Multi-purpose optical fiber access network

• US 6,895,185 B1
• Filed: 08/24/2000
• Issued: 05/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
• Original Assignee: Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
• Inventors: Kim, Hoon, Chung, Yun Chur
• Primary Examiner(s): Sedighian, M. R.
• Application Number:
  US09/644,910
• Time in Patent Office: 1,727 Days
• Field of Search: 398/58, 398/66, 398/67, 398/70, 398/71, 398/72, 398/115, 398/116, 398/117, 725/129
• US Class Current: 398/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/272 Star-type networks or tree-type networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0226 Fixed carrier allocation, e.g. according to service
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0232 for downstream transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0246 using one wavelength per ONU
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/025 using one wavelength per ONU, e.g. for transmissions from-ONU-to-OLT or from-ONU-to-ONU
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0282 WDM tree architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0286 WDM hierarchical architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/085 Access point devices with remote components

Abstract

The present invention relates to an optical fiber access network, and more particularly, to a multi-purpose optical fiber access network capable of accepting all services provided by hybrid wireline/wireless access network.

According to the present invention, in an optical fiber access network of double star structure where a central office/headend and several optical network units are connected through a splitting/combining device, a multi-purpose optical fiber access network capable of accepting not only wired telephone service, wired CATV and wired data service but also various kinds of wireless services including LMDS, WLL, PCS and so forth, in which LMDS local wireless base station is located in a place adjacent to the splitting/combining device, WLL local wireless base station is located in a place adjacent to the splitting/combining device, optical network unit connects the conventional wired network composed of said optical fiber access network, twisted pair and coaxial cable, telephone service, data service and CATV service are provided through the optical network unit and PCS local wireless base station is located in a place adjacent to the optical network unit, is provided.

Claims

1. A multi-purpose optical fiber access network capable of accepting access services provided by a hybrid wireline/wireless access network, the optical fiber access a network comprising:

(a) a central office/headend configured to generate optical wavelengths for the access services, allocate the optical wavelengths to corresponding access services, multiplex the optical wavelengths for the respective access services and transmit the multiplexed optical wavelengths signals to a first downstream optical fiber, and convert signals received from a first upstream optical fiber into electrical signals after splitting the received signals; and

(b) a remote node, connected with a plurality of remote base stations and optical network units, the remote node configured to split the multiplexed optical wavelengths received from the first downstream optical fiber into signals according to wireline/wireless access service and transmit wireless signals through an antenna after opto-electric conversion and transmit wireline signals to the remote base stations and optical network units through corresponding second downstream optical fibers, and convert wireless access service signals received from the antenna into optical signals and multiplex the received wireless service signals with signals received from the remote base stations and optical network units through corresponding second upstream optical fibers and transmit the multiplexed signals to the central office/headend through the first upstream optical fiber, wherein

(i) each of the plurality of remote base stations is arranged adjacent to one of the plurality of optical network units;

(ii) each remote base station and its adjacent optical network unit jointly own one of the second downstream optical fibers, one of the second upstream optical fibers, a first wavelength division multiplexer and a second wavelength division multiplexer;

(iii) the first wavelength division multiplexer is configured to split the signals received from the jointly owned second downstream optical fiber and transmit the split signals to a receiver of each of the remote base stations and its respective optical network unit; and

(iv) the second wavelength division multiplexer is configured to multiplex signals received from the remote base stations and its respective optical network unit and transmit the multiplexed signals to the remote node through the jointly owned second upstream optical fiber.

2. The multi-purpose optical fiber access network of claim 1, wherein the central office/headend includes

(i) first, second and third transmitters which respectively generate a first allocated wavelength for LMDS service and WLL service, a second allocated wavelength for CATV service and PCS service and a third allocated wavelength for data services;

(ii) a third wavelength division multiplexer configured to multiplex the generated wavelengths for each respective access service and forward the multiplexed wavelengths to the remote node through the first downstream optical fiber;

(iii) a fourth wavelength division multiplexer configured to split signals received from the remote node through the first upstream optical fiber; and

(iv) optical receivers configured to convert the received signals into electrical signals;

wherein the remote node includes

(i) a first splitting means for splitting the wavelengths received from the central office/headend into signals according to the respective allocated wavelength;

