Optical wavelength division multiplexed network system

• US 5,717,795 A
• Filed: 02/16/1995
• Issued: 02/10/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Ito, Masataka, Sharma, Manish
• Primary Examiner(s): Palmer, Phan T. H.
• Application Number:
  US08/389,504
• Time in Patent Office: 1,090 Days
• Field of Search: 385/24, 385/14, 385/15, 385/16, 385/46, 385/4, 359/125, 359/126, 359/124, 359/119, 359/127, 359/128
• US Class Current: 385/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/506 Multiwavelength transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/572 Wavelength control
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0201 Add-and-drop multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0206 Express channels arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0212 using optical switches or wavelength selective switches [WSS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0213 Groups of channels or wave bands arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0227 Operation, administration, maintenance or provisioning [OAMP] of WDM networks, e.g. media access, routing or wavelength allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0241 Wavelength allocation for communications one-to-one, e.g. unicasting wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0283 WDM ring architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0291 Shared protection at the optical multiplex section (1:1, n:m)
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0297 Optical equipment protection

Abstract

An optical wavelength division multiplexed network system of this invention is designed to permit communications between any of a plurality of nodes via a main trunk line constructed by interconnecting the nodes by use of an optical fiber in a ring form and includes a multi-wavelength light source for multiplexing and transmitting a plurality of lights having different wavelengths, wherein each of the nodes includes an ADM for extracting light of a particular wavelength among the lights of a plurality of wavelengths transmitted via the main trunk line into the node and inserting the light of the preset wavelength from the node into the optical fiber acting as said main trunk line, at least one optical receiver for receiving part of the light extracted by the ADM, and a modulator for modulating light extracted by ADM with data to be transmitted and send the light back to the ADM and on to the main trunk line.

Claims

1. An optical wavelength division multiplexed network system in which an optical fiber acting as a main trunk line interconnects a plurality of nodes in a ring form to permit communications between desired ones of said nodes, comprising:

a multi-wavelength light source for multiplexing and transmitting a plurality of lights having different wavelengths; and

optical splitting means for splitting and outputting lights transmitted from said multi-wavelength light source to both ends of said main trunk line for respective wavelengths;

wherein each of said nodes includes an add-drop multiplexer for extracting light of a particular wavelength among the lights of a plurality of wavelengths transmitted via said main trunk line into the node and inserting the light of the preset wavelength from the node into the optical fiber acting as said main trunk line, at least one optical receiver for receiving part of the light extracted by said add-drop multiplexer, and a modulator for modulating the light extracted by said add-drop multiplexer with data to be transmitted and send the light back to said add-drop multiplexer.

2. An optical wavelength division multiplexed network system according to claim 1, wherein said multi-wavelength light source includes a plurality of single-mode lasers and a controller for controlling the wavelengths of said plurality of lasers.

3. An optical wavelength division multiplexed network system according to claim 1, wherein said multi-wavelength light source includes a multi-mode laser for outputting laser light corresponding to a plurality of longitudinal modes at fixed wavelength intervals, and a filter for receiving the laser light from said multi-mode laser and eliminating light of unnecessary wavelength.

4. An optical wavelength division multiplexed network system according to claim 1, wherein said multi-wavelength light source includes a single-mode laser, a modulator for modulating laser light output from said laser according to a high-frequency signal, and a filter for eliminating light of unnecessary wavelength from the light output from said modulator.

5. An optical wavelength division multiplexed network system according to claim 1, wherein said multi-wavelength light source includes a single-mode laser, a modulator for modulating laser light output from said laser according to a sign function signal, and a filter for eliminating light of unnecessary wavelength from the light output from said modulator.

6. An optical wavelength division multiplexed network system according to claim 1, wherein said modulator is a traveling wave type modulator and a modulation direction controller is further added.

7. An optical wavelength division multiplexed network system according to claim 1, wherein said modulator is an electro absorption modulator.

8. An optical wavelength division multiplexed network system according to claim 1, wherein said add-drop multiplexer of each of said nodes has two add-drop input/output terminals in addition to input/output terminals connected to said main trunk line, third and fourth optical circulators are connected to the add-drop input/output terminals, and said third optical circulator and said fourth optical circulator are selectively connected to modulators by means of optical switches.

9. An optical wavelength division multiplexed network system according to claim 1, further comprising a sub-trunk line formed of an optical fiber connected in a ring form together with said main trunk line;

optical switches connected to optical signal input/output terminals of each of said plurality of nodes and selectively connected to said main trunk line and sub-trunk line; and

switching means for selectively switching the direction of transmission light between said main trunk line and said sub-trunk line.

10. An optical wavelength division multiplexed network system in which an optical fiber acting as a main trunk line interconnects a plurality of nodes in a ring form to permit communications between desired ones of said nodes, comprising:

a multi-wavelength light source for multiplexing and transmitting a plurality of lights having different wavelengths; and

optical splitting means for splitting and outputting lights transmitted from said multi-wavelength light source to both ends of said main trunk line for respective wavelengths;

wherein each of said nodes includes an add-drop multiplexer for extracting light of a particular wavelength among the lights of a plurality of wavelengths transmitted via said main trunk line into the node and inserting the light of the preset wavelength from the node into the optical fiber acting as said main trunk line, at least one optical receiver for receiving part of the light extracted by said add-drop multiplexer, and a modulator for modulating the light extracted by said add-drop multiplexer with data to be transmitted and send the light back to said add-drop multiplexer, wherein first and second optical circulators connected to each other via a sub-trunk line are selectively connected between said main trunk line and input and output portions of each of said nodes by optical switches.

11. An optical wavelength division multiplexed network system based on an optical fiber ring system in which a cable of optical fiber is connected in a loop form to form a main trunk line between the light input and output terminals of a central node with a plurality of terminal nodes located in desired positions of said main trunk line to permit communications between desired ones of said terminal nodes via said central node, wherein said network system is a network in which different transmission wavelengths and reception wavelengths are assigned to said respective terminal nodes;

said central node includes a multi-wavelength light source for generating lights of transmission wavelengths respectively assigned to said plurality of terminal nodes, optical wavelength division demultiplexer means for demultiplexing the optical signals from said main trunk line for respective wavelengths, opto-electronic converting means for receiving the optical signals of respective wavelengths demultiplexed by said optical wavelength division demultiplexer means, switching means for switching the electrical signals obtained in said opto-electronic converting means for respective destinations, electro-optic converting means for converting the electrical signals switched by said switching means into optical signals of wavelengths assigned to respective destination nodes, and optical wavelength division multiplexer means for multiplexing the optical signals transmitted by said electro-optic converting means and transmitting the multiplexed signal to said main trunk line; and

each of said plurality of terminal nodes includes first optical wavelength division demultiplexer means for extracting optical signals of transmission wavelength and reception wavelength assigned to its own node from said main trunk line, