Method and Apparatus for Transporting Deterministic Traffic in a Gigabit Passive Optical Network

• US 20180324506A1
• Filed: 07/11/2018
• Published: 11/08/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Siwko, John, Hall, Andrew Jeffrey
• Granted Patent: US 10,757,490 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/272 Star-type networks or tree-type networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/08 Time-division multiplex systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/1694 Allocation of channels in TDM/TDMA networks, e.g. distributed multiplexers Passive Optical Networks H04Q11/0062
• 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 2011/0064 Arbitration, scheduling or medium access control aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0084 Quality of service aspects

Abstract

A system and method are disclosed for transporting deterministic traffic in a gigabit passive optical network. A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, an Optical Line Termination (OLT) for exchanging data traffic in a Gigabit Passive Optical Network (GPON) having a controller programmed to generate a timeslot schedule for transport of a desired bandwidth of constant bit rate (CBR) data traffic by selecting one or more timeslots from periodic frame clusters operating according to a GPON Transmission Convergence (GTC) protocol. Additional embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method for adjusting a time slot schedule comprising a first set of timeslots for transmitting a first type of data and a second set of timeslots for transmitting a second type of data, the method comprising:

detecting a change in an amount of the first type of data to be transmitted;

determining whether a change in an assignment of the first set of timeslots and a change in an assignment of the second set of timeslots supports the change in the amount of the first type of data to be transmitted; and

generating a new timeslot schedule in response to the detecting and the determining.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating the new timeslot schedule comprises changing a number of timeslots assigned to the first set of timeslots and changing a number of timeslots assigned to the second set of timeslots.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the new timeslot schedule comprises a plurality of timeslots of a periodic frame cluster.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the plurality of timeslots comprises the first set of timeslots and the second set of timeslots, the first type of data designated for user data traffic and the second type of data designated for management data traffic.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the generating the new timeslot schedule comprises increasing a number of the plurality of timeslots of the periodic frame cluster.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the increasing the number of the plurality of timeslots is in response to determining that the change in the assignment of the first set of timeslots and the change in the assignment of the second set of timeslots does not support the change in the amount of the first type of data to be transmitted.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a timeslot schedule by selecting specific timeslots to create a timeslot pattern across multiple periodic frame clusters.

8. An apparatus for adjusting a time slot schedule comprising a first set of timeslots for transmitting a first type of data and a second set of timeslots for transmitting a second type of data, the apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a memory to store computer program instructions, the computer program instructions when executed on the processor cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

detecting a change in an amount of the first type of data to be transmitted;

determining whether a change in an assignment of the first set of timeslots and a change in an assignment of the second set of timeslots supports the change in the amount of the first type of data to be transmitted; and

generating a new timeslot schedule in response to the detecting and the determining.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the generating the new timeslot schedule comprises changing a number of timeslots assigned to the first set of timeslots and changing a number of timeslots assigned to the second set of timeslots.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the new timeslot schedule comprises a plurality of timeslots of a periodic frame cluster.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the plurality of timeslots comprises the first set of timeslots and the second set of timeslots, the first type of data designated for user data traffic and the second type of data designated for management data traffic.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the generating the new timeslot schedule comprises increasing a number of the plurality of timeslots of the periodic frame cluster.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the increasing the number of the plurality of timeslots is in response to determining that the change in the assignment of the first set of timeslots and the change in the assignment of the second set of timeslots does not support the change in the amount of the first type of data to be transmitted.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, the operations further comprising:

generating a timeslot schedule by selecting specific timeslots to create a timeslot pattern across multiple periodic frame clusters.

15. A computer readable medium storing computer program instructions for adjusting a time slot schedule comprising a first set of timeslots for transmitting a first type of data and a second set of timeslots for transmitting a second type of data, which, when executed on a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

detecting a change in an amount of the first type of data to be transmitted;

determining whether a change in an assignment of the first set of timeslots and a change in an assignment of the second set of timeslots supports the change in the amount of the first type of data to be transmitted; and

generating a new timeslot schedule in response to the detecting and the determining.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the generating the new timeslot schedule comprises changing a number of timeslots assigned to the first set of timeslots and changing a number of timeslots assigned to the second set of timeslots.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the new timeslot schedule comprises a plurality of timeslots of a periodic frame cluster.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the plurality of timeslots comprises the first set of timeslots and the second set of timeslots, the first type of data designated for user data traffic and the second type of data designated for management data traffic.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the generating the new timeslot schedule comprises increasing a number of the plurality of timeslots of the periodic frame cluster.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the increasing the number of the plurality of timeslots is in response to determining that the change in the assignment of the first set of timeslots and the change in the assignment of the second set of timeslots does not support the change in the amount of the first type of data to be transmitted.