# US 11,451,298 B2 · System and methods for distribution of heterogeneous wavelength multiplexed signals over optical access network

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- Number: US 11,451,298 B2
- Document ID: US11451298B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/238,415
- Filed: 2019-01-02
- Published: 2019-08-08
- Granted: 2022-09-20
- Earliest claimed: 2016-06-20
- Assignees: Cable Television Laboratories, Inc.
- Applicants: Cable Television Laboratories, Inc
- Inventors: Luis Alberto Campos; Zhensheng Jia
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11451298B2

## CPC

- H04B 10/25753: {Distribution optical network, e.g. between a base station and a plurality of remote units}
- H04B 10/25754: {Star network topology}
- H04B 10/272: Star-type networks {or tree-type networks}
- H04J 14/0226: {Fixed carrier allocation, e.g. according to service}
- H04J 14/0257: {Wavelength assignment algorithms}
- H04J 14/0282: {WDM tree architectures}
- H04J 14/0286: {WDM hierarchical architectures}
- H04J 14/0291: {Shared protection at the optical multiplex section (1:1, n:m)}
- H04Q 11/0062: {Network aspects}
- H04B: TRANSMISSION
- H04J: MULTIPLEX COMMUNICATION (transmission in general H04B; peculiar to transmission of digital information H04L5/00; systems for the simultaneous or sequential transmission of more than one television signal H04N7/08; in exchanges H04Q11/00; stereophonic systems H04S)
- H04Q: SELECTING (switches, relays, selectors H01H; wireless communication networks H04W)

## Abstract

An optical network communication system includes an optical hub, an optical distribution center, at least one fiber segment, and at least two end users. The optical hub includes an intelligent configuration unit configured to monitor and multiplex at least two different optical signals into a single multiplexed heterogeneous signal. The optical distribution center is configured to individually separate the at least two different optical signals from the multiplexed heterogeneous signal. The at least one fiber segment connects the optical hub and the optical distribution center, and is configured to receive the multiplexed heterogeneous signal from the optical hub and distribute the multiplexed heterogeneous signal to the optical distribution center. The at least two end users each include a downstream receiver configured to receive one of the respective separated optical signals from the optical distribution center.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An optical network communication system, comprising:
an optical hub including an intelligent configuration unit configured to monitor and multiplex at least two different optical signals into a single multiplexed heterogeneous signal;
an optical distribution center configured to individually separate the at least two different optical signals from the multiplexed heterogeneous signal;
at least one fiber segment connecting the optical hub and the optical distribution center, the at least one fiber segment configured to receive the multiplexed heterogeneous signal from the optical hub and distribute the multiplexed heterogeneous signal to the optical distribution center; and
at least two end users, each including a downstream receiver configured to receive one of the respective separated optical signals from the optical distribution center.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the intelligent configuration unit comprises a processor and a memory, and an optical multiplexer.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The system of claim 2, wherein the intelligent configuration unit further comprises an optical multiplexer.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The system of claim 2, wherein the intelligent configuration unit further comprises at least one of a control interface and a communication interface to receive from and send information to an optical multiplexer.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the optical distribution center comprises a node optical demultiplexer configured to demultiplex the multiplexed heterogeneous signal.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the optical hub comprises at least two downstream transmitters, each configured to transmit one of the at least two different optical signals, respectively.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The system of claim 6,
wherein each of the at least two end users further includes an upstream transmitter,
wherein the optical distribution center further comprises a node optical multiplexer, and
wherein the optical hub further comprises at least two upstream receivers configured to receive a different optical signal from different ones of the transmitters of the at least two end users, respectively.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The system of claim 6, wherein the intelligent configuration unit is further configured to multiplex the at least two different optical signals from the at least two downstream transmitters.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the at least two different optical signals include two or more of an analog signal, an intensity modulated direct detection signal, a differential modulated signal, and a coherent signal.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, wherein the at least two end users comprise at least two of a customer device, customer premises, a business user, and an optical network unit.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, further configured to implement coherent dense wavelength division multiplexing with a passive optical network architecture.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The system of claim 11,
wherein the at least two end users include at least N subscribers, and
wherein the system comprises at least two fiber segments for each N subscribers.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1, further configured to implement wavelength filtering and injection locking.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The system of claim 13,
wherein the at least two end users include at least N subscribers, and
wherein the system comprises at least three fiber segments for each 2N subscribers.

### Claim 15

A method of distributing heterogeneous wavelength signals over a fiber segment of an optical network, comprising the steps of:
monitoring at least two different optical carriers from at least two different transmitters, respectively;
analyzing one or more characteristics of the fiber segment;
determining one or more parameters of the at least two different optical carriers; and
assigning a wavelength spectrum to each of the at least two different optical carriers according to the one or more analyzed fiber segment characteristics and the one or more determined optical carrier parameters.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, further comprising, after the step of assigning, multiplexing the at least two different optical carriers to the fiber segment according to the respective assigned wavelength spectra.

### Claim 17 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein the at least two different optical carriers include two or more of an analog signal, an intensity modulated direct detection signal, a differential modulated signal, and a coherent signal.

### Claim 18 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein the fiber segment characteristics include one or more of fiber type, fiber length, implementation of amplification and/or loss devices, implementation of wavelength filters or splitters, and fiber distribution network topology.

### Claim 19 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein the optical carrier parameters include one or more of individual carrier optical power levels, aggregate carrier power, number of optical carriers, signal wavelength, wavelength spacing among carriers, modulation format, modulation bandwidth, carrier configurability, channel coding/decoding, polarization multiplexing, forward error correction, and carrier tenability.

### Claim 20

An optical distribution center apparatus, comprising:
an input optical interface for communication with an optical hub;
an output optical interface for communication with one or more end user devices configured to process optical signals;
a wavelength filter for separating a downstream heterogeneous optical signal from the input optical interface into a plurality of downstream homogenous optical signals; and
a downstream optical switch for distributing the plurality of downstream homogeneous optical signals from the wavelength filter to the output optical interface in response to a first control signal from the optical hub.

### Claim 21 (depends on 20)

The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the wavelength filter comprises at least one of a wavelength division multiplexing grating and a cyclic arrayed waveguide grating.

### Claim 22 (depends on 20)

The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the downstream optical switch is an N×N optical switch configured to associate particular ones of the plurality of downstream homogeneous optical signals with respective ones of the one or more end user devices.

### Claim 23 (depends on 20)

The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the first control signal is received from an intelligent configuration unit disposed within the optical hub.

### Claim 24 (depends on 20)

The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising:
an upstream optical switch for distributing a plurality of upstream homogeneous optical signals collected from the output optical interface in response to a second control signal from the optical hub; and
an optical combiner for aggregating the distributed plurality of upstream homogenous optical signals into a heterogeneous upstream optical signal to the input optical interface.

### Claim 25 (depends on 24)

The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the optical combiner comprises at least one of a wavelength division multiplexing grating and a passive optical splitter.

### Claim 26 (depends on 24)

The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the upstream optical switch is an N×N optical switch.

### Claim 27 (depends on 24)

The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the second control signal is a counterpart command of the first control signal.

### Claim 28 (depends on 24)

The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the optical distribution center is configured to receive the first and second control signals separately from the input optical interface.

### Claim 29 (depends on 24)

The apparatus of claim 24, further comprising a hybrid fiber coaxial portion in communication with the output optical interface.

### Claim 30 (depends on 24)

The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the second control signal is received from an intelligent configuration unit disposed within the optical hub.