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Cable television system with digital reverse path architecture

  • US 6,523,177 B1
  • Filed: 04/01/1999
  • Issued: 02/18/2003
  • Est. Priority Date: 04/01/1999
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. In a cable television (CATV) system including a headend that provides video and data to a plurality of subscriber equipment via a hybrid fiber/coax (HFC) network that includes a fiber portion, a coax portion, and a node for connecting the fiber portion to the coax portion, a reverse path of the HFC network including a digital optical node, a hub, and a headend, the reverse path comprising:

  • in the digital optical node, a plurality of inputs for receiving from the coax portion of the HFC network a combined reverse analog RF signal comprising RF reverse path signals from the plurality of subscriber equipment;

    a plurality of analog-to-digital (AID) converters each coupled to an input for converting the combined reverse analog RF signal into a reverse digital signal;

    a multiplexer for multiplexing the reverse digital signals from the plurality of A/D converters into a single multiplexed digital stream; and

    a digital optical transmitter for generating a reverse digital optical signal in accordance with the single multiplexed digital stream; and

    in the headend, a receiver for recovering a digital electrical signal from the reverse digital optical signal;

    a demultiplexer for demultiplexing the digital electrical signal to generate demultiplexed signals; and

    a plurality of digital-to-analog (D/A) converters for converting the demultiplexed signal to the combined reverse analog RF signal.

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