CN113973239A

CN113973239A - Method, apparatus, optical network unit, optical line terminal and medium for communication

Info

Publication number: CN113973239A
Application number: CN202010724282.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 吕小鹏
Original assignee: Nokia Shanghai Bell Co Ltd; Nokia Solutions and Networks Oy
Current assignee: Nokia Shanghai Bell Co Ltd; Nokia Solutions and Networks Oy
Priority date: 2020-07-24
Filing date: 2020-07-24
Publication date: 2022-01-25

Abstract

The disclosed embodiments relate to a method, an apparatus, an optical network unit, an optical line terminal, and a medium for communication. The method comprises the following steps: the method comprises the steps that a first optical network unit generates a data frame to be sent to a second optical network unit, the header of the data frame comprises indication information and identification information, the indication information indicates that the data frame is communication between the optical network units, and the identification information identifies connection from the first optical network unit to the second optical network unit; and causing the data frame to be sent to the optical line terminal as part of an upstream data flow. The optical line terminal receives the upstream data flow, determines the data frame from the upstream data flow based on the indication information, and sends the data frame to the second optical network unit as a part of the downstream data flow. The second optical network unit receives the downstream data flow, determines the data frame from the downstream data flow based on the identification information, and processes the data frame. According to the scheme of the embodiment of the disclosure, the communication between the optical network units can be simply and flexibly realized.

Description

Method, apparatus, optical network unit, optical line terminal and medium for communication

Technical Field

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to the field of communications, and more particularly, to a method for communication, an Optical Network Unit (ONU), an Optical Line Terminal (OLT), and a computer-readable storage medium.

Background

Passive Optical Networks (PONs) have been widely deployed to provide residential broadband access to end users, and the PON infrastructure has also gained good application in enterprise and internet of things (IoT) environments. In these residential broadband access, enterprise and IoT networks with PON infrastructure, more and more services require data exchange between end users in the PON. In addition, fixed-mobile convergence is emerging in broadband services, and in a mobile communication network under PON infrastructure, key characteristics of inter-cell cooperation, such as inter-cell interference coordination (eICIC) and network Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO), need to be achieved through inter-ONU communication.

In some current schemes, inter-ONU communication needs to be achieved by layer 2 switching or layer 3 routing over the PON in the OLT. However, it is inefficient because of the extra delay introduced by the overlapping switching and routing. In other solutions, Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) oriented techniques are used, but such implementations are too complex and costly.

Disclosure of Invention

In general, embodiments of the disclosure provide methods, optical network units, optical line terminals, and computer-readable storage media for communication.

In a first aspect of embodiments of the present disclosure, a method for communication is provided. The method comprises the following steps: generating, at a first optical network unit, a data frame to be sent to a second optical network unit, a header of the data frame including indication information and identification information, the indication information indicating that the data frame is a communication between optical network units, the identification information identifying a connection from the first optical network unit to the second optical network unit; and causing the data frame to be sent to an optical line terminal as part of an upstream data flow.

In a second aspect of embodiments of the present disclosure, a method for communication is provided. The method comprises the following steps: receiving an upstream data stream at an optical line terminal; determining a data frame to be sent from a first optical network unit to a second optical network unit from the upstream data stream based on indication information, wherein a header of the data frame comprises the indication information and identification information, the indication information indicates that the data frame is communication between the optical network units, and the identification information identifies connection from the first optical network unit to the second optical network unit; and causing the data frame to be transmitted to the second optical network unit as part of a downstream data flow.

In a third aspect of embodiments of the present disclosure, a method for communication is provided. The method comprises the following steps: receiving, at a second optical network unit, a downstream data stream from an optical line terminal; determining a data frame to be sent from a first optical network unit to a second optical network unit from the downstream data stream based on identification information, wherein a header of the data frame comprises indication information and the identification information, the indication information indicates that the data frame is communication between the optical network units, and the identification information identifies connection from the first optical network unit to the second optical network unit; and processing the data frame.

In a fourth aspect of embodiments of the present disclosure, a first optical network unit is provided. The first optical network unit includes: a processor; and a memory coupled with the processor, the memory having instructions stored therein, which when executed by the processor, cause the first optical network unit to perform the above-described method according to the first aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure.

In a fifth aspect of the disclosed embodiments, an optical line terminal is provided. The optical line terminal includes: a processor; and a memory coupled to the processor, the memory having instructions stored therein that, when executed by the processor, cause the optical line terminal to perform the method according to the second aspect of embodiments of the present disclosure as described above.

In a sixth aspect of embodiments of the present disclosure, a second optical network unit is provided. The second optical network unit includes: a processor; and a memory coupled with the processor, the memory having instructions stored therein, which when executed by the processor, cause the first optical network unit to perform the method according to the second aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure as described above.

In a seventh aspect of embodiments of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is provided. The computer readable storage medium comprises machine executable instructions which, when executed by a device, cause the device to perform the method according to the first aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure as described above.

