Remote powering of DSL ADMs

• US 8,666,057 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2008
• Issued: 03/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Genesis Technical Systems Corp.
• Original Assignee: Genesis Technical Systems Corp.
• Inventors: Zottola, Tino, Cooke, Stephen Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Duc
• Assistant Examiner(s): GAY, SONIA L
• Application Number:
  US12/243,061
• Publication Number:
  US 20090092242A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,980 Days
• Field of Search: 379322-324, 379413-41303
• US Class Current: 379/324
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/08 with current supply sources at the substations generating ringing current H04M19/04

Abstract

Apparatus and methods of remote powering of DSL ADMs are disclosed. In a subscriber communication node, at least communication components that enable the subscriber communication node to communicate with a network switching device, and possibly also subscriber communication components that enable one or more subscriber communication devices to communicate with the network switching device, can be powered either by a local power source or remotely through an electrically conductive twisted wire pair. A network node may derive its own power and also supply power to subscriber communication nodes through twisted wire pairs. A linear or ring topology of subscriber communication nodes can thus be kept operational, and subscriber communications can potentially also be maintained, when a local power source at one or more subscriber nodes becomes unavailable.

Claims

1. A subscriber communication node comprising:

network communication components that enable the subscriber communication node to communicate with a gateway node and other subscriber communication nodes in a ring topology through electrically conductive twisted wire pairs, the gateway node being located at a pedestal and enabling communication with a network switching device, the electrically conductive twisted wire pairs running between the pedestal and the subscriber communication node;

subscriber communication components, operatively coupled to the network communication components, that enable one or more subscriber communication devices to communicate with the network communication components; and

a powering arrangement that enables subscriber communication node components including at least the network communication components to be powered either by a local power source or remotely through the electrically conductive twisted wire pairs,

wherein a first electrically conductive twisted wire pair at the subscriber communication node is connected to a second electrically conductive twisted wire pair at an adjacent subscriber communication node in the ring topology through a connection between the first and second electrically conductive twisted wire pairs at the pedestal.

2. The subscriber communication node of claim 1, wherein the powering arrangement comprises a power domain separator operatively coupled between the local power source and the subscriber communication node components that are to be powered either by the local power source or remotely.

3. The subscriber communication node of claim 2, wherein the power domain separator comprises one or more of:

a diode, a switch, and a relay.

4. The subscriber communication node of claim 1, wherein the electrically conductive twisted wire pairs and the powering arrangement further support Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) communications for a subscriber communication device.

5. The subscriber communication node of claim 1, wherein the electrically conductive twisted wire pairs are driven at a powering current and/or voltage level that is different from a communication current and/or voltage level.

6. The subscriber communication node of claim 1, wherein the powering arrangement comprises a power converter that converts a voltage and/or current level on the electrically conductive twisted wire pairs to a voltage and/or current level for use by the components to be powered either by the local power source or remotely.

7. The subscriber communication node of claim 1, wherein the network communication components comprise an ADM (Add/Drop Multiplexer).

8. The subscriber communication node of claim 1, wherein the network communication components enable the subscriber communication node to communicate with the gateway node and the other subscriber communication nodes via DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) communications.

9. The subscriber communication node of claim 8, wherein the DSL communications are of a type selected from a group consisting of:

ADSL (Asynchronous DSL), ADSL2+, SDSL (Symmetric DSL), Uni-DSL (Universal DSL), VDSL (Very high bit rate DSL), and VDSL2 (Very high bit rate DSL version

     2).

10. The subscriber communication node of claim 1, wherein the local power source comprises one or more of:

household power mains, a power cell, and a battery.

11. The subscriber communication node of claim 10, wherein the battery is charged by the household power mains or remotely through the electrically conductive twisted wire pairs.

12. A method comprising:

providing electrically conductive twisted wire pairs between a pedestal and a subscriber communication node, the subscriber communication node comprising;

network communication components that enable the subscriber communication node to communicate with a gateway node and other subscriber communication nodes in a ring topology through the electrically conductive twisted wire pairs, the gateway node being located at the pedestal and enabling communication with a network switching device, the electrically conductive twisted wire pairs running between the pedestal and the subscriber communication node;

subscriber communication components that enable one or more subscriber communication devices to communicate with the network communication components; and

a powering arrangement,

the method further comprising;

the powering arrangement powering at least the network communication components of the subscriber communication node remotely through the electrically conductive twisted wire pairs and the network switching device where a local power source of the subscriber communication node becomes unavailable,

wherein providing comprises providing a first electrically conductive twisted wire pair at the subscriber communication node connected to a second electrically conductive twisted wire pair at an adjacent subscriber communication node in the ring topology through a connection between the first and second electrically conductive twisted wire pairs at the pedestal.

