Optical serial bus interface

• US 5,594,576 A
• Filed: 02/03/1995
• Issued: 01/14/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Alcatel Network Systems India Limited (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel Network Systems India Limited (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Matsumura, Paul M., Sutherland, Joseph E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Wellington
• Assistant Examiner(s): BACARES, RAFAEL D
• Application Number:
  US08/384,377
• Time in Patent Office: 711 Days
• Field of Search: 359/118, 359/120, 359/121, 359/125, 359/137, 359/158, 359/164, 359/163, 370/110.1, 370/94.1
• US Class Current: 398/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0298 with sub-carrier multiplexing [SCM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/086 Medium access H04J3/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 2203/0026 Physical details
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 2203/0041 Star, e.g. cross-connect, concentrator, subscriber group equipment, remote electronics
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 2203/0046 User Network Interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 2203/0078 Support of N-ISDN
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 2203/008 Support of video
• 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 11/0071 Provisions for the electrical-optical layer interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1301 Optical transmission, optical switches
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1332 Logic circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13322 Integrated circuits

Abstract

In an optical fiber transmission network, a remote terminal fed by a high-rate optical signal includes an internal electrical link called a serial interface bus carrying 24 DS0 channels. The optical transmission network is extended by converting the SBI baseband signal from electrical to optical and transmitting the SBI optical signal over a distribution fiber to a network unit located in the neighborhood of the subscribers.

Claims

1. In an optical fiber communications network having a remote terminal located in a subscriber neighborhood and fed by a high-rate optical fiber signal for providing, at a lower-rate signal interface of the remote terminal, lower-rate signals to various sites in said subscriber neighborhood, wherein the remote terminal includes a cross-connect having a high-rate interface connected to said high-rate optical fiber and having a plurality of internal electrical signal links each having a payload of a selected number of channels connected to said low-rate interface, wherein an improved remote terminal lower-rate interface comprises:

means for directly converting the existing plurality of internal electrical signal links to corresponding optical signals; and

means for transmitting the optical signals along corresponding distribution fibers to corresponding optical network units located at said various sites in said subscriber neighborhood.

2. An improvement described in claim 1, wherein the selected number of channels can accommodate a selected SONET virtual tributary.

3. An improvement as described in claim 2, wherein at least one of the channels of the internal link accommodates a sync word.

4. An improvement as described in claim 3, wherein each channel includes channel-associated ABCD signaling.

5. The improved optical fiber communications network of claim 1, wherein each of said existing plurality of internal electrical signal links comprises a serial transport frame format, each frame generated at a frequency of four megahertz.