How to update the firmware for an optical transceiver

Abstract

To provide a method for updating a firmware of an optical transceiver.SOLUTION: An optical transceiver according an embodiment of the present invention includes: a controller to output firmware update data for updating a firmware of another optical transceiver connected to the optical transceiver through an optical cable; and a transmitter to generate an optical signal by superposing input payload data and the firmware update data, and to transmit the optical signal to the other optical transceiver. According to embodiments, a firmware of an optical transceiver at a remote location is automatically updated without affecting payload data, which is information to be transmitted.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for updating firmware in an optical transceiver such as a Gigabit Interface Converter (GBIC) or a Small Form-factor Pluggable (SFP). [Background technology]

[0002] Passive Optical Network (PON) is the core of FTTH environment and Gigabit Ethernet. PON is composed of Optical Line Terminal (OLT) at the central office, Remote Node (RN) for sharing one feeder optical cable with multiple subscribers, Optical Network Terminal (ONT) or Optical Network Unit (ONU) at the subscriber side. Optical cable is connected to optical transceiver of OLT and optical transceiver of ONT / ONU, respectively, to connect OLT and ONT / ONU. Here, optical transceiver is for transmitting and receiving optical signal through optical cable connected thereto, and is optical transmitting and receiving module such as GBIC (Gigabit Interface Converter) and SFP (Small Form-factor Pluggable).

[0003] The optical network vertical crossing device (or optical network unit) is located at a predetermined distance away from the optical line vertical crossing device on the central office side, and the distance between the optical line vertical crossing device and the optical network vertical crossing device (or optical network unit) is generally several kilometers to several tens of kilometers. Therefore, if an administrator visits the site where the optical network vertical crossing device (or optical network unit) is located every time to update the firmware of the optical transceiver installed in the optical network vertical crossing device (or optical network unit), it is very troublesome and takes a long time. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2006-0004045 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a method for automatically updating firmware of an optical transceiver without the need for an administrator to visit.

[0006] The technical problems to be solved by the technical idea of ​​the present invention are not limited to the problems mentioned above, and other problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, an optical transceiver is disclosed that includes a controller that outputs firmware update data for updating firmware of another optical transceiver connected via an optical cable, and a transmitter that generates an optical signal by superimposing input payload data and the firmware update data, and transmits the optical signal to the other optical transceiver, wherein a first communication channel corresponding to the payload data and a second communication channel corresponding to the firmware update data are different communication channels.

[0008] According to an exemplary embodiment, the controller may transmit a firmware identification information request to the transmitter to determine whether the firmware needs to be updated, the transmitter may overlay input payload data and the firmware identification information request to generate an optical signal and transmit the optical signal to the other optical transceiver, and the firmware identification information request is transmitted to the other optical transceiver via the second communication channel.

[0009] According to an exemplary embodiment, the system further includes a receiver that outputs firmware identification information received from the other optical transceiver through the second communication channel in response to the firmware identification information request to the controller, and the controller outputs the firmware identification information to the main controller so that a main controller of an optical communication device to which the optical transceiver is connected can compare the firmware identification information with pre-stored information and determine whether the update is necessary.

[0010] According to an exemplary embodiment, the second communication channel is an Auxiliary Management and Control Channel (AMCC).

[0011] According to an exemplary embodiment, the firmware update data is transmitted to the other optical transceiver via the second communication channel.For control management It is transmitted together with the data in a time-division manner.

[0012] According to an exemplary embodiment, the firmware update data is transmitted to the other optical transceiver via the second communication channel. For control management Transmitted simultaneously with the data.

[0013] According to an exemplary embodiment, the controller outputs a portion of the multiple divided data into which the firmware update data is divided, and the transmitter overlays the input payload data and the portion of the divided data to generate the optical signal.

[0014] According to another aspect of the present invention, an optical transceiver is disclosed that includes a receiver that receives an optical signal, in which payload data and firmware update data are overlapped, from another optical transceiver connected via an optical cable, and a controller that receives the firmware update data from the optical signal and controls a firmware update using the firmware update data, wherein the payload data is received via a first communication channel and the firmware update data is received via a second communication channel.

