Granted Patent B2

US 7,937,739 · App. 11/091,596 · Granted May 3, 2011

Abstract

Claims (56)

1. A head-end apparatus for communicating with one or more nodes of a wideband distribution network supporting a wide frequency band including at least a legacy downstream frequency band and an extended downstream frequency band, the head-end apparatus comprising:

a downstream conversion module for converting a legacy downstream electrical signal of said legacy downstream frequency band into an extended downstream optical signal of said extended downstream frequency band, wherein said extended downstream frequency band comprises at least a sub-set of a frequency band of 1000-3000 MHz; and

an optical diplexer to route said extended downstream optical signal and a legacy downstream optical signal from said head-end apparatus to a fiber section for transferring on said fiber section both said extended downstream optical signal and said legacy downstream optical signal from said head-end apparatus to a node.

2. The head-end apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said downstream conversion module comprises:

an up-converter to up-convert said legacy downstream electrical signal into an up-converted downstream electrical signal of said extended downstream frequency band; and

an electrical-to-optical converter for converting said up-converted electrical signal into said extended downstream optical signal.

3. The head-end apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said wide frequency band includes a legacy upstream frequency band and an extended upstream frequency band, and wherein said head-end apparatus comprises:

an upstream conversion module for converting an extended upstream optical signal of said extended upstream frequency band into a legacy upstream electrical signal of said legacy upstream frequency band, wherein said extended upstream frequency band comprises at least a sub-set of a frequency band of 1000-3000 MHz.

4. The head-end apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said legacy downstream frequency band comprises at least a sub-set of a legacy frequency band of 5-1000 MHz.

5. The head-end apparatus of claim 3 , wherein said upstream conversion module comprises:

an optical-to-electrical converter for converting said extended upstream optical signal into an extended upstream electrical signal of said extended upstream frequency band; and

a down-converter to down-convert the extended upstream electrical signal into said legacy upstream electrical signal.

6. The head-end apparatus of claim 3 , wherein said legacy upstream frequency band comprises at least a sub-set of a legacy frequency band of 5-1000 MHz.

7. A head-end apparatus for communicating with one or more subscribers of a wideband distribution network supporting a wide frequency band including at least a legacy upstream frequency band and an extended upstream frequency band, the head-end apparatus comprising:

an optical diplexer to route an extended upstream optical signal of said extended upstream frequency band and a legacy upstream optical signal to said head-end apparatus from a fiber section for transferring both said extended upstream optical signal and said legacy upstream optical signal from a node to said head-end apparatus; and

an upstream conversion module for receiving said extended upstream optical signal and converting said extended upstream optical signal of said extended upstream frequency band into a legacy upstream electrical signal of said legacy upstream frequency band, wherein said extended upstream frequency band comprises at least a sub-set of a frequency band of 1000-3000 MHz.

8. The head-end apparatus of claim 7 , wherein said upstream conversion module comprises:

an optical-to-electrical converter for converting said extended upstream optical signal into an extended upstream electrical signal of said extended upstream frequency band; and

a down-converter to down-convert said extended upstream electrical signal into said legacy upstream electrical signal.

9. The head-end apparatus of claim 7 , wherein said legacy upstream frequency band comprises at least a sub-set of a legacy frequency band of 5-1000 MHz.

10. A wideband distribution network supporting a wide frequency band including at least a legacy downstream frequency band and an extended downstream frequency band, the system comprising:

a head-end apparatus including a downstream conversion module for converting a legacy downstream electrical signal of said legacy downstream frequency band into an extended downstream optical signal of said extended downstream frequency band, wherein said extended downstream frequency band comprises at least a sub-set of a frequency band of 1000-3000 MHz;

a first optical diplexer to route said extended downstream optical signal and a legacy downstream optical signal from said head-end apparatus to a first fiber section for transferring on said first fiber section both said extended downstream optical signal and said legacy downstream optical signal from said head-end apparatus to a node; and

a node including an optical-to-electrical converter to convert said extended downstream optical signal into an extended downstream electrical signal of said extended downstream frequency band.

