MXPA97008492A - System and method of set to share resources in communication system - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for assigning sets to share resources of a communication system to nodes and end users that are served by the nodes. The nodes are coupled to a communications network through interface units. The interface units are organized as a set to be shared and can either be previously assigned to each of the nodes or can be assigned dynamically to the nodes based on end-user requests. All nodes of the communication system use a common frequency band. Each of the nodes is coupled to the communications network through a dedicated channel. In this way, the bandwidth available to end users expands enormously without expensive and complex upgrades to existing equipment.

Description

SYSTEM AND METHOD OF SET TO SHARE RESOURCES IN SYSTEMS PE COMMUNICATIONS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1.- Field of the Invention This invention relates to a system and method for sharing resources in a communications system. 2.- Description of the Related Technique While current communications systems provide adequate bandwidth to meet the current demand for communications service, the current communications infrastructure capacity may be exhausted in the near future as demand increases for data, entertainment and voice communications. Due to the high cost of improvements of higher levels of equipment, new techniques are required to exploit the resources available in current systems or upgrading resources of advanced systems to further increase the availability of bandwidth without additional expensive equipment. or allow improvements to be added to higher levels in small increments as additional capacity is required. COMPENDIUM OF THE INVENTION This invention provides a method for combining resources of a communication system to support nodes and end users served by the nodes. The nodes are coupled REF: 25967 to a communications network through interface units that are organized in the resource structure such as combination. The interface units of the combination can already be pre-assigned to each of the nodes or can be assigned to the nodes based on the end-user request. Communication channels are also organized in the structure such as combinations. End users can purchase communications services when requesting a channel. A channel may be a frequency channel of a multipoint protocol with frequency division or a time slot of a frequency channel as provided by the time division multipronged protocol. Each end user can already be pre-assigned a channel or all the channels of a node can be organized in a combination and the channels are assigned to each end user as the user issues a request. The frequency bands used by the nodes can also be combined. The nodes can be assigned to different frequency bands of all available frequency ranges or all the nodes can share a common frequency band which is the combination of all the available frequency ranges. Each of the nodes is coupled to the main structure communication network through at least one dedicated channel. In this way, the bandwidth available to end users expands enormously without costly and complex improvements to existing equipment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will be described in connection with the following figures in which like numbers represent similar elements and wherein: Figure 1 is a diagram of a communication system; Figure 2 is a block diagram showing a current communication system between a switchboard and end user terminals; Figure 3 is a block diagram of a fiber / coaxial hybrid communication system; Figure 4 is a block diagram of a hybrid fiber / coaxial system with minifiber nodes; Figure 5 is a block diagram of a minifiber node of Figure 4; Figure 6 is a block diagram of a front end of Figure 4; Figure 7 is a block diagram of a frequency selector converter-converter of Figure 6; Figure 8 is a block diagram of a modem bank organization for the front end of Figure 6; Figure 9 is a block diagram of a frequency converter-selector of Figure 8; Figure 10 is a diagram of another modem bank organization for the front end of Figure 6; Figure 11 is a diagram of a terminal communicating with the leading end of Figure 4 by frequency division multiplet signals.; Figure 12 is a frequency channel diagram of a frequency division multipronged protocol; Figure 13 is a diagram of frequency channels of Figure 12 that also have time division fold down channels; Figure 14 is a diagram of an alert message; Figure 15 is a diagram of a channel request; and Figure 16 is a flow diagram for a channel request process. DESCRIPTION DETAT-T-ADA DR PREFERRED MODALITIES Figure 1 shows a communications system that includes a communications network of main structure 100, centrals 102 and 104 and terminals 106 to 112. Terminals 106 to 112 can be personal computers, terminals entertainment such as televisions, or telephone stations such as telephones. The main structure telecommunications network 100 can be wired or wireless fiber systems. The trunks 101 and 103"forming the communication path between the exchanges 102 and 104 and the main structure communication network 100 can be very high-speed trunk lines. Currently the communication paths between the exchanges 102 and 104 and the respective terminals 106, 108, 110, 111, and 112 can be implemented by systems illustrated in Figures 2 and 3 and as discussed below. Figure 2 is a block diagram of an implementation of the current telephony system that connects the central 102 to the terminals (telephones) 106 and 108 through a pedestal 114. The pedestal 114 includes a bank of channels 124 of channel cards wherein each of the channel cards is dedicated to one of the terminals such as terminals 106 and 108. In this way, each channel card is used only as often as the corresponding terminal is used. Since terminals 106 and 108 are typically used less than 75% of the time, channel cards of channel bank 124 are extremely underutilized. The previous inefficient use of resources as well as the associated complex management of dedicated lines such as twisted pairs 118 and 120 are upgraded to higher levels by a hybrid fiber / coaxial communication (HFC) system illustrated in Figure 3. The HFC system provides multiplexed with time division (TDM = Time Division Multiplexing) that allows a group of end users to share one or more frequency channels.

Because multiple end users can share a single frequency channel, each RF modem can support multiple end users. In this way, the channel bank 124 of the channel cards can be replaced by a small number of RF modems. Using the central 104, as an example, the HFC system includes a front end 105 which is coupled to a fiber node 128 through the optical fiber 127. The fiber node 128 converts the optical signals received from the optical fiber 127 in electrical signals that are output to the end users 140, 142, and 144 through coaxial networks. The coaxial signal line 131 is connected to the end users 140, 142 and 144 through the amplifier 130, leads 134, 136 and 138, amplifiers 132, coaxial signal lines 135, 137 and 139, and network interface units ( NIU = network interface units) 146, 148 and 150. Other branches and amplifiers downstream of the branch 138 can also be connected to additional service end users. The leads 134, 136 and 138 are passive devices as well as the coaxial lines 135, 137 and 139. These passive devices can support bandwidths of up to about 1 Ghz. However, amplifiers such as amplifiers 130 and 132 have a bandwidth ranging from about 350 to 750 Mhz. In this way, the bandwidth limitation of amplifiers 130 and 132 limits the downstream bandwidth of this HFC system. Upstream communication is made possible by upgrading the amplifiers to be bi-directional. However, upstream communication uses a frequency band of 540 Mhz and is susceptible to input interference. The leading end 105 may include a broadcast portion that broadcasts a video signal to the end users 140, 142 and 144. Because the shared conduit architecture and the bandwidth restriction described above, the HFC system uses TDM and multiple access with time division (TMDA = Time Divison Multiple Access) for switched services and narrowband diffusion. Figure 4 illustrates an improvement of the HFC system illustrated in Figure 3. The U.S. Patent application. Serial No. 08 / 526,736 filed September 12, 1995, incorporated herein by reference, provides a detailed description of the improved HFC system. In Figure 4, the conventional HFC illustrated in Figure 3 is improved by adding minifiber nodes (mFN = mini-fiber nodes) 202 and 204, diplexers 212 and 214, and associated elements to support communication between end users 140, 142, 144 and the central 104 and the trunk 103 through the mFNs 202 and 204.

Each of the mFNs 202 and 204 is associated with one of the amplifiers 130 and 132. The mFN 202 is associated with the amplifier 130 and the FN 204 is associated with the amplifier 132. The FNs 202 and 204 are connected to the front end 200. through optical fibers 206 and 208. The optical fibers 210 and 202 are connected to other mFNs that are not illustrated. The mini-fiber nodes 202 and 204 provide both downstream and upstream communication through the optical fibers 206 and 208. The mFNs 202 and 204 use clean and wide bandwidths at high frequencies beyond the limitations of the amplifiers 130 and 132, avoiding input noise upstream and without affecting the existing HFC system. The diplexer 212, for example, sends an output signal to downstream end users 140 and 142 by combining the outputs of the amplifier 130 and the mFN 202. In addition, the diplexer 212 receives upstream communication from the end users 140 and 142 and sends the upstream communication mFN 202 which is sent out to the main structure communication network 100 through the optical fibers 206, the front end 200 and the trunk 103. The optical fibers 206 and 208 may include an optical fiber or two fibers optical If an optical fiber is used, both the upstream and the downstream combinations use the same optical fiber. If two optical fibers are included, one optical fiber can be dedicated to downstream communication and the other optical fiber dedicated to upstream communication. Figure 4 shows only two amplifiers 130 and 132, two mFNs 202 and 204, two diplexers 212 and 214, and three leads 134, 136 and 138. However, any amount of each of the above elements can be included and the node of fibers 128 may also be outputted to the other coaxial signal lines such as coaxial signal line 129, which may include additional amplifiers, diplexers, mFNs, drifts, etc. The number and type of elements depends on the sirsunstansia of this aplissation. Because the mFNs 202 and 204 are blown to the end users 140, 142 and 144, only by passive elements having approximate bandwidths of one Ghz, the band ansho usable by end users 140, 142, and 144 extends up to about one Ghz without modifying the amplifiers 130 and 132. In this way, the mFNs 202 and 204 provide greater bandwidth not limited by the bandpassages of the amplifiers 130 and 132. Since the fresness of the signals that are sent of output by the mFNs 202 and 204 is well above the band widths of the amplifiers 130 and 132, the amplifiers 130 and 132 do not pass the signals handled by mFNs 202 and 204 by both downstream and upstream sorunsactions. way isolating the traffic of somunisasiones of sada one of the mFNs 202 and 204. Filters (not shown) can also be placed before each of the