In an eighth aspect of embodiments of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is provided. The computer readable storage medium comprises machine executable instructions which, when executed by a device, cause the device to perform the method according to the second aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure as described above.

In a ninth aspect of embodiments of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is provided. The computer readable storage medium comprises machine executable instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform the method according to the third aspect of embodiments of the present disclosure described above.

According to the scheme of the embodiment of the disclosure, a new communication mechanism between ONUs is introduced, the mechanism is simply operated on a PON transmission convergence layer (such as a G-PON transmission convergence layer (GTC)), and requirements of low system complexity, low cost, low time delay, high efficiency and the like can be met.

It should be understood that the statements herein reciting aspects are not intended to limit the critical or essential features of the embodiments of the present disclosure, nor are they intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following description.

Drawings

The above and other features, advantages and aspects of various embodiments of the present disclosure will become more apparent by referring to the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like or similar reference characters designate like or similar elements, and wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of an example communication system in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

fig. 2 shows a schematic diagram of exemplary interactions in inter-OUN communication, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3A shows a schematic diagram of a downstream G-PON encapsulation mode (GEM) port logical connection;

FIG. 3B shows a schematic of the GEM port logical connection in upstream;

fig. 4 shows a schematic diagram of GEM frame adaptation and framing in the GTC layer;

fig. 5A shows a schematic diagram of a downlink GTC frame;

fig. 5B shows a schematic diagram of an upstream GTC frame;

FIG. 6 shows a schematic diagram of a GEM header and frame structure;

fig. 7 shows a flow chart of a communication method implemented at a first ONU according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 8 shows a flow diagram of a communication method implemented at an OLT in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 9 shows a flow chart of a communication method implemented at a second ONU according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 10 shows a schematic block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the disclosure; and

FIG. 11 shows a schematic diagram of a computer-readable storage medium according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. While certain embodiments of the present disclosure have been illustrated in the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the present disclosure may be embodied in various forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein, but rather are provided for a more thorough and complete understanding of the present disclosure. It should be understood that the drawings and embodiments of the disclosure are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure.

The terms "include" and variations thereof as used herein are inclusive and open-ended, i.e., "including but not limited to. The term "based on" is "based, at least in part, on". The term "one embodiment" means "at least one embodiment"; the term "another embodiment" means "at least one additional embodiment". Relevant definitions for other terms will be given in the following description.

It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element could be termed a second element, and, similarly, a second element could be termed a first element, without departing from the scope of the embodiments. As used herein, the term "and/or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

The term "circuitry" as used herein refers to one or more of the following:

(a) hardware-only circuit implementations (such as implementations in only analog and/or digital circuitry); and

(b) a combination of hardware circuitry and software, such as (if applicable): (i) a combination of analog and/or digital hardware circuitry and software/firmware, and (ii) any portion of a hardware processor in combination with software (including a digital signal processor, software, and memory that work together to cause a device such as an Optical Line Terminal (OLT) or other computing device to perform various functions); and

(c) a hardware circuit and/or processor, such as a microprocessor or a portion of a microprocessor, that requires software (e.g., firmware) for operation, but may lack software when software is not required for operation.

The definition of circuit applies to all usage scenarios of this term in this application, including any claims. As another example, the term "circuitry" as used herein also covers an implementation of merely a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors), or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor, or software or firmware accompanying it. For example, the term "circuitry" would also cover a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit or a similar integrated circuit in an OLT or other computing device, as applicable to the particular claim element.

As used herein, the term "communication system" may be a PON-based communication system, such as a gigabit passive optical network (G-PON), a 10 gigabit passive optical network (XG-PON), a 10 gigabit symmetric passive optical network (XGs-PON), a 50 gigabit passive optical network (50G-PON), and other PONs known in the art or developed in the future, and the like. The communication system may also be any wired or wireless communication system capable of implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. In view of the rapid development of communication technology, there will of course be future types of communication technology and systems with which the present invention may be combined. It should not be considered as limiting the scope of the disclosure to only the above-described systems.

As mentioned previously, PON infrastructure is widely deployed in residential broadband access, enterprise, and IoT networks. For example, a passive optical local area network (POL) is constructed using PON technology, providing a layer 2 transmission medium for enterprise and campus network markets. In an IoT network, a PON-side IoT gateway connects numerous different geographically distributed sensors, actuators, and processors. In these residential broadband access, enterprise and IoT networks with PON infrastructure, more and more services require data exchange between end users in the PON. For example, peer-to-peer file sharing, cloud computing and interactive gaming, etc., between different data centers in the same PON infrastructure, between different school districts at a university, and between different offices at the same company.

In addition, fixed-mobile convergence is emerging in broadband services, and in a mobile communication network under PON infrastructure, key characteristics of inter-cell cooperation, such as eICIC and network MIMO, need to be achieved through inter-ONU communication, where efficiency and latency of communication are the most critical factors.

