Multiframe structure and handling protocol for a telecommunication network

Telephone access node (TAN) for use in a broadband telecommunication network and adapted to handle narrowband telephony signals according to a channel associated signalling (CAS) protocol or a common channel signalling (CCS) protocol, said telephone access node (TAN) being coupled to a plurality of subscriber stations (HOME) via a broadband cable link (BCL) onto which broadband signals and said narrowband telephony signals are transmitted, wherein said telephone access node (TAN) includes line termination means (RFLT) adapted to map said narrowband signals according to one of said CAS protocol or said CCS protocol into a multiframe structure which is transmitted on said broadband cable link (BCL), said multiframe structure including a plurality of time division multiple access (TDMA) frames (FN00-FN03), each frame comprising a plurality of time slots (TS00-TS39) each time slot adapted to carry a burst of data, a first plurality of said time slots carrying signalling bursts (S01-S30;

• S01-S04) of telephony signalling information and a second plurality of said time slots carrying traffic bursts (D01-D30;
• C01-C36) of telephony traffic data, wherein for the common channel signalling (CCS) protocol said line termination means (RFLT) are adapted to group the time slots carrying said signalling bursts within each of said frames, and wherein for the channel associated signalling (CAS) protocol said line termination means (RFLT) are adapted to separate time slots carrying said signalling bursts by several time slots carrying said traffic bursts and to distribute said time slots carrying said signalling bursts over the frames of said multiframe structure on a periodic basis.

Subscriber station (HOME) for use in a broadband telecommunication network including a telephone access node (TAN) and adapted to handle narrowband telephony signals according to channel associated signalling (CAS) protocols or common channel signalling (CCS) protocols, said telephone access node (TAN) being coupled to a plurality of said subscriber stations (HOME) via a broadband cable link (BCL) onto which broadband signals and said narrowband telephony signals are transmitted, wherein said subscriber stations (HOME) includes network termination means (CNT) adapted to map said signalling protocols (CAS, CCS) into a multiframe structure which is transmitted on said broadband cable link (BCL), said multiframe structure including a plurality of time division multiple access (TDMA) frames (FN00-FN03), each frame comprising a plurality of time slots (TS00-TS39) each adapted to carry a burst of data, a first plurality of said time slots carrying signalling bursts (S01-S30;

• S01-S04) of telephony signalling information and a second plurality of said time slots carrying traffic bursts (D01-D30;
• C01-C36) of telephony traffic data, wherein for the common channel signaling (CCS) protocols said network termination means (CNT) are adapted to group the time slots carrying said signalling bursts within each of said frames, and wherein for the channel associated signalling (CAS) protocols said network termination means (CNT) are adapted to separate time slots carrying said signalling bursts by several time slots carrying said traffic bursts and to distribute said time slots carrying said signalling bursts over the frames of said multiframe structure on a periodic basis.

Method for handling a multiframe structure for transmitting narrowband telephony signals over a broadband cable link (BCL) comprising the steps of:

• frequency multiplexing said narrowband telephony signals with broadband video signals, and
• including in said multiframe structure a plurality of time division multiple access (TDMA) frames (FN00-FN63), each frame comprising a plurality of time slots for carrying telephony bursts of narrowband telephony data and at least one time slot (TS00-TS01;
• TS00-TS03) for carrying a control burst of cable link operation signalling for exchange between termination devices (RFLT, CNT) located at respective ends of said broadband cable link (BCL) and further comprising the steps of:
• coupling a telephone access node (TAN) to a plurality of subscriber stations (HOME) with said broadband cable link, each of said subscriber stations having an unique address,
• at the location of said telephone access node, loading one unique address into one of said time slots for carrying a control burst,
• firstly recognizing said one unique address by the subscriber station having said one unique address, and secondly,
• subsequently using said one time slot on said broadband cable link (BCL) to carry control bursts of said cable link operation signalling exchanged between said telephone access node and said subscriber station having said one unique address.