[0015] According to an exemplary embodiment, the system further includes a transmitter for transmitting firmware identification information to the other optical transceiver via the second communication channel, the firmware identification information being read from the memory by the controller in response to a firmware identification information request received via the receiver.

[0016] According to an exemplary embodiment, the second communication channel is AMCC.

[0017] According to an exemplary embodiment, when some of the divided data pieces into which the firmware update data is divided are received, the controller receives the remaining divided data pieces received through at least one other optical transceiver in an optical communication device to which the optical transceiver is connected, and controls the firmware update. Effect of the Invention

[0018] According to an embodiment of the present invention, firmware of an optical transceiver in a remote location can be automatically updated without affecting the information (payload data) to be transmitted and without the visit of an administrator.

[0019] The effects obtained by the embodiments according to the technical concept of the present invention are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an optical communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 2 is a block diagram showing in more detail the main parts of an optical transceiver in an optical communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Diagram 3] 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method for updating firmware of an optical transceiver according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 1 is a diagram illustrating a method of updating firmware using a plurality of optical transceivers in an optical communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0021] The technical idea of ​​the present invention can be modified in various ways and can have various embodiments, and therefore, specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and will be described in detail. However, this is not intended to limit the technical idea of ​​the present invention to the specific embodiments, and it should be understood that the technical idea of ​​the present invention includes all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives included in the scope of the technical idea of ​​the present invention.

[0022] In describing the technical concept of the present invention, if a detailed description of the related known art is deemed to unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted. In addition, numbers (e.g., 1, 2, etc.) used in the description of this specification are merely identification symbols for distinguishing one component from another.

[0023] In addition, when a component is referred to as being "coupled" or "connected" to another component in this specification, it should be understood that the component may be directly coupled or connected to the other component, but unless specifically stated to the contrary, it may also be coupled or connected via another component in between.

[0024] In addition, terms such as "module", "device" and "child" used in this specification refer to a unit that processes at least one function or operation, and this is embodied as hardware or software, or a combination of hardware and software, such as a processor, microprocessor, microcontroller, CPU (Central Processing Unit), GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), APU (Accelerate Processor Unit), DSP (Drive Signal Processor), ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array).

[0025] It is to be noted that the components in this specification are merely classified according to the main function of each component. That is, two or more components described below may be combined into one component, or one component may be divided into two or more components according to further subdivided functions. It goes without saying that each component described below may perform some or all of the functions of other components in addition to its own main function, and some of the main functions of each component may be exclusively performed by other components.

[0026] Hereinafter, various embodiments according to the technical concept of the present invention will be described in detail.

[0027] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an optical communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] 1, an optical communication system 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a server 110, a first optical communication device 120, and a second optical communication device 130. For convenience of explanation, only one second optical communication device 130 is shown in FIG 1, but the technical idea of ​​the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0029] The server 110 and the first optical communication device 120 are connected by wire and / or wirelessly through a network 140. Here, the network 140 is a comprehensive concept including communication networks such as the Internet, a wireless communication network, and an intranet.

[0030] The server 110 is a device that manages the optical communication system 10, and stores firmware of the optical transceiver of each optical communication device that is the target of an update (or restoration to the original state) (hereinafter referred to as 'target firmware') and identification information of the target firmware (e.g., information on the name, version, and most recent update date and time of the target firmware) (hereinafter referred to as 'firmware identification information'). When the first optical communication device 120 requests firmware identification information, the server 110 reads the firmware identification information from the storage means and transmits it to the first optical communication device 120. Also, when the first optical communication device 120 requests firmware, the server 110 reads the target firmware from the storage means and transmits it to the first optical communication device 120.

[0031] The first optical communication device 120 is located at a first site and includes at least one optical transceiver 1200. The second optical communication device 130 is located at a second site that is a predetermined distance away from the first site and includes at least one optical transceiver 1300. The first optical communication device 120 and the second optical communication device 130 are communicatively connected via their respective optical transceivers and optical cables connecting them.

[0032] The first optical communication device 120 compares the target firmware stored in the server 110 with the firmware installed in the optical transceiver 1300 of the second optical communication device 130 to determine whether the firmware installed in the optical transceiver 1300 of the second optical communication device 130 requires an update.

[0033] If the first optical communication device 120 determines that the firmware installed in the optical transceiver 1300 of the second optical communication device 130 needs to be updated, the optical transceiver 1200 transmits firmware update data to the optical transceiver 1300 through the auxiliary management control channel to perform an 'automatic firmware update operation' to update the firmware of the optical transceiver 1300. The automatic firmware update operation is controlled by the first optical communication device 120, more specifically, by a main controller (see 121 in FIG. 2), but is not limited thereto, and may be controlled by the server 110 or an administrator. The automatic firmware update operation, for example, an operation related to the transmission of firmware update data, is performed simultaneously with the transmission of payload data through the optical transceiver 1200 of the first optical communication device 120, but does not affect the transmission of payload data.

[0034] The optical transceiver 1300 of the second optical communication device 130 transmits information (e.g., information on the firmware name, version, last update date and time, etc.) (hereinafter referred to as 'remote firmware identification information') on the firmware installed in the first optical communication device 120. Furthermore, when firmware update data is transmitted from the first optical communication device 120, more specifically, from the optical transceiver 1200 of the first optical communication device 120, the optical transceiver 1300 of the second optical communication device 130 automatically installs the firmware update data by executing an automatic firmware update operation.

[0035] A more detailed description of the automatic firmware update operation will be provided below with reference to FIGS. 2 through 4.

[0036] Meanwhile, in some embodiments, the optical communication system 10 is applied to an optical subscriber network. In this case, the first optical communication device 120 is an optical line terminal (OLT) at the central office side, and the second optical communication device 130 is any one of a remote terminal (RT), an optical network terminal (ONT) at the subscriber side, and an optical network unit.

[0037] In another embodiment, the optical communication system 10 is applied to a fronthaul transmission network of a distributed base station, in which the first optical communication device 120 is a digital unit (DU) or a baseband unit (BBU) transverse device on the central office side, and the second optical communication device 130 is a remote unit (RU) or a remote radio head (RRH).

[0038] In yet another embodiment, the optical communication system 10 is applied to a Distributed Antenna System (DAS) for eliminating shadow areas of a base station, in which the first optical communication device 120 is a head-end unit and the second optical communication device 130 is an extension unit or a remote unit.

[0039] As described above, the optical communication system 10 according to the technical concept of the present invention can be applied to various optical communication networks implemented by optical communication devices located at remote locations and transmitting and receiving optical signals through corresponding optical transceivers.

[0040] Hereinafter, an 'automatic firmware update operation' for updating firmware of an optical transceiver at a remote location according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to Figures 2 to 4. The 'automatic firmware update operation' described below is an operation performed through the optical transceivers 1200 and 1300 connected to the first and second optical communication devices 120 and 130, and is particularly an operation for updating firmware of the optical transceiver 1300, e.g., GBIC, SFP, etc., connected to the second optical communication device 130.

[0041] Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing in more detail the main part of an optical transceiver in an optical communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention. It can be seen that Fig. 2 shows the main part of the optical transceiver in more detail on the premise that the optical communication system 10 of Fig. 1 is applied to a WDM-PON.

[0042] Referring to FIG. 2, among the multiple optical communication devices constituting the optical communication system 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention, the first optical communication device 120 includes a first MCU 121 and n first optical transceivers 1200-1 to 1200-n (where n is a natural number greater than or equal to 2).

[0043] Each of the n first optical transceivers 1200-1 to 1200-n includes a first controller 1210, a first transmitter 1230, and a first receiver 1250. The n first optical transceivers 1200-1 to 1200-n are coupled to the first MUX 150 to transmit optical signals to the first MUX 150 or receive optical signals of corresponding wavelength bands from the first MUX 150.

