Master-station apparatus, slave-station apparatus, control device, optical communication system, and connection management method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016295307-A1
Application number	US-201315035119-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 13, 2013
Priority date	Dec 13, 2013
Publication date	Oct 6, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

An OLT including ports connectable to an optical communication path connected to an ONU includes port control units, a setting information management unit that manages setting information for use in communication with the ONU for each of the ports, and a connection management unit that sets setting information managed by the setting information management unit in the port control units. The port control units determine whether to change setting information on the basis of a signal received from the ONU and the setting information that has been set and, when determining that setting information be changed, notify the connection management unit of a request to change setting information, and the connection management unit selects setting information set in the port control units on the basis of the notification from the port control units.

First claim

1 : A master-station apparatus comprising a plurality of ports connectable to an optical communication path connected to a slave-station apparatus, the master-station apparatus comprising:
port control units for the respective ports, the port control units receiving a signal via the ports from the slave-station apparatus and transmitting a signal via the ports to the slave-station apparatus; a setting information management unit that manages, for each of the ports, setting information for use in communication with the slave-station apparatus to be connected to the ports; and a connection management unit that sets the setting information managed by the setting information management unit in the port control unit, wherein the port control unit determines whether or not the setting information be changed on a basis of a signal received from the slave-station apparatus and the setting information that has been set and, when it is determined that the setting information be changed, notifies the connection management unit of a request to change the setting information, and the connection management unit selects setting information to be set in the port control unit from the setting information management unit on a basis of a notification from the port control unit and sets the selected setting information in the port control unit.

2 : The master-station apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the setting information contains specific information on the slave-station apparatus that is set to be connected to the port, and the port control unit extracts, from a signal received from the slave-station apparatus, specific information on the source slave-station apparatus and determines whether or not the setting information be changed on a basis of a result of comparison between the extracted specific information and the specific information contained in the setting information that has been set.

3 : The master-station apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein
the port control unit comprises:
a setting control unit that retains the setting information that has been set; and
an apparatus identification unit that changes the setting information on a basis of a result of comparison between the extracted specific information and the specific information contained in the setting information that has been set.

4 : The master-station apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
at least one port among the ports and the port control unit corresponding to the port are used as a redundant system, a port except the port of the redundant system and a port control unit except the port control unit of the redundant system are used as an operational system, after the port to be connected to the slave-station apparatus is switched from the port of the operational system to the port of the redundant system, the port to be connected to the slave-station apparatus is switched to the port of the operational system, and, then, the port control unit corresponding to the port connected after switching transmits to the slave-station apparatus a signal requesting a response and, when no response to the signal is received within a certain time period, requests the connection management unit to acquire the setting information that is different from the setting information set in the port control unit, the connection management unit inputs in the port control unit the setting information that is different from the setting information set in the port control unit on a basis of a request from the port control unit, and the port control unit transmits to the slave-station apparatus a signal requesting a response on a basis of the setting information input from the connection management unit.

5 : The master-station apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein, when the port control unit receives a response to the signal transmitted to the slave-station apparatus on a basis of the setting information input from the connection management unit, the port control unit requests the connection management unit to set the setting information in the port control unit and, when the port control unit receives no response to the signal transmitted to the slave-station apparatus on a basis of the setting information input from the connection management unit within a certain time period, the port control unit requests the connection management unit to acquire the setting information having not been input to the port control unit, and transmits to the slave-station apparatus a signal requesting a response on a basis of the setting information input from the connection management unit.

6 : The master-station apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the connection management unit inputs to the port control unit two or more pieces of the setting information that are different from the setting information set in the port control unit on a basis of a request from the port control unit.

7 : The master-station apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein
the port control unit comprises:
a setting control unit that retains the setting information that has been set; and
a connection port check unit that requests the connection management unit to acquire the setting information that is different from the setting information set in the port control unit when no response to a signal requesting a response is received within a certain time period.

8 : The master-station apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the signal requesting a response is a bandwidth allocation notification.

9 : A slave-station apparatus to be connected to the master-station apparatus according to claim 1 via an optical communication path, the master-station apparatus comprising a plurality of ports, the optical communication path being connected to the ports, wherein,
when the slave-station apparatus receives a signal requesting a response from the master-station apparatus, the slave-station apparatus transmits a response to the signal to the master-station apparatus.

10 : A control device in a master-station apparatus that comprises a plurality of ports connectable to an optical communication path connected to a slave-station apparatus, the control device comprising
at least one port control unit that receives setting information for use in communication with the slave-station apparatus, receives a signal from the slave-station apparatus via one of the ports, transmits a signal to the slave-station apparatus via the port, determines whether or not the setting information be changed on a basis of a signal received from the slave-station apparatus and the setting information, and, when it is determined that the setting information be changed, issues a notification of a request to change the setting information.

11 - 12 . (canceled)

13 : An optical communication system that comprises a slave-station apparatus, a plurality of master-station apparatuses connectable to the slave-station apparatus, a management device that manages the master-station apparatuses, and a line concentrator connected to the master-station apparatuses and the management device, wherein
the management device comprises:
a setting information management unit that manages setting information for use in communication with the slave-station apparatus to be connected to the master-station apparatuses for each of the master-station apparatuses;
a connection management unit that selects setting information to be set in the master-station apparatuses from the setting information managed by the setting information management unit; and
a communication control unit that transmits the setting information selected by the connection management unit to the line concentrator,
the line concentrator reta

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Kikuzawa Takashi

Classifications

• H04Q2011/0064

  Arbitration, scheduling or medium access control aspects · CPC title

• H04Q11/0067 Primary

  Provisions for optical access or distribution networks, e.g. Gigabit Ethernet Passive Optical Network (GE-PON), ATM-based Passive Optical Network (A-PON), PON-Ring · CPC title

• H04L12/44

  Star or tree networks · CPC title

• H04B10/27

  Arrangements for networking · CPC title

• H04B10/272

  Star-type networks {or tree-type networks} · CPC title