Hitachi, Ltd.

Masao Niibe

Masahiko Mizutani

Tohru Kazawa

Takeshi Kiyose

Shinya Fujioka

Yusuke Yajima

Ryosuke Nishino

When an ONU accommodating range is enlarged, and ONUs shorter and ONUs longer in a communication path to an OLT are accommodated in a PON at the same time, there is a need to change a light intensity at the time of transmitting a downstream signal in order that both of the ONUs receive a downstream signal from the OLT. When a near-end ONU receives a signal having a light intensity necessary to communicate between the OLT and a far-end ONU, there arises such a problem that the light intensity is as high as an ONU receiver fails. In order to eliminate the ONU failure of the above problem, prior to transmission of the downstream signal, a downstream signal transmission schedule (downstream light intensity map) is notified to all of the ONUs. An optical transceiver of the OLT has a function of adjusting an output light intensity, and adjusts the light intensity to values receivable by the individual ONUs when the signal arrives at the respective ONUs according to route distances to the respective ONUs.

Passive optical network system

When a neighbor ONU receives a signal with light intensity high enough to secure communication between an OLT and a remote ONU, the light intensity may be excessively high to damage a receiver of the neighbor ONU. In order to avoid such a problem, each ONU is notified of a downstream signal transmission plan (downstream light intensity map) prior to transmission of a downstream signal. Each ONU receives the downstream light intensity map (light intensity transmission schedule of downstream signal) in advance. Thus, the neighbor ONU can block or attenuate an optical signal addressed to the remote ONU, and the remote ONU can determine normal operation even when the remote ONU cannot receive a signal addressed to the neighbor ONU. Thus, the remote ONU can be prevented from issuing a wrong error signal.

In a passive optical network system in which signals from a master station to plural slave stations are time-division multiplexed and transmitted, the slave stations different in transmission speed are mixedly contained. The master station (OLU) performs ranging for each transmission speed, and grasps all the slave stations different in transmission speed for each transmission speed, and generates a frame including signals of a suitable transmission speed corresponding to each slave station. When the frame is generated, in a downstream signal in which signals of plural transmission speeds are mixed, a dummy signal is set at a place where the transmission speed is changed, and a time necessary to follow a change in level of a received signal due to a change in optical level caused when the transmission speed is changed is secured. Thereby, each ONU avoids a reception error occurring in the time necessary to follow.

Passive optical network system and optical line terminator

In a PON, at the time of ranging, an OLT (a master station) measures an optical level of a signal from at least an ONU (a slave station) capable of communicating at plural transmission speeds. The OLT determines the transmission speed applied to the ONU according to the measured level. Incidentally, the ONU may measure an optical level of a ranging request signal and determine the transmission speed. At a normal operation, when the OLT sends information of plural different transmission speeds to the ONU, a timing when a next frame reaches and transmission speed information are notified to the ONU. Based on the timing, the ONU receives only data of the transmission speed that can be handled. Besides, the OLT switches the transmission speed to receive data based on a grant designation transmitted from the plural ONUs to the OLT.

Passive optical network system, optical line terminator and optical network unit

A passive optical network system (PON) has a plurality of OLTs and ONUs with different transmission rates. OLTs with different transmission rates share information of priority frames and destinations, and determine timing for frame transmission to ONUs so that the signal from each of the OLTs does not collide when multiplied in a splitter. OLTs transmit the data to the ONU as a burst signal to prevent the signals with different rates from colliding. ONU acquires the information of the following burst frames. ONU receives only the signal addressed to the own ONU or with the transmission rate of own ONU, therefore errors in ONUs can be avoided. OLT receives only the signal with the transmission rate of own OLT from ONUs based on the transmission timing from the ONUs shared by the line terminators, errors in OLTs can be avoided.

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Fujisawa, Japan

Masao Niibe