Communication system with multicarrier transport distribution network between a head end terminal and remote units
First Claim
1. A bi-directional multi-point to point communication system, comprising:
- a hybrid fiber/coax distribution network having an optical fiber portion and a coaxial cable portion;
a head end terminal for downstream transmission of downstream control data and downstream telephony information in a first frequency bandwidth over the hybrid fiber/coax distribution network and for receipt of upstream telephony information and upstream control data in a second frequency bandwidth over the hybrid fiber/coax distribution network, the head end terminal including;
head end multicarrier modem means for modulating at least downstream telephony information on a plurality of orthogonal carriers in the first frequency bandwidth and for demodulating at least upstream telephony information modulated on a plurality of orthogonal carriers in the second frequency bandwidth;
head end controller means operatively connected to the head end multicarrier modem means for controlling transmission of the downstream telephony information and downstream control data and for controlling receipt of the upstream control data and upstream telephony information;
at least one service unit, each associated with at least one remote unit and operatively connected to the hybrid fiber/coax distribution network for upstream transmission of upstream telephony information and upstream control data in the second frequency bandwidth and for receipt of the downstream control data and downstream telephony information in the first frequency bandwidth, each service unit including;
service unit multicarrier modem means for modulating at least the upstream telephony information on at least one carrier orthogonal at the head end terminal to at least one other carrier of the second frequency bandwidth and for demodulating at least the downstream telephony information modulated on at least a band of a plurality of orthogonal carriers in the first frequency bandwidth;
service unit controller means operatively connected to the service unit multicarrier modem means for controlling the modulation of and demodulation performed by the service unit multicarrier modem means.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A multi-point to point communication system. The system includes a distribution network between a head end terminal and a plurality of remote units, the head end terminal for downstream transmission of downstream control data and downstream telephony information in a first frequency bandwidth over the distribution network and for receipt of upstream telephony information and upstream control data in a second frequency bandwidth over the distribution network. The head end terminal including a head end multicarrier modem means for modulating at least downstream telephony information on a plurality of orthogonal carriers in a plurality of regions of the first frequency bandwidth and for demodulating at least upstream telephony information modulated on a plurality of orthogonal carriers of a plurality of regions in the second frequency bandwidth. The head end controller means operatively connected to the head end multicarrier modem means for controlling transmission of the downstream telephony information and downstream control data and for controlling receipt of the upstream control data and upstream telephony information. The system also includes a plurality of service unit modem means, each service unit modem means associated with at least one remote unit and operatively connected to the distribution network for upstream transmission of upstream telephony information and upstream control data in one of the plurality of regions of the second frequency bandwidth and for receipt of the downstream control data and downstream telephony information in one of the plurality of regions in the first frequency bandwidth.
-
Citations
26 Claims
-
1. A bi-directional multi-point to point communication system, comprising:
-
a hybrid fiber/coax distribution network having an optical fiber portion and a coaxial cable portion;
a head end terminal for downstream transmission of downstream control data and downstream telephony information in a first frequency bandwidth over the hybrid fiber/coax distribution network and for receipt of upstream telephony information and upstream control data in a second frequency bandwidth over the hybrid fiber/coax distribution network, the head end terminal including;
head end multicarrier modem means for modulating at least downstream telephony information on a plurality of orthogonal carriers in the first frequency bandwidth and for demodulating at least upstream telephony information modulated on a plurality of orthogonal carriers in the second frequency bandwidth;
head end controller means operatively connected to the head end multicarrier modem means for controlling transmission of the downstream telephony information and downstream control data and for controlling receipt of the upstream control data and upstream telephony information;
at least one service unit, each associated with at least one remote unit and operatively connected to the hybrid fiber/coax distribution network for upstream transmission of upstream telephony information and upstream control data in the second frequency bandwidth and for receipt of the downstream control data and downstream telephony information in the first frequency bandwidth, each service unit including;
service unit multicarrier modem means for modulating at least the upstream telephony information on at least one carrier orthogonal at the head end terminal to at least one other carrier of the second frequency bandwidth and for demodulating at least the downstream telephony information modulated on at least a band of a plurality of orthogonal carriers in the first frequency bandwidth;
service unit controller means operatively connected to the service unit multicarrier modem means for controlling the modulation of and demodulation performed by the service unit multicarrier modem means. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
further wherein the plurality of orthogonal carriers in the second frequency bandwidth include at least one control channel for transmission of upstream control data after modulation of upstream control data thereon and a plurality of telephony information channels for transmission of upstream telephony information after modulation of upstream telephony information thereon.
