Methods and apparatus for generating local oscillation signals
View Patent ↗Generating oscillator signals with which selected signals may be mixed. Such oscillator signals may be generated by dividing a pilot tone, such as a 120 MHz pilot tone found on many cable TV systems. Oscillator signals for demodulating received selected signals may be similarly generated.
1. A method, comprising:
selecting downstream optical signals by:
receiving a selection signal corresponding to a level of service of a subscriber at a central office, and
generating a modulated electrical output in accordance with the selection signal at the central office;
converting the modulated electrical output into the selected downstream optical signals at the central office by modulating an optical output of a first laser;
receiving, at a subscriber premises, the selected downstream optical signals out of a plurality of downstream optical signals from an information distribution system, the selected downstream optical signals corresponding to the level of service of the subscriber to the information distribution system;
converting the selected downstream optical signals to electrical signals;
passing each of the electrical signals through a downstream cascaded demultiplexer-filter pair;
transmitting the electrical signals as radio frequency signals to one or more connected devices at the subscriber premises;
receiving an upstream electrical signal from one of the one or more connected device at the subscriber premises;
converting the upstream electrical signal into an upstream optical signal by modulating an optical output of a second laser; and
transmitting the upstream optical signal to the information distribution system.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the selected downstream optical signals include video, and the upstream optical signal includes data transmissions.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the one or more connected devices is a television.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the radio frequency signals are transmitted over a cable and within the frequency range of 5 MHZ to 1000 MHz.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more connected devices includes at least one of a computer, a telephone and a fax machine.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the selected downstream optical signals are a smaller subset of the plurality of downstream optical signals.