13. A network node comprising a gateway node for a pedestal, the network node comprising:

a twisted wire pair interface for connection to a plurality of twisted wire pairs, the plurality of twisted wire pairs being operatively coupled to a network switching device;

communication components that enable subscriber communication nodes, associated with communication service subscribers and interconnected with the network node in a ring topology through the twisted wire pairs, to communicate with the network switching device;

a powering arrangement that enables the communication components and/or the subscriber communication nodes to be powered remotely through the twisted wire pairs, and wherein a first electrically conductive twisted wire pair at the subscriber communication node is connected to a second electrically conductive twisted wire pair at an adjacent subscriber communication node in the ring topology through a connection between the first and second electrically conductive twisted wire pairs at the pedestal.

14. The network node of claim 13, wherein the communication components further support Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) communications with the subscriber communication nodes.

15. The network node of claim 13, wherein the twisted wire pairs are driven at a powering current and/or voltage level that is different from a communication current and/or voltage level.

16. The network node of claim 13, wherein the powering arrangement comprises a power converter that converts a voltage and/or current level on the twisted wire pairs to a voltage and/or current level for use by the communication components and/or the subscriber communication nodes.

17. The network node of claim 13, wherein the communication components enable the subscriber communication nodes to communicate with the network switching device via DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) communications.

18. The network node of claim 17, wherein the DSL communications are of a type selected from a group consisting of:

ADSL (Asynchronous DSL), ADSL2+, SDSL (Symmetric DSL), Uni-DSL (Universal DSL), VDSL (Very high bit rate DSL), and VDSL2 (Very high bit rate DSL version

     2).

19. The network node of claim 13, wherein the powering arrangement further enables the network node to be powered from a local power source, or remotely from the network switching device as a backup to the local power source.

20. The network node of claim 19, wherein the plurality of twisted wire pairs comprises twisted wire pairs that are operatively coupled to the subscriber communication nodes and can be used to power the subscriber communication nodes, and twisted wire pairs that terminate at the network node and can be used to power the communication components.

21. The network node of claim 19, wherein the local power source comprises one or more of:

power mains, a power cell, and a battery.

22. The network node of claim 21, wherein the battery is charged by the power mains or remotely through the twisted wire pair.

23. The network node of claim 13, wherein the network switching device is selected from a group consisting of a central office, a DLC (digital loop carrier) node, a fiber-fed node, and a network POP (point of presence) node.

24. A method comprising:

providing a plurality of twisted wire pairs between a network switching device and subscriber communication nodes through a network node, the network node comprising communication components that enable the subscriber communication nodes, associated with communication service subscribers and interconnected with the network node in a ring topology through the twisted wire pairs, to communicate with the network switching device; and

the network switching device powering the communication components and/or the subscriber communication nodes remotely through the network node and the twisted wire pairs,

wherein providing comprises providing a first electrically conductive twisted wire pair at a subscriber communication node connected to a second electrically conductive twisted wire pair at an adjacent subscriber communication node in the ring topology through a connection between the first and second electrically conductive twisted wire pairs at the network node.

25. A wireline network comprising:

at least one network connection connecting at least one telephony network switching device at a pedestal to a respective first customer communication node;

a plurality of second customer communication nodes;

a plurality of interconnections between the customer communication nodes such that the customer communication nodes are interconnected in a ring topology through the interconnections and have at least one communication path to the network switching device, the interconnections comprising electrically conductive twisted wire pairs that run between the pedestal and a second customer communication node; and

a powering arrangement in each customer communication node to provide power to at least some components of the customer communication nodes from the electrically conductive twisted wire pairs,

wherein a first electrically conductive twisted wire pair at a second customer communication node is connected to a second electrically conductive twisted wire pair at an adjacent second customer communication node in the ring topology through a connection between the first and second electrically conductive twisted wire pairs at the pedestal.

26. A subscriber communication node comprising:

network communication components that enable the subscriber communication node to communicate with a gateway node and other subscriber communication nodes in a ring topology through electrically conductive twisted wire pairs, the gateway node being located at a pedestal and enabling communication with a network switching device, the electrically conductive twisted wire pairs running between the pedestal and the subscriber communication node;

subscriber communication components, operatively coupled to the network communication components, that enable one or more subscriber communication devices to communicate with the network communication components; and

a powering arrangement that enables subscriber communication node components including at least the network communication components to be powered either by a local power source or remotely through the electrically conductive twisted wire pairs,

wherein a first electrically conductive twisted wire pair at the subscriber communication node is connected to a second electrically conductive twisted wire pair at an adjacent subscriber communication node in the ring topology through a connection between the first and second electrically conductive twisted wire pairs at an intermediate location between the pedestal and the subscriber communication nodes.