US 11,916,658 B2
Multiplex conversion for a passive optical network
David B. Bowler, Stow, MA (US); and Xinfa Ma, Acton, MA (US)
Assigned to ARRIS Enterprises LLC, Suwanee, GA (US)
Filed by ARRIS Enterprises LLC, Suwanee, GA (US)
Filed on Dec. 30, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/138,441.
Application 17/138,441 is a continuation of application No. 16/455,017, filed on Jun. 27, 2019, granted, now 10,903,928.
Application 16/455,017 is a continuation of application No. 13/314,136, filed on Dec. 7, 2011, granted, now 10,341,038, issued on Jul. 2, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 61/422,658, filed on Dec. 14, 2010.
Prior Publication US 2021/0119721 A1, Apr. 22, 2021
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. H04J 14/02 (2006.01); H04B 10/29 (2013.01)
CPC H04J 14/02 (2013.01) [H04B 10/29 (2013.01)] 8 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A device configured for communication in a passive optical network that includes at least one optical line terminal (OLT) and at least one optical network unit (ONU), the device including at least one of a wavelength division multiplexer and a wavelength division demultiplexer, and a plurality of fiber link modules (FLM), each FLM comprising:
an upstream multiplex conversion device (MCD) connected to a respective port of each at least one of a wavelength division multiplexer and a wavelength division demultiplexer, the upstream MCD comprising:
an upstream optical receiver that receives an upstream optical signal from said at least one ONU; and
an upstream optical transmitter having a laser that transmits a regenerated upstream optical signal to said at least one OLT, wherein
the upstream optical receiver is a burst-mode receiver electrically coupled to the upstream optical transmitter, and
the upstream optical receiver and the upstream optical transmitter are configured to provide an enable/disable signal for the laser from the upstream optical receiver to the upstream optical transmitter; and
a downstream MCD connected to the respective port of each at least one of a wavelength division multiplexer and a wavelength division demultiplexer, the downstream MCD comprising:
a downstream optical receiver that receives a downstream optical signal from said at least one OLT, wherein the downstream optical signal is a wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) signal;
a downstream optical transmitter that transmits a regenerated downstream optical signal to said at least one ONU; where
the upstream MCD and downstream MCD of each FLM is connected to a respective port of each at least one of a wavelength division multiplexer and a wavelength division demultiplexer that is different than that of other ones of the plurality of FLMs.