Patent ID: 7362975

Claim:
A dynamic bandwidth allocation method for an Ethernet Passive Optical Network (EPON) including an optical line termination (OLT), an optical distribution network (ODN), and a plurality of optical network units (ONU), the method comprising: a first step of, upon receipt of a control message for upstream report from the optical network unit, checking which ONU's information is contained in the received control message, and updating a bandwidth; a second step of, when a sum of bandwidths for HP (High Priority) of all ONUs is more than a link capacity, allocating a bandwidth proportional to the bandwidth for HP of each of the ONUs to each of the ONUs in the same order as a previously allocated order of ONUs, if there is a previously allocated order of ONUs; a third step of, when the sum of bandwidths for HP (High Priority) of all ONUs is less than the link capacity, allocating a bandwidth equal to the bandwidth for HP to each of the ONUs; a fourth step of, when a sum of the bandwidths for HP and MP (Medium Priority) of all ONUs is more than the link capacity, using a bandwidth remaining after the allocation for the bandwidths for HP to additionally allocate a bandwidth proportional to the bandwidth for MP of each of the ONUs to each of the ONUs; a fifth step of, when the sum of the bandwidths for HP and MP of all ONUs is less than the link capacity, using a bandwidth remaining after the allocation for the bandwidths for HP to additionally allocate a bandwidth equal to the bandwidth for MP of each of the ONUs to each of the ONUs; a sixth step of, when a sum of maximum bandwidths of all ONUs is more than the link capacity, using a bandwidth remaining after the allocation for the bandwidths for HP and MP to additionally allocate a bandwidth proportional to the bandwidth for LP (Low Priority) of each of the ONUs to each of the ONUs; and a seventh step of, when the sum of the maximum bandwidths is less than the link capacity, allocating an additional bandwidth to each of the ONUs so that a total bandwidth allocated to each of the ONUs is equal to the maximum bandwidth of each of the ONUs, and equally dividing a bandwidth remaining after the bandwidth allocation for the maximum bandwidth to be additionally allocated as a bandwidth for LP to each of the ONUs.