Optical communication system, optical communication method, higher-network apparatus, and optical line terminal

An optical communication system comprising:

• one or a plurality of lower-network apparatus;
• a higher-network apparatus which communicates with the one or a plurality of lower-network apparatus and performs scheduling for uplink communication from each of the lower-network apparatus to the device itself with respect to each of the lower-network apparatus;
• one or a plurality of optical network units which are connected to the higher network of each of the lower-network apparatus;
• an optical line terminal which is connected to the lower level of the higher-network apparatus and, at the same time, connected to the one or a plurality of optical network units through an optical fiber and an optical coupler, receives notification of the scheduling for uplink communication from the higher-network apparatus, calculates a transmission time and a transmission permission amount of uplink data transmitted from each of the optical network units to the device itself based on the scheduling for uplink communication, and notifies each of the optical network units of the transmission time and the transmission permission amount of the uplink data.

An optical communication method comprising in order:

• a scheduling execution step in which a higher-network apparatus performs, with respect to one or a plurality of lower-network apparatus communicating with the device itself, scheduling for uplink communication from each of the lower-network apparatus to the device itself;
• a scheduling notification step in which the higher-network apparatus notifies an optical line terminal, connected to the lower network of the apparatus itself, of the scheduling for uplink communication;
• and
• a transmission permission step in which the optical line terminal calculates a transmission time and a transmission permission amount of uplink data transmitted from an optical network unit to the device itself based on the scheduling for uplink communication and notifies one or a plurality of the optical network units, connected to the higher network of each of the lower-network apparatus and, at the same time, connected to the device itself through an optical fiber and an optical coupler, of the transmission time and the transmission permission amount of the uplink data.

An optical line terminal comprising:

• a higher-network-side communication part which is an interface for a higher-network apparatus connected to the higher network of the apparatus itself;
• a lower-network-side communication part which is connected to the higher network of one or a plurality of lower-network apparatus communicating with the higher-network apparatus and is an interface for one or a plurality of optical network units connected to the device itself through an optical fiber and an optical coupler;
• an uplink bandwidth information reception part which obtains, from the higher-network apparatus, scheduling for uplink communication from each of the lower-network apparatus to the higher-network apparatus performed by the higher-network apparatus with respect to each of the lower-network apparatus;
• and
• an uplink data transmission permission part which calculates a transmission time and a transmission permission amount of uplink data transmitted from each of the optical network units to the device itself based on the scheduling for uplink communication, and notifies each of the optical network units of the transmission time and the transmission permission amount of the uplink data.