Furthermore, the evolution of PON technology with more split ratios/users (e.g. 512 or even 1024) and richer bandwidth (e.g. next generation passive optical network (NG-PON) and next generation passive optical network 2(NG-PON2), in particular XGS-PON, for example, providing symmetric bandwidth, is very advantageous for inter-ONU communication.

However, due to the tree topology of the PON infrastructure, direct communication between ONUs is not supported in the conventional scheme. In conventional schemes, inter-ONU communication can only be achieved by layer 2 switching or layer 3 routing above the PON in the OLT. This is inefficient and introduces additional latency due to overlapping switching and routing.

In other conventional schemes, WDM-oriented techniques are employed to implement inter-ONU communications. In these schemes, in addition to the wavelengths for OLT-to-ONU communication, the inter-ONU communication needs to occupy separate wavelengths (transmit and receive pairs). Instead of a power splitter in the Remote Node (RN), a cyclic Array Waveguide Grating (AWG) and a passive wavelength combiner need to be configured to isolate the inter-ONU traffic from the conventional OLT-ONU traffic and to route the inter-ONU traffic to the destination ONU.

In this way, inter-ONU communications can only run on the physical layer within the Optical Distribution Network (ODN) infrastructure on separate WDM wavelengths without involving the OLT, and inter-ONU communications only operate on the all-optical layer. However, this solution has many problems at the same time. For example, each ONU requires an additional tunable optical transceiver for inter-ONU communication in addition to the AWG and combiner required by the RN. Thus, the implementation is too complex and costly to afford residential access, enterprise and IoT services.

In view of this, embodiments of the present disclosure propose a new inter-ONU communication mechanism that simply runs on the GTC. In the mechanism, through brief extension of GTC specification, indication information for indicating communication between ONUs is set in the header of a data frame, so that communication between ONUs can be realized without changing the existing specification.

Fig. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of an example communication system 100 in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. As shown in fig. 1, the system 100 may be a PON system, which includes an ONU111, an ONU112, and an ONU 113 (which may also be referred to as an ONU 110 hereinafter for convenience) and an OLT 120. ONU111, ONU112, and ONU 113 may communicate with OLT120 via splitter 130, and ONU111, ONU112, and ONU 113 may also communicate with each other (also referred to herein as inter-ONU communication). It should be understood that the number of ONUs 110 is not limited to the example shown in fig. 1, but may include a greater or lesser number, and the number of OLTs 120 is not limited to the example shown in fig. 1, but may include a greater number. Furthermore, their implementation is not limited to the specific examples described above, but may be implemented in any suitable manner.

In fig. 1, ONU111 may generate a data frame to be transmitted to ONU112, and a header of the data frame may include indication information indicating inter-ONU communication and identification information identifying a connection from ONU111 to ONU 112. Then, the ONU111 may transmit the data frame to the OLT 120. OLT120 may identify the data frame from the upstream data stream based on the indication information and place the data frame directly into a queue of the downstream data stream. The ONU112 may identify the data frame from the downstream based on the identification information.

In this way, the requirements of system complexity, cost, efficiency, time delay and the like can be effectively balanced, and mixed deployment of inter-ONU service and traditional OLT-ONU service can be allowed. Compared to an overlay switching or routing scheme over a PON, embodiments of the present disclosure have greatly improved efficiency and latency. Compared with a scheme oriented to WDM technology, the embodiments of the present disclosure can be simply and flexibly implemented based on a conventional PON system with low complexity and low cost.

This is explained in more detail below in conjunction with fig. 2-6. Fig. 2 shows a schematic diagram 200 of exemplary interactions in inter-ONU communications according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. For convenience, this is described herein in connection with the example of fig. 1.

As shown in fig. 2, OLT120 may determine 201 identification information for ONU111 to ONU112 communication to identify the connection from ONU111 to ONU 112. In some embodiments, OLT120 may allocate a respective logical port, e.g., a GEM port, for peer-to-peer connection of ONU111 to ONU112 communications. It should be understood herein that GEM port is merely an example, and embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto, but may implement the identification information in any suitable manner known in the art or developed in the future. The GEM port Identification (ID) defines a unidirectional connection and the OLT120 may configure the GEM port ID (e.g., GEM port X) to at least two ONUs to communicate. Here, GEM port X represents the logical connection from ONU111 to ONU 112.

The OLT120 may send 202 the identification information to the ONU111 and 203 to the ONU 112. ONU111 may set upstream GEM port X for inter-ONU communication based on the identification information. The ONU112 may set a downstream GEM port X for inter-ONU communication based on the identification information.

In a G-PON, a GEM port is defined as the logical connection associated with a particular client packet flow between the OLT and the ONUs. Fig. 3A shows a schematic 301 of GEM port logical connections in downstream. As shown in fig. 3A, in the downstream direction, OLT120 uses the Identification (ID) of GEM port 311 to identify GEM frames belonging to different downstream logical connections to multiplex the GEM frames onto the transmission medium. Each ONU 111-113 filters the downstream GEM frame through the GEM port filter 312 based on their GEM port ID and processes only GEM frames belonging to that ONU. If the GEM ports are configured with the same ID in the multiple ONUs 111-113, multicast transmission from the OLT120 to the ONUs 111-113 can be realized.

