Systems and methods for communicating among network distribution points

• US 9,692,481 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2015
• Issued: 06/27/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ADTRAN Incorporated (ADTRAN Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ADTRAN Incorporated (ADTRAN Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chu, Fred, Ko, Kenneth D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Puente, Eva
• Application Number:
  US14/857,531
• Publication Number:
  US 20160112091A1
• Time in Patent Office: 649 Days
• Field of Search: 375285, 375219, 370201, 370420
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/32 Reducing cross-talk, e.g. by compensating

Abstract

A communication system has a trunk extending from a network facility, such as a central office, with a plurality of distribution points positioned along the trunk. Each leg of the trunk defines a shared channel that permits peak data rates much greater than what would be achievable without channel sharing. As an example, the connections of each respective trunk leg may be bonded. Further, the same modulation format and crosstalk vectoring are used for each leg of the trunk. The crosstalk vectoring cancels both far-end crosstalk (FEXT) that couples between connections of a given trunk leg and crossover crosstalk that couples between one trunk leg and another. In addition, logic determines an amount of excess capacity available for each leg of the trunk and controls error correction based on the determined excess capacity.

Claims

1. A communication system, comprising:

a first distribution point positioned along a trunk extending from a network facility, the first distribution point having a first service unit coupled to a first plurality of communication connections of the trunk and configured to receive from the first plurality of communication connections a plurality of data flows destined for customer premises (CP) transceivers at a plurality of customer premises, each of the first plurality of communication connections shared by each of at least a first plurality of the CP transceivers; and

a second distribution point positioned along the trunk and having a second service unit coupled to the first service unit via a second plurality of communication connections of the trunk, each of the second plurality of communication connections shared by each of at least a second plurality of the CP transceivers,

wherein at least two of the first plurality of communication connections are bonded, thereby forming a first bonding group, wherein the first service unit is configured to employ crosstalk vectoring to cancel crosstalk affecting signals communicated across the first plurality of communication connections, and wherein the first service unit is configured to employ crosstalk vectoring to cancel crosstalk affecting signals communicated across the second plurality of communication connections, wherein the first service unit has forwarding logic, a first bonding engine, and a second bonding engine, wherein the first bonding engine is configured to recover a fragmented data stream carried by the first bonding group, wherein the second bonding engine is configured to bond the second plurality of communication connections, wherein the first service unit has at least one transceiver coupled to at least one of the first plurality of the CP transceivers via at least one drop connection, and wherein the forwarding logic is configured to forward at least one data packet from the recovered data stream to the at least one transceiver and to forward at least one data packet from the recovered data stream to the second bonding engine.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first service unit is configured to use a modulation format for communication across the first plurality of communication connections, and wherein the second service unit is configured to use the modulation format for communication across the second plurality of communication connections.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the modulation format is very-high-bit-rate digital subscriber line (VDSL).

9. The system of claim 1, wherein at least two of the first plurality of communication connections are bonded, thereby forming a second bonding group.

2. A communication system, comprising:

a first distribution point positioned along a trunk extending from a network facility, the first distribution point having a first service unit coupled to a first plurality of communication connections of the trunk and configured to receive from the first plurality of communication connections a plurality of data flows destined for customer premises (CP) transceivers at a plurality of customer premises, each of the first plurality of communication connections shared by each of at least a first plurality of the CP transceivers, wherein one of the first plurality of CP transceivers is coupled to the first service unit via a drop connection extending from the first service unit to the one of the first plurality of CP transceivers; and

a second distribution point positioned along the trunk and having a second service unit coupled to the first service unit via a second plurality of communication connections of the trunk, each of the second plurality of communication connections shared by each of at least a second plurality of the CP transceivers,

wherein the first service unit is configured to employ crosstalk vectoring to cancel crosstalk that couples between the drop connection and at least one of the second plurality of communication connections.

5. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a first service unit of a first distribution point of a network, a plurality of data flows from a first plurality of communication connections of a network trunk coupled to the first service unit, wherein the data flows are destined for customer premises (CP) transceivers at a plurality of customer premises, and wherein each of the first plurality of communication connections is shared by each of at least a first plurality of the CP transceivers;

transmitting at least one of the data flows from the first service unit to a second service unit at a second distribution point of the network via a second plurality of communication connections of the network trunk, wherein each of the second plurality of communication connections is shared by each of at least a second plurality of the CP transceivers;

bonding at least two of the first plurality of communication connections, thereby forming a first bonding group;

performing crosstalk vectoring to cancel crosstalk affecting signals communicated across the first plurality of communication connections;

performing crosstalk vectoring to cancel crosstalk affecting signals communicated across the second plurality of communication connections;

bonding at least two of the first plurality of communication connections, thereby forming a second bonding group;

recovering at the first service unit a fragmented data stream carried by the first bonding group;

transmitting data packets from the recovered data stream to at least one of the first plurality of CP transceivers via at least one drop connection coupled to the first service unit; and

transmitting data received from the second bonding group to the second service unit via the second plurality of communication connections.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising bonding at least two of the second plurality of communication connections.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

regenerating data signals received by the first service unit from the second bonding group; and

transmitting the regenerated signals to the second service unit via the second plurality of communication connections.

6. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a first service unit of a first distribution point of a network, a plurality of data flows from a first plurality of communication connections of a network trunk coupled to the first service unit, wherein the data flows are destined for customer premises (CP) transceivers at a plurality of customer premises, and wherein each of the first plurality of communication connections is shared by each of at least a first plurality of the CP transceivers, wherein one of the first plurality of CP transceivers is coupled to the first service unit via a drop connection extending from the first service unit to the one of the first plurality of CP transceivers;

transmitting at least one of the data flows from the first service unit to a second service unit at a second distribution point of the network via a second plurality of communication connections of the network trunk, wherein each of the second plurality of communication connections is shared by each of at least a second plurality of the CP transceivers; and

performing crosstalk vectoring to cancel crosstalk that couples between the drop connection and at least one of the second plurality of communication connections.

10. A communication system, comprising:

a first distribution point positioned along a trunk extending from a network facility, the first distribution point having a first service unit coupled to a first plurality of communication connections of the trunk and configured to receive from the first plurality of communication connections a plurality of data flows destined for customer premises (CP) transceivers at a plurality of customer premises, each of the first plurality of communication connections shared by each of at least a first plurality of the CP transceivers; and

a second distribution point positioned along the trunk and having a second service unit coupled to the first service unit via a second plurality of communication connections of the trunk, each of the second plurality of communication connections shared by each of at least a second plurality of the CP transceivers,

wherein at least two of the first plurality of communication connections are bonded, thereby forming a first bonding group, wherein at least two of the first plurality of communication connections are bonded, thereby forming a second bonding group, wherein the first service unit is configured to employ crosstalk vectoring to cancel crosstalk affecting signals communicated across the first plurality of communication connections, wherein the first service unit is configured to employ crosstalk vectoring to cancel crosstalk affecting signals communicated across the second plurality of communication connections, wherein the first service unit is configured to recover a fragmented data stream carried by the first bonding group, wherein the first service unit is configured to transmit data packets from the recovered data stream to at least one of the first plurality of CP transceivers via at least one drop connection coupled to the first service unit, and wherein the first service unit is configured to transmit data received from the second bonding group to the second service unit via the second plurality of communication connections.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the first service unit is configured to regenerate data signals received by the first service unit from the second bonding group and to transmit the regenerated data signals to the second service unit via the second plurality of communication connections.

12. A communication method, comprising:

receiving, by a first service unit of a first distribution point from a first plurality of communication connections, a plurality of data flows destined for customer premises (CP) transceivers at a plurality of customer premises, the first distribution point positioned along a trunk extending from a network facility, wherein each of the first plurality of communication connections is shared by each of at least a first plurality of the CP transceivers, wherein the first service unit is coupled to a second service unit of a second distribution point via a second plurality of communication connections of the trunk, wherein the second distribution point is positioned along the trunk, and wherein each of the second plurality of communication connections is shared by each of at least a second plurality of the CP transceivers;

bonding at least two of the first plurality of communication connections with a first bonding engine of the first service unit, thereby forming a first bonding group;

bonding the second plurality of communication connections with a second bonding engine of the first service unit;

using crosstalk vectoring by the first service unit to cancel crosstalk affecting signals communicated across the first plurality of communication connections;

using crosstalk vectoring by the first service unit to cancel crosstalk affecting signals communicated across the second plurality of communication connections;

recovering a fragmented data stream carried by the first bonding group;

forwarding by the first service unit at least one data packet from the recovered data stream to at least one transceiver of the first service unit coupled to at least one of the first plurality of the CP transceivers;

forwarding by the first service unit at least one data packet from the recovered data stream to the at least one transceiver; and

forwarding by the first service unit at least one data packet from the recovered data stream to the second bonding engine.