[0044] Furthermore, among the multiple optical communication devices constituting the optical communication system 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention, the n second optical communication devices 130-1 to 130-n each include a corresponding one of the n second optical transceivers 1300-1 to 1300-n.

[0045] Each of the n second optical transceivers 1300-1 to 1300-n includes a second controller 1310, a second receiver 1330, and a second transmitter 1350. The n second optical transceivers 1300-1 to 1300-n are coupled to the second MUX 160 to transmit optical signals to the second MUX 160 or receive optical signals from the second MUX 160.

[0046] Depending on the embodiment, the first MUX 150 on the first optical communication device 120 side may be a separate device separate from the first optical communication device 120, or may be configured to be provided inside the first optical communication device 120. The second MUX 160 is also a separate device from the n second optical communication devices 130-1 to 130-n, but may be configured in multiples and provided inside each of the n second optical communication devices 130-1 to 130-n. In this case, each of the n second optical communication devices 130-1 to 130-n includes a plurality of optical transceivers.

[0047] According to an embodiment, the first optical communication device 120, the first MUX 150, and the second MUX 160 are connected in a ring topology. According to an embodiment, a plurality of sub-MUXs may be connected to the second MUX 160, and the second optical communication devices 130-1 to 130-n may be connected to the sub-MUXs to form a tree topology.

[0048] For ease of explanation, in the following, it is assumed that the first optical transceiver 1200-1 of the first optical communication device 120 and the second optical transceiver 1300-1 of the second optical communication device 130-1 among the second optical communication devices 130-1 to 130-n are optical transceivers that communicate with each other using assigned wavelengths, and each configuration will be described focusing on these.

[0049] First, the first MCU 121 is configured to generally control the operation of the first optical communication device 120, and receives firmware identification information from the server 110 connected via the network 140. The first MCU 121 also recognizes information related to the target firmware through the firmware identification information. The first MCU 121 also determines whether the firmware installed in the second optical transceiver 1300-1 needs to be updated, and controls the firmware to be automatically updated.

[0050] The first controller 1210 is connected to the first MCU 121 by wire or wirelessly, and manages and controls the first optical transceiver 1200-1. The first controller 1210 manages the transmission and reception of payload data between the first optical transceiver 1200-1 and the second optical transceiver 1300-1, control management (wavelength setting / control, communication state monitoring, etc.), and transmission and reception of information required for firmware update (hereinafter referred to as first auxiliary management data). Here, the first controller 1210 is an active component of the first optical transceiver 1200-1, and is a collective term for a processor that performs various controls and processes for transmitting low-speed first auxiliary management data through an auxiliary management control channel together with high-speed payload data, a memory in which firmware, etc. are stored, etc.

[0051] The first controller 1210 transmits the first auxiliary management data to the second optical transceiver 1300-1 in various ways.

[0052] For example, the first controller 1210 uses a baseband intensity modulation scheme to simultaneously transmit the first auxiliary management data and the payload data to the second optical transceiver 1300-1. For example, the first controller 1210 uses a radio frequency pilot tone scheme to superimpose the first auxiliary management data and the payload data and transmits them to the second optical transceiver 1300-1.

[0053] The baseband intensity modulation method is a technique for stacking the first auxiliary management data on top of the payload data, and the RF pilot-ton method is a technique for overlapping the ASK or FSK modulated first auxiliary management data with the payload data. The transmission speed of the first auxiliary management data is different from the transmission speed of the payload data. For example, the frequency of the first auxiliary management data is several kHz, and the frequency of the payload data is several tens to several hundreds of MHz. The first auxiliary management data transmission and reception methods such as the baseband intensity modulation method and the RF pilot-ton method are already publicly known technologies, so the specific details thereof will be omitted.

[0054] Meanwhile, the first controller 1210 transmits data for control management and data for firmware update together in the first auxiliary management data in a time division manner through an auxiliary control management channel (AMCC). For example, the first controller 1210 modulates the data for control management and the data for firmware update in an ASK or FSK manner, divides the band of the AMCC on a time basis, and transmits the modulated data for control management and the data for firmware update.

[0055] According to an embodiment, the first controller 1210 simultaneously transmits the data for control management of the first auxiliary management data and the data for firmware update through an AMCC. For example, the first controller 1210 modulates the data for control management and the data for firmware update using a method such as Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) and simultaneously transmits the modulated data for control management and the data for firmware update separately through a subchannel separated from the AMCC. This will be described later.

[0056] The first transmitter 1230 is configured to convert the input payload data and / or the first auxiliary management data into an optical signal. The first transmitter 1230 includes a Transmitter Optical Sub-Assemblies (TOSA) consisting of a laser diode, a Laser Diode Driving circuitry (LDD), a biasing circuit, etc. The payload data input to the first transmitter 1230 is input via the LDD.

[0057] The first MUX 150 is configured to multiplex the optical signals input from the first transmitter 1230, transmit the multiplexed signals to an optical cable, and demultiplex the signals received by the optical cable.

[0058] The first receiver 1250 separates the optical signal demultiplexed and input by the first MUX 150 into payload data and second auxiliary management data (the definition of the second auxiliary management data will be described later) and outputs them in a corresponding configuration. In particular, the first receiver 1250 outputs the second auxiliary management data to the first controller 1210. The first receiver 1250 includes a photodiode, ROSA (Receiver Optical Sub-Assemblies) consisting of a TIA (Trans-Impedance Amplifier), a post amplifier, etc.

[0059] The second controller 1310 of the second optical transceiver 1300-1 is configured to generally control the operation of the second optical transceiver 1300-1.

[0060] The second controller 1310 manages the transmission and reception of payload data between the first optical transceiver 1200-1 and the second optical transceiver 1300-1, and the transmission and reception of information for control management (wavelength setting, communication state monitoring, etc.), remote firmware identification, etc. (hereinafter referred to as second auxiliary management data). The second controller 1310 transmits the payload data and the second auxiliary management data to the first optical transceiver 1200-1 by various methods. The second controller 1310 transmits the second auxiliary management data to the first optical transceiver 1200-1 by various methods without affecting the payload data, similar to the first controller 1210. Also, the second controller 1310 transmits data for control management of the second auxiliary management data and data related to firmware update to the first optical transceiver 1200-1 by time division or simultaneously, similar to the first controller 1210. The second controller 1310 is an active component of the second optical transceiver 1300-1, and is a collective term for a processor that processes and controls information transmitted and received through the auxiliary control management channel, a memory in which firmware, etc. are stored, and the like.

[0061] The second receiver 1330 has a configuration corresponding to the first receiver 1250, and the second transmitter 1350 has a configuration corresponding to the first transmitter 1230.

[0062] The payload data and the second auxiliary management data transmitted to the first optical transceiver 1200-1 are converted and multiplexed into an optical signal through the second transmitter 1350 and the second MUX 160. The optical signal received from the first optical transceiver 1200-1 is demultiplexed and converted into an electrical signal through the second MUX 160 and the second receiver 1330.

[0063] The general functions of the components of the first and second optical transceivers 1200-1 and 1300-1 have been described above. In the following, the firmware automatic update operation of the second optical transceiver 1300-1 through the first optical transceiver 1200-1 and the second optical transceiver 1300-1 will be specifically described with reference to FIG.

[0064] FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method for updating firmware of an optical transceiver according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0065] 3, in step S310, the server 110 transmits firmware identification information (hereinafter, referred to as reference firmware identification information) to the first MCU 121 of the first optical communication device 120. The first MCU 121 receives the reference firmware identification information and stores it in a storage means (not shown) provided therein. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the first MCU 121 stores the reference firmware identification information in a separate storage means (not shown) provided in the first optical communication device 120.

[0066] In step S320, the first optical communication device 120 generates a remote firmware identification information request to receive information (remote firmware identification information) regarding the firmware installed in the second optical transceiver 1300-1, and transmits the remote firmware identification information request from the first optical transceiver 1200-1 to the second optical transceiver 1300-1 via the AMCC.