FIG. 3B shows a schematic 302 of the GEM port logical connections in the upstream. As shown in fig. 3B, in the upstream direction, the ONU 120 uses the GEM port ID to identify GEM frames belonging to different upstream logical connections. The transport containers (T-CONT)321 multiplex GEM port connections based on traffic Bandwidth (BW) type, e.g., fixed BW or guaranteed BW, where T-CONT 321 schedules and transports with upstream BW allocation that is controlled via Dynamic Bandwidth Allocation (DBA) function centralized in the OLT. OLT120 receives the GEM frame and obtains the client frame from it based on the GEM port ID. Here, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the relevant specifications of T-CONT and DBA remain unchanged.

Fig. 4 shows a diagram 400 of GEM frame adaptation and framing in the GTC layer. As shown in fig. 4, GTC framing sublayer 410 is responsible for multiplexing Physical Layer Operations Administration and Maintenance (PLOAM)420 and GTC payload portions into downstream GTC frames, and extracting each GEM portion from upstream bursts in the upstream direction. In this sublayer, the header of the GTC frame is created and formatted in the downlink frame, and the header of the uplink burst is decoded. In embodiments of the present disclosure, this sublayer remains unchanged.

The GTC adaptation sublayer 430 provides two adapters, namely a GEM adapter 431 and an ONU Management and Control Interface (OMCI) adapter 432. Fig. 5A shows a schematic 501 of a downlink GTC frame, and fig. 5B shows a schematic 502 of an uplink GTC frame. As shown in fig. 5A and 5B, a GEM adapter, such as GEM adapter 431, may describe GEM Protocol Data Units (PDUs) from the GTC payload portion and map the GEM PDUs into the

GTC payload

510 or 520. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the OMCI adapter 432 and the DBA control 433 remain unchanged.

When ONU111 wants to send a packet to ONU112 in the same PON infrastructure, ONU111 initiates inter-ONU communication from ONU111 to ONU 112. As shown in fig. 2, ONU111 generates 204 a data frame to be sent to ONU 112. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the header of the data frame includes the above-mentioned identification information (e.g., GEM port X) for identifying the connection from ONU111 to ONU 112. For convenience, the following description will be made by taking the data frame as a GEM frame as an example. Fig. 6 shows a schematic diagram 600 of a GEM header and frame structure. As shown in fig. 6, in some embodiments, the port ID field 611 in the GEM header 610 may be made to indicate GEM port X. In this way, it may be indicated that the data frame is a data frame to be sent from ONU111 to ONU 112.

In some embodiments, the header of the data frame may further include indication information indicating whether the data frame is inter-ONU communication. In some embodiments, the indication information may further indicate whether the data frame is the last frame of the inter-ONU communication. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the indication information may be included in a Payload Type Indication (PTI) field in a header of the data frame. As shown in fig. 6, the PTI field in the GEM header may be used to indicate the content type of the payload and its appropriate processing. In some embodiments, the inter-ONU communication may be defined using reserved encoding in the PTI field of the GEM frame. Table 1 below shows an example of PTI encoding.

Table 1 example of PTI encoding

PTI encoding	Means of
		000	User data sector, not last frame
001	User data sector, the last frame
		010	Retention
011	Retention
		100	GEM Operation Administration and Maintenance (OAM), not the last frame
101	GEM OAM, the last frame
		110	inter-ONU data sector, not last frame
111	inter-ONU data sector, the last frame

As shown in table 1, codes 110 and 111 may be used to indicate inter-ONU communication. For example, the code 110 may also indicate an inter-ONU data section that is not the last frame, and the code 111 may also indicate an inter-ONU data section that is the last frame. Of course, this is merely an example, and any other suitable manner is possible and not limited to the manner shown in table 1.

Returning to fig. 2, ONU111 may send 205 the generated data frame to OLT120 as part of the upstream data stream. In some embodiments, the ONU111 may multiplex the generated data frames into an upstream data stream and then send the upstream data frames to the OLT120 according to the assigned DBA time slots. The only difference compared to traditional ONU-to-OLT communication is that the PTI field in the GEM header is set to indicate the packet zone status for inter-ONU communication.

When OLT120 receives the upstream data stream from ONU 110, OLT120 may determine 206 a data frame related to inter-ONU communication, e.g. a data frame from ONU111 to ONU112, from the upstream data stream based on the indication information. In some embodiments, OLT120 may extract the GEM frame from the upstream GTC payload through the GEM adapter and filter the data frame based on the PTI field. In the case of ONU-to-OLT legacy communication, a data frame will be sent to the GEM client identified by the GEM port ID. In the case of inter-ONU communication, the OLT120 leaves the data frame unchanged and enters the data frame into a queue for downstream and then will be multiplexed into the GTC payload. The OLT120 may broadcast 207 the downstream data stream (e.g., GTC frames) to all ONUs in the PON.

Accordingly, the ONUs 112 may receive the downstream data stream from the OLT 120. ONU112 may determine 208 the data frame from ONU111 from the downstream data stream based on the identification information (GEM port X). Since the GEM port for inter-ONU communications is unidirectional, only ONU112 configured with GEM port X can filter out the data frame from ONU 111.

The ONU112 may then process 209 the data frame. In some embodiments, the ONU112 may determine whether the data frame is the last frame of the inter-ONU communication based on the indication information (e.g., the PTI field) in the header of the data frame.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, if multiple source ONUs or multiple destination ONUs are configured to the same logical connection, e.g. having the same GEM port ID, point-to-multipoint, or multipoint-to-point, or multipoint-to-multipoint, inter-ONU communications can be easily and flexibly established.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, a simple mechanism may be provided that is fully forward compatible with existing specifications (e.g., g.984.3). This means that such an inter-ONU communication scheme can be deployed in a hybrid with conventional PONs, thereby enabling an incremental deployment of inter-ONU communication in conventional PON networks. The mechanism has the advantages of low system complexity, low cost, low time delay and high efficiency.

Thus far, an example procedure of inter-ONU communication according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is described. It should be understood that the process may also include more additional steps or omit some of the steps shown, and is not limited to the example of fig. 2. Accordingly, the embodiments of the present disclosure also provide methods implemented at the OLT, the ONU as a transmitting device, and the ONU as a receiving device. This is described in detail below with reference to fig. 7 to 9.

Fig. 7 shows a flow diagram of a method 700 implemented at an ONU as a transmitting device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method 700 may be implemented, for example, at an ONU with any of

ONUs

111, 112, and 113 of fig. 1 as a transmitting device. For convenience, the following is described in connection with the example of fig. 1.

As shown in fig. 7, at block 710, a first ONU (hereinafter, ONU111 in fig. 1 is taken as an example) generates a data frame to be sent to a second ONU (hereinafter, ONU112 in fig. 1 is taken as an example). In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the header of the data frame may include indication information indicating that the data frame is inter-ONU communication. In this way, it may be convenient for the OLT120 to recognize that the data frame is a data frame for inter-ONU communication. In some embodiments, the indication information may further indicate whether the data frame is a last frame of inter-ONU communication. In some embodiments, the indication information may be included in a PTI field of the header. For example, a reserved field in the PTI field may be used to indicate inter-ONU communication and whether it is the last frame of the inter-ONU communication. Thereby, inter-ONU communication can be realized under a conventional PON system by slightly extending the existing specifications.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the header of the data frame may further include identification information that identifies the connection from ONU111 to ONU 112. In some embodiments, the identification information may be a logical port ID from ONU111 to ONU 112. In some embodiments, the identification information may be included in a port ID field of the header. Thus, the ONU112 may be facilitated to receive the data frame. In some embodiments, the ONU111 may receive the identification information from the OLT 120.

At block 720, ONU111 causes the data frame to be sent to OLT120 as part of the upstream data stream. In some embodiments, the ONU111 may multiplex the generated data frames into upstream bursts and then send them to the OLT120 according to the assigned DBA time slot. The upstream burst forms part of the upstream data flow from the ONU 110 to the OLT 120. In this way, a hybrid deployment of inter-ONU communication with traditional ONU-to-OLT communication can be achieved.

Fig. 8 shows a flow diagram of a method 800 implemented at an OLT in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method 800 may be implemented, for example, at the OLT120 of fig. 1. For convenience, the following is described in connection with the example of fig. 1.

As shown in fig. 8, OLT120 receives an upstream data stream at block 810. In some embodiments, the upstream data may include data frames from individual ONUs. In some embodiments, the upstream data may include ONU-to-ONU data frames. Of course, the upstream data stream may also include data frames from the ONU to the OLT.

At block 820, OLT120 determines, from the upstream data, a data frame to be sent from a first ONU (hereinafter, ONU111 in fig. 1 is taken as an example) to a second ONU (hereinafter, ONU112 in fig. 1 is taken as an example), i.e., a data frame for inter-ONU communication, based on the indication information. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the OLT120 may make the determination based on indication information in a header of the data frame. In some embodiments, OLT120 may determine from the PTI field of the header whether the data frame is a data frame for inter-ONU communications. Following the example of table 1, the OLT120 may determine that the data frame is inter-ONU communication, for example, if the PTI field is encoding 110. If the PTI field is encoding 101, the OLT120 may determine that the data frame is not a data frame for inter-ONU communications.

In some embodiments, the indication information may further indicate whether the data frame is a last frame of inter-ONU communication. Following the example of table 1, the OLT120 may determine that the data frame is not the last frame of inter-ONU communication, for example, if the PTI field is encoding 110. If the PTI field is encoded 111, the OLT120 may determine that the data frame is the last frame of inter-ONU communication.

