US 7,254,335 B1 · Stackable WDM arrangement

Abstract

A module that includes both an “add-in”/“drop-out” pair of ports and a “drop-in”/“add-out” pair of ports comprises an arrangement of elements that combines an optical signal having a chosen wavelength with an optical signal applied at the “add-in” port, and outputs the combined signal at the “add-out port.” Concurrently, the module extracts an optical signal with the same wavelength from an optical signal applied at the “drop-in” port signal, yielding an optical signal at the “drop-out” port that is missing that same wavelength. When the amount of information that needs to be sent from a first network node to a second, remote, node, is greater than that which a single wavelength can handle, a plurality of the above-described modules are interconnected within the first node by optically coupling the “add” ports in a “daisy chain” fashion and the “drop” ports in a “daisy chain” fashion, with each module operating at a different wavelength.

Claims34

Dependent claims

A node comprising:

a series connection of elements Ei, i=1, 2, . . . N, where N is greater than 1, forming a first optical path, where each of said elements Ei injects an optical signal of band Λ1, and where Λi is disjoint from Λj for all i≠j;
a series connection of elements Fi, i=1, 2, . . . N, forming a second optical path, where each of said elements Fi extracts an optical signal of band Λi;
a plurality of transmitters Ti, i=1, 2, . . . N, coupled to said elements Ei on a one to one basis;
and
a plurality of a receivers Ri, i=1, 2, . . . N, coupled to said elements Fi on a one to one basis;
wherein a collection of elements that includes element Ei, element Fi, transmitter Ti, and receiver Ri are housed in a single equipment module Mi, resulting in said node comprising a serially interconnected set of modules Mi, i=1, 2, . . . N, with said interconnected set having
an add-in node input port that is connected to module M1,
a drop-out node output port that is connected to module M1,
an add-in node output port that is connected to module MN, and
a drop-out node input port that is connected to module MN.

7 more elements

An arrangement comprising:

A first module that includes
a) an add-in port that leads to a set of elements that add an optical signal of a first wavelength,
b) an add-out port that outputs an optical signal from said set of elements that add an optical signal,
c) a drop-in port that leads to a set of elements that extract an optical signal of said first wavelength, and
d) a drop-out port that outputs an optical signal from said set of elements that extract an optical signal;
A second module that includes
a) an add-in port that leads to a set of elements that add an optical signal of a second wavelength,
b) an add-out port that outputs an optical signal from said set of elements that add an optical signal,
c) a drop-in port that leads to a set of elements that extract an optical signal of said second wavelength, and
d) a drop-out port that outputs an optical signal from said set of elements that extract an optical signal;
and
connections that optically connect the add-out port of said first module to the add-in port of said second module, and the drop-out port of said second module is optically connected to the drop-in port of said first module.

9 more elements

A node, comprising:

a) a first module having an add-in port that leads to a set of elements that add an optical signal of a first wavelength, an add-out port that outputs an optical signal from said set of elements that add an optical signal, a drop-in port that leads to a set of elements that extract an optical signal of said first wavelength, and a drop-out port that outputs an optical signal from said set of elements that extract an optical signal;
b) said add-out port is physically disposed directly adjacent said drop-in port such that no other port is positioned between said add-out port and said drop-in port;
c) said add-in port is physically disposed directly adjacent said drop-out port such that no other port is positioned between said add-in port and said drop-out port.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Stackable WDM arrangement

Life of this patent

Stackable WDM arrangement

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims34