All optical variable buffer queue useful in optical packet networks
First Claim
1. An optical routing system, comprising:
- an all-optical router for selectively routing optical packets between a plurality of optical inputs and a plurality of optical outputs; and
a variable optical buffer queue associated with said router for selectively buffering selected ones of said packets.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A variable optical buffer queue, particularly useful either as an input or an output queue in an optical packet router in a wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) communication network. An input queue includes plural separately controllable optical delay units disposed on wavelength channels between a demultiplexer and tunable wavelength converters controlling switching through a wavelength router. An output queue includes for each output port of a wavelength router plural separately controllable optical delay units tuned to different wavelengths. The delay units may induce selective amounts of delay and may be implemented as a series of controlled microresonators coupled to waveguide. Such a structure is usable as a controllably accessible optical memory.
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Citations
29 Claims
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1. An optical routing system, comprising:
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an all-optical router for selectively routing optical packets between a plurality of optical inputs and a plurality of optical outputs; and
a variable optical buffer queue associated with said router for selectively buffering selected ones of said packets. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 7, 8)
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5. An optical router, comprising:
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at least one demultiplexer receiving a multi-wavelength signal on an input port and demultiplexing it onto a plurality of first optical paths;
an optical routing system including input ports connected to said first optical paths and switching optical signals received at said input ports to output ports dependent upon carrier wavelengths of said optical signals second optical paths receiving signals from said outputs ports;
at least one demultiplexer having an input port receiving said second optical paths; and
electrically controllable variable optical delays disposed on respective third optical paths including said first and second optical paths to selectively delay optical signals having selected optical carriers. - View Dependent Claims (6, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. An optical router, comprising:
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at least one optical demultiplexer receiving a respective multi-wavelength signal and demultiplexing it into a plurality of respective wavelength channels;
a separately controllable optical delay unit disposed on each of said wavelength channels;
a plurality of variable wavelength converters receiving the respective outputs of the optical delay units; and
a wavelength router receiving optical signals from said variable wavelength converters on input ports and switching them to selected ones of output ports according to wavelengths determined by said variable wavelength converters. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
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17. An optical router, comprising:
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at least one optical demultiplexer receiving a respective multi-wavelength signal and demultiplexing it into a plurality of respective wavelength channels;
a plurality of variable wavelength converters receiving the respective outputs of the at least one optical demultiplexer;
a wavelength router receiving optical signals from said variable wavelength converters on input ports and switching them to selected ones of output ports according to wavelengths determined by said variable wavelength converters; and
a separately controllable multi-stage optical delay unit connected to each of said output ports and in addition separately delaying a plurality of wavelength channels. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. An optical router, comprising:
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at least one optical demultiplexer receiving a multi-wavelength signal and demultiplexing it into a plurality of respective wavelength channels;
a separately controllable optical delay unit disposed on each of said wavelength channels;
a plurality of variable wavelength converters receiving the respective outputs of the optical delay units;
a wavelength router receiving optical signals from said variable wavelength converters on input ports and switching them to selected ones of output ports according to wavelengths determined by said variable wavelength converters;
a separately controllable multi-stage optical delay unit connected to each of said output ports and additionally separately delaying a plurality of wavelength channels;
a plurality of output wavelength converters receiving signals from said multi-stage optical delay units; and
a plurality of optical multiplexers receiving outputs of respective output wavelength converters.
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23. An optical switching system, comprising:
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a wavelength router switching optical signals from a plurality of input ports to selected ones of a plurality of output ports according to optical wavelengths of said optical signals; and
separately controllable multi-stage optical delay units connected to each of said output ports and additionally separately delaying selected ones of a plurality of wavelength channels passing therethrough.
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24. A wavelength routing method, comprising the steps of:
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demultiplexing a first multi-wavelength signal into a plurality of single-wavelength signals;
converting a carrier wavelengths of one of said single-wavelength signals to a switching wavelength;
routing said one single-wavelength signal in a directions in accordance with said switching wavelength;
multiplexing multiple ones of said routed single-wavelength signals into a second multi-wavelength signal; and
between said demultiplexing and said multiplexing steps, imposing a selected delay amount upon said one single-wavelength signal. - View Dependent Claims (25)
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26. An optical memory, comprising:
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a first plurality of microresonators arranged along and coupled to an optical waveguide; and
at least one electrode operatively coupled to at least one of said optical waveguide and said microresonators to affect a coupling therebetween, a biasing of said at least one electrode determining a delay of an optical signal along said waveguide.
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27. A multi-wavelength optical memory, comprising:
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a waveguide capable of carrying a multi-wavelength optical signal; and
a plurality of delay units disposed along said waveguide and associated with respective wavelength components of said multi-wavelength optical signal, each of said delay units including an electrical control to selectively control different ones of said delay units to induce a time delay into respective ones of said wavelength components. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29)
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Specification