Optoelectronic network interface device
AssigneeLucent Technologies Inc.
InventorsJoseph Earl Ford, Ashok V. Krishnamoorthy
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Abstract
Method and apparatus are disclosed for an optoelectronic network interface device allowing reconfiguration of ports in a Local Area Network (LAN). More particularly, the optoelectronic interface device is integrated to include optical ports for communicating with a network, electronic circuits for providing an interface to end-users and a controllable electronic switch between the optical ports and electronic circuits. In response to a control signal, the switch dynamically reconfigures the connection between selected optical ports and selected electronic circuits.
Claims12
A network interface device comprising:
- a plurality of optical ports for communicating optical signals with a network, said plurality of optical ports including a first optical port operating at a first optical signal data-rate and a second optical port operating at a second optical signal data-rate;
- a plurality of electronic circuits for providing end-user connections to said interface device;
- and
- an electronic switch between said plurality of ports and said plurality of electronic circuits, said electronic switch being responsive to an external control signal for dynamically reconfiguring an optical signal bandwidth connection to a selected one of said electronic circuits by changing the connection from a first optical port operating at a first optical signal data-rate to a second optical port operating at a second optical signal data-rate, wherein said network interface device is an integrated structure.
A network interface device for dynamic bandwidth allocation to an end-user connected to a network through said network interface device comprising:
- a plurality of optoelectronic transceivers for communicating with said network and for converting optical signals received from said network to electrical signals, wherein one of said plurality of optoelectronic transceivers supports a first optical data-rate and an other one of said plurality of optoelectronic transceivers supports a second optical data-rate;
- a plurality of electronic circuits for providing end-user connections to said interface device;
- and
- an electronic switch between said plurality of optoelectronic transceivers and said plurality of electronic circuits, said electronic switch being responsive to an external control signal for dynamically reconfiguring an optical signal bandwidth connection to a selected one of said electronic circuits by changing the connection from a first optoelectronic transceiver operating at a first optical signal data-rate to a second optoelectronic transceiver operating at a second optical signal data-rate, and wherein said network interface device is an integrated structure.
A method of reconfiguring connections between optical ports and electronic circuits of a network interface device comprising the steps of:
- responding to an external control signal controlling an optical signal bandwidth connection between an optical port and a selected one of said electronic circuits and
- dynamically reconfiguring said optical signal bandwidth connection to said selected one of said electronic circuits by changing a connection from a first optical port operating at a first optical signal data-rate to a second optical port operating at a second optical signal data-rate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.