US 6,661,973 B1Granted

Optical transmission systems, apparatuses, and methods

OwnerDavid R. Huber, Alistair J. Priceinventors

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Abstract

An optical transmission system of the present invention includes at least one transmitter configured to receive information from a plurality of optical receivers and transmit the information in a plurality of information carrying optical signal wavelengths. At least one optical receiver is configured to receive a plurality of information carrying optical signal wavelengths and a local oscillator signal. The optical receiver converts a plurality of optical signal wavelengths into a corresponding number of electrical signal frequencies. The optical systems reduce the number of transmitters and receivers required interconnecting various optical systems, as well as providing multiple wavelength regenerators and converters and add/drop devices with increased capacity and system flexibility.

Claims12

Dependent claims

An optical transmission system comprising:

a plurality of first optical transmitters configured to transmit information via a WDM signal including a plurality of first information carrying optical signal wavelengths;
a local oscillator optical source configured to supply a local oscillator wavelength;
a first optical receiver configured to receive the WDM signal and the local oscillator wavelength and convert the information carried by at least two of the first optical signal wavelengths into corresponding information carrying electrical signal frequencies;
at least one second optical transmitter configured to transmit at least a portion of the information carried by at least two of the corresponding electrical signal frequencies via corresponding second information carrying optical signal wavelengths;
and
an electrical demultiplexer configured to separate and provide the plurality of information carrying electrical signal frequencies to a corresponding plurality of said at least one second optical transmitters.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.