OPTICAL/RADIO LOCAL ACCESS NETWORK

• US 20140226976A1
• Filed: 02/25/2014
• Published: 08/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property II LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property II LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Britz, David M., Lin, Lih-Yuan, Miller, Robert R., Dodley, Jeevan
• Granted Patent: US 9,571,190 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 398/25
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/0795 Performance monitoring; Measurement of transmission parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/11 Arrangements specific to free-space transmission, i.e. transmission through air or vacuum
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/1123 Bidirectional transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/1125 using a single common optical path
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/02 Wavelength-division multiplex systems
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0026 using free space propagation (e.g. lenses, mirrors)
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0081 Fault tolerance; Redundancy; Recovery; Reconfigurability

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a central controller that executes instructions facilitating performance of operations including monitoring multiple network nodes, at least some of the network nodes being in communication with others through respective point-to-point links. Each point-to-point link includes a respective free space optical channel. The central controller detects optical received signal strength of a free space optical channel falling below a certain level and provides control signals to reconfigure the multiple network nodes. Signals are re-routed along one of the respective point-to-point links through other network nodes responsive to detecting the optical received signal strength falling below the certain level Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A central controller comprising:

a memory that stores executable instructions; and

a processor in communication with the memory, which, responsive to executing the instructions, facilitates performance of operations comprising;

monitoring a plurality of network nodes, at least some of the plurality of network nodes being in communication with others of the plurality of network nodes through respective point-to-point links, each point-to-point link comprising a respective free space optical channel;

detecting an optical received signal strength of a free space optical channel of the respective free space optical channels falling below a certain level;

providing control signals to reconfigure the plurality of network nodes; and

re-routing signals along one of the respective point-to-point links through other network nodes of the plurality of network nodes responsive to detecting the optical received signal strength falling below the certain level.

2. The central controller of claim 1, wherein the monitoring comprises coupling the central controller to each network node of the plurality of network nodes over a radio telephone system.

3. The central controller of claim 1, wherein each network node of the plurality of network nodes controllably routes signals from a plurality of in-ports of a switch into a plurality of out-ports of the switch.

4. The central controller of claim 1, wherein each respective point-to-point link includes a first channel for coupling to a first network node of the plurality of network nodes through a receive path and a second channel for coupling to a second network node of the plurality of network nodes through a transmit path.

5. The central controller of claim 1, wherein the monitoring comprises detecting an alarm.

6. The central controller of claim 1, wherein the detecting of the optical received signal strength of the respective free space optical channel falling below a threshold level is indicative of adverse link conditions along the respective point-to-point link.

7. The central controller of claim 1, wherein the re-routing of the signals along the one of the respective point-to-point links through the other network nodes comprises causing a switch to direct signals between one of a plurality of input ports to one of a plurality of output ports.

8. A machine-readable storage medium, comprising instructions that, responsive to being executed by a controller, cause the controller to facilitate performance of operations comprising:

detecting, within a wireless network, an optical received signal strength of a free space optical channel of a network route to a destination, falling below a threshold level, wherein the network route comprises a first group of nodes of a plurality of nodes of the wireless network;

selecting, responsive to detecting the optical received signal strength falling below the threshold level, an alternative network route to the destination comprising a second group of nodes of the plurality of nodes of the wireless network; and

commanding, by the controller in communication with the plurality of nodes of the wireless network, a reconfiguration of the plurality of nodes of the wireless network according to the alternative network route.

9. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the optical received signal strength falling below the threshold level results from adverse environmental condition, and wherein the selecting of the alternative network route to the destination comprises bypassing the adverse environmental condition.

10. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise communicating with the first group of nodes of the plurality of nodes of the wireless network by way of cellular radio telephone communication.

11. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise:

generating an alarm responsive to the optical received signal strength falling below the threshold level; and

transmitting the alarm to the controller by way of radio telephone communication.

12. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the commanding of the reconfiguration of the plurality of nodes comprises sending commands from the controller by way of radio telephone communication.

13. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the commanding the reconfiguration of the plurality of nodes of the wireless network according to the alternative network route comprises sending signals over a radio telephone link.

14. A communication node comprising:

a free space communication device to selectively communicate with a first network node of a plurality of network nodes by way of a free space optical channel;

a radio frequency communication device to selectively communicate with the first network node by way of a radio frequency channel;

a signal monitor in communication with each of the free space communication device and the radio frequency communication device, to monitor channel losses in one of the free space optical channel, the radio frequency channel or both, the channel losses indicative of a received signal failure resulting from one of rain, fog or rain and fog; and

a first switch in communication with the free space communication device, the radio frequency communication device and the signal monitor, wherein the first switch causes an exchange of data with the first node in the free space optical channel responsive to the received signal failure resulting from rain, and an exchange of data with the first node in the radio frequency channel responsive to the received signal failure resulting from fog.

15. The communication node of claim 14, further comprising a second switch in communication with the first switch, to selectively direct the exchange of data between the first network node and a second network node of the plurality of network nodes, wherein operation of the second switch to selectively direct the exchange of data is responsive to commands received from a central controller.

16. The communication node of claim 15, further comprising a wireless transceiver in communication with the central controller, to receive the commands from the central controller.

17. The communication node of claim 16, wherein the wireless transceiver is a radio telephone transceiver.

18. The communication node of claim 15, wherein the second switch comprises a plurality of in-ports and a plurality of out-ports, wherein the second switch controllably routes signals from the plurality of in-ports into the plurality of out-ports.

19. The communication node of claim 14, further comprising an optical receiver in communication between the free space communication device and the signal monitor, to generate an alarm responsive to a signal strength of the the received signal falling below a threshold level.

20. The communication node of claim 14, wherein detecting an optical received signal strength of the free space optical channel falling below a threshold level is indicative of adverse link conditions along a point-to-point link between the communication node and a second network node of the plurality of network nodes.