[0067] For example, the first MCU 121 generates a firmware identification information request (meaning a command or message) to request the remote firmware identification information from the second optical transceiver 1300-1, and outputs the request to the first controller 1210 of the first optical transceiver 1200-1. The first controller 1210 outputs the firmware identification information request to the first transmitter 1230 as 'auxiliary management data'. Here, the auxiliary management data is data output to the first or second controller 1210 or 1310, and is data that is differentiated from payload data. The first transmitter 1230 generates an optical signal by multiplexing the firmware identification information request input to the auxiliary management data and the payload data. The first MUX 150 multiplexes the optical signal generated by the first transmitter 1230, and transmits the multiplexed signal to the second MUX 160 through an optical cable.

[0068] In step S330, the second optical transceiver 1300-1 receives the firmware identification information request through auxiliary management data included in the optical signal, and transmits the firmware identification information (referred to as 'remote firmware identification information' to distinguish it from the firmware identification information stored in the server 110) stored in the memory 1311 or a storage means separately provided in the second optical transceiver 1300-1 to the first optical transceiver 1200-1. At this time, the second optical transceiver 1300-1 transmits the remote firmware identification information to the first optical transceiver 1200-1 through the AMCC.

[0069] For example, the second MUX 160 demultiplexes and outputs the optical signal received from the first optical transceiver 1200-1 through the optical cable. The demultiplexed optical signal is output to the second receiver 1330. The second receiver 1330 classifies the optical signal into payload data and auxiliary management data, and outputs the auxiliary management data to the second controller 1310. The second controller 1310 analyzes the auxiliary management data, recognizes a firmware identification information request, and reads out the remote firmware identification information stored in a storage means (not shown) inside the second optical transceiver 1300-1. The second controller 1310 outputs the remote firmware identification information to the second transmitter 1350 as 'auxiliary management data'. The second transmitter 1350 generates an optical signal by overlapping the remote firmware identification information input to the auxiliary management data with the input payload data. The second MUX 160 multiplexes the optical signals generated by the second transmitter 1350 and transmits the multiplexed optical signals to the first MUX 150 through an optical cable.

[0070] The first MUX 150 demultiplexes and outputs the optical signals received through the optical cable. The demultiplexed optical signals are output to the first receiver 1250. The first receiver 1250 classifies the optical signals into payload data and auxiliary management data, and outputs the auxiliary management data to the first controller 1210. The first controller 1210 analyzes the auxiliary management data received from the second optical transceiver 1300-1 to recognize the remote firmware identification information.

[0071] In step S340, the first optical communication device 120 compares the remote firmware identification information with the already-stored firmware identification information to determine whether the firmware installed in the second optical transceiver 1300-1 needs to be updated.

[0072] For example, the first MCU 121 compares the firmware version included in the remote firmware identification information with the version included in the firmware identification information received from the server 110. If the comparison results are different, the first MCU 121 determines that the firmware installed in the second optical transceiver 1300-1 needs to be updated. If the comparison results are equal, the first MCU 121 determines that the firmware installed in the second optical transceiver 1300-1 does not need to be updated, and ends the update operation.

[0073] In steps S350 to S360, if it is determined that the firmware installed in the second optical transceiver 1300-1 needs to be updated, the first optical communication device 120 downloads the target firmware from the server 110. For example, the first MCU 121 generates a firmware request and transmits it to the server 110. When the server 110 receives the firmware request, it reads the target firmware that has already been stored from the storage space and transmits it to the first MCU 121.

[0074] In step S370, the first optical communication device 120 transmits the target firmware received from the server 110 from the first optical transceiver 1200-1 to the second optical transceiver 1300-1 through the AMCC. For example, the first MCU 121 and / or the first controller 1210 transmit the target firmware to the second optical transceiver 1300-1 through the AMCC in a manner the same as or similar to that in step S320.

[0075] At this time, the first transmitter 1230 is preset to superimpose auxiliary management data modulated in a manner using a channel (AMCC) different from the channel for transmitting the payload data on the payload data. The AMCC is an auxiliary channel for controlling and managing an optical transceiver such as an SFP, and the present invention transmits firmware using such an AMCC.

[0076] The present invention proposes to divide the AMCC into two channels again, that is, the auxiliary management data is modulated in a manner using multiple channels, and the target firmware corresponds to at least one of the multiple channels.

[0077] At this time, the configuration for modulating the auxiliary management data in a manner using multiple channels is implemented by a modulator (not shown). For example, the modulator is formed to be electrically or optically connected to the first controller 1210 and the first transmitter 1230. The modulator modulates the auxiliary management data input from the first controller 1210 in a quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) manner, which is a manner using multiple channels. Then, the modulator associates 'target firmware' with two of the four phases of the carrier wave, and associates general information (i.e., information corresponding to the original purpose of the AMCC) for controlling and managing a remote optical transceiver with the remaining two phases. The modulator outputs the modulated auxiliary management data to the first transmitter 1230. As a result, the target firmware of the AMCC is transmitted to the second optical transceiver 1300-1 through a dedicated firmware update channel (pre-set two of the four phases of the carrier wave).

[0078] On the other hand, transmitting data using AMCC is much slower than transmitting payload data. Therefore, when multiple optical transceivers are connected to each of the first optical communication device 120 and the second optical communication device 130, the target firmware is divided and transmitted. With reference to FIG. 4, the operation of dividing the target firmware and transmitting it to multiple optical transceivers will be described.

[0079] 3, in step S380, the second optical transceiver 1300-1 automatically updates its firmware using the target firmware received through the AMCC. For example, the second controller 1310 analyzes the target firmware received in the auxiliary management data in the same or similar manner as in step S330, and controls the target firmware to be stored and installed in the internal memory 1311 of the second controller 1310.

[0080] In step S390, when the second optical transceiver 1300-1 completes the firmware update, it transmits a message notifying the completion of the update (hereinafter, referred to as an 'update completion message') to the first optical communication device 120. At this time, the update completion message is also transmitted and received through the AMCC.

[0081] As described above, according to an embodiment of the present invention, data for firmware update is transmitted and received through an auxiliary control management channel between optical transceivers located remotely from each other, so that the firmware update operation is performed automatically without affecting the transmission of payload data.

[0082] Fig. 4 is a diagram for explaining a method of updating firmware using a plurality of optical transceivers in an optical communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 4 is for explaining an embodiment in which an optical communication device in an optical communication system 10' includes a plurality of optical transceivers, such as an OLT and an RT of a WDM-PON, a DU and an RU of a distributed base station, and each unit of a DAS. In explaining Fig. 4, for convenience of explanation, explanations that overlap with Figs. 1 to 3 will be omitted, and differences will be mainly explained with reference to Figs. 1 to 3.

[0083] 1 to 4, the first optical communication device 120 includes n first optical transceivers 1200-1 to 1200-n, and the second optical communication device 130 also includes n second optical transceivers 1300-1 to 1300-n.

[0084] The first MCU 121 of the first optical communication device 120 divides firmware update data FW for target firmware to be transmitted corresponding to the n number of first optical transceivers 1200-1 to 1200-n included in the first optical communication device 120. For example, the first MCU 121 divides the firmware update data FW to be transmitted into n pieces, which is the number of the first optical transceivers 1200-1 to 1200-n. Depending on the embodiment, the number of pieces into which the firmware update data FW is divided may be variously modified. For example, the number of pieces into which the firmware update data FW is divided does not correspond to the number of second optical transceivers, and may be more or less than that.

[0085] The first MCU 121 distributes the n pieces of divided data FWP-1 to FWP-n to the n pieces of first optical transceivers 1200-1 to 1200-n, respectively. Thus, the n pieces of first optical transceivers 1200-1 to 1200-n transmit the divided data to a corresponding one of the n pieces of second optical transceivers 1300-1 to 1300-n. For example, the first optical transceiver 1200-1 transmits the first divided data FWP-1 to the corresponding second optical transceiver 1300-1, and the first optical transceiver 1200-n transmits the n-th divided data FWP-n to the corresponding second optical transceiver 1300-n.

[0086] In some embodiments, the first MCU 121 may allocate more divided data to some of the first optical transceivers 1200-1 through 1200-n rather than uniformly allocating the n divided data FWP-1 through FWP-n to the n first optical transceivers 1200-1 through 1200-n, in order to efficiently utilize resources in consideration of the communication status of each of the first optical transceivers 1200-1 through 1200-n.

[0087] An MCU (not shown) of the second optical communication device 130 receives the n pieces of divided data received from the n second optical transceivers 1300-1 to 1300-n. The MCU combines the n pieces of divided data and then outputs the combined data to the n second optical transceivers 1300-1 to 1300-n. Alternatively, the MCU may not combine the n pieces of divided data, but may transmit the remaining divided data that has not been received by each of the second optical transceivers 1300-1 to 1300-n.

[0088] In this manner, the optical communication system 10' divides the firmware update data into a predetermined number of parts and then distributes and transmits the parts through at least some of the optical transceivers, thereby increasing the speed of the automatic firmware update.

[0089] Although the technical concept of the present invention has been described in detail above with reference to various embodiments, the technical concept of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and may be modified or changed in various ways by those skilled in the art. [Explanation of symbols]

[0090] 10, 10' Optical communication system 110 Server 120, 130 Optical communication device 1200, 1300 Optical Transceiver 140 Network

Claims

1. a controller that outputs firmware update data for updating firmware of other optical transceivers connected via an optical cable; a transmitter that generates an optical signal by superimposing input payload data and the firmware update data, and transmits the optical signal to the other optical transceiver; the first communication channel corresponding to the payload data and the second communication channel corresponding to the firmware update data are different communication channels; the second communication channel is an AMCC for transmitting data for control management; the controller modulates the firmware update data and the data for control management, and transmits the modulated firmware update data together with the data for control management through the second communication channel.

2. The controller transmits a firmware identification information request to the transmitter to determine whether the firmware needs to be updated; the transmitter generates an optical signal by superimposing the input payload data and the firmware identification information request, and transmits the optical signal to the other optical transceiver; The optical transceiver of claim 1 , wherein the firmware identification information request is transmitted to the other optical transceiver through the second communication channel.

3. a receiver configured to output firmware identification information received from the other optical transceiver through the second communication channel to the controller in response to the firmware identification information request; The optical transceiver described in claim 2, characterized in that the controller outputs the firmware identification information to the main controller of the optical communication device to which the optical transceiver is connected so that the main controller compares the firmware identification information with pre-stored information and determines whether the update is necessary.

4. 2. The optical transceiver of claim 1, wherein the firmware update data is transmitted in a time-division multiplexing manner along with data for controlling and managing the other optical transceivers through the second communication channel.

5. 2. The optical transceiver of claim 1, wherein the firmware update data is transmitted simultaneously with data for controlling and managing the other optical transceivers through the second communication channel.

6. the controller outputs a part of the divided data among a plurality of divided data obtained by dividing the firmware update data; 2. The optical transceiver according to claim 1, wherein the transmitter generates the optical signal by superimposing the input payload data and the portion of the divided data.

7. a receiver that receives an optical signal, in which payload data and firmware update data are overlapped, from another optical transceiver connected via an optical cable; a controller that receives the firmware update data from the optical signal and controls a firmware update using the firmware update data; the payload data is received over a first communication channel and the firmware update data is received over a second communication channel; the second communication channel is an AMCC for transmitting data for control management; The optical transceiver, wherein the controller receives the firmware update data modulated with the control management data through the second communication channel.

8. a transmitter for transmitting firmware identification information to the other optical transceivers over the second communication channel; 8. The optical transceiver of claim 7, wherein the firmware identification information is read from the memory by the controller in response to a firmware identification information request received through the receiver.

9. The optical transceiver of claim 7, wherein when the controller receives some of the divided data pieces into which the firmware update data is divided, the controller receives the remaining divided data pieces received through at least one other optical transceiver in an optical communication device to which the optical transceiver is connected, and controls the firmware update.

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