Telephone access node (TAN) for use in a broadband telecommunication network and adapted to handle narrowband telephony signals, said telephone access node (TAN) including a broadband cable link port for coupling to a plurality of subscriber stations (HOME) via a broadband cable link (BCL) onto which broadband signals and said narrowband telephony signals are transmitted, wherein said telephony signals are for transmission on said broadband cable link (BCL) according to a time division multiple access (TDMA) multiframe structure, said multiframe structure including a plurality of frames (FN00-FN63), each frame including a plurality of time slots (TS00-TS39) each carrying a burst of data, and wherein said telephone access node (TAN) includes line termination means (RFLT) adapted to load in at least one of said time slots (TS00-TS01;

• TS00-TS03) a control burst of cable link operation signalling for exchange between said telephone access node (TAN) and said subscriber stations (HOME)
• wherein each of said subscriber stations (HOME) has an unique address and wherein said line termination means (RFLT) are adapted to firstly load said unique address into one of said time slots carrying a control burst and to secondly and subsequently use said one time slot for further exchange of cable link operation signalling between said telephone access node and the subscriber station having said unique address.

Broadband telecommunication network including transmitter means (TAN/HOME) and receiver means (HOME/TAN) both adapted to handle narrowband telephony signals in a multiframe structure according to channel associated signaling (CAS) protocols or common channel signaling (CCS) protocols, said transmitter means being coupled to said receiver means via a broadband cable link (BCL) onto which broadband signals and said narrowband telephony signals are transmitted, wherein said transmitter means (TAN/HOME) includes termination means (RFLT/CNT) adapted to map data of said signaling protocols (CAS, CCS) into said multiframe structure that is transmitted on said broadband cable link (BCL), said multiframe structure including a plurality of time division multiple access (TDMA) frames (FN00-FN03), each frame comprising a plurality of time slots (TS00-TS39) each time slot being adapted to carry a burst of data, a first plurality of said time slots carrying signaling bursts (S01-S30;

• S01-S04) of telephony signaling information and a second plurality of said time slots carrying traffic bursts (D01-D30;
• C01-C36) of telephony traffic data, wherein for the common channel signaling (CCS) protocols said termination means (RFLT/CNT) are adapted to group the time slots carrying said signaling bursts within each of said frames, and wherein for the channel associated signaling (CAS) protocols said termination means (RFLT/CNT) are adapted to separate time slots carrying said signaling bursts by several time slots carrying said traffic bursts and to distribute said time slots carrying said signaling bursts over the frames of said multiframe structure on a periodic basis.

Telephone access node (TAN) for use in a broadband telecommunication network and adapted to handle narrowband telephony signals according to channel associated signaling (CAS) protocols or common channel signaling (CCS) protocols, said telephone access node (TAN) being coupled to a plurality of subscriber stations (HOME) via a broadband cable link (BCL) onto which broadband signals and said narrowband telephony signals are transmitted, wherein said telephone access node (TAN) includes a port for linking said telephone access node to said broadband cable link, and wherein said telephone access node further includes line termination means (RFLT) adapted to map data of said signaling protocols (CAS, CCS) into a multiframe structure which is transmitted on said broadband cable link (BCL), said multiframe structure including a plurality of time division multiple access (TDMA) frames (FN00-FN03), each frame comprising a plurality of time slots (TS00-TS39) each time slot being adapted to carry a burst of data, a first plurality of said time slots carrying signaling bursts (S01-S30;

• S01-S04) of telephony signaling information and a second plurality of said time slots carrying traffic bursts (D01-D30;
• C01-C36) of telephony traffic data, wherein for the common channel signaling (CCS) protocols said line termination means (RFLT) are adapted to group the time slots carrying said signaling bursts within each of said frames, and wherein for the channel associated signaling (CAS) protocols said line termination means (RFLT) are adapted to separate time slots carrying said signaling bursts by several time slots carrying said traffic bursts and to distribute said time slots carrying said signaling bursts over the frames of said multiframe structure on a periodic basis.