In some embodiments, the header of the data frame may also include identification information that identifies the connection from ONU111 to ONU 112. In some embodiments, the identification information may be included in a port ID field of the header. In some embodiments, OLT120 may determine the identification information and send the identification information to ONU111 and ONU 112.

At block 830, OLT120 causes the data frame to be sent to ONU112 as part of the downstream. In accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure, OLT120 may put data frames of inter-ONU communication into a queue for downstream. Based on the queue, OLT120 broadcasts downstream to the various ONUs. In this way, inter-ONU communication can be achieved.

Fig. 9 shows a flow diagram of a method 900 implemented at an ONU as a receiving device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method 900 may be implemented, for example, at an ONU with any of the

ONUs

111, 112, and 113 of fig. 1 as a receiving device. For convenience, the following is described in connection with the example of fig. 1. In the embodiment of fig. 9, the ONU112 is assumed to be a receiving device, and is also referred to as a second ONU hereinafter; meanwhile, ONU111 is referred to as a first ONU.

As shown in fig. 9, at block 910, an ONU112 receives a downstream data stream from an OLT 120. In some embodiments, the downstream data stream may include data frames destined for individual ONUs. In some embodiments, the downstream data stream may include OLT-to-ONU data frames. Of course, the downstream data stream may also include ONU-to-ONU data frames.

At block 920, ONU112 determines a data frame to be sent from ONU111 to ONU112 from the downstream based on the identification information. The identification information identifies the connection from ONU111 to ONU 112. In some embodiments, the identification information may be included in a port ID field of a header of the data frame. In this way, OLT120 can recognize data frames destined to it from ONU111, thereby enabling inter-ONU communication.

At block 930, ONU112 processes the data frame. In some embodiments, the header of the data frame may further include indication information for indicating that the data frame is a data frame for inter-ONU communication. In some embodiments, the indication information may be included in a PTI field of the header. In some embodiments, the indication information may further indicate whether the data frame is the last frame of the inter-ONU communication. In some embodiments, ONU112 may determine whether the data frame is the last frame in communication with ONU111 based on the indication information.

A method of inter-ONU communication according to an embodiment of the present disclosure has been described so far. Other details can be found in the corresponding description above in connection with fig. 2 and will not be described here. A method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may provide a simple mechanism that is fully forward compatible with existing specifications. This means that such an inter-ONU communication scheme can be deployed in a hybrid with conventional PONs, thereby enabling an incremental deployment of inter-ONU communication in conventional PON networks. In addition, the mechanism has low system complexity, low cost, low time delay and high efficiency.

Corresponding to the method, the embodiment of the disclosure also provides a corresponding device. An apparatus capable of performing the method 700 may include corresponding means for performing the steps of the method 700. These components may be implemented in any suitable manner. For example, it may be implemented by a circuit or a software module. In some embodiments, the apparatus may be implemented on a first ONU (such as ONU111 of fig. 1).

In some embodiments, the apparatus may comprise: means for generating, at a first optical network unit, a data frame to be sent to a second optical network unit, a header of the data frame including indication information indicating that the data frame is a communication between optical network units and identification information identifying a connection from the first optical network unit to the second optical network unit; and means for causing the data frame to be sent to an optical line terminal as part of an upstream data flow.

An apparatus capable of performing the method 800 may include corresponding means for performing the steps of the method 800. These components may be implemented in any suitable manner. For example, it may be implemented by a circuit or a software module. The apparatus may be implemented at an OLT, such as OLT 120.

In some embodiments, the apparatus may comprise: means for receiving an upstream data stream at an optical line terminal; means for determining, from the upstream, a data frame to be sent from a first optical network unit to a second optical network unit based on indication information, a header of the data frame including the indication information and identification information, the indication information indicating that the data frame is a communication between optical network units, the identification information identifying a connection from the first optical network unit to the second optical network unit; and means for causing the data frame to be transmitted to the second optical network unit as part of a downstream data flow.

An apparatus capable of performing the method 900 may include corresponding means for performing the steps of the method 900. These components may be implemented in any suitable manner. For example, it may be implemented by a circuit or a software module. The apparatus may be implemented at a second ONU, such as ONU 112.

In some embodiments, the apparatus may comprise: means for receiving a downstream data stream from an optical line terminal at a second optical network unit; means for determining, from the downstream data stream, a data frame to be sent from a first optical network unit to the second optical network unit based on identification information, a header of the data frame including indication information indicating that the data frame is a communication between optical network units and the identification information identifying a connection from the first optical network unit to the second optical network unit; and means for processing the data frame.

Fig. 10 is a simplified block diagram of a device 1000 suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 1000 may be provided to implement communication devices such as ONU111, ONU112, ONU 113, and OLT120 shown in fig. 1. As shown, the device 1000 includes one or more processors 1010, one or more memories 1020 coupled to the processors 1010, and one or more communication modules 1040 coupled to the processors 1010.

