Abstract: A digital burst-mode packet data receiver receives high-speed burst-mode packet data signals superimposed on a lower frequency data signal. The receiver includes a first detector for detecting the received high-speed burst-mode packet data which is reset during the time period between consecutive bursts of the high-speed packet data signal. A second detector detects the lower frequency data signal during a predetermined portion of the time period between consecutive bursts of the high-speed packet data.

Abstract: In a passive optical tree-and-branch network, which utilizes the Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) transmission format, a superimposed low-level, single frequency, ranging signal is used to determine the distance between an Optical Line Termination (OLT) node and any Optical Network Termination Node (ONT) of the network. In one embodiment of the invention, this ranging frequency is a low frequency signal that is superimposed on top of the transmitted data signal from the OLT. This ranging signal is returned to the OLT from a particular ONT upon the issuance of a ranging command from the OLT. The phase difference between the transmitted ranging signal and the received ranging signal is proportional to the distance between the OLT and that particular ONT. In a second embodiment of the invention, the ranging signal is a high frequency signal that is superimposed on top of the transmitted data signal from the OLT.