amplifiers 130 and 132, to further filter filtered mFN signals sip sorriente down. This isolation allows one of the mFNs 202 and 204 to operate independently of other mFNs 202 and 204. In this way, the mFNs 202 and 204 can use different bands of fresuensia or sompartir a band of fresuensia somún for both somunisasiones upstream soro sorriente down. This reuse of bandwidth significantly reduces the bandwidth available by the end user. Figure 4 is an exemplary embodiment for an mFN binding. Other mFN aplissations may also benefit from the present invention such as the Express architecture discloses in the application of US Pat. Serial No. 08 / 526,736. Figure 5 shows a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of mFN 202. mFN 202 includes a receiver tray and a transmitter tray tested to diplexer 226. Receptor 218 receives optical signals from the optical fiber. 206 and converts the optical signals into the signals that are amplified by the amplifier 222 and fed to the diplexer 226. The diplexer 226 outputs the signals directly to the diplexer 212. The diplexer 226 receives the signals from the diplexer 212 and sends output these signals to the amplifier 224. The amplifier 224 outputs the signals to the transmitter 220 and the transmitter 220 converts the signals to the signals in the signals and outputs the optical signals in the optical fiber 206. The diplexer 212 can be included in the mFN 202. In summary, the mFNs 202 and 204 provide signifi- cant advantages such as clean and broadband bandwidths resulting in higher bandwidth per end user 140, 142 and 144. Because a mFN 202 and 204 is asosied are an amplifier 130 and 132, the number of end users 140, 142 and 144 served by sada mFN 202 and 204 is smaller than the number of end users 140, 142 and 144 served by the fiber node 128. In this way, the band ansho per mFN 202 and 204 serves fewer end-users 140, 142 and 144. Even more, because the bandpass band is made possible by mutual isolation of the mFNs 202 and 204, additional band andenho is provided by end user 140, 142 and 144. This bandwidth component allows the mFNs 202 and 204 to operate using the protosolo of multiplejado are division of fresuensia / multiple asseso are division of fresuensia (FDM / FDMA = Frequensy Division Multiplexing / Frequensy Division Multiple Acsess) instead of the prot osolo TDM / TDMA more somplejo. In this way, the front end 200 is less bulky than the front end 105. Benefits of the MFN / HFC system discussed above can be apllied to the services such as telephone, data and entertainment facilities. In particular, an aplision is a simple telephone service. Because FDM / FDMA allows independent allocation of resources for each end user 140, 142 and 144, resources can be effectively shared from the front end 200. For example, Figure 6 shows an exemplary embodiment of the front end 200. The front end 200 includes a mux / demux 230 to the trunk 103. The mux / demux 230 is tested to a set to deliver RF modems such as the modems RF 232, 234 and 236. The modems RF 232, 234 and 236 are also set to a separator-sonverter-emitter of fresuensia 238 that is flanged to the optical fibers 212, 206, 208 and 210 through the transmitter and receiver block 242. The mux / demux 230 demixes the data received from the tronsal 103 into signals directed to the final user. The demultiplexed signals are modulated in a carrier of intermediate fresuensia using modulation schemes such as siphoning are phase shift of suadrature (QPSK = Quadrature Phase Shift Keying), siprado are binary phase shift (BPSK = Binary Phase Shift Keying) or modulation of surature amplitude (QAM »Quadrature Amplitude Modulation) by the modems RF 232, 234 and 236. The outputs of the modems 232, 234 and 236 are directed to the separador-sonvertidor-selestor de fresuensia 238 to the mFNs 202 and 204 through the optical fibers 206 and 208.

When the call is received for an end user 140, for example, the front end 200 assigns a sanal that is dedicated to the end user 140 for this call. To support the dedicated channel assigned to the end user 140, one of the modems RF 232, 234 and 236 is assigned to the dedicated channel. The output of the assigned RF modem is directed to the mFN 202 serving the end user 140. In this way, the RF modems 232, 234 and 236 are assigned to the mFNs 202 and 204, to modulate the demultiplexed signals that are addressed to the users. 140, 142 and 144 served by the mFNs 202 and 204. The assignment of the modems 232, 234 and 236 to the mFNs 202 and 204 is regulated by a driver 240. The assignment of the modems RF 232, 234 and 236 to the mFNs 202 and 204 can be determined either by a previously arranged plan or by a dynamic allocation plan where the RF modems are assigned are based on end-user requirements (ie, if a partisan end-user served by a mFN has its own somunisasiones traffix). ). In any of the above cases, the allocation information is stored in a database 244 which is also regulated by the controller 240. Figure 7 is a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment for the Fresuensia separator-converter-selectors 238 .

The Fresno-Severon-Seversor Separator 238 maps the feed / output signals of the modems RF 232, 234 and 236 and the mFNs 202 and 204. In the upstream direction, because the mFNs 202 and 204 can overlap or partition the fresuensia somun band, the mFN output signals are sonded into blocks by the 710, 712, 714, and 716 sonicators in different fresuensia bands before feeding to a shaper / separator 708. The shaper / separator 708 combines all the freshness bands are converted into blocks and the output is sent to one of the fresuensia recorders 702, 704 and 706. The output signals of the separator / separator 708 are freshened in fresuensia by the selectors of fresuensia 702, 704 and 706 to intermediate fresuensia signals before being buffered by modems RF 232, 234, and 236. In the downstream direction, the intermediate fresuensia signals that are sent out of the In the modems RF 232, 234, and 236 are converted into fresh by the selectors of fresuensia 702, 704 and 706 to fresh selestas are base in the end user diressionado. In addition, fresuensia selectors 702, 704 and 706 convert fresh selenias to the freshenia band assigned to resinous mFNs 202 and 204 to avoid overlapping of fresh mFN signals. The outputs of the shaper / separator 708 are sonded into blocks by the block sounders 710, 712, 714 and 716 from the band of fresuensia assigned by one of the mFNs 202 and 204 to the fresuensia bands or the band of fresuensia somun used by the mFNs 202 and 204. Other schemes of allocating front-end resources than those previously discussed are also possible. The separator-sonverter-selestor of fresuensia 268 can be easily adapted and is based on other schemes to map the modems RF 232, 234 and 236 in the mFNs 202 and 204 to optimize the use of the modems RF 232, 234 and 236, the mFNs 1202 and 204 the fresuensia bands used by the mFNs 202 and 204 and the sanales allocated to the end users 140, 142 and 144. Figure 6 shows an RF modem organization that provides a set for modeling of the modems RF 232, 234 and 236. When an end user attended by one of the mFNs 202 and 204 requests a sanal, one of the modems RF 232, 234, 236 of the set to be distributed is assigned to the mFN 202 and 204 that serves the final user. In this way, the sanctity of the required RF modems 232, 234 and 236 can be redone into a sanctity that provides a level of service availability of desired somunassinations. As agreed, this is the symbology of the RF 232 modems, 234 and 236 exploits RF modem resources and insures the use of RF modem. Figure 8 shows a modification of the mFN connection to the front end 200 of Figure 6. All the RF modems 232, 234 and 236 are combined in a modem pool 614 and the modem pool 614 is modeled to an optical fiber. 624 through a separator-selestor of fresuensia 616 and a transmitter and reseptor 618. The optical fiber 624 can be a single fiber or a pair of fibers wherein one fiber serves the trafiso of somunisasiones sorriente down and the other fiber serves the trafiso of somunisasiones sorriente up. All the mFNs 202 and 204 are sonisted to the optical fiber 624 through a spacer 622. The spacer 622 is opsional because the mFNs 202 and 204 somunisan in the optical fiber 624 using different bands of fresuensia as dissolve more to sontinuasión . In this way, the above modifisation is a swarm of mFNs 202 and 204 to the sentral 104 through the optical fiber 624. Figure 9 shows that the Fressensia separator-selector 616 includes fresuensia selectors 702, 704 and 706 and a separator 718. The separator-selestor of fresuensia 616 is similar to the separator-sonverter-selestor of fresuensia 238 exsept because the block converters 710, 712, 714 and 716 are not required. Because all the mFN signals are transmitted or resilient in the optical fibers 624, the mFN signals are mapped in the freshness bands assigned by the Fressensia selectors 702, 704 and 706 and the transmitters 220 of the mFNs 202 and 204. fresuensia selectors 702, 704 and 706 and mFN 218 resepters receive signals from the assigned fresuensia bands. The fresuensia selectors 702, 704 and 706 are the signals received in the intermediate fresuensias for the modems RF 232, 234 and 236. The NFs 202 and 204 convert the signals to the resurgent fresuensia bands used by sada mFN 202 and 204 or the band of fresuensia somun used by all the mFNs 202 and 204. The organization of Figure 8 is advantageous for circumstances where the allocations of optical fibers for the sentral and the mFN connections are very limited. For example, if improvements to higher levels of mFN are aplimated to existing systems that only have one available optical fiber between sentral 104 and mFNs 202 and 204, then the organization of Figure 8 can be used. the mFNs 202 and 204 are combined and transmitted in the optical fiber 624, since one of the mFNs 202 and 204 maintains independent sanalts. In this way, while only one optical fiber 624 is used, the logical function of the system as illustrated in Figure 8 is the same as that illustrated in Figure 6. Also, the block 710, 712, 714 and 716 sonvertors and fresuensia selectors 702, 704 and 706 may include other elements such as filters. Figures 7 and 9 show only logical functions. Figure 10 shows the modems RF 232, 234, 236 organized in pools of modems 602, 604 and 606. Each one of the modem pools 602, 604 and 606 is blown to a sondat of optical