Patent ID: 8948598
Filing Date: 2015-02-03
Classification: H04J

Abstract:
1. A method for communicating in a passive optical network (PON), comprising: receiving traffic from a plurality of optical network units (ONUs) transmitting in an upstream transmission channel, wherein each of the ONUs may transmit at any wavelength within a wavelength band associated with the upstream transmission channel, and wherein the wavelengths at which the plurality of ONUs transmit are normally distributed around a single nominal, upstream transmission wavelength of the upstream transmission channel, the normal distribution of the wavelengths having a standard deviation; dividing the upstream transmission channel into a plurality of sub-channels, wherein each of the plurality of sub-channels comprises a subset of the wavelength band associated with the upstream transmission channel, and wherein each of the plurality of sub-channels has a wavelength band that is less than the standard deviation of the normal distribution of the wavelengths; dynamically determining the identity of each of the plurality of ONUs transmitting in each of the sub-channels; dynamically assigning each of the plurality of ONUs transmitting in the upstream transmission channel to at least one of the sub-channels based on the determination that the ONU is transmitting in that sub-channel, wherein at least two ONUs are assigned to the same sub-channel; allocating transmission timeslots for time-shared transmission by the ONUs assigned to the same sub-channel; and after dynamically assigning the ONUs to sub-channels, determining that one or more of the ONUs is transmitting in a different sub-channel than the assigned sub-channel.