Multiservice private network and interface modules for transporting, on such a network, data in different formats

• US 8,050,565 B2
• Filed: 07/01/2005
• Issued: 11/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Orange S.A.
• Original Assignee: Orange S.A.
• Inventors: Moignard, Maryse, Guignard, Philippe, Chanclou, Philippe
• Primary Examiner(s): LEUNG, WAI LUN
• Application Number:
  US11/631,499
• Publication Number:
  US 20080019691A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,314 Days
• Field of Search: 398/138, 398 58- 72, 385/24
• US Class Current: 398/89
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0226 Fixed carrier allocation, e.g. according to service
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0227 Operation, administration, maintenance or provisioning [OAMP] of WDM networks, e.g. media access, routing or wavelength allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0232 for downstream transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0246 using one wavelength per ONU
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0247 Sharing one wavelength for at least a group of ONUs
• 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 14/0252 Sharing one wavelength for at least a group of ONUs, 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: H04Q 11/0067 Provisions for optical access or distribution networks, e.g. Gigabit Ethernet Passive Optical Network (GE-PON), ATM-based Passive Optical Network (A-PON), PON-Ring
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0071 Provisions for the electrical-optical layer interface

Abstract

A multiservice private network and interface modules (M1-M5). Each of said modules is dedicated to interfacing a specific terminal equipment (T1-T4, GTW; 310-380) in the multiservice private network. The interface modules (M1-M5) are connected to the terminal equipment on a one-to-one basis. Each interface module (M1-M5) is configured to send and/or receive data in a format adapted to the terminal equipment to which it is connected, at a specific wavelength, in order to interconnect, via said private network, at least two mutually compatible terminal equipments among all the terminal equipments. This arrangement is typically applicable in particular to interconnecting, via a common network, heterogeneous different terminal equipments, so that the mutually compatible terminals communicate directly with one another without interfering with communication between other terminals of a different type.

Claims

1. A multiservice private network comprising access points and destination points configured to provide connection for N terminal equipments having a plurality of data formats, said private network comprising:

a coupler that sums all signals injected at each access point and broadcasts the summed signals to all destination points, the summed signals taking a form of a wavelength division multiplex (WDM);

N interface modules that are configured to be respectively associated with the N terminal equipments, each of said N interface modules being adapted to perform at least one of sending and receiving data in a data format, from among the plurality of data formats, appropriate to the respective terminal equipment associated with it,

each of said data formats being particular to a specific wavelength, in order to;

interconnect solely at a first wavelength via said private network at least two mutually compatible terminal equipments in a first group from among said N terminal equipments that use a first data format, and

interconnect solely at a second wavelength at least two mutually compatible terminal equipments in a second group from among said N terminal equipments that use a second data format.

2. The network according to claim 1, wherein each of said N interface modules comprises an electronic processing area for transforming the signal delivered by the terminal equipment into a signal adapted for transmission by said private network or, conversely, to transform a signal carried by said private network into a signal comprehensible to the terminal equipment if said signal is intended for it, and an optical processing area for at least one of sending and receiving said signal at a specific wavelength.

3. An interface module comprising:

a connection that is adapted to be connected to a terminal equipment of a multiservice private network and;

an element that performs at least one of sending and receiving data in a first data format, from among a plurality of data formats, that is appropriate to said terminal equipment and is particular to a specific wavelength, in order to;

enable interconnection solely at a first wavelength via said multiservice private network of said terminal equipment and at least one mutually compatible terminal equipment among N other terminal equipments that uses the first data format; and

enable interconnection solely at a second wavelength via said multiservice private network of at least two mutually compatible terminal equipments from among N other terminal equipments using a second data format.

4. An interface module according to claim 3, wherein the interface module comprises:

a send data formatting unit adapted to process signals coming from the terminal equipment that is connected to it for transmission by said private network;

control electronics for receiving the signal processed by the send data formatting unit and adapted to control an optical sender for sending said signal at a specific wavelength;

an optical receiver for selecting and detecting, from a set of signals of a wavelength division multiplex, a signal at a specific wavelength intended for the terminal equipment that is connected to it and to produce an electrical signal;

receive electronics adapted to amplify the electrical signal produced from the optical receiver; and

a receive data formatting unit adapted to convert the amplified signal coming from the receive electronics into a signal comprehensible to the terminal equipment that is connected to it.

5. An interface module according to claim 4, wherein the send data formatting unit and the control electronics form a send interface, the receive data formatting unit and the receive electronics form a receive interface, and said module is formed of a selected assembly of a send interface, a receive interface, an optical sender and an optical receiver, said selected assembly being adapted to the application to which it is dedicated.

6. A multiservice private network for connecting terminal equipment units having a plurality of data formats, the network comprising:

a plurality of interface modules providing access points and destination points for connection to the terminal equipment units, each interface module having a predetermined data format from among the plurality of data formats;

a coupler connected to the plurality of interface modules and configured to sum signals received at the access points of the interface modules to form a wavelength-division-multiplexed (WDM) signal, including a plurality of wavelengths, and broadcast the WDM signal to the destination points of the interface modules,

wherein each of the data formats has a corresponding predetermined exclusive wavelength from among the plurality of wavelengths, so as to provide interconnection solely at a first frequency between at least two compatible terminal equipment units in a first group using a first data format, from among the plurality of data formats, while also providing interconnection solely at a second frequency between at least two compatible terminal equipment units in a second group using a second data format, from among the plurality of data formats.