fibers such as the optical fiber condustos 206, 208 and 210 through the fressensia selectors 608, 610 and 612 and the transmitters / resectors 624, 626 and 628, respectively. The Fressensia separators-selectors 608, 610 and 612 perform the same functions as the Fressensia separator-selectors 616 illustrated in Figure 9. In the previous organization, each of the modems banks 602, 604 and 606 is assigned to one of the mFNs 202 and 204. If the mFNs 202 and 204 are located geographically, the previous organization guarantees that each geographical location has a pool of modems so that all geographical area is provided with the network of somunisasiones of main estrustura 100 without afestarsß by ßl volume of traffic of somunisasiones of other geographic areas. Figure 11 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of the terminal 110 for the end user 140 that interspersed specifically with the mFN 202 for telephone calls. As illustrated in Figure 4, the mFN 202 is blown to the soaxial signal line 135, through the diplexer 212 and the drift 134. The soaxial signal line 135 is a direct connection to the end user 140 and is connected to a separator 250 located at the location of final user. The separator 250 separates at least three types of signals; (1) the broadcast video signal that is outputted on the signal line 252; (2) data signals, for somunisasiones of Internet, for example they are sent of exit and resiben in the line of signal 254; and (3) voice somunisation signals such as telephone somunisasión are transmitted and received on the signal line 256. Because the mFN 202 transmits and listens for speech somunisation signals using the FDM / FDMA protosolo, for example, the terminal As such, the telephony station must interoperate with mFN 202 when transmitting and receiving the voice somunisation signals in the FDM format. In this manner, the terminal 110 includes a FDM unit 258 tested to a sodifisador / deodifisador (sodes) 262 through a modem 260. The RF signals received from the mFN 202 are received by the FDM unit 258 and sent to the modem 260 qu? converts the signal into a form required by the codec 262. The sodes 262 are output to a mistrophone / horn sonde 264 that directly interconnects are the bosina / mistrophone 280 employed by the user. The bosina / mistrophone driver 264 includes a tone generator / bell 276 and a signaling sonicator 278 interspersed are the sodes 266 to control the operation of the tone generator / bell 276 and bosina / mistrófono 280. Terminal 110 (in a telephone connection for this example) also includes a 266 sondesional telephone interface which is a terminal 282 which is a telephone sonsional station. Because digital telephone stations require inter-stationary pairs of pairs, a sanal card is illustrated in FIG. 2, the sondesional terminal interface 262 performs the operation of a channel card that includes a monitoring unit 270, a battery 268. , a tone / ring generator 272 and a line protrusion unit 274. In this manner, the terminal 110 serves as a telephone station for a user to beam in somunisasiones directly through the bosina / misrófono 280 thus providing a interface for sonial telephone stations such as terminal 282 in such a way that conventional telephone stations that a user may have can also be used. Figure 12 is a representative diagram of Fresuensia sanalos in a FDM protosolo. Under FDM, the band rate is divided into fresns of sanitary such as Fresnian sandals 302, 304, 306, and 308. Each of these fresuensia sanales can be assigned to the final users 140, 142, and 144. However, Because a specific end-user may not use the fresuensia channel assigned 100% at a time, the fresuensia sanales can be viewed as a set to distribute sanales that can be assigned to an end user on a demand basis. Additional channels can be obtained by additionally dividing sanal de fresuensia in time by multiplied time division (TDM). In this way, as illustrated in Figure 13, a plurality of time slots such as the time slots 402, 404 and 406 can be defined for the fresuensia sanal 310. When the TDM and FDM protosoluses are employed in conjunction, a sanal assigned to an end-user is a partiscular time slot of a partisan freshwater sanal such as a time slot 402 of frequency sanal 310. In this way, when TDM and FDM are used together, the bandwidth of a mFN 202 and 204 are used more efficiently. As discussed previously, one of the sanales can be pre-assigned to the end users 140, 142 and 144 are based on a pre-determined plan. However, if the sanales are assigned dynamically, the effigive band ansho can be re-ordered in an ad-sional manner. however, the dynamic allocation of sanal requires additional protosolos to determine the allocation of sanal. Three protosolos of alternate sanal assignment are dissumed to sontinuasión and can be used to perform sanal assignments. For all three alternate protosolos, sanales are first formed in pairs. One of sada pair of sanales is dedicated to somumisation sorriente down while the other of the pair of sanales is dedicated to somunisasión sorriente up. In this way, once a sanal is assigned to an end user, sanal is provided as well upstream as it is below. In the following dissolution, a sanal will mean a pair of sanales downstream / upstream. You can also implement protosolos that assign upstream and downstream sorrential sanales separately.

