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US-20260128802-A1 - SYSTEM INCLUDING A PASSIVE OPTICAL NETWORK

US20260128802A1US 20260128802 A1US20260128802 A1US 20260128802A1US-20260128802-A1

Abstract

A system including a passive optical network.

Inventors

  • David Bowler
  • Shawn W. WARNER
  • Erik J. Gronvall
  • David Grubb
  • Jeffrey W. Weber

Assignees

  • ARRIS ENTERPRISES LLC

Dates

Publication Date
20260507
Application Date
20230823

Claims (17)

  1. 1 - 23 . (canceled)
  2. 24 . An access network for a passive optical network comprising: (a) an optical line terminal includes a north bound interface that is capable of receiving and sending data from and to a server, respectively; (b) said optical line terminal includes a port that is capable of receiving and sending optical data from and to a set of optical network terminals, respectively, through an optical fiber; (c) a virtual optical line terminal running on said server operably interconnected with said optical line terminal; (d) said virtual optical line terminal encoding and/or decoding data to be provided to said set of optical network terminals and/or to a core network using forward error correction.
  3. 25 . The access network of claim 24 wherein said virtual optical line terminal is configured to receive data from said core network and perform said forward error correction on said data prior to transmitting forward error corrected data to said optical line terminal.
  4. 26 . The access network of claim 24 wherein said virtual optical line terminal is configured to receive data from said core network and transmit said data to said optical line terminal, said optical line terminal is configured to transmit said data to said virtual optical line terminal which is configured to perform said forward error correction on said data and transmit said forward error corrected data to said optical line terminal, said optical line terminal is configured to transmit said forward error corrected data to said optical line terminal.
  5. 27 . The access network of claim 24 wherein said optical line terminal is configured to receive encoded forward error corrected data from one of said optical network terminals and transmits said encoded forward error corrected data to said virtual optical line terminal to decode said forward error corrected data prior to said virtual optical line terminal transmitting decoded forward error corrected data to said core network.
  6. 28 . The access network of claim 24 wherein said optical line terminal is configured to receive encoded forward error corrected data from one of said optical network terminals and transmits said encoded forward error corrected data to said virtual optical line terminal to decode said forward error corrected data, said virtual optical line terminal configured to transmit said decoded forward error corrected data to said optical line terminal prior to said virtual optical line terminal transmitting decoded forward error corrected data to said core network.
  7. 29 . An access network for a passive optical network comprising: (a) an optical line terminal includes a north bound interface that is capable of receiving and sending data from and to a server, respectively; (b) said optical line terminal includes a port that is capable of receiving and sending optical data from and to a set of optical network terminals, respectively, through an optical fiber; (c) a virtual optical line terminal running on said server operably interconnected with said optical line terminal; (d) a latency determination module determining a latency; and (e) at least one of said virtual optical line terminal and said optical line terminal selectively calculating a dynamic bandwidth allocation based upon said latency.
  8. 30 . The access network of claim 29 further comprising said optical line terminal determining said latency.
  9. 31 . The access network of claim 29 further comprising said virtual optical line terminal determining said latency.
  10. 32 . The access network of claim 31 wherein said latency is based upon a time to transmit data from said optical line terminal to said virtual optical line terminal.
  11. 33 . The access network of claim 31 wherein said latency is based upon a time to transmit data from said virtual optical line terminal to said optical line terminal.
  12. 34 . The access network of claim 29 further comprising said optical line terminal determining said latency.
  13. 35 . The access network of claim 34 wherein said latency is based upon a time to transmit data from said optical line terminal to said virtual optical line terminal.
  14. 36 . The access network of claim 34 wherein said latency is based upon a time to transmit data from said virtual optical line terminal to said optical line terminal.
  15. 37 . The access network of claim 29 wherein said virtual optical line terminal includes a first dynamic bandwidth allocation technique and said optical line terminal includes a second dynamic bandwidth allocation technique, wherein said first dynamic bandwidth allocation technique is different than said second dynamic bandwidth allocation technique.
  16. 38 . An access network for a passive optical network comprising: (a) a virtual optical line terminal running on said server operably interconnected with an optical line terminal including a north bound interface that is capable of receiving and sending data from and to a server, respectively, and a port that is capable of receiving and sending optical data from and to a set of optical network terminals, respectively, through an optical fiber; (b) said virtual optical line terminal adding additional computing processes as a result of receiving an indication that an image is to be provided to one of said optical network terminals; (c) said virtual optical line terminal receiving data which is used by said virtual optical line terminal to create said image using said additional computing processes; (d) said virtual optical line terminal providing said image to said optical line terminal to be provided to said one of said optical network terminals.
  17. 39 - 61 . (canceled)

