Optic system useful with metal service lines
First Claim
1. An optical communications system comprising:
- (a) an optical-fiber street line;
(b) an optical-fiber transfer line;
(c) a plurality of transmitting stations communicating with said street line, at least one of which stations provides an electrical signal;
(d) means to provide a single optical source synchronization pulse through said optical-fiber street line;
(e) electro-optical modulating means to accept electrical signals originating from each transmitting station and to act on at least a portion of said single optical source synchronization pulse from said street line to convert each said electrical signal into a time-divided modulated optical signal;
(f) optical coupling means to transfer each said modulated optical signal to said transfer line;
(g) delay means to cause the signal transferred to said transfer line from any of said transmitting stations to be inserted into a different time slot from that of any signal transferred to said transfer line from any other of said stations; and
(h) switching means and routing means communicating with said street and transfer lines for accepting said time-divided multiplexed modulating optical signals and routing same through at least one outgoing optical communications line to at least one receiving station.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An optical communications systems, e.g. a telephone system, comprising means to accept even electrical communication signals from transmitting stations, modulate an optical signal with said signal from the transmitting station and, using time-division-multiplexing (TDM), provide a resultant optical communication signal to a central station which utilizes a frequency-division-multiplexing (FDM) system for handling incoming optical signals before passing the optical communication signals on to a receiving station which utilizes time-division-demultiplexing means and, where necessary, reconverts the optical signal to an electrical communication signal. Particular advantages of the system are that it can handle and switch a very large number of signals and that it can be utilized in a hybrid communications system wherein, for example, users of the system can maintain conventional electrical entrance wiring connections and conventional non-optical telephones and yet interface readily with optical street lines of the system. Particular aspects of the invention are novel modulating and signal-selection devices.
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Citations
24 Claims
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1. An optical communications system comprising:
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(a) an optical-fiber street line; (b) an optical-fiber transfer line; (c) a plurality of transmitting stations communicating with said street line, at least one of which stations provides an electrical signal; (d) means to provide a single optical source synchronization pulse through said optical-fiber street line; (e) electro-optical modulating means to accept electrical signals originating from each transmitting station and to act on at least a portion of said single optical source synchronization pulse from said street line to convert each said electrical signal into a time-divided modulated optical signal; (f) optical coupling means to transfer each said modulated optical signal to said transfer line; (g) delay means to cause the signal transferred to said transfer line from any of said transmitting stations to be inserted into a different time slot from that of any signal transferred to said transfer line from any other of said stations; and (h) switching means and routing means communicating with said street and transfer lines for accepting said time-divided multiplexed modulating optical signals and routing same through at least one outgoing optical communications line to at least one receiving station. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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Specification