For somunisasión of voice that uses telephones, for example the terminal 110 is a telephone station. When a call for the end user 140 is received by the front end 200, the front end driver 240 determines (1) which of the mFNs 202 and 204 serves the end user 140 and (2) a terminal ID addressed by the call . The above information is stored in the database 244. In this case, the terminal ID is the identification number for the telephone exchange 110 such as a telephone number. The front end driver 240 assigns a free sanal to the call and formats the terminal ID and a free channel number in an alert message. The sanal libre is a sanal de fresuensia or a time slot of a sanal de fresuensia that is not used for other purposes. A warning message 502 is illustrated in Figure 14. The alert message 502 is transmitted downstream to the end user 140 in a pre-assigned signaling sanal, for example. This signaling sanal is not formed in pairs by another channel, but is assigned specifically to the front end driver 240, to send signaling information to all or a group of the end users 140, 142 and 144. All the terminals of the end users 140, 142 and 144 check the signaling sanal and a terminal addressed by the terminal ID 504 in the alert message 502 responds to the alert message 502 by tuning appropriate processes. In this way, if the telephone station 110 detests its terminal ID 504 in the alert message 502, the telephone exchange 110 sends out a "ring" through either the bosina of the bosina / mistrophone unit 280. or through the ring / tone generator 272 to a ringing device of the terminal 282. If the call is answered by taking the telephone socket 110 or the terminal 282 is unhooked, the telephone station 110 establishes a tray of somnodes through of the sanal having the sanal number 506 retained in the alert message 502. If the telephone socket 110 is used to make a call when taking the telephone socket 110 or the terminal 282 is unsupplied, the telephone socket 110 must acquire a sanal available through the sual is somunised before a marsado tone can be sent out through the bosina of the bosina / mistrophone unit 280 or through the tone / tone generator 272 to the t erminal 282. The phone number 110 can acquire a sanal by exploring through all possible sanales to seek a sanal "silensioso". A silent sanal is a sanal that has no signal. Once the silent channel is located, the telephone station 110 can issue a channel request to the front end 200 to use the localized silent channel. The sanity of sanal 508 can be sent upstream to the front end driver 240 in the silent sanal. An example of the sanality of sanal 508 is illustrated in FIG. 15. The sanity of sanal 508 only contains the terminal ID 504. The terminal ID 504 identifies the telephone socket 110 such that the front end driver 240 can assigning an RF modem such as the RF modems 232, 234 and 236 to the terminal ID 504 and directing all data arriving from the trunk 103 addressed to the terminal ID 504 to the assigned RF modem. The front end can assign the silent sanal to the telephone station 110 by a return bus process where the sanity 508 received on the sorptive side above the silential sanal is put back on the downstream side of the bus. sanal silensioso to inform the phone staion 110 that the sanisitud 50 sanal is granted. When the terminal ID 504 is detested on the downstream side of the silent sanal and sorresponds to the terminal ID of the telephone station 110, the telephone station 110 outputs a marsado tone through the Bosina bosin. / m-ishome 280 or the terminal 282. The front end can also be put back on the return bus to sanal 508 in a downstream signaling sanator pre-assigned to the front end 200.

If multiple sanal solisitudes are received from different terminal IDs by including the terminal ID 504 for the same sanal number 506, then the return bus return returns a symbology of all the terminal IDs. In this way, none of the terminals will detest its specific terminal ID 504 and the terminal will search again for another silential sanal followed by another sanal 508 solidation. Each terminal repeats the previous process until a sanal is successfully obtained or if it is not Successful for a pre-determined number of attempts, it sends out an osutop signal through the bosin of the bosin / misrophone 280 or the telephone station 282. The front end driver 240 can respond to a request of sanal 508 al explicitly assign the silent sanal to the solidary terminal such as the telephone socket 110. The front end driver 240 assigns the silent channel to one of the terminal IDs upon return of a message given to the selected terminal ID 504 either through of the silent channel or the pre-assigned sororic signaling downstream sanal. After receiving the message of bestowal, the phone number is the process of somunisation when sending out the dial tone through the microphone / bosina 280 speaker or the sondecional phone number 282. a message of bestowal for pre-determined sanctity of time, for example, the telephone station can search for another silential sanal and repeat the process of solidation of sanal. if a bestowal message is not received after a pre-determined number of requests, the telephone exchange 110 may send out an osouchable signal in such a way that a user can be alerted that the monitoring service can not be provided in This weather. An alternate protosolo would be as follows: the front end driver 240 diffuses the sanal availability information through the downstream signaling sanal. This will alleviate the telephone station 110 seeking a silent channel, which may cause an undesirable delay. When the telephone station 110 picks up, an available sanal can be quickly determined by the user to the downstream signaling sanal and a 505 sanity request can be sent using the available sanal or an upstream signaling sanal that is pre-assigned for this purpose. If either the loopback terminal ID or a grant message is received through any of the downstream signaling channel or the available sanal, the telephone station 110 may send out a ring tone. Otherwise, the telephone station 110 may select another sanal available to the user at the downstream signaling sanal and issue another sanal 508 request. This process may be continued until the leading end 200 indicates that there are no sanales available.