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims the benefit of U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 63/431,862 filed Dec. 12, 2022 entitled INTERCONNECTED PASSIVE OPTICAL NETWORK AND WIRELESS SYSTEMS; claims the benefit of U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 63/435,478 filed Dec. 27, 2022 ENTITLED SMALL CELL DENSIFICATION FOR A PASSIVE OPTICAL NETWORK; claims the benefit of U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 63/430,178 filed Dec. 5, 2022 entitled DEPLOYMENT SYSTEMS FOR MODULAR PASSIVE OPTICAL NETWORKS; claims the benefit of U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 63/409,028 filed Sep. 22, 2022 entitled SELECTIVE VIRTUALIZED PROCESSING FOR PON NETWORKS; claims the benefit of U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 63/404,875 filed Sep. 8, 2022 entitled MANAGEMENT OF PON NETWORKS; claims the benefit of U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 63/403,493 filed Sep. 2, 2022 ENTITLED OPTIMIZED HFC AND PON INTEGRATED NETWORK. BACKGROUND The subject matter of this application relates to a system including a passive optical network. A passive optical network (PON) is often employed as an access network, or a portion of a larger communication network. The communication network typically has a high-capacity core portion where data or other information associated with telephone calls, digital television, and Internet communications is carried substantial distances. The core portion may have the capability to interact with other networks to complete the transmission of telephone calls, digital television, and Internet communications. In this manner, the core portion in combination with the passive optical network enables communications to and communications from subscribers (or otherwise devices associated with a subscriber, customer, business, or otherwise). The access network of the communication network extends from the core portion of the network to individual subscribers, such as those associated with a particular residence location (e.g., business location). The access network may be wireless access, such as a cellular network, or a fixed access, such as a passive optical network or a cable network. Referring to FIG. 1, in a PON 10, a set of optical fibres and passive interconnecting devices are used for most or all of the communications through the extent of the access network. A set of one or more optical network terminals (ONTs) 11 are devices that are typically positioned at a subscriber's residence location (e.g., or business location). The term “ONT” includes what is also referred to as an optical network unit (ONU). There may be any number of ONTs associated with a single optical splitter 12. By way of example, 32 or 64 ONTs are often associated with the single network optical splitter 12. The optical splitter 12 is interconnected with the respective ONTs 11 by a respective optical fiber 13, or otherwise a respective fiber within an optical fiber cable. Selected ONTs may be removed and/or added to the access network associated with the optical splitter 12, as desired. There may be multiple optical splitters 12 that are arranged in a cascaded arrangement. The optical fibers 13 interconnecting the optical splitter 12 and the ONTs 11 act as access (or “drop”) fibers. The optical splitter 12 is typically located in a street cabinet or other structure where one or more optical splitters 12 are located, each of which are serving their respective set of ONTs. In some cases, an ONT may service a plurality of subscribers, such as those within a multiple dwelling unit (e.g., apartment building). In this manner, the PON may be considered a point to multipoint topology in which a single optical fiber serves multiple endpoints by using passive fiber optic splitters to divide the fiber bandwidth among the endpoints. An optical line terminal (OLT) 14 is located at the central office where it interfaces directly or indirectly with a core network 15. An interface 16 between the OLT 14 and the core network 15 may be one or more optical fibers, or any other type of communication medium. The OLT 14 forms optical signals for transmission downstream to the ONTs 11 through a feeder optical fiber 17, and receives optical signals from the ONTs 11 through the feeder optical fiber 17. The optical splitter 12 is typically a passive device that distributes the signal received from the OLT 14 to the ONTs 11. Similarly, the optical splitter 12 receives optical signals from the ONTs 11 and provides the optical signals though the feeder optical fiber 17 to the OLT 14. In this manner, the PON includes an OLT with a plurality of ONTs, which reduces the amount of fiber necessary as compared with a point-to-point architecture. As it may be observed, an optical signal is provided to the feeder fiber 17 that includes all of the data for the ONTs 11. Accordingly, all the data being provided to each of the ONTs is provided to all the ONTs through the optical splitter 12. Each of the ONTs selects the portions of the received optical signals that are intended for