The communication module 1040 is used for bidirectional communication. The communication module 1040 has at least one fiber PON interface to facilitate communication. A communication interface may represent any interface necessary to communicate with other network elements.

The processor 1010 may be of any type suitable for a local technology network, and may include one or more of the following, as limiting examples: general purpose computers, special purpose computers, microprocessors, Digital Signal Processors (DSPs) and processors based on a multi-core processor architecture. The device 1000 may have multiple processors, such as application specific integrated circuit chips, that are time dependent from a clock synchronized with the main processor.

The memory 1020 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memory include, but are not limited to, Read Only Memory (ROM)1024, Electrically Programmable Read Only Memory (EPROM), flash memory, a hard disk, a Compact Disc (CD), a Digital Video Disc (DVD), and other magnetic storage and/or optical storage devices. Examples of volatile memory include, but are not limited to, Random Access Memory (RAM)1022 and other volatile memory that does not persist for the duration of the power down.

Computer programs 1030 include computer-executable instructions that are executed by the associated processor 1010. The program 1030 may be stored in the ROM 1020. Processor 1010 may perform any suitable actions and processes by loading program 1030 into RAM 1020.

Embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by way of program 1030 such that device 1000 may perform any of the processes of the present disclosure as discussed with reference to fig. 2-9. Embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or by a combination of software and hardware.

In some embodiments, the program 1030 may be tangibly embodied in a computer-readable medium, which may be included in the device 1000 (such as in the memory 1020) or other storage device accessible by the device 1000. The program 1030 may be loaded from a computer-readable medium into the RAM 1022 for execution. The computer readable medium may include any type of tangible, non-volatile memory, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, a hard disk, a CD, a DVD, etc. Fig. 11 shows an example of a computer readable medium 1100 in the form of a CD or DVD. The program 1030 is stored on a computer readable medium.

In general, the various example embodiments of this disclosure may be implemented in hardware or special purpose circuits, software, logic or any combination thereof. Certain aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software which may be executed by a controller, microprocessor or other computing device. While aspects of embodiments of the disclosure have been illustrated or described as block diagrams, flow charts, or using some other pictorial representation, it is well understood that the blocks, apparatus, systems, techniques or methods described herein may be implemented in, as non-limiting examples, hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controller or other computing devices, or some combination thereof. Examples of hardware devices that may be used to implement embodiments of the present disclosure include, but are not limited to: field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Application Specific Standard Products (ASSPs), systems on a chip (SOCs), Complex Programmable Logic Devices (CPLDs), and the like.

By way of example, embodiments of the disclosure may be described in the context of machine-executable instructions, such as those included in program modules, being executed in a device on a target real or virtual processor. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. In various embodiments, the functionality of the program modules may be combined or divided between program modules as described. Machine-executable instructions for program modules may be executed within local or distributed devices. In a distributed facility, program modules may be located in both local and remote memory storage media.

Computer program code for implementing the methods of the present disclosure may be written in one or more programming languages. These computer program codes may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that the program codes, when executed by the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, cause the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks to be performed. The program code may execute entirely on the computer, partly on the computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server.

In the context of the present disclosure, computer program code or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus or processor to perform various processes and operations described above. Examples of a carrier include a signal, computer readable medium, and the like.

Examples of signals may include electrical, optical, radio, acoustic, or other forms of propagated signals, such as carrier waves, infrared signals, and the like.

A machine-readable medium may be any tangible medium that can contain, or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The machine-readable medium may be a machine-readable signal medium or a machine-readable storage medium. A machine-readable medium may include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination thereof. More detailed examples of a machine-readable storage medium include an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a Random Access Memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination thereof.

Additionally, while operations are depicted in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. In some cases, multitasking or parallel processing may be beneficial. Likewise, while the above discussion contains certain specific implementation details, this should not be construed as limiting the scope of any invention or claims, but rather as describing particular embodiments that may be directed to particular inventions. Certain features that are described in this specification in the context of separate embodiments can also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment can also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination.

Although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A method for communication, comprising:

generating, at a first optical network unit, a data frame to be sent to a second optical network unit, a header of the data frame including indication information and identification information, the indication information indicating that the data frame is a communication between optical network units, the identification information identifying a connection from the first optical network unit to the second optical network unit; and

causing the data frame to be sent to an optical line terminal as part of an upstream data flow.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication information further indicates whether the data frame is a last frame of communication between the optical network units.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication information is included in a payload type indication field of the header and the identification information is included in a port identification field of the header.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

and receiving the identification information from the optical line terminal.

5. A method for communication, comprising:

receiving an upstream data stream at an optical line terminal;

determining a data frame to be sent from a first optical network unit to a second optical network unit from the upstream data stream based on indication information, wherein a header of the data frame comprises the indication information and identification information, the indication information indicates that the data frame is communication between the optical network units, and the identification information identifies connection from the first optical network unit to the second optical network unit; and

causing the data frame to be transmitted to the second optical network unit as part of a downstream data flow.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the indication information further indicates whether the data frame is a last frame of communication between the optical network units.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the indication information is included in a payload type indication field of the header and the identification information is included in a port identification field of the header.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining the identification information; and

and sending the identification information to the first optical network unit and the second optical network unit.

