Bidirectional router and a method of bidirectional amplification
AssigneeTellabs Denmark A/S
InventorRené E. Kristiansen
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Abstract
The invention relates to a router which may be used for amplification of a bidirectional optical signal using a single optical amplifier. An advantageous embodiment of the invention comprises two 3 dB couplers which are serially connected via a delay element. According to the embodiment, the delay element comprises a difference in distance ΔL between the two optical branches which connect the two 3 dB couplers.
Claims20
An optical router, characterized in that the router comprises first and second optical couplers which are serially interconnected via a delay device and wherein the optical router further comprises an optical amplifier optically connected to one of the optical couplers, wherein the first optical coupler has a first port that receives and provides optical signals at different wavelengths from and to an optical link.
An optical router, comprising:
- a first coupler having a first bidirectional port and a second bidirectional port, each of the first and second bidirectional ports operable to interface bidirectional optical signals with a respective optic link;
- a second coupler having an output unidirectional port and an input unidirectional port, the output unidirectional port operable to transport bidirectional optical signals of the first and second bidirectional ports, the input unidirectional port operable to provide bidirectional optical signals to the first coupler.
A method of monodirectional amplification of bidirectional optical signals with given wavelengths λli and λrj in an optical guide by means of an optical router, comprising:
- providing a first bidirectional port and a second bidirectional port and a first unidirectional port and a second unidirectional port;
- receiving the optical signals at the first and second bidirectional ports from an optical link;
- transferring the optical signals from the first and second bidirectional ports through a first optical coupler, a delay device, and a second optical coupler to the first unidirectional port;
- transferring the optical signals from the first unidirectional port through an optical amplifier to the second unidirectional port;
- transferring the optical signals from the second unidirectional port to the first and second bidirectional ports through the second optical coupler, the delay device, and the first optical coupler;
- transmitting the optical signals from the first and second bidirectional ports to the optical link.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.