data signals synchronous with the timing signals for transmission along the passive communications medium towards the network controller, wherein an aggregate data rate from the remote data sensors towards the network controller is orders of magnitude larger than a data rate from the network controller towards the remote data sensors.
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Abstract
The present invention is an apparatus, method and system for time synchronizing data from various sensor types that enables data fusion and transport. To provide this capability, the present invention utilizes an inverted Passive Optical Network (PON) approach for synchronous communication. Further, the present invention introduces an inverted Passive Electrical Network (iPEN) that extends the iPON approach. Data that are in a common format with embedded time synchronization information can easily be integrated or fused and transported over such communication links. The present invention provides the ability to merge and aggregate data from a wide range of disparate sensors and systems while maintaining close synchronization. The present invention is appropriate for synchronization of data, voice, and video onto a single network and/or multi-tiered networks and can also handle signal processing and control technologies at line rates well into the Gigabits per second (Gbps) range.
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Citations
15 Claims
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1. A communication system located between a first location, including a data store, and a plurality of data sensors remote from the first location, at least some of the data sensors remote from other data sensors, said system comprising:
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a network controller at the first location generating and embedding plural timing and control signals, the timing and control signals arranged so that data which is synchronous with the timing signals will allow for data fusion notwithstanding wide geographic dispersion among said data sensors;
a passive communication medium connecting said network controller and the remote data sensors and transmitting the timing and control signals from the network controller to the remote data sensors;
a plurality of network gateways, each said network gateway coupled between said passive communications medium and one or more adjacent data sensors, each network gateway adapting the timing and control signals for extracting and generating timing signals to adjacent data sensors;
a plurality of the data sensors responding to the timing signals for generating data signals, each of the network gateways responding to data signals from adjacent sensors for generating data signals synchronous with the timing signals for transmission along the passive communications medium towards the network controller, wherein an aggregate data rate from the remote data sensors towards the network controller is orders of magnitude larger than a data rate from the network controller towards the remote data sensors. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 13)
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9. A system for providing data fusion, comprising:
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an network controller;
a plurality of network gateways; and
a passive medium of at least one of fiber and copper, wherein the passive medium provides connects the network controller and the plurality of network gateways, and the plurality of network terminations mad provides synchronous sampling, data fusion and network message buffer alignment.
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10. A method for providing synchronous sampling, data fusion and network message buffer alignment, comprising:
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receiving at least one of a inverted Passive Optical Network (iPON) or inverted Passive Electrical Network (iPEN) downstream signals;
extracting embedded Physical Media Dependent (PMD) and Transmission Convergence (TC) Layer Frame Sync and byte rate clock to generate Analog-to-Digital Conversion (ADC) sample clocks or triggers to smart sensors;
receiving iPON/iPEN control bytes and extracting a proprietary primary frame and superframe indicator, sequence number, and time tag information;
using recovered PMD and TC Layer information to create synchronized data acquisition signals;
acquiring sensor data and aligning data message buffers with a recovered system superframe;
inserting message time stamp, sequence number, and local Network Gateway status information; and
transmitting sensor data formatted as standard network messages.
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11. A Network Gateway apparatus comprising:
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a iPON/iPEN network interface;
sensor interfaces;
network adaptation;
sensor synchronization logic;
data acquisition logic; and
data buffering.
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12. A method for operating a network gateway, comprising:
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bridging local communications back into a iPON/iPEN network;
time tagging a data stream; and
managing the Quality of Service (QoS) functions at a local level.
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14. A method for operating a Network Gateway comprising:
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receiving at least one of the Passive Optical Network (iPON) and Passive Electrical Network (iPEN) downstream signal and extracting an embedded Physical Media Dependent (PMD) and Transmission Convergent (TC) Layer Frame Sync and byte rate clock to generate Analog-to-Digital Converter sample clocks or triggers for smart sensors;
receiving iPON/iPEN control bytes and extracting a proprietary super frame indicator, sequence number, and time tag information;
using recovered PMD and TC Layer information to create synchronized data acquisition signals;
acquiring sensor data and aligning data message buffers with a recovered system superframe;
inserting message time stamp, sequence number, and local Network Gateway status information; and
transmitting sensor data formatted as standard network messages.
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15. A physical control block format for a network comprising:
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a Physical Sync frame alignment word;
a frame identification field for super frame indication;
a Physical Layer Operation Administration and Maintenance (PLOAM) message field;
a Bit Interleaved Parity;
a Payload Length and a redundant Payload Length;
an upstream BW Map for attached network termination transmission container mapping; and
and, optionally, a Payload ATM and GEM partition, wherein the Physical Sync frame alignment word generates a frame sync reference pulse, the frame identification field utilizes logic to align lower frequency sample rates and identify super frames, the PLOAM message field utilizes logic to insert and extract additional frame synchronization and time stamp fields, and the upstream data.
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Specification