9. The method of claim 5, the sending comprising:

entering the data frame into a queue for the downstream data flow; and

broadcasting the downstream data stream based on the queue.

10. A method for communication, comprising:

receiving, at a second optical network unit, a downstream data stream from an optical line terminal;

determining a data frame to be sent from a first optical network unit to a second optical network unit from the downstream data stream based on identification information, wherein a header of the data frame comprises indication information and the identification information, the indication information indicates that the data frame is communication between the optical network units, and the identification information identifies connection from the first optical network unit to the second optical network unit; and

and processing the data frame.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the indication information further indicates whether the data frame is a last frame of communication between the optical network units.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein processing the data frame comprises:

and determining whether the data frame is the last frame of the communication between the optical network units based on the indication information.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the indication information is included in a payload type indication field of the header and the identification information is included in a port identification field of the header.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

and receiving the identification information from the optical line terminal.

15. A first optical network unit comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled with the processor, the memory having instructions stored therein that, when executed by the processor, cause the first optical network unit to:

generating a data frame to be sent to a second optical network unit, wherein a header of the data frame comprises indication information and identification information, the indication information indicates that the data frame is communication between the optical network units, and the identification information identifies connection from the first optical network unit to the second optical network unit; and

16. The first optical network unit according to claim 15, wherein the indication information further indicates whether the data frame is a last frame of communication between the optical network units.

17. The first optical network unit according to claim 15, wherein the indication information is included in a payload type indication field of the header and the identification information is included in a port identification field of the header.

18. The first optical network unit of claim 15, wherein the instructions, when executed by a processor, further cause the first optical network unit to:

and receiving the identification information from the optical line terminal.

19. An optical line terminal comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled with the processor, the memory having instructions stored therein that, when executed by the processor, cause the optical line terminal to:

receiving an uplink data stream;

20. The optical line terminal according to claim 19, wherein the indication information further indicates whether the data frame is a last frame of communication between the optical network units.

21. The optical line terminal according to claim 19, wherein the indication information is included in a payload type indication field of the header and the identification information is included in a port identification field of the header.

22. The optical line terminal of claim 19, wherein the instructions, when executed by a processor, further cause the optical line terminal to:

determining the indication information; and

and sending the indication information to the first optical network unit and the second optical network unit.

23. The optical line terminal of claim 19, wherein the instructions, when executed by a processor, further cause the optical line terminal to:

entering the data frame into a queue for the downstream data flow; and

broadcasting the downstream data stream based on the queue.

24. A second optical network unit comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled with the processor, the memory having instructions stored therein that, when executed by the processor, cause the second optical network unit to:

receiving a downlink data stream from an optical line terminal;

and processing the data frame.

25. The second optical network unit according to claim 24, wherein the indication information further indicates whether the data frame is a last frame of communication between the optical network units.

26. The second optical network unit of claim 25, wherein processing the data frame comprises:

27. The second optical network unit according to claim 24, wherein the indication information is included in a payload type indication field of the header and the identification information is included in a port identification field of the header.

28. The second optical network unit of claim 24, wherein the instructions, when executed by a processor, further cause the second optical network unit to:

and receiving the identification information from the optical line terminal.

29. An apparatus for communication, comprising:

means for generating, at a first optical network unit, a data frame to be sent to a second optical network unit, a header of the data frame including indication information indicating that the data frame is a communication between optical network units and identification information identifying a connection from the first optical network unit to the second optical network unit; and

means for causing the data frame to be sent to an optical line terminal as part of an upstream data flow.

30. An apparatus for communication, comprising:

means for receiving an upstream data stream at an optical line terminal;

means for determining, from the upstream, a data frame to be sent from a first optical network unit to a second optical network unit based on indication information, a header of the data frame including the indication information and identification information, the indication information indicating that the data frame is a communication between optical network units, the identification information identifying a connection from the first optical network unit to the second optical network unit; and

means for causing the data frame to be transmitted to the second optical network unit as part of a downstream.

31. An apparatus for communication, comprising:

means for receiving a downstream data stream from an optical line terminal at a second optical network unit;

means for determining, from the downstream data stream, a data frame to be sent from a first optical network unit to the second optical network unit based on identification information, a header of the data frame including indication information indicating that the data frame is a communication between optical network units and the identification information identifying a connection from the first optical network unit to the second optical network unit; and

means for processing the data frame.

32. A computer-readable storage medium comprising machine-executable instructions that, when executed by a device, cause the device to perform the method of any of claims 1-4.

33. A computer-readable storage medium comprising machine-executable instructions that, when executed by a device, cause the device to perform the method of any of claims 5-9.

34. A computer-readable storage medium comprising machine-executable instructions that, when executed by a device, cause the device to perform the method of any of claims 10-14.