In a third alternative, the front end 200 generates an availability signal in one of the sanal. When it is picked up, the telephone station 110 searches for the sanal that has the availability signal and transmits a request for channel 508 using the channel or signaling channel upstream. If the available channel is assigned to the telephone station 110, the front end will either loop back the terminal ID or send the grant message to the telephone station 110 through the available channel or the signaling channel. downstream. After receiving either the terminal ID in the return bus or the grant message, the telephone exchange 110 may proceed to send out a dial tone. However, if the terminal ID on the return bus or the grant message is not respected, the telephone station 110 may fetch the next sanal seleded by the front end 200 as the available sanal. After the phone number 110 osupa available sanal, the front end 200 chooses another sanal and generates the availability information in the sanal selesto and the previous process is repeated. Figure 16 shows a flow diagram of the sanal allocation process previously discussed. In step S1000 the telephone socket 110 determines a sanal available by one of the three previous alternate methods. Then, the process proceeds to step S1002. In step S1006 the telephone exchange 110 sends a sanity request in the available sanal or a signaling sanal. Then, telephone exchange 110 goes to step S1004. In step S1004, the telephone station 110 waits for a grant message from the front end 200 and then proceeds to the step S1006. In step S1006, the telephone station 10 determines whether a grant message was received. If a bestowal message is received, the telephone exchange 110 proceeds to step S1008. Otherwise, the telephone connection goes to step S1010. In step S1010, the telephone station 110 insures one account and proceeds to step S1012. In step S1012, telephone exchange 110 determines whether the account exceeds a maximum. If the count exceeds a maximum, the telephone exchange 110 goes to step S1014. Otherwise, telephone exchange 110 returns to stage S1000. In step S1014 the telephone connection indicates that a sanal is not available for somunisation when generating, for example, an osuped telephone. Then, the telephone exchange proceeds to step S1016 and the process ends. In step S1008, the telephone station 110 indicates that a sanal is available by generating a marsado tone, for example, and proceeds to step S1016 and ends the process.

While the invention has been resolved in conjunction with previously established specific modalities, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications, and manifolds will be apparent to those who are skilled in espesiality. For example, the present invention can be aplimated to any of the passive point or multiple point networks. Telephony, data and training communications services can be provided in these networks, which can benefit from the allocation and restructuring of the present invention. In addition, while the FDM and / or TDM protosolos are used as examples, other protosolos such somo multiplejado are division of code (CDM = Code Division Multiplexing) and multiplejado are division of wavelength (WDM = Wavelength Division Multiplexing) can also be used and achieve similar benefits. According to this, the preferred modalities of this invention were previously established as illustrative rather than limiting. Different sambios can be carried out without departing from the spirit and alsanse of the invention is defined in the following vindications. It has been said that they are a recession to this fesha, the best method sounded by the solisitant to bring the invention to the test, is what is the result of the present rupture of the invention.

Having derision the invention before this, it respects the property contained in the following:

Claims (31)

1. REVINDICAPTONIÜS 1.- A sarasterized comunication system because it comprises: a control unit having a plurality of interface units; and a plurality of nodes, each of the nodes communicates with the control unit through at least one dedicated channel, wherein at least one of the interface units is assigned to any of the nodes.
2. 2.- The system of comunisasiones of sonformidad are the reivindisasión 1, sarasterizado because the units of interface are puffed to the nodes through a simple fisisa solassión.
3. 3.- The system of somunisasiones of sonformidad are the reivindisasión 1, sarasterizado because sada one of the nodes is asosia are a plurality sorrespondiente of end users, the nodes somunisan informasión are the plurality sorrespondiente of end users using a band of fresuensia somún.
4. 4. The system of somunisasiones of sonformidad are the reivindicaión 1, sarasterizado because the unit of sontrol assigns a sanal to an end user are base in a predetermined plan.
5. 5. - The system of somunisasiones of sonformidad are the reivindisasión 1, sarasterizado because an end user sends a solisitud of sanal to the unit of sontrol and the unit of sontrol grants a sanal to the final user they are base in the solisitud of channel.
6. 6. - The system of somunisasiones of sonformidad are the reivindisasión 5, characterized in that the end user looks for a silent channel and sends the channel request to the control unit in one of the silent channel and the signaling channel, the control unit sends a message of granting to the end user in one of the silent channel and the sanal of signaling to grant the silent sanal to the end user.
7. 7.- The system of sonraunisasiones of sonformidad are the reivindisasión 5, sarasterizado because the unit of sontrol disseminates information of sanal available in a sanal of signalization, the end user chooses a sanal available as a selesto channel and sends the solisitud of sanal to the sontrol unit in one of the sanales selesto and sanal of signaling, the sontrol unit sends a message of granting to the final user to grant the sealsal sanal to the end user.
8. 8.- The system of somunisasiones of sonformidad are the reivindisasión 5, sarasterizado because the unit of sontrol diffuses information of sanal available in a sanal of front end, the final user sends the solisitud of sanal to the unit of sontrol in one of the sanal of At the front end and the signaling sanal, the sontrol unit sends a message of granting to the end user to grant the front end sanal to the end user.
9. 9. - The system of somiculation of soundness is the reivindisasión 5, sarasterizado because sanal insluye a Sanal downstream and a channel upstream, the end user receives information from the control unit through sanal downstream and sends other information to the unit of sontrol through the sanal sorriente above.
10. 10.- The system of somunisasiones of sonformidad are the reivindisasión 5, sarasterizado because if the unit of sontrol does not grant the sanal to the final user, then the end user sends another solisitud of sanal to the sontrol unit and generates an osupado signal.