-
-
3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the at least one control channel in the first frequency bandwidth includes a plurality of control channels, the plurality of control channels being interspersed among the plurality of telephony channels in the first frequency bandwidth.
-
4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the at least one control channel in the second frequency bandwidth includes a plurality of control channels, the plurality of control channels being interspersed among the plurality of telephony channels in the first frequency bandwidth.
-
5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the plurality of control channels include at least three control channels equally distributed among the telephony channels in the first frequency bandwidth such that an equal number of telephony channels separate one of the at least three control channels from another of the at least three control channels.
-
6. The system according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of control channels include at least three control channels equally distributed among the telephony channels in the first frequency bandwidth such that an equal number of telephony channels separate one of the at least three control channels from another of the at least three control channels.
-
7. The system according to claim 3, wherein the service unit multicarrier modem means includes a service modem means for upstream transmission of upstream telephony information and upstream control data within a channel band of the second frequency bandwidth having at least one control channel therein, the channel band of the second frequency bandwidth corresponding to one of the channel bands of the first frequency bandwidth having at least one control channel therein in which the service modem means receives downstream telephony information and downstream control information.
-
8. The system according to claim 3, wherein the service unit multicarrier modem means includes a multi-service modem means for upstream transmission of upstream telephony information and upstream control data within a plurality of channel bands of the second frequency bandwidth having multiple control channels interspersed therein, the plurality of channel bands of the second frequency bandwidth corresponding to a plurality of the channel bands of the first frequency bandwidth having multiple control channels interspersed therein in which the multi-service modem means receives downstream telephony information and downstream control information.
-
9. The system according to claim 3, wherein the at least one control channel of the first frequency bandwidth and the at least one control channel of the second frequency bandwidth each include at least one synchronization channel in the respective frequency bandwidth.
-
10. The system according to claim 9, wherein each at least one synchronization channel is offset from the telephony channels of the respective frequency bandwidth.
-
11. The system according to claim 9, wherein the at least one control channel of the first frequency bandwidth and the at least one control channel of the second frequency bandwidth each include redundant synchronization channels in the respective frequency bandwidths.
-
12. The system according to claim 2, wherein a first modulation technique of a plurality of modulation techniques is utilized for modulation of at least one carrier of the plurality of orthogonal carriers in the first frequency bandwidth and the plurality of orthogonal carriers in the second frequency bandwidth and wherein at least one other modulation technique of the plurality of modulation techniques is utilized for modulation of at least one other carrier of the plurality of orthogonal carriers in the first frequency bandwidth and the plurality of carriers in the second frequency bandwidth.
-
13. The system according to claim 12, wherein a first modulation technique is utilized for modulation of telephony information on at least one telephony information channel and the at least one other modulation technique is utilized for modulation of telephony information on at least one different telephony information channel.
-
14. The system according to claim 12, wherein a first modulation technique is utilized for modulation of the control data on the at least one control channel and the at least one other modulation technique is utilized for modulation of the telephony information on the telephony information channels.
-
15. The system according to claim 14, wherein the first modulation technique includes a lower order modulation relative to the at least one other modulation technique.
-
16. The system according to claim 12, wherein the first modulation technique is utilized for modulation of at least downstream telephony information on the at least one telephony channel in the first frequency bandwidth and the at least one other modulation technique is utilized for modulation of at least upstream telephony information on at least one telephony information channel in the second frequency bandwidth, the first modulation technique being a higher order modulation technique relative to the at least one other modulation technique.
-
17. The system according to claim 2,
wherein the service unit multicarrier modem means modulates upstream telephony information and upstream control data on a plurality of orthogonal carriers in the second frequency bandwidth and demodulates downstream telephony information and downstream control data modulated on a plurality of orthogonal carriers in the first frequency bandwidth; - and
further wherein the head end multicarrier modem means demodulates upstream telephony information and upstream control data on the plurality of orthogonal carriers in the second frequency bandwidth and modulates downstream telephony information and downstream control data modulated on the plurality of orthogonal carriers in the first frequency bandwidth.
