SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR BROADBAND TRANSMISSION OF SIGNALS

• US 20090034979A1
• Filed: 08/02/2007
• Published: 02/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CSR Technology Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Microtune, Inc. (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: Zancewicz, Gregory J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,019,221 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 398/115
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/25751 Optical arrangements for CATV or video distribution adaptations of television systems for optical transmission H04N7/22
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/22 Adaptations for optical transmission

Abstract

Systems and methods which facilitate broadband transmission of signals using a delivery point tuning technique to provide a extended frequency passive optical network (EF-PON) are shown. Embodiments provide an extended frequency optical transition node (EF-OTN) at each of a plurality of delivery points to provide a frequency translation interface between equipment disposed at the delivery point locations and a network utilizing transmission bandwidth which is incompatible with that equipment. The foregoing frequency conversion is preferably transparent to the equipment receiving the network transmissions. Embodiments utilize a single wideband tuner for providing frequency conversion with respect to a plurality of equipment disposed a delivery point. Network head-end modulators are controlled to implement channel grouping such that the signals requested by each piece of subscriber equipment at a delivery point are placed within radio frequency (RF) channels so that each such signal is within the frequency converted band of an EF-OTN tuner.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

an extended frequency optical transition node having an optical interface adapted to couple to a fiber-optic cable transmission network link and a radio frequency (RF) interface adapted to couple to a subscriber site RF link, said extended frequency optical transition node having a tuner circuit operable to provide frequency translation of signals carried by said fiber-optic cable transmission network link at frequencies outside of a tuning capability of subscriber equipment to frequencies within said tuning capability of said subscriber equipment.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said tuning capability of said subscriber equipment is 1 GHz or below, and wherein said frequencies outside of said tuning capability of said subscriber equipment are above 1 GHz.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said subscriber equipment comprises a set-top box.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said subscriber equipment comprises a television set.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said subscriber equipment comprises a cable modem.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said subscriber equipment comprises equipment configured to operate with respect to a switched digital video (SDV) passive optical network (PON) having a transmission bandwidth of 1 GHz, and wherein said frequency translation of signals by said extended frequency optical transition node is transparent to said subscriber equipment.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said tuning circuit has a passband selected to be broad enough to pass a plurality of RF channels transmitted via said fiber-optic cable transmission network.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said passband is at least 100 MHz.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein said plurality of RF channels is at least 4 RF channels.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein said tuning circuit comprises a multi-conversion tuner circuit.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein said multi-conversion tuner circuit comprises a double conversion tuner circuit.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein a plurality of mixers of said multi-conversion tuner circuit are disposed in a same integrated circuit.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising an optical transition circuit operable provide conversion of signals carried by said fiber-optic cable transmission link to RF signals, wherein at least a part of said optical transition circuit is disposed in said same integrated circuit.

14. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a head-end controller operable to provide channel paring of said signals such that a plurality of signals utilized by subscriber equipment associated with said extended frequency optical transition node are all modulated within a frequency band no broader than a passband of said tuning circuit.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein said tuning circuit comprises a tuner controller operable to control said tuning circuit to place said frequency band in said passband of said tuning circuit.

16. A system comprising:

an extended frequency optical transition node having an optical interface adapted to couple to a fiber-optic cable transmission network link and a radio frequency (RF) interface adapted to couple to a subscriber site RF link, said extended frequency optical transition node having a tuner circuit operable to provide frequency translation of signals carried by said fiber-optic cable transmission network link to selected frequencies output on said subscriber site RF link; and

a head-end controller operable to provide channel paring of said signals such that a plurality of signals utilized by subscriber equipment associated with said extended frequency optical transition node are all modulated within a frequency band no broader than a passband of said tuning circuit.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein said tuning circuit operates in accordance with a signal provided by said head-end controller to adjust a tuning frequency of said tuning circuit.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein said tuning circuit comprises a tuner controller operable to control said tuning circuit to place said frequency band in said passband of said tuning circuit in accordance with said head-end controller signal.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein said passband of said tuning circuit is at least 100 MHz.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein said passband of said tuning circuit passes at least 4 RF channels.

21. The system of claim 16, wherein said optical interface accepts a signal having greater than 1 GHz bandwidth.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein said signal has at least a 2 GHz bandwidth.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein said RF interface outputs a signal having less than 1 GHz bandwidth.

24. The system of claim 16, wherein said optical interface is adapted to accept a signal having a bandwidth greater than a tuning bandwidth of said subscriber equipment and said RF interface is adapted to output a signal having a bandwidth the same or less than the tuning bandwidth of said subscriber equipment.

25. The system of claim 16, wherein said tuning circuit comprises a multi-conversion tuner circuit.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein said multi-conversion tuner circuit comprises a double conversion tuner circuit.

27. A method comprising:

receiving information regarding a plurality of signals selected by subscriber equipment disposed at a subscriber site; and

controlling modulation of signals at a cable head-end to provide channel groupings such that said plurality of signals selected by subscriber equipment are modulated in RF channels falling within a selected bandwidth, said selected bandwidth being only a portion of available network transmission bandwidth.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein said selected bandwidth comprises a bandwidth corresponding to a passband of an extended frequency optical transition node receiving said RF channels.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein said available network transmission bandwidth is approximately 1 GHz and said selected bandwidth is approximately 100 MHz.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein said available network transmission bandwidth is greater than 1 GHz and said selected bandwidth is approximately 100 MHz.

31. The method of claim 27 further comprising:

converting said RF channels to an optical signal;

transmitting said optical signal to said subscriber site via a fiber-optic network link;

converting said optical signal to said RF channels at said subscriber site;

translating frequencies of said RF channels to a selected band of RF channels within a tuning range of said subscriber equipment, said selected band of RF channels being different than a band said RF channels were modulated in, and

outputting said selected band of RF channels on a subscriber site RF link coupled to said subscriber equipment.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein said band said RF channels were modulated in is outside said tuning range of said subscriber equipment.

33. The method of claim 31, further comprising:

multiplexing additional subscriber signals on said RF link coupled to said subscriber equipment.

34. The method of claim 33 wherein said additional subscriber signals comprise local area network signals passed between systems disposed at said subscriber site.

35. A method comprising:

converting an optical signal received at a subscriber site to a plurality of RF channels;

translating frequencies of said RF channels to a selected band of RF channels within a tuning range of a subscriber equipment disposed at said subscriber site, said selected band of RF channels being different than a band said RF channels were modulated in; and

outputting said selected band of RF channels on a subscriber site RF link coupled to said subscriber equipment.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein said band said RF channels were modulated in is outside said tuning range of said subscriber equipment.

37. The method of claim 35, wherein said tuning range of said subscriber equipment is 1 GHz or less.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein a transmission bandwidth of said optical signal received at said subscriber site is greater than 1 GHz.

39. The method of claim 35, further comprising:

receiving information regarding a plurality of signals selected by said subscriber equipment disposed at said subscriber site;

controlling modulation of signals at a cable head-end to provide channel groupings such that said plurality of signals selected by subscriber equipment are modulated in said RF channels failing within a selected bandwidth, said selected bandwidth being only a portion of available network transmission bandwidth;

converting said RF channels to an optical signal;

transmitting said optical signal to said subscriber site via a fiber-optic network link.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein said selected bandwidth comprises a bandwidth corresponding to a passband of an extended frequency optical transition node receiving said RF channels.

41. The method of claim 39, wherein said available network transmission bandwidth is approximately 1 GHz and said selected bandwidth is approximately 100 MHz.

42. The method of claim 39, wherein said available network transmission bandwidth is greater than 1 GHz and said selected bandwidth is approximately 100 MHz.