# US 11,444,717 B2 · Multi-band optical network interface

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- Number: US 11,444,717 B2
- Document ID: US11444717B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/520,083
- Filed: 2021-11-05
- Published: 2022-05-12
- Granted: 2022-09-13
- Earliest claimed: 2020-11-10
- Assignees: ECI Telecom Ltd.
- Applicants: ECI Telecom Ltd.
- Inventors: Eyal Lichtman; Rafi Leiman; Boaz Wittenberg
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11444717B2

## CPC

- H04B 10/2537: due to scattering processes, e.g. Raman or Brillouin scattering
- H04J 14/0212: {using optical switches or wavelength selective switches [WSS]}
- H04B 10/296: Transient power control, e.g. due to channel add/drop or rapid fluctuations in the input power
- H04J 14/0213: {Groups of channels or wave bands arrangements}
- H04J 14/02216: {by gain equalization}
- H04B: TRANSMISSION
- H04J: MULTIPLEX COMMUNICATION (transmission in general H04B; peculiar to transmission of digital information H04L5/00; systems for the simultaneous or sequential transmission of more than one television signal H04N7/08; in exchanges H04Q11/00; stereophonic systems H04S)

## Abstract

The disclosed systems and methods support addition of bands to a multi-band optical interface. The systems and methods can include a multi-band interface device for optical networks. The device can include a multi-band optical amplifier, a C-Band Add/Drop multiplexer, an L-Band Add/Drop multiplexer and an amplifier noise source. The multi-band optical amplifier can be connected to the C-Band Add/Drop multiplexer and connected to the L-Band Add/Drop multiplexer through the amplifier noise source. The amplifier noise source be configured to generate a combination of bulk noise and an input transmission received from the L-Band Add/Drop multiplexer. The gain of the amplifier noise source can depend on the power of the received input transmission. The power of the received input transmission can be increased over a period of time, transitioning the amplifier noise source from acting as a bulk noise source to acting an amplifier.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A multi-band interface device for optical networks; comprising:
an optical amplifier including:
first ingress ports configured to receive optical transmissions in multiple transmission bands, a first port of the first ingress ports configured to receive a first optical input transmission in a first band of the multiple transmission bands; and
a first egress port configured to provide first optical output transmissions in the multiple transmission bands;
an amplifier noise source:
including a second ingress port configured to receive a second optical input transmission in the first band;
including a second egress port communicatively connected to the first port of the optical amplifier; and
configured to generate the first optical input transmission by amplifying a combination of a noise and the second optical input transmission, a magnitude of the amplification being dependent on a power of the second optical input transmission;
a second noise source; and
an optical switch including:
a third ingress port communicatively connected to the second noise source and configured to receive a third optical input transmission in the first band; and
a third egress port, the third egress port communicatively connected to the second ingress port.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The multi-band interface device of claim 1, wherein:
the noise comprises amplified spontaneous emission noise of the amplifier noise source.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The multi-band interface device of claim 1, wherein:
the amplifier noise source comprises a constant power amplifier.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The multi-band interface device of claim 1, Wherein:
the amplifier noise source is configured to maintain, as the power of the second optical input transmission increases to an operating level, a power of the first optical input transmission within a specified range.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The multi-band interface device of claim 1, wherein:
the first band comprises the L-Band.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The multi-band interface device of claim 1, wherein:
an L-Band Optical Add/Drop Multiplexer of the device comprises the optical switch.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The multi-band interface device of claim 1, wherein:
the magnitude of the amplification is between 90 dB and 40 dB when the power of the second optical input transmission is zero and between −3 dB and +10 dB when the power of the second optical input transmission is at a nominal level.

### Claim 8

An optical network interface, comprising:
an amplifier including an amplifier ingress port configured to receive a first L-Band optical input transmission;
an amplifier noise source:
including an amplifier noise source ingress port configured to receive a second L-Band optical input transmission;
including an amplifier noise source egress port communicatively connected to the amplifier ingress port; and
configured to generate the first L-Band optical input transmission by amplifying a combination of a noise and the second L-Band optical input transmission, the first L-Band optical input transmission including a variable noise fraction inversely dependent on a power of the second L-Band optical input transmission;
an optical multiplexer including a multiplexer egress port, the multiplexer egress port configured to provide the second L-Band optical input transmission,
at least one processor; and
at least one non-transitory computer readable medium containing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the optical network interface to perform operations comprising:
receiving an instruction to activate the optical multiplexer; and
in response to the instruction, increasing the power of the second L-Band optical input transmission over a time interval.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The optical network interface of claim 8, wherein:
a magnitude of an optical signal to noise ratio of the first L-Band optical input transmission increases from between 10 db and 20 db to between 35 db and 40 db as the power of the second L-Band optical input transmission is increased.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The optical network interface of claim 8, wherein:
the noise comprises amplified spontaneous emission noise of the amplifier noise source.

### Claim 11 (depends on 8)

The optical network interface of claim 8, wherein:
the second L-Band optical input transmission includes channelized amplified spontaneous emission noise.

### Claim 12 (depends on 8)

The optical network interface of claim 8, wherein:
the optical network interface further comprises a C-Band amplifier and a C-Band optical multiplexer.

### Claim 13 (depends on 8)

The optical network interface of claim 8, wherein:
a duration of the time interval is between 500 microseconds and 5 seconds.

### Claim 14 (depends on 8)

The optical network interface of claim 8, wherein:
the power of the second L-Band optical input transmission is increased from zero to a nominal level.

### Claim 15

A method of optical network management, comprising:
deploying a node on an optical network, the node including a multi-band amplifier connected to:
a first noise source through a first optical switch, the first noise source configured to provide first noise in a first band; and
an amplifier noise source, the amplifier noise source including an input and configured to generate a constant power output in a second band by amplifying a combination of an input signal received at the input and an amplifier noise of the amplifier noise source;
calibrating the multi-band amplifier, while providing to the multi-band amplifier:
the first noise in the first band generated by the first noise source; and
the constant power output in the second band generated by the amplifier noise source;
connecting a second optical switch to the input of the amplifier noise source;
providing, from the second optical switch to the amplifier noise source as the input signal, a channelized noise in the second band; and
increasing an amplitude of the channelized noise to a nominal level over a time interval.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein:
a duration of the time interval is between 500 milliseconds and 5 seconds.

### Claim 17

The method of d aim 16, wherein:
the first band is the C-Band and the second band is the L-Band.

### Claim 18 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein:
the amplifier noise comprises amplified spontaneous emission noise.

### Claim 19 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein:
the multi-band amplifier comprises an L-Band amplifier and a C-Band amplifier.