Agrregator-based cost-optimized communications topology for a point-to-multipoint network
AssigneeARRIS Enterprises LLC
InventorsZoran Maricevic, Marcel F. Schemmann, Venkatesh G. Mutalik, Zhijian Sun
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An optical combiner for a communications network transmitting both upstream signals and a downstream optical signal. The communications network includes an array of amplifiers, each receiving a respective instance of the downstream optical signal. The output of each amplifier is split among a plurality of ports in a first splitter/combiner unit. The first splitter/combiner unit transmits the amplified downstream optical signal to respective second splitter/combiner units.
Claims19
A device for relaying content between a head end and a plurality of subscribers remote from the head end, the device receiving a downstream optical signal from a head end and delivering the signal to each of a plurality of groups of users, the device comprising:
- (a) a first unit that receives the downstream optical signal from a head end and provides the downstream optical signal as a plurality of first inputs;
- (b) an array of amplifiers, each amplifier receiving a respective one of said first inputs, and each amplifier connected to a respective plurality of ports in a splitter/combiner unit, where the splitter/combiner unit receives and combines respective upstream signals;
- and
- (c) a multiplexer that multiplexes the respective upstream signal with the downstream optical signal from the head end.
A method for relaying a downstream optical signal from a head end to each of a plurality of subscribers remote from the head end, the method comprising:
- (a) providing the downstream optical signal as an input to each of an array of amplifiers;
- (b) providing the amplified optical signal from the output of each of the amplifiers in the array to a respective subset of ports in a splitter/combiner unit, the splitter/combiner unit receiving and combining respective upstream signals;
- and
- (c) multiplexing the respective upstream signal with the downstream optical signal from the head end.
A fiber optic system comprising:
- (a) a head end and a plurality of ONUs that each receive content from the head end and relay the content to one or more subscribers;
- (b) a first unit having an optical input and a plurality of optical outputs, and an array of amplifiers, each amplifier receiving a respective one of a plurality of signals split from the optical input, and each amplifier outputting an amplified signal to a respective set of said plurality of optical outputs;
- and
- (c) at least one second unit that receives an optical signal from a respective one of the plurality of optical outputs of the first unit and splits the received optical signal into a plurality of split signals, and sends each split signal to a respective ONU, where the at least one second unit is free from optically amplifying the optical signal received from the respective one of the plurality of optical outputs of the first unit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.