US 2017/0324444 A1 · COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK

Abstract

An optical network is disclosed which includes an optical fiber shared by a plurality of transmitters using code division multiple access techniques. The transmitters are connected by tributary optical fibers to the shared optical fiber. In code division multiple access techniques, each communication is encoded with a distinctive code which enables a receiver to extract the communication intended for it from amongst communications intended for other receivers. It is found that synchronizing the communications on the optical fiber improves the ability of a receiver to extract the communication intended for it. Injecting an optical pulse signal into the optical network, and using the tributary optical fibers to carry the clock signal to the transmitters provides an inexpensive method of synchronizing the transmitters which feed signals onto the optical fiber. The technology is of use in optical networks, and other transmission line networks, and is well-suited to use in local area networks.

Claims13

Dependent claims

A fixed network comprising:

a trunk transmission line;
a plurality of tributary transmission lines;
one or more signal couplers operable to couple the plurality of tributary transmission lines and the trunk transmission line;
a plurality of transmitters each being operable to transmit a traffic data signal onto one of the tributary transmission lines, the traffic data signal representing traffic data encoded in accordance with a code division multiple access (CDMA) coding scheme;
a timing signal source operable to provide a timing signal to the fixed network;
the one or more signal couplers being operable to pass the traffic data signals from the transmitters onto the trunk transmission line, and to distribute the timing signal to the tributary transmission lines;
wherein each of the transmitters is arranged in operation to receive the timing signal via a tributary transmission line and transmit the traffic data signals onto the tributary transmission line at a time dependent upon the timing signal, in order to synchronize the traffic data signals from different transmitters on the trunk transmission line.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Communications network

Life of this patent

Communications network

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims13