Subscriber access apparatus capable of adapting all of analog communication access network, ISDN access network and XDSL access network to ATM core network

A method of upwardly adapting all of an analog communication access network, an ISDN access network and an xDSL access network to an ATM Core Network, wherein the analog communication access network has an analog communication line for analog signals, the ISDN access network has an ISDN line for ISDN data signals including B-channel data signals, and the xDSL access network has an xDSL line for xDSL signals, and the ATM Core Network transfers ATM cells each having a header and a payload to the ATM Core Network, said method comprising:

• detecting the analog signals, the ISDN data signals and the xDSL signals, to produce a control signal;
• converting the analog signals into pulse code modulation (PCM) signals;
• extracting the B-channel data signals from the ISDN data signals to produce the B-channel data signals as digital data signals;
• splitting the xDSL signals into high and low frequency data signals;
• converting, in response to the control signal, the PCM signals, the digital data signals and the low frequency data signals to produce intermediate data signals;
• and
• assembling ATM cells from the intermediate data signals and the high frequency data signals in response to the control signal.

A method of downwardly adapting an ATM Core Network to all of an analog communication access network, an ISDN access network and an xDSL access network, wherein the analog communication access network has an analog communication line for analog signals, the ISDN access network has an ISDN line for ISDN data signals including B-channel data signals, and the xDSL access network has an xDSL line for xDSL signals, and the ATM Core Network transfers ATM cells each having a header and a payload to the ATM Core Network, said method comprising:

• detecting inputs of the ATM cells to produce a control signal;
• disassembling the ATM cells to produce intermediate data signals and high frequency data signals in response to the control signal;
• dividing, in response to the control signal, the intermediate data signals into pulse code modulation (PCM) signals, digital data signals and low frequency data signals in correspondence with contents of the intermediate data signals;
• converting the PCM signals into the analog signals;
• producing the ISDN data signals, including the B-channel data signals, from the digital data signals;
• and
• combining the high and low frequency data signals to produce the xDSL signals.

A subscriber access apparatus comprising:

• an analog subscriber line interface circuit (SLIC) that carries out mutual conversion between analog signals and pulse code modulation signals;
• an ISDN SLIC that carries out mutual conversion between ISDN data signals and digital data signals;
• an xDSL SLIC which carries out mutual conversion between xDSL signals and high and low frequency data signals;
• a signal processor connected to the analog SLIC, the ISDN SLIC, and the xDSL SLIC, for carrying out mutual conversion between ATM cells and the pulse code modulation signals, the digital data signals, and the high and low frequency data signals;
• and
• a controller that is connected to the signal processor and to the analog SLIC, the ISDN SLIC, and the xDSL SLIC, wherein the controller controls the mutual conversion carried out by the signal processor.

A subscriber access apparatus connected to an analog communication access network, an ISDN access network and an xDSL access network on a downstream side and connected to an ATM Core Network on an upstream side, wherein the analog communication access network has an analog communication line for analog signals, the ISDN access network has an ISDN line for ISDN data signals including B-channel data signals, the xDSL access network has an xDSL line for xDSL signals, and the ATM Core Network transfers ATM cells each having a header and a payload to the ATM Core Network, said apparatus comprising:

• an analog subscriber line interface circuit (analog-SLIC) which is connected to the analog communication line and which carries out mutual conversion between the analog signals and pulse code modulation (PCM) signals;
• an ISDN subscriber line interface circuit (ISDN-SLIC) which extracts the B-channel data signals from the ISDN data signals to produce, on the upstream side, the B-channel data signals as digital data signals and which produces, on the downstream side, the IDSN data signals having the B-channel data signals corresponding to the digital data signals;
• an xDSL subscriber line interface circuit (xDSL-SLIC) which splits the xDSL signals to produce, on the upstream side, high and low frequency data signals and which produces, on the downstream side, the xDSL signals from the high and low frequency data signals;
• a signal processor which:
• (a) processes the PCM signals, digital data signals and high and low frequency data signals, in response to a first control signal, to produce, on the upstream side, the ATM cells;
• and
• (b) processes the ATM cells in response to a second control signal to divide, on the downstream side, the ATM cells into the PCM signals, digital data signals, high and low frequency data signals;
• and
• a controller which:
• (a) produces the first control signal in response to at least one of the analog signals received by the analog-SLIC, the ISDN data signals received by the ISDN-SLIC and the xDSL signals received by the xDSL-SLIC;
• and
• (b) produces the second control signal in response to the ATM cells received by the signal processor from the ATM Core Network;
• and
• wherein the ATM Core Network having an interface connectable to a synchronous optical network (SONET), wherein the signal processor further comprises an ATM network interface circuit which receives the ATM cells and maps the ATM cells to the interface of the SONET.