Pair gain system with an ADSL repeater unit

• US 6,236,664 B1
• Filed: 06/04/1999
• Issued: 05/22/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Terayon Communications Systems Incorporated (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Erreygers, Jan
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Wellington
• Assistant Examiner(s): JONES, PRENELL P
• Application Number:
  US09/326,768
• Time in Patent Office: 718 Days
• Field of Search: 370/492, 370/392, 370/241, 370/540, 370/535, 370/477, 370/246, 370/274, 370/501, 370/356, 370/352, 370/353, 375/215, 348/6, 379/90.01, 379/93.01, 379/338-379
• US Class Current: 370/492
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/10 Current supply arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/062 using different frequency bands for speech and other data

Abstract

The present invention provides an efficient way to implement ADSL over long distances by combining a repeater for ADSL with a pair gain system, whereby the pair gain system remotely provides DC power to the repeater over the same pair as that for transmission of DSL and ADSL signals. The invention allows telecom operators to save huge costs in implementing ADSL over long distances, without sacrificing the quality of signal transmission. According to an embodiment of the invention, a telecommunication system comprises a central office system, a customer premise system and a repeater unit. The central office system provides and receives digital subscriber line (DSL) and asymmetrical DSL (ADSL) signals over a first pair of wires. The central office system also provides DC power to the repeater unit via the first pair. The customer premise system receives and sends DSL and ADSL signals over a second pair of wires. The repeater unit is coupled between the first and second pairs of wires for receiving an ADSL signal from the central office system via the first pair and providing a repeated ADSL signal to the customer premise system via the second pair. The repeater unit also receives an ADSL signal from the customer premise system via the second pair and provides a repeated ADSL signal to the central office system via the first pair.

Claims

1. A telecommunications system including a twisted wire pair extending from a central office location to a subscriber premises location, the system comprising:

a digital subscriber line (DSL) transmission/receiving system connected to the twisted wire pair and having a pair gain central office terminal (COT) located at the central office location, that converts a first plurality of analog telecommunications signals into a DSL signal and supplies the DSL signal and operating power over the twisted wire pair and having a pair gain remote terminal (RT) at the subscriber premises location that obtains the DSL signal and operating power from the twisted wire pair and converts the DSL signal into the first plurality of analog telecommunications signals;

an asymmetrical digital subscriber line (ADSL) transmission/receiving system connected to the twisted wire pair and having an ADSL access multiplexer located at the central office location, that bidirectionally translates central office broadband data into central office ADSL signals and subscriber ADSL signals into subscriber broadband data, and having an ADSL modem at the subscriber premises location that bidirectionally translates subscriber broadband data into subscriber ADSL signals and central office ADSL signals into central office broadband data; and

an ADSL repeater unit, coupled to the twisted wire pair, for selectively receiving and bidirectionally repeating the ADSL signals via the twisted wire pair, said ADSL repeater unit also receiving operating power from the DSL COT via the twisted wire pair;

wherein said ADSL repeater unit extends the useful length of the twisted wire pair for carrying the ADSL signals.

2. The telecommunications system set forth in claim 1 wherein the ADSL repeater unit includes a repeater power supply connected to the twisted wire pair for regenerating COT supplied operating power to a predetermined higher voltage value and for supplying the regenerated operating power over the twisted wire pair to operate the DSL RT.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein:

said central office location further includes a first splitter that receives a DSL signal from the COT and an ADSL signal from the ADSL access multiplexer, and provides a combined DSL signal to said customer premises location, and an ADSL signal to said ADSL repeater unit, via the twisted wire pair; and

the first splitter also receives combined a DSL signal and a repeated ADSL signal via the twisted wire pair, separates the DSL signal from the repeated ADSL signal, provides the DSL signal to the COT, and provides the repeated ADSL signal to the ADSL access multiplexer.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein:

said customer premise system further includes a second splitter that receives combined a DSL signal, and a repeated ADSL signal from said repeater unit, via the twisted wire pair, separates the DSL signal from the repeated ADSL signal, provides the DSL signal to the RT, and provides the repeated ADSL signal to the ADSL modem; and

