Scientific-atlanta, Inc.

Other

Cisco Technology, Inc.

Richard J Futch

Donald C Sorenson

Lamar E West, Jr

Joseph Graham Mobley

John Alexander Ritchie, Jr

Jiening Ao

John W Brickell

Steven E Blashewski

Florin Farcas

Thai-Bao H Kien

Bin Yang

Christopher J Topazi

Michael Jones

Amin Farvez

Richard T Causey

Lamar E West

John A Ritchie

An architecture for providing high-speed access over frequency-division multiplexed (FDM) channels allows transmission of Ethernet frames and/or other data across a cable transmission network or other form of FDM transport. The architecture involves downstream and upstream FDM multiplexing techniques to allow contemporaneous, parallel communications across a plurality of frequency channels. Furthermore, the architecture allows a central concentrator to support a plurality of remote devices that each has guaranteed bandwidth through connection-oriented allocations of bi-directional data flows. The upstream and downstream bandwidth allocation can support symmetrical bandwidth as well as asymmetrical bandwidth in either direction. As a local network, the architecture supports guaranteed bandwidth for delivery of data flows to a plurality of host devices.

Clock synchronization in a bidirectional network

Upstream data handling in a digital Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS) passive optical network (DPON). Embodiments include receiving at a headend, in an upstream path over an optical network, a plurality of digitized and serialized DPON upstream packets respectively distributed in a time division multiplexed fashion, wherein each DPON upstream packet includes a header, a trailer and a payload, monitoring the optical network for energy in the upstream path, including energy associated with a header and a trailer of respective DPON upstream packets, controlling a bit stuffer that adds bits to the upstream path to (1) stop adding bits to the upstream path when energy is detected in the upstream path and (2) resume adding bits to the upstream path after an end of a trailer of a given DPON upstream packet has been detected, and removing the header and the trailer of the respective DPON upstream packets. The resulting original payload is then digital to analog converted, and the resulting data is passed to, e.g., a cable modem termination system (CMTS).

Transporting upstream data in a passive optical network

Multiplexing of information from a plurality of information flows into fixed-length packets such as, but not limited to, MPEG packets allows efficient utilization of bandwidth and also can be used to reduce transmission latency. In addition, utilizing MPEG packets and transport streams for octet multiplexing allows the packets carrying octet-multiplexed data to easily be integrated with other MPEG packets for other services that are commonly found in cable transmission networks of all coax, hybrid fiber coax, and/or all fiber. The multiplexing/demultiplexing of octets using MPEG packets generally is described by mappings that specify the use of octets in MPEG packets. Changes to allocations in a map generally should be propagated in a way that reliably ensures that both the transmitter and receiver have a consistent view of the octet mappings.

Communication of active data flows between a transport modem termination system and cable transport modems

An architecture for providing high-speed access over frequency-division multiplexed (FDM) channels allows transmission of ethernet frames and/or other data across a cable transmission network or other form of FDM transport. The architecture involves downstream and upstream FDM multiplexing techniques to allow contemporaneous, parallel communications across a plurality of frequency channels. Furthermore, the architecture allows a central concentrator to support a plurality of remote devices that each have guaranteed bandwidth through connection-oriented allocations of bi-directional data flows. The upstream and downstream bandwidth allocation can support symmetrical bandwidth as well as asymmetrical bandwidth in either direction. The architecture generally can be used to support connection-oriented physical layer connectivity between a remote device and the central concentrator. Furthermore, the architecture may be integrated into other higher level devices such as, but not limited to, bridges, switches, routers, and/or gateways. The architecture generally may peacefully coexist with other services commonly-found in cable distribution networks.

Multi-carrier frequency-division multiplexing (FDM) architecture for high speed digital service

An architecture for providing high-speed access over frequency-division multiplexed (FDM) channels allows transmission of ethernet frames and/or other data across a cable transmission network or other form of FDM transport. The architecture involves downstream and upstream FDM multiplexing techniques to allow contemporaneous, parallel communications across a plurality of frequency channels. Each downstream data flow is fragmented into individual octets that are multiplexed into MPEG packets. An MPEG packet may carry the octets for a plurality of individual data flows. Furthermore, the MPEG packets may be frequency-division multiplexed across and may be contemporaneously communicated over a plurality of frequency channels. Also, the octets from a data flow do not necessarily have to use consecutive octets in an MPEG packet. Instead, consecutive octets in an MPEG packet may carry information for two different data flows. Thus, in an MPEG packet there may be intervening octets that might be allocated to other data flows between the octets of an ethernet frame or other type of data from one data flow. In addition, the data flows carried in MPEG packets may support one or a plurality of client devices. Therefore, an MPEG packet may be used to time-division multiplex multiple data flows to one or a plurality of client devices.

Mapping of bit streams into MPEG frames

Multiplexing of information from a plurality of information flows into fixed-length packets such as, but not limited to, MPEG packets allows efficient utilization of bandwidth and also can be used to reduce transmission latency. In addition, utilizing MPEG packets and transport streams for octet multiplexing allows the packets carrying octet-multiplexed data to easily be integrated with other MPEG packets for other services that are commonly found in cable transmission networks of all coax, hybrid fiber coax, and/or all fiber. Moreover, the multiplexing techniques described herein will work in both wired (or constrained media) and wireless (or free-space propagation) environments. The multiplexing/demultiplexing of octets using MPEG packets generally is described by mappings that specify the use of octets in MPEG packets. Changes to allocations in a map generally should be propagated in a way that reliably ensures that both the transmitter and receiver have a consistent view of the octet mappings.

Multiplexing octets from a data flow over MPEG packets

Disclosed herein are methods of providing a client with local area network connectivity and access to other services in a cable network. One such method includes: allocating bandwidth in the network to support bi-directional data communication between the host and a central concentrator. Bandwidth is allocated for a downstream flow on at least one downstream frequency channel based on a mapping between the downstream flow and a particular octet in a downstream packet. Bandwidth is allocated for an upstream flow on at least one non-shared upstream tone. The method also includes conveying a bi-directional data flow between the host and the concentrator over the allocated bandwidth, including conveying the upstream flow using the allocated bandwidth and conveying the downstream flow using the allocated bandwidth. The method also includes utilizing bandwidth in the network not allocated to data communications to provide the host with at least one audio/visual service.

Growing community of inventors

Lawrenceville, GA, United States of America

Richard J Futch