Patent ID: 6519067
Filing Date: 2003-02-11
Classification: H04B

Abstract:
In a cable television (CATV) system having a headend that provides video and data to a plurality of subscriber equipment via hybrid fiber/coax (HFC) network that includes a fiber portion, a first coax portion, a second coax portion, and a node for connecting the fiber portion to the first and second coax portions, a reverse path optical transmitter for use in the node, said reverse path transmitter comprising:a first input port for receiving a first plurality of reverse RF signals from a first portion of said plurality of subscriber equipment in said first coax portion; a first analog-to-digital converter for converting said first reverse RF signal into a first reverse parallel digital signal; a first parallel-to-serial converter for converting said first reverse parallel digital signal into a first reverse serial digital signal; a second input port for receiving a second plurality of reverse RF signals from a second portion of said plurality of subscriber equipment in said second coax portion; a second analog-to-digital converter for converting said second reverse RF signal into a second reverse parallel digital signal; a second parallel-to-serial converter for converting said second reverse parallel digital signal into a second reverse serial digital signal; an interleaver for interleaving said first and second reverse serial digital signals to form a single reverse digital signal; a laser diode for converting said single reverse serial digital signal into a reverse digital optical signal; and an output for transmitting said reverse digital optical signal to said headend over said fiber portion of said HFC network.