(ii) a wireless transmitter section configured to convert the LMDS/WLL signals among the split signals into electrical signals, convert the electrical signals of the wireless transmitter section into wireless signals and transmit the wireless signals through the antenna;

(iii) a second splitting means for transmitting the CATV/PCS signal and the data signals among the split signals to each of the optical network units and each of the remote base stations;

(iv) a wireless receiver section configured to convert LMDS/WLL signals received through the antenna into signals at a lower frequency and convert the lower frequency signals into optical signals;

(v) a second combining means for receiving several optical signals from each of the remote base stations and each of the optical network units; and

(vi) a first combining means for receiving the optical signals from the wireless receiver section and the optical signals from the second combining means and transmitting the optical signals of the first combining means to the central office/headend through the first upstream optical fiber.

3. The multi-purpose optical fiber access network of claim 1, wherein the central office/headend includes

(i) first, second, third, fourth and fifth transmitters which respectively generate a first allocated wavelength for LMDS service, a second allocated wavelength for WLL service, a third allocated wavelength for CATV service, a fourth allocated wavelength for PCS service and a fifth allocated wavelength for data services;

(ii) a third wavelength division multiplexer configured to multiplex the generated wavelengths for each respective access service and forward the multiplexed wavelengths to the remote node through the first downstream optical fiber;

(iii) a fourth wavelength division multiplexer configured to split signals received from the remote node through the first upstream optical fiber; and

(iv) optical receivers configured to convert the received signals into electrical signals;

wherein the remote node includes

(i) a first splitting means for splitting the wavelengths received from the central office/headend into signals according to the respective allocated wavelength;

(ii) optical filters configured to divide the split signals into LMDS signals and WLL signals respectively;

(iii) a wireless transmitter section configured to convert the LMDS signals and the WLL signals into electrical signals and convert the electrical signals of the wireless transmitter section into wireless signals and transmit the wireless signals through the antenna;

(iv) a second splitting means for transmitting the CATV signals, PCS signals and the data signals among the split signals to each of the optical network units and each of the remote base stations;

(v) a wireless base receiver section configured to convert LMDS signals and WLL signals received through the antenna into signals at a lower frequency and convert the lower frequency signals into optical signals;

(vi) a second combining means configured to receive several optical signals from each of the remote base stations and the optical network units; and

(vii) a first combining means for receiving the optical signals from the wireless receiver section and the optical signals from the second combining means and transmitting the optical signals of the first combining means to the central office/headend through the first upstream optical fiber.

4. The multi-purpose optical fiber access network of claim 1, wherein the central office/headend includes

(i) a plurality of transmitters which respectively generate a first allocated wavelength for LMDS service and WLL service, a second allocated wavelength for CATV service and PCS service and a plurality of allocated wavelengths for data services;

(ii) a third wavelength division multiplexer configured to multiplex the generated wavelengths for each respective access service and forward the multiplexed wavelengths to the remote node through the first downstream optical fiber;

(iii) a fourth wavelength division multiplexer configured to split signals received from the remote node through the first upstream optical fiber; and

(iv) optical receivers configured to convert the received signals into electrical signals;

wherein the remote node includes

(i) a first splitting means for splitting the wavelengths received from the central office/headend into signals according to the respective allocated wavelength;

(ii) a bandpass filter configured to select the LMDS signal and the WLL signal;

(iii) a wireless transmitter section configured to convert the selected LMDS/WLL signals into electrical signals and convert the electrical signals of the wireless transmitter section into wireless signals and transmit the wireless signals through the antenna;

(iv) a second splitting means for transmitting the CATV/PCS signals and the data signals among the split signals to each of the optical network units and each of the remote base stations;

(v) a wireless receiver section configured to convert LMDS/WLL signals received through the antenna into signals at a lower frequency and convert the lower frequency signals into optical signals;

(vi) a second combining means for receiving several optical signals from each of the remote base stations and the optical network units; and

(vii) a first combining means for receiving the optical signals from the wireless receiver section and the optical signals from the second combining means and transmitting the optical signals of the first combining means to the central office/headend through the first upstream optical fiber; and

wherein each of the optical network units uses a wavelength selected distributed feedback laser as light source for upstream data transmission.

