Technique for remote power feeding in access networks

• US 8,963,367 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2011
• Issued: 02/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ECI Telecom Limited (Shaul Shani)
• Original Assignee: ECI Telecom Limited (Shaul Shani)
• Inventors: Melamed, Amitay
• Primary Examiner(s): KASENGE, CHARLES R
• Application Number:
  US13/338,994
• Publication Number:
  US 20130169042A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,154 Days
• Field of Search: 700/286, 700/295, 700/300, 307/18, 307/19, 320/137
• US Class Current: 307/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/806 Arrangements for feeding power
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/44 Arrangements for feeding power to a repeater along the transmission line
• 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: H04L 12/10 Current supply arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2856 Access arrangements, e.g. Internet access asynchronous transfer mode networks H04L12/5601; broadband local area networks H04L12/2801; optical access or distribution networks H04Q11/0067; access to open networks H04L12/5691; digital subscriber line end-user equipment and bit-level processing of data on a PSTN-based network H04M11/00; home network gateways H04L12/2834; wireless access networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/08 with current supply sources at the substations generating ringing current H04M19/04

Abstract

A technique for power feeding of a common element of an access network from subscribers of the access network connected to the common element through subscriber lines being electric wires or optical fibers, the method comprises providing the subscribers with respective local power sources, and powering the common element from the one or more local power sources by selectively and/or dynamically combining power conducted there-from through the subscriber lines, thereby allowing at least partial operation of the common element.

Claims

1. A method for power feeding a common element being a bidirectional block of optical amplifiers serving a first plurality of subscriber devices of an optical access network via optical fibers, the method comprises:

providing the first plurality of the subscriber devices with respective local batteries and lasers for transmitting power to the common element at respective optical wavelengths;

selecting a second plurality of subscriber devices from among said first plurality of subscriber devices;

powering the common element from said local batteries of the second plurality of subscriber devices by combining power received from the second plurality of subscriber devices at the common element; and

powering the optical amplifiers using the combined power.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the selection of the second plurality of subscriber devices is performed based on a predetermined set of rules of selection.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined set of rules comprises one or more of the following rules:

dynamically selecting the customer termination equipment of one or more of said DSL lines based on an available power at their respective local power sources; and

dynamically selecting the customer termination equipment of one or more of said DSL lines based on status of their respective local power sources.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising powering one or more specific subscriber devices from the first plurality of subscriber devices using the combined power.

5. A method for power feeding a common element being an access node of an access network that comprises two or more subscriber lines being Digital Subscriber Lines (DSL), each provided with customer termination equipment at one end, and at the other end connected to the common access node, the method comprises:

providing the access node with a control unit capable of dynamically selecting the customer termination equipment of one or more of said DSL lines having respective one or more local power sources capable of feeding the access node there-from;

in case of absence of power at the access node, powering it from at least one of said one or more local power sources, to allow operation of said access node; and

dynamically selecting DSL lines among said two or more DSL lines to be provided with traffic service from the access node in said case according to a predetermined set of rules, wherein the predetermined set of rules comprises one or more of the following rules;

dynamically selecting the customer termination equipment of one or more of said DSL lines, based on an available power at respective local power sources of said one or more DSL lines; and

dynamically selecting the customer termination equipment of one or more of said DSL lines based on status of the respective local power sources of said one or more DSL lines.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising utilizing combined power from the common element for charging one or more of said local power sources.