REMOTE NODE AND NETWORK ARCHITECTURE AND DATA TRANSMISSION METHOD FOR A FIBER-OPTIC NETWORK, ESPECIALLY FOR LOW BIT-RATE DATA TRANSMISSION

• US 20130094857A1
• Filed: 12/08/2011
• Published: 04/18/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adtran Networks SE (ADTRAN Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ADVA Optical Networking SE (ADTRAN Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hinderthr, Henning, Grobe, Klaus
• Granted Patent: US 8,774,628 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 398/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/278 Bus-type networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0067 Provisions for optical access or distribution networks, e.g. Gigabit Ethernet Passive Optical Network (GE-PON), ATM-based Passive Optical Network (A-PON), PON-Ring

Abstract

A remote node architecture for a fiber-optic network, especially for low bit-rate data transmission, the fiber-optic network architecture comprises a central node and a plurality of remote nodes serially connected to each other or to the central node, respectively. The central node and the remote nodes are capable of communicating by means of digital optical signals created by the central node or a respective remote node, each digital optical signal comprising a data frame. The remote node comprises an optical connection network, a single transceiver device comprising an optical receiver unit and an optical transmitter unit, and an electronic controller device for controlling the transceiver device. The optical connection network defines a western optical connection port, an eastern optical connection port, an internal optical receiving port being connected to the optical receiver unit and an internal optical transmitting port being connected to the optical transmitter unit.

Claims

1. A remote node architecture for a fiber-optic network, especially for low bit-rate data transmission, the fiber-optic network architecture (1) comprising a central node (3, 7) and a plurality of remote nodes (5) serially connected to each other or to the central node (3, 7), respectively, the central node (3, 7) and the remote nodes (5) being capable of communicating by means of digital optical signals created by the central node (3, 7) or a respective remote node (5), each digital optical signal comprising a data frame,

(a) the remote node (5) comprising an optical connection network (15, 150), a single transceiver device (17) comprising an optical receiver unit (19) and an optical transmitter unit (21, 210), and an electronic controller device (27) for controlling the transceiver device (17),

(b) the optical connection network (15, 150) defining a western optical connection port (11), an eastern optical connection port (9), an internal optical receiving port (23) being connected to the optical receiver unit (19) and an internal optical transmitting port (25) being connected to the optical transmitter unit (21, 210),

(c) the controller device (27), the transceiver device (17) and the optical connection network (15, 150) being designed such that

(i) for transmitting information from the remote node (5) to the central node (3, 7) or a further selected remote node (5), the controller device (27) creates at least one data frame including content data supplied to the controller device (27) and address data for addressing the central node (3, 7) and controls the optical transmitter unit (21, 210) such that a digital optical transmit signal according to the at least one data frame is created, the digital optical transmit signal being simultaneously supplied to the eastern and western optical connection port (9, 11),

(ii) for receiving information from the central node (3, 7) or a further selected remote node (5), the receiver unit (19) receives a digital optical transmit signal created by the central node (3, 7) or the selected further remote node (5) or a digital optical echo signal created by another remote node (5), which is supplied to the western or eastern optical connection port (11, 9) and which comprises at least one data frame including content data and address data for addressing the remote node (5), with at least a given power portion at the internal optical receiving port (23), and the controller device (27) processes the respective at least one data frame, and

(iii) for regenerating a digital optical transmit or regenerated signal received, the receiver unit (19) receives a digital optical transmit signal created by the central node (3, 7) or a remote node (5) or a digital optical regenerated signal created by another remote node (5), which is supplied to the western or eastern optical connection port (11, 9) and which comprises at least one data frame including content data and address data not addressing the remote node (5), with at least a given power portion at the internal optical receiving port (23), and the controller device (27) creates a regenerated data frame including the same content and address data as the received data frame and controls the optical transmitter unit (21, 210) such that a digital optical regenerated signal according to the regenerated data frame is created, the digital optical regenerated signal being simultaneously output to both optical connection ports (11, 9).

2. A remote node architecture according to claim 1, characterized in that the optical connection network (15, 150) is realized as a 2×

2 port optical coupling means, preferably a 2×

2 3 dB optical coupler, two of the ports of the optical coupling means defining the western optical connection port (11) and the eastern optical connection port (9) and the two other ports of the optical coupling means defining the internal optical receiving port (23) and the internal optical transmitting port (25).