5. The multi-purpose optical fiber access network of claim 1, wherein the central office/headend includes

(i) first, second and third transmitters which respectively generate a first allocated wavelength for LMDS service and WLL service, a second allocated wavelength for CATV service and PCS service and a third allocated wavelength for data services;

(ii) a third wavelength division multiplexer configured to multiplex the generated wavelengths for each respective access service and forward the multiplexed wavelengths to the remote node through the first downstream optical fiber;

(iii) a fourth wavelength division multiplexer configured to split signals received from the remote node through the first upstream optical fiber; and

(iv) optical receivers configured to convert the received signals into electrical signals;

wherein the remote node includes

(i) a first splitting means for splitting the wavelengths received from the central office/headend into signals according to the respective allocated wavelength;

(ii) a wireless transmitter section configured to convert the LMDS/WLL signals among the split signals into electrical signals, convert the electrical signals of the wireless transmitter section into wireless signals and transmit the wireless signals through the antenna;

(iii) a second splitting means for converting the CATV/PCS signals and the data signals among the split signals into electrical signals;

(iv) a first converter configured to convert the CATV signals, the PCS signals and the data signals from the second splitting means into optical signals by using a wavelength corresponding to the respective access service;

(v) a third splitting means for transmitting the signals from the second splitting means to each of the optical network units and each of the remote base stations;

(vi) a wireless receiver section configured to convert LMDS/WLL signals received through the antenna into signals at a lower frequency and convert the lower frequency signals into optical signals;

(vii) a second combining means for receiving CATV/PCS/data signals received from each of the remote base stations and each of the optical network units through the second upstream optical fiber;

(viii) a second converter configured to convert the CATV/PCS/data signals from the second combining means into electrical signals, respectively;

(ix) a third converter configured to multiplex the CATV/PCS signals from the second converter and convert the multiplexed CATV/PCS signals into optical signals and convert the data signals from the second converter into optical signals; and

(x) a first combining means for receiving the optical signals from the wireless receiver section and the third converter and transmitting the signals of the first combining means to the central office/headend through the first upstream optical fiber.

6. The multi-purpose optical fiber access network of claim 1, wherein the central office/headend includes

(i) first, second and third transmitters which respectively generate a first allocated wavelength for LMDS service and WLL service, a second allocated wavelength for CATV service and PCS service and a third allocated wavelength for data services;

(ii) a third wavelength division multiplexer configured to multiplex the generated wavelengths for each respective access service and forward the multiplexed wavelengths to the remote node through the first downstream optical fiber;

(iii) a fourth wavelength division multiplexer configured to split signals received from the remote node through the first upstream optical fiber; and

(iv) optical receivers configured to convert the received signals into electrical signals;

wherein the remote node includes

(i) a first splitting means for dividing the wavelengths received from the central office/headend into LMDS/WLL signals, CATV/PCS signals, and data signals;

(ii) a wireless transmitter section configured to convert the LMDS/WLL signals among the divided signals into electrical signals, convert the electrical signals of the wireless transmitter section into wireless signals and transmit the wireless signals through the antenna;

(iii) a second splitting means for dividing the signals received from the first splitting means into CATV/PCS signals and the data signals and converting the split signals of the second splitting means into electrical signals;

(iv) a demultiplexer configured to electrically divide the CATV signal and the PCS signal received from the second splitting means and split the PCS signal and the data signals received from the second splitting means into a signals suitable for each of the remote base stations and the optical network units;

(v) first converters configured to convert signals from the demultiplexer into optical signals, the first converters corresponding to one of the remote base stations and the optical network units;

(vi) a plurality of third splitting means each for transmitting the signals received from each of the first converters to each of the optical network units and each of the remote base stations;

(vii) a wireless receiver section configured to convert LMDS/WLL signals received through the antenna into signals at a lower frequency and convert the lower frequency signals into optical signals;

(viii) a plurality of second combining means each for receiving the CATV/PCS/data signals from each of the remote base stations and each of the optical network units;

(ix) second converters configured to convert signals from each of the second combining means into electrical signals;

(x) a multiplexer configured to multiplex each signal from each of the second converters, convert CATV/PCS signals and data signals into optical signals by using a different wavelength; and

(xi) a first combining means for receiving the optical signals from the multiplexer and the wireless receiver section and transmitting the optical signals of the first combining means to the central office/headend through the first upstream optical fiber.