Method and an arrangement for integrated radio telecommunication via a CATV network

• US 6,594,827 B1
• Filed: 08/23/1999
• Issued: 07/15/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Pennings, Jacobus
• Primary Examiner(s): Srivastava, Vivek
• Application Number:
  US09/214,911
• Time in Patent Office: 1,422 Days
• Field of Search: 348/6, 348/10, 348/12, 348/13, 348/14, 348/17, 348/11, 348/8, 348/9, 455/3.1, 455/5.1, 455/6.3, 455/6.6, 455/4.1, 455/4.2, 455/6.2, 340/825.081, 340/825.22, 370/294, 370/296, 370/295, 725/105, 725/106, 725/127
• US Class Current: 725/106
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2801 Broadband local area networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1215 where a cable TV network is used as an access to the PSTN/ISDN
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6118 involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6131 involving transmission via a mobile phone network wireless downlink channel access H04W74/006
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6168 involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6181 involving transmission via a mobile phone network arrangements for providing broadcast or conference services to substation in data switching networks in combination with wireless systems H04L12/189; wireless uplink channel access H04W74/004
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 Transmission or handling of upstream communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/10 between terminal device and access point, i.e. wireless air interface

Abstract

A method of and an arrangement for integrated telecommnunication via a Cable TeleVision (CaTV) network (3-14) in a first or downstream direction from a head-end section (2) to subscriber sections (20) and in a second or upstream direction from the subscriber sections (20) to the first or head-end section (2). First transmission equipment (18, 19, 23) serve downstream and upstream communication in accordance with the Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT) standard. The first transmission equipment (18, 19, 23) comprises a plurality of radio access units arranged at distribution and/or district centers (11) of said CaTV network (3-14) operating at a low-end frequency sub-band of the CaTV network (3-14). Network Termination Units (20, 30, 43) are provided comprising DECT conversion means (39) for radio communication at the standard DECT frequency band.

Claims

1. An arrangement for integrated telecommunication via a Cable TeleVision (CaTV) network in a first or downstream direction from a first or head-end section to second or subscriber sections and in a second or upstream direction from said second or subscriber sections to said first or head-end section, through intermediate trunk, distribution centers and distribution sections, district centers and district sections, feeder sections and drop sections, intermediate trunk units connecting said trunk and distribution sections, and distribution and/or district centers connecting said distribution and district sections, and first communication means operative through said CaTV network at a low-end frequency sub-band thereof in accordance with the Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT) standard, wherein said first communication means comprise a plurality of radio access units arranged at said distribution centers and/or district centers for communication with said subscriber sections through said district sections, feeder sections and drop sections of said CaTV network, and wherein said subscriber sections comprise Network Terminal Unit (NTU) means comprising a DECT repeater arranged for up-converting to the DECT standard frequency band of said low-end frequency sub-band DECT signals for radio transmission by said NTU means to provide wireless radio communication at said subscriber sections, and for down-converting to DECT signals for transmission at said low-end frequency sub-band in said CaTV network of signals at the DECT standard frequency band received by said NTU means from wireless radio communication at said subscriber sections wherein NTU further comprises a first filter section, said first filter section has a first output for outputting telephone signals to an interface via said DECT repeater, said first filter section has a second output for outputting multimedia signals and said first filter section has third output for outputting a third signal to the input of a second filter section, said second filter section having a first output for outputting radio signals and said second filter section having a second output for outputting television signals, wherein said interface comprises a first access terminal for bi-directional telephony communication and a second access terminal for upstream communication.

2. An arrangement according to claim 1, wherein each district section connects to at least one separate radio access unit.

3. An arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said radio access units are arranged at said intermediate trunk units.

4. An arrangement according to claim 3, wherein each distribution section connects to at least one separate radio access unit.

5. An arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said a plurality of radio access units connect by a data link connection to a Radio Node Controller (RNC) connecting to a network exchange, such as Private Branch exchange (PBX) and/or an exchange of a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN).

6. An arrangement according to claim 5, wherein said data link connection forms part of the CaTV network.

7. An arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said NTU comprise a wired telephone socket for connecting a wired telephone terminal for communication through said first communication means.

8. An arrangement according to claim 1, further comprising second communication means operative in accordance with a second transmission protocol serving at least downstream communication at high data rates, and third communication means connected to said first and second communication means and serving at least downstream communication at high data rates and upstream communication at DECT based data rates through said first communication means.

9. An arrangement according to claim 8, wherein said second and third communication means are arranged to operate in accordance with a Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) radio communication protocol.

10. A method of integrated telecommunication via a Cable TeleVision (CaTV) network in a first or downstream direction from a first or head-end section to second or subscriber sections and in a second or upstream direction from said second or subscriber sections to said first or head-end section, through intermediate trunk, distribution centers and distribution sections, district centers and district sections, feeder sections and drop sections, intermediate trunk units connecting said trunk and distribution sections, and distribution centers and/or district centers connecting said distribution and district sections, wherein communication is served through said CaTV network at a low-end frequency sub-band thereof in accordance with the Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT) standard, comprising the steps of:

serving upstream and downstream DECT communication at a low-end frequency sub-band of said district sections, feeder sections, and drop sections of said CaTV network,

at said subscriber sections, up-converting by a DECT repeater to the DECT standard frequency band of said low-end frequency sub-band DECT signals by Network Terminal Unit (NTU) means and radio transmission of said up-converted DECT signals by said NTU means for providing wireless radio communication at said subscriber sections, and

at said subscriber sections, down-converting to DECT signals at said low-end frequency sub-band of said CATV network and transmission thereof through said drop, feeder and district sections to said radio access units of signals at said DECT standard frequency band received by said NTU means filtering input signals by a first filter section in said NTU, outputting telephone signals via a first output from said first filter section to an interface via said DECT repeater, outputting multimedia signals via a second output from said first filter section, outputting a third signal via a third output from said first filter section to an input to a second filter section in said NTU, outputting radio signals via a first output from said second filter section in said NTU, outputting television signals via a second output from said second filter section in said NTU, wherein said interface comprises a first access terminal for accessing bi-directional telephony communication and a second access terminal for accessing upstream communication.

11. A method according to claim 10, further comprising serving at least downstream communication at high data rates by a second transmission protocol, and serving at least upstream communication by said DECT transmission in connection with said downstream communications served by said second transmission protocol.