3. A remote node architecture according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, when regenerating a digital optical transmit signal or regenerated digital optical signal that has been received, the controller device (27) marks the at least one regenerated data frame as having been regenerated by the respective remote node and that, when having received a digital optical transmit or regenerated signal not addressed to the respective remote node, the controller device detects whether the frame of the signal received includes a marker indicating that the signal has already been regenerated by the respective remote node and, if so, suppresses the transmission of a regenerated digital optical regenerated signal.

4. A remote node architecture according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the controller device (27) performs a signal regeneration with respect to the signal timing, shape and amplitude.

5. A remote node architecture according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the controller device (27) includes storage means for storing information concerning the fiber-optic network structure, that the controller device determines whether the respective remote node (5) lies within the communication path between the central node (3, 7) or the further selected remote node (5) and the remote node (5) between which the information included in the optical transmit signal received or in the regenerated optical signal received is to be exchanged, and that the controller device suppresses creating a regenerated signal if the position of the remote node is outside the communication path.

6. A remote node architecture according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the western optical connection port (11) and the eastern optical connection port (9) are designed as single fiber working ports adapted to be connected to a single optical waveguide.

7. A fiber-optic network architecture, especially for a fiber-optic sensor network requiring low data transmission bit-rates, comprising:

(a) a central node (3, 7) including an optical connection port (13) and a plurality of remote nodes (5), each remote node (5) including a western and eastern optical connection port (11, 9), the central node (3, 7) and the remote nodes (5) connected in series to each other,

(b) the central node (3, 7) and each of the remote nodes (5) being capable of communicating by means of digital optical signals created by the central node (3, 7) or a respective remote node (5), each digital optical signal comprising at least one data frame including content data and address data,

wherein

(c) each of the remote nodes (5) is a remote node having a remote node structure according to one of the preceding claims.

8. A fiber-optic network architecture according to claim 7, wherein the network architecture (1) comprises a second central node (7, OLT2) comprising an optical connection port (13) connected to the last remote node (5) of the serially connected remote nodes (5).

9. A fiber-optic network architecture according to claim 8, wherein the two central nodes (3, 7) are provided at the same location so that the network architecture (1) forms an open ring architecture providing fiber protection.

10. A method for transmitting digital data in a fiber-optic network, especially for low bit-rate data transmission, the network (1) comprising a central node (3, 7) including an optical connection port (13) and a plurality of remote nodes (5), each remote node (5) including a western and eastern optical connection port (11, 9), the central node (3, 7) and the remote nodes (5) connected in series to each other by means of a fiber-optic path forming a fiber-optic chain-like structure, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) creating, in the central node (3, 7), a digital optical transmit signal addressed to a selected remote node (5) and outputting the digital optical signal to the fiber-optic path in direction of the selected remote node (5), or creating, in a selected remote node (5), a digital optical transmit signal addressed to the central node (3, 7) or to a further remote node (5) and outputting the digital optical signal in both directions to the fiber-optic path connected to the western and eastern optical connection ports (11, 9), the digital optical transmit signal created in the central node (3, 7) or the selected remote node (5) comprising at least one data frame including content data and address data,

(b) in each of the remote nodes (5) in the path between the selected remote node (5) and the central node (3, 7);

(i) receiving the digital optical transmit signal or a regenerated optical signal created by a neighboring remote node (5),

(ii) creating a regenerated signal that is output in both directions, the regenerated optical signal comprising at least one data frame and including identical content data and address data and further including marker data identifying the regenerated optical signal as having been regenerated by the respective remote node, and

(iii) suppressing the creation of a regenerated optical signal if the optical transmit signal or the regenerated optical signal received is detected as already being marked as having been regenerated by the respective remote node.

11. The method for transmitting digital data in a fiber-optic network according to claim 10, the network (1) comprising a second central node (3, 7) at the other end of the fiber-optic chain-like structure, wherein both central nodes (3, 7) are provided at the same location and wherein a first communication path between a selected remote node (5) and a first one of the central nodes (3, 7) is used as a working path and a second communication path between the selected remote node (5) and the second one of the central nodes (3, 7) is used as a protection path.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein an optical transmit signal created in a selected remote node (5) is simultaneously transmitted in both directions to both central nodes (3, 7) and wherein the central nodes or a higher-level control unit connected to the central nodes (3, 7) decide which of the signals received is to be used as a receive signal that is further processed or evaluated.

13. The method according to claim 10 or 11, wherein each remote node creates a regenerated optical signal only if the position of the remote node lies within the communication path between the respective central node (3, 7) and the respective remote node (5).