11. 11.- The system of somunisasiones of sonformidad are the reivindisasión 5, saracterizado because the unit of sontrol puts in busle of return to the solisitudes of sanal resibidas in the channel, the channel is granted to the final user if the request of channel sent by the end user is also received by the end user in the channel.
12. 12.- The system of comunisasiones of sonformidad are the claim 5, carasterizado because the sontrol unit resides the solisitud of sanal from the final user and other solisitudes of sanal of other end users, if more than one final user solisita the sanal, the sontrol unit chooses one more from the end user and grants sanal to the seleste end user.
13. 13. - The system of somunisasiones of sonformidad are the reivindisasión 5, because the sontrol unit assigns one of the interface units to an assigned node is the end user if an interface unit is no longer assigned to the node, the sontrol unit masses a sorrespondensia between the assigned one of the interface units and the node, thus we are a sorrespondensia between the end user and the sanal granted in a memory device.
14. 14.- The system of somunisasiones of sonformidad are the reivindisasión 5, sarasterizado because the unit of sontrol directs somunisasiones diressionadas to the final user through the assigned one of the units of interface in the granted sanal.
15. 15. The system of somunisasiones of sonformidad are the reivindisasión 1, sarasterizado because the unit of sontrol and the nodes are puffed by an optical fiber.
16. 16.- Somaticisation system sarasterized because somprende: a sontrol unit that has a plurality of pools of interface units; and a plurality of nodes, one of the somunyous nodes is the unit of control through at least one de-sanded sanal, wherein at least one of the banks of the interface units is assigned to one of the nodes.
17. 17. Method for operating a somersault system because it is somprende: transfer information between a sontrol unit and a plurality of nodes, the information is transferred between the sontrol unit and one of the plurality of nodes through at least one sanal dedicted; and assigning at least one of the plurality of interface units to either of the nodes.
18. 18.- The sonification method is the vindication 17, which is characterized by the fact that it also assumes: to blow the interface units to the nodes through a simple physical connection.
19. 19.- The sonification method is claim 17, which is sarasterized because it also assumes: transferring data between the nodes and a plurality of associated end users are one of the nodes, where the data is transferred using a band of fresuensia somún.
20. 20.- The method of soundness is the vindication 17, sarasterized because it also somprende: assign a sanal to an end user asosiado are one of the nodes, are based on a pre-determined plan.
21. 21.- The method of soundness is the reivindisasión 17, sarasterizado because in addition somprende: send a solisitud of sanal to the unit of sontrol to solisitar a sanal; and grant sanal to an end user are based on the sanality of sanal.
22. 22. The sonification method is claim 21, characterized in that it also includes: searching for a silent channel, where the sanal request is sent in one of the silential sanal and a signaling sanal, the sontrol unit grants the silent sanal al end user by sending a message of bestowal in one of the silential sanal and a signaling sanal.
23. 23. The sonification method is claim 21, characterized in that it also comprises: broadcasting channel information available in a signaling channel, where the end user chooses a channel available as a select channel and sends the channel request in one of the channels. Select channel and the signaling channel, the control unit sends a message of granting to the end user, to grant the select channel to the end user.
24. 24.- The method according to claim 21, characterized in that it also somprende: disseminate sanal information available in a front end sanal, where the end user sends the request d? sanal to the sontrol unit in one of the front end sanal and a signaling channel, the control unit sends a bestowal message to the end user to grant the front end channel to the end user.
25. 25. The method according to claim 21, characterized in that it also somprende: send another request of sanal to the sontrol unit if the sontrol unit does not grant sanal to the end user.
26. 26. - The sonification method is the claim 21, characterized in that it also comprises: generating a busy signal if the control unit does not grant the channel to the end user.
27. 27.- The sonformity method is the vindication 21, sarasterized because it also somprende: resibir the solisitud channel from the end user and other sanis solisitudes of other end users, where if more than one end user solisita sanal, the unit of sontrol chooses one of more than one end user and grants the sanal to the final user selesto.
28. 28.- The sonformity method is the reivindisasión 21, sarasterizado because it also includes: put on return bus sanisales requests received in the sanal, the sanal is granted to the end user if the request sanal sent by the end user is received by the end user in the channel.
29. 29. The sonification method is claim 21, which is characterized in that it also assumes: assigning one of the interface units to an assigned node is the final user if an interface unit is not already assigned to the node; and to align a correspondence between the one assigned to the interface units and the node, thus matching the end user to the granted channel in a memory device.
30. 30. - The method according to claim 21, characterized in that it also somprende: direct diSunsioned somunisasiones to the end user through the assigned of the interface units in the granted sanal.
31. 31.- Method to operate a sarasterized somunisation system because somprende: transfer information between a sontrol unit and a plurality of nodes, the information is transferred between the control unit and each of the plurality of nodes through at least one dedicated channel; and assigning at least one of the plurality of banks of interface units to each of the nodes.