the second splitter also receives a DSL signal from the RT and an ADSL signal from the ADSL modem and provides a combined DSL signal to the COT and an ADSL signal to said repeater unit via the twisted wire pair.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the twisted wire pair comprises a first segment between said central office location and said ADSL repeater, and a second segment between said ADSL repeater and said subscriber premises location, and said ADSL repeater unit comprises:

a power supply circuit for drawing repeater operating power from the COT via the first segment,

a first low pass filter, coupled between the first and second segments, for allowing only DSL type signals and DC power signals to pass through;

a second low pass filter, coupled between the first segment and the ADSL repeater unit, for allowing only the DC power signal to pass through to the repeater power supply;

a first high pass filter, coupled between the first segment and the ADSL repeater, for allowing only the ADSL signal to pass through; and

a second high pass filter, coupled between the ADSL repeater and the second segment, for allowing only the ADSL signal to pass through.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the ADSL repeater receives a downstream ADSL signal from said central office location and remodulates it to provide a corresponding repeated ADSL signal to said customer premises location, the ADSL repeater also receiving an upstream ADSL type signal from the customer premises location and remodulating it to provide a corresponding repeated ADSL type signal to said central office location.

7. The system of claim 5 wherein:

the first low pass filter has a cutoff frequency of approximately 100 kHz;

the second low pass filter has a cutoff frequency of approximately 100 Hz; and

the first and second high pass filters each have a cutoff frequency of approximately 100 kHz.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the twisted wire pair comprises a first segment between said central office location and said ADSL repeater, and a second segment between said ADSL repeater and said subscriber premises location, and the ADSL repeater unit comprises:

a power supply and regeneration circuit that regenerates DC signals to predetermined higher values,

a band pass filter, coupled between the first and second segments, for allowing only a DSL signal to pass through;

a first low pass filter, coupled between the first segment and the ADSL repeater, for allowing only DC power to pass through to the repeater power supply and regeneration circuit;

a second low pass filter, coupled between the repeater power supply and the second segment for allowing only a regenerated DC power signal to pass through;

a first high pass filter, coupled between the first segment and the ADSL repeater, for allowing only the ADSL signal to pass through; and

a second high pass filter, coupled between the ADSL repeater and the second segment, for allowing only the ADSL signal to pass through.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the ADSL repeater receives a downstream ADSL signal from said central office system and remodulates it to provide a corresponding repeated ADSL signal to said customer premises location, the ADSL repeater also receiving an upstream ADSL signal from the customer premises location and remodulating it to provide a corresponding repeated ADSL signal to said central office location.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein:

the band pass filter has a frequency band between approximately 100 Hz to 100 kHz;

the first and second low pass filter each have a cutoff frequency of approximately 100 Hz; and

the first and second high pass filters each have a cutoff frequency of 100 kHz.

11. A method for extending bandwidth and useful service distance of a twisted wire pair telecommunications service loop between a central office location and a subscriber premises location, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing and receiving digital subscriber line (DSL) signals and providing DSL remote terminal operating power with a DSL central office terminal (COT) at the central office location; and

providing and receiving DSL signals and drawing operating power with a DSL remote terminal (RT) at the subscriber premises location, using the twisted wire pair;

(b) providing and receiving asymmetric DSL (ADSL) signals with a central office ADSL transmission/receiving unit at the central office location; and

providing and receiving ADSL signals at an ADSL remote unit at the subscriber premises location, using the twisted wire pair;

(c) providing repeated ADSL signals within the telecommunications service loop with an ADSL repeater unit connected to the twisted wire pair at a location intermediately between the central office location and subscriber premises location; and