11. The wideband distribution network of claim 10 , wherein said wide frequency band includes a legacy upstream frequency band and an extended upstream frequency band, said extended upstream frequency band comprises at least a sub-set of a frequency band of 1000-3000 MHz,

wherein said node comprises an electrical-to-optical converter to convert an extended upstream electrical signal of said extended upstream frequency band into an extended upstream optical signal of said extended upstream frequency band,

and wherein said head-end apparatus comprises an upstream conversion module for converting said extended upstream optical signal into a legacy upstream electrical signal of said legacy upstream frequency band.

12. The wideband distribution network of claim 9 , comprising:

a second optical diplexer to route an extended upstream optical signal of said extended upstream frequency band and a legacy upstream optical signal to said head-end apparatus from a second fiber section for transferring both said extended upstream optical signal and a legacy upstream optical signal from said node to said head-end apparatus.

13. The wideband distribution network of claim 9 comprising:

a third optical diplexer to route said extended downstream optical signal from said first fiber section to said optical-to-electrical converter in said node, and to route said legacy downstream optical signal from said first fiber section to said node; and

a forth optical diplexer to route said extended upstream optical signal from said electrical-to-optical converter in said node to said second fiber section, and to route a legacy upstream optical signal from said node to said second fiber section.

14. The wideband distribution network of claim 11 comprising:

a second optical diplexer to route said extended upstream optical signal from said electrical-to-optical converter in said node to said first fiber section,

wherein said first diplexer is able to route said extended upstream optical signal from said first fiber section to said upstream conversion module,

and wherein said second diplexer is able to route said extended downstream optical signal from said first fiber section to said optical-to-electrical converter in said node.

15. A method for communicating with one or more nodes of a wideband distribution network supporting a wide frequency band including at least a legacy downstream frequency band and an extended downstream frequency band, the method comprising:

converting by a downstream conversion module in a head-end apparatus a legacy downstream electrical signal of said legacy downstream frequency band into an extended downstream optical signal of said extended downstream frequency band, wherein said extended downstream frequency band comprises at least a sub-set of a frequency band of 1000-3000 MHz;

routing by an optical diplexer said extended downstream optical signal and a legacy downstream optical signal from said head-end apparatus to a fiber section; and

transferring by said fiber section both said extended downstream optical signal and said legacy downstream optical signal from said head-end apparatus to a node.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein converting said legacy downstream electrical signal comprises:

up-converting said legacy downstream electrical signal into an up-converted downstream electrical signal of said extended downstream frequency band; and

converting said up-converted electrical signal into said extended downstream optical signal.

17. The method of claim 15 comprising:

Converting in said node said extended downstream optical signal into an extended downstream electrical signal of said extended downstream frequency band.

18. The method of claim 15 , wherein said legacy downstream frequency band comprises at least a sub-set of a legacy frequency band of 5-1000 MHz.

19. A method for communicating with one or more nodes of a wideband distribution network supporting a wide frequency band including at least a legacy upstream frequency band and an extended upstream frequency band, the method comprising:

routing by a optical diplexer an extended upstream optical signal of said extended upstream frequency band and a legacy upstream optical signal from a fiber section to a head-end apparatus;

transferring by said fiber section both said extended upstream optical signal and said legacy upstream optical signal from a node to said head-end apparatus; and

converting by an upstream conversion module in said head-end apparatus said extended upstream optical signal of said extended upstream frequency band into a legacy upstream electrical signal of said legacy upstream frequency band, wherein said extended upstream frequency band comprises at least a sub-set of a frequency band of 1000-3000 MHz.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein converting said extended upstream optical signal comprises:

converting said extended upstream optical signal into an extended upstream electrical signal of said extended upstream frequency band; and

down-converting said extended upstream electrical signal into said legacy upstream electrical signal.

21. The method of claim 19 comprising:

converting in said node an extended upstream electrical signal of said extended upstream frequency band into said extended upstream optical signal of said extended upstream frequency band.

22. The method of claim 19 , wherein said legacy upstream frequency band comprises at least a sub-set of a legacy frequency band of 5-1000 MHz.

Assignments (10)