- and
-
18. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first frequency bandwidth includes at least one control channel offset from the plurality of orthogonal carriers of the first frequency bandwidth for transmission of downstream control data after modulation of downstream control data thereon;
- and
further wherein the second frequency bandwidth includes at least one control channel offset from a plurality of orthogonal carriers of the second frequency bandwidth for transmission of upstream control data after modulation of upstream control data thereon.
- and
-
19. The system according to claim 18, wherein the plurality of orthogonal carriers in the first frequency bandwidth are grouped into a plurality of channel bands.
-
20. The system according to claim 19, wherein each of the channel bands in the first frequency bandwidth have at least one control channel associated therewith.
-
21. The system according to claim 19, wherein the service unit multicarrier modem means includes service modem means for upstream transmission of upstream telephony information with in at least one of the channel bands of the second frequency bandwidth and receipt of downstream telephony information within at least one of the channel bands of the first frequency bandwidth;
- and
further wherein the service modem means includes means for receiving and demodulating control data transmitted on the at least one control channel.
- and
-
22. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a video transport for distributing video signals from the head end terminal to at least one remote unit in a third frequency bandwidth.
-
23. The system according to claim 22, wherein the video transport further includes modem means for transmitting additional data signals for other services in a fourth frequency bandwidth from at least one remote unit to the head end terminal, the transmission of additional data signals utilizing one of a same modulation technique and a different modulation technique than utilized for modulation of telephony information or control data transmitted over the hybrid fiber/coax distribution network.
-
24. A communication system, comprising:
-
a distribution network between a head end terminal and at least one remote unit, the head end terminal for receipt of upstream telephony information and upstream control data in a frequency bandwidth over the distribution network, the head end terminal including;
head end multicarrier means for demodulating at least upstream telephony information modulated on a plurality of orthogonal carriers in the frequency bandwidth, wherein the plurality of orthogonal carriers in the frequency bandwidth include a plurality of telephony information channels for transmission of upstream telephony information after modulation of upstream telephony information thereon and at least one control channel associated with the plurality of telephony information channels for transmission of upstream control data after modulation of upstream control data thereon, the head end multicarrier means including polyphase filter means for filtering the at least upstream telephony information modulated on the plurality of orthogonal carriers to provide ingress protection for the modulated orthogonal carriers wherein the polyphase filter means includes one polyphase filter for filtering a plurality of channel sets of the modulated orthogonal carriers; and
head end controller means operatively connected to the head end multicarrier means for controlling receipt of the upstream control data and upstream telephony information;
at least one service unit multicarrier means, each associated with at least one remote unit and operatively connected to the distribution network for modulating at least upstream telephony information on at least one carrier orthogonal at the head end terminal to at least one other carrier in the frequency bandwidth; and
service unit controller means operatively connected to the service unit multicarrier means for controlling the modulation performed by the service unit multicarrier means. - View Dependent Claims (25)
-
-
26. A multi-point to point communication system, comprising:
-
a distribution network between a head end terminal and a plurality of remote units, the head end terminal for downstream transmission of downstream control data and downstream telephony information in a first frequency bandwidth over the distribution network and for receipt of upstream telephony information and upstream control data in a second frequency bandwidth over the distribution network, the head end terminal including;
head end multicarrier modem means for modulating at least downstream telephony information on a plurality of orthogonal carriers in a plurality of regions of the first frequency bandwidth and for demodulating at least upstream telephony information modulated on a plurality of orthogonal carriers of a plurality of regions in the second frequency bandwidth, the plurality of orthogonal carriers in each of the regions including a plurality of telephony information channels for transmission of telephony information thereon, each of the regions having at least one control channel associated therewith for transmission of control data; and
head end controller means operatively connected to the head end multicarrier modem means for controlling transmission of the downstream telephony information and downstream control data and for controlling receipt of the upstream control data and upstream telephony information; and
a plurality of service unit modem means, each service unit modem means associated with at least one remote unit and operatively connected to the distribution network for upstream transmission of upstream telephony information and upstream control data in one of the plurality of regions of the second frequency bandwidth and for receipt of the downstream control data and downstream telephony information in one of the plurality of regions in the first frequency bandwidth, each service unit modem means including;
means for scanning each of the plurality of regions in the first frequency bandwidth and for locking onto the at least one control channel in each of the plurality of regions to detect a unique identifier for each service unit modem means to determine which region of the first frequency bandwidth the service unit modem means is receive information from the head end terminal within, wherein the unique identifier is based on the serial number of the service unit modem means.
-
Specification