(d) providing operating power to the ADSL repeater unit from the DSL COT via the twisted wire pair.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein step (c) includes further steps of:

providing a power supply circuit within the ADSL repeater unit,

receiving an ADSL signal and providing a corresponding repeated ADSL with the ADSL repeater unit;

passing only DSL signals and operating power through a first low pass filter within the ADSL repeater unit, coupled to the twisted wire pair;

passing only operating power through a second low pass filter, coupled between the twisted wire pair and the repeater power supply circuit;

passing only ADSL signals through a first high pass filter, coupled between the twisted wire pair and the ADSL repeater unit; and

passing only ADSL signals through a second high pass filter coupled between the ADSL repeater and the twisted wire pair.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein step (c) includes:

receiving and remodulating a downstream ADSL signal from the central office ADSL transmitting/receiving unit to provide a corresponding repeated ADSL signal to the ADSL remote unit at the subscriber premises location, using the ADSL repeater and the twisted wire pair, and

receiving and remodulating an upstream ADSL signal from the ADSL remote unit at the subscriber premises location to provide a corresponding repeated ADSL type signal to the central office ADSL transmitting/receiving unit, using the ADSL repeater and the twisted wire pair.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein:

the first low pass filter has a cutoff frequency of 100 kHz;

the second low pass filter has a cutoff frequency of 100 Hz; and

the first and second high pass filters each have a cutoff frequency of 100 kHz.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein step (c) includes steps of:

providing a power supply and regeneration circuit that regenerates COT supplied operating power to predetermined higher voltage values;

receiving an ADSL signal and providing a corresponding repeated ADSL signal;

passing only DSL type signals through a band pass filter coupled to the twisted wire pair;

passing only operating power through a first low pass filter, coupled between the twisted wire pair and the ADSL repeater unit power supply such that only operating power passes through to the power supply and regeneration circuit of the ADSL repeater;

passing only regenerated operating power through a second low pass filter coupled between the repeater power supply and the twisted wire pair;

passing only ADSL signals through a first high pass filter coupled between a first segment of the twisted wire pair leading to the central office ADSL unit and the ADSL repeater unit; and

passing only ADSL signals through a second high pass filter coupled between the ADSL repeater unit and a second segment of the twisted wire pair leading to the subscriber premises ADSL unit.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein step (c) includes steps of:

receiving and remodulating a downstream ADSL signal from the central office ADSL transmission/receiving unit to provide a corresponding repeated ADSL signal to the ADSL remote unit at the subscriber premises location using the ADSL repeater and the second segment; and

,

receiving and remodulating an upstream ADSL signal from the ADSL remote unit at the subscriber premises location and remodulating it to provide a corresponding repeated ADSL signal to the central office ADSL transmission/receiving unit, using the ADSL repeater unit and the first segment.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein:

the band pass filter has a frequency band between approximately 100 Hz to 100 kHz;

the first and second low pass filter each have a cutoff frequency of approximately 100 Hz; and

the first and second high pass filters each have a cutoff frequency of 100 kHz.

18. The method of claim 11 comprising the further step of regenerating COT supplied operating power to a predetermined higher voltage value with a power supply of the ADSL repeater unit and supplying regenerated operating power over the twisted wire pair to operate the DSL RT.

19. An asynchronous digital subscriber line (ASDL) service repeater unit for extending bandwidth and useful service distance of a twisted wire pair telecommunications service loop extending from a central office location to a subscriber premises location, the central office location including a first telecommunications system comprising a pair gain digital subscriber line (DSL) central office terminal (COT) for supplying DSL signals and operating power over the service loop and a DSL remote terminal (RT) connected to receive DSL signals and operating power at the subscriber premises location, and a second telecommunications system comprising a central office asynchronous DSL (ADSL) unit at the central office location for supplying ASDL signals over the service loop and a subscriber premises ADSL unit at the subscriber premises location for receiving ADSL signals via the service loop;

the ADSL service repeater unit being connected to the service loop intermediately of the central office location and the subscriber premises location and including;

signal filtering means for passing the DSL signals without modification, and for separating the operating power and the ADSL signals,

a pair of ADSL transceivers for respectively repeating ADSL signals from the central office ADSL unit to the subscriber premises ADSL unit and from the subscriber premises ADSL unit to the central office ADSL unit, and

a repeater power supply for providing operating power for operating the pair of ADSL transceivers, and for regenerating the operating power to a predetermined higher voltage level and sending the regenerated operating power over the service loop to provide regenerated operating power for operating the DSL RT.

20. The ADSL service repeater unit set forth in claim 19 further comprising a repeater controller connected to control the pair of ADSL transceivers.