Subscriber station (HOME) for use in a broadband telecommunication network including a telephone access node (TAN) and adapted to handle narrowband telephony signals according to a channel associated signaling (CAS) protocol or a common channel signaling (CCS) protocol, said telephone access node (TAN) for coupling to a plurality of subscriber stations (HOME) via a broadband cable link (BCL) onto which broadband signals and said narrowband telephony signals are transmitted, wherein said subscriber station (HOME) includes a broadband cable link port for connection to said broadband cable link and network termination means (CNT) adapted to map data of said channel associated signaling protocol (CAS) or said common channel signaling protocol (CCS) into a multiframe structure which is transmitted on said broadband cable link (BCL) via said port, said multiframe structure including a plurality of time division multiple access (TDMA) frames (FN00-FN03), each frame comprising a plurality of time slots (TS00-TS39) each time slot being adapted to carry a burst of data, a first plurality of said time slots carrying signaling bursts (S01-S30;

• S01-S04) of telephony signaling information and a second plurality of said time slots carrying traffic bursts (D01-D30;
• C01-C36) of telephony traffic data, wherein for the common channel signaling (CCS) protocol said network termination means (CNT) are adapted to group the time slots carrying said signaling bursts within each of said frames, and wherein for the channel associated signaling (CAS) protocol said network termination means (CNT) are adapted to separate time slots carrying said signaling bursts by several time slots carrying said traffic bursts and to distribute said time slots carrying said signaling bursts over the frames of said multiframe structure on a periodic basis.

Method for handling a multiframe structure used for transmitting narrowband telephony signals over a broadband cable link (BCL) coupling a telephone access node (TAN) to a plurality of subscriber stations (HOME), each of said subscriber stations having an unique address, wherein said multiframe structure includes a plurality of time division multiple access (TDMA) frames (FN00-FN63), each frame comprising a plurality of time slots, said method including:

• steps of frequency multiplexing said narrowband telephony signals with broadband video signals onto said broadband cable link (BCL),
• steps of loading telephony bursts of narrowband telephony data into a plurality of time slots of each of said frames, and of loading a control burst of cable link operation signaling for exchange between said telephone access node (TAN) and said subscriber stations (HOME) into at least one time slot (TS00-TS01;
• TS00-TS03) of each of said frames,
• a first preliminary step of loading, as a first control burst, one unique address into said one time slot at the location of said telephone access node (TAN),
• a second preliminary step of recognizing, into said one time slot, said one unique address by the subscriber station having said one unique address, and
• steps, following said first and second preliminary steps, of then using only said one time slot on said broadband cable link (BCL) to load therein and to unload therefrom control bursts of said cable link operation signaling exchanged between said telephone access node and said subscriber station having said one unique address.

Telephone access node (TAN) for use in a broadband telecommunication network and adapted to handle narrowband telephony signals, said telephone access node (TAN) having a port for coupling to a plurality of subscriber stations (HOME) via a broadband cable link (BCL) onto which broadband signals and said narrowband telephony signals are transmitted,

• wherein said telephony signals are transmitted on said broadband cable link (BCL) according to a time division multiple access (TDMA) multiframe structure, said multiframe structure including a plurality of frames (FN00-FN63), each frame including a plurality of time slots (TS00-TS39) each time slot carrying a burst of data,
• wherein said telephone access node (TAN) includes line termination means (RFLT) adapted to load into at least one time slot (TS00-TS01;
• TS00-TS03) a control burst of cable link operation signaling for exchange between said telephone access node (TAN) and said subscriber stations (HOME),
• wherein each of said subscriber stations (HOME) has an unique address, and
• wherein said line termination means (RFLT) are further adapted to load said unique address, as a first control burst, into said one time slot and to afterwards only use said one time slot for further exchange of cable link operation signaling between said telephone access node and the subscriber station having said unique address.