US 10,484,086 B2Granted

Optical branching unit

AssigneeNeptune Subsea IP Limited

InventorDavid Antony Frisch

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

An optical communications apparatus includes a branching unit and a switching module. The branching unit is configured to be connected to first, second, and third optical cables each including an optical fiber. The branching unit includes a branch optical path configured to route a fixed pre-determined range of wavelengths that are input to the branching unit from the optical fiber of the first cable to the optical fiber of the third cable. The switching module includes at least one optical switch having a bypass configuration and a branch connecting configuration. In the bypass configuration, a connection via the branch optical path to a distal portion of the third cable is bypassed. In the branch connecting configuration, the branch optical path is enabled so that the pre-determined range of wavelengths that are input to the branching unit are routed to the optical fiber of the distal portion of the third cable.

Claims21

Dependent claims

An optical communications apparatus comprising:

a branching unit configured to be connected to first, second, and third optical cables, each of the first, second, and third optical cables comprising at least one optical fiber, the branching unit comprising a branch optical path configured to provide a first portion of all signal wavelengths that are input to the branching unit from the at least one optical fiber of the first optical cable to the at least one optical fiber of the third optical cable;
and
a switching module comprising at least one optical switch, the at least one optical switch having:
a bypass configuration in which a connection via the branch optical path to a distal portion of the third optical cable is bypassed so that all signal wavelengths input to the branching unit from the at least one optical fiber of the first optical cable are routed to the at least one optical fiber of the second optical cable without first being routed through the connection to the distal portion of the third optical cable;
and
a branch connecting configuration in which the branch optical path is enabled so that the first portion of all signal wavelengths that are input to the branching unit from the at least one optical fiber of the first optical cable is routed to the at least one optical fiber of the third optical cable;
wherein the branching unit further comprises:
a first optical coupler configured to provide the first portion of all signal wavelengths input to the branching unit from the at least one optical fiber of the first optical cable to the branch optical path;
and
a second optical coupler configured to receive, from the first optical coupler, a second portion of all signal wavelengths input to the branching unit from the at least one optical fiber of the first optical cable;
the second optical coupler also configured to combine (i) the second portion of all signal wavelengths input to the branching unit from the at least one optical fiber of the first optical cable and (ii) signal wavelengths input to the branching unit from the at least one optical fiber of the third optical cable;
the second optical coupler further configured to output the combined signal wavelengths to the at least one optical fiber of the second optical cable.

9 more elements

A method comprising:

operating an optical communications apparatus that comprises a branching unit and a switching module, wherein:
the branching unit is configured to be connected to first, second, and third optical cables, each of the first, second, and third optical cables comprising at least one optical fiber, the branching unit comprising a branch optical path configured to provide a first portion of all signal wavelengths that are input to the branching unit from the at least one optical fiber of the first optical cable to the at least one optical fiber of the third optical cable;
the switching module comprises at least one optical switch;
the at least one optical switch has:
a bypass configuration in which a connection via the branch optical path to a distal portion of the third optical cable is bypassed so that all signal wavelengths input to the branching unit from the at least one optical fiber of the first optical cable are routed to the at least one optical fiber of the second optical cable without first being routed through the connection to the distal portion of the third optical cable;
and
a branch connecting configuration in which the branch optical path is enabled so that the first portion of all signal wavelengths that are input to the branching unit from the at least one optical fiber of the first optical cable is routed to the at least one optical fiber of the third optical cable;
the branching unit further comprises:
a first optical coupler configured to provide the first portion of all signal wavelengths input to the branching unit from the at least one optical fiber of the first optical cable to the branch optical path;
and
a second optical coupler configured to receive, from the first optical coupler, a second portion of all signal wavelengths input to the branching unit from the at least one optical fiber of the first optical cable;
the second optical coupler also configured to combine (i) the second portion of all signal wavelengths input to the branching unit from the at least one optical fiber of the first optical cable and (ii) signal wavelengths input to the branching unit from the at least one optical fiber of the third optical cable;
the second optical coupler further configured to output the combined signal wavelengths to the at least one optical fiber of the second optical cable;
and
isolating a portion of a branch connection from the branching unit, wherein the branch connection comprises the third optical cable.

12 more elements

A method comprising:

connecting a branching unit to first, second, and third optical cables, each of the first, second, and third optical cables comprising at least one optical fiber, the branching unit comprising a branch optical path configured to provide a first portion of all signal wavelengths that are input to the branching unit from the at least one optical fiber of the first optical cable to the at least one optical fiber of the third optical cable;
and
providing a switching module comprising at least one optical switch, the at least one optical switch having:
a bypass configuration in which a connection via the branch optical path to a distal portion of the third optical cable is bypassed so that all signal wavelengths input to the branching unit from the at least one optical fiber of the first optical cable are routed to the at least one optical fiber of the second optical cable without first being routed through the connection to the distal portion of the third optical cable;
and
a branch connecting configuration in which the branch optical path is enabled so that the first portion of all signal wavelengths that are input to the branching unit from the at least one optical fiber of the first optical cable is routed to the at least one optical fiber of the third optical cable;
wherein the branching unit further comprises:
a first optical coupler configured to provide the first portion of all signal wavelengths input to the branching unit from the at least one optical fiber of the first optical cable to the branch optical path;
and
a second optical coupler configured to receive, from the first optical coupler, a second portion of all signal wavelengths input to the branching unit from the at least one optical fiber of the first optical cable;
the second optical coupler also configured to combine (i) the second portion of all signal wavelengths input to the branching unit from the at least one optical fiber of the first optical cable and (ii) signal wavelengths input to the branching unit from the at least one optical fiber of the third optical cable;
the second optical coupler further configured to output the combined signal wavelengths to the at least one optical fiber of the second optical cable.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/992,458Filed 30 May 2018 · continuation
Priority: EP 151981134 Dec 2015
Published: US 2018/0278326 A127 Sep 2018
Granted: 19 Nov 2019
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification11 codes

H04B 10/038
Arrangements for fault recovery: using bypasses
G02B 6/3562
Switching arrangements, i.e. number of input/output ports and interconnection types: switch of the bypass type, i.e. enabling a change of path in…
H04B 10/25891
Bidirectional transmission: transmission components
H04B 10/80
Transmission systems employing electromagnetic waves other than radio-waves, e.g. infrared, visible or ultraviolet light, or employing…

Family

PCT/GB2016/053800Parent of this continuation · filed 2 Dec 2016
US 2018/0278326 A1Pre-grant publication · published 27 Sep 2018
US 10,484,086 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

Timeline

Citations

Open elsewhere

Building an agent or pulling many patents? Use the API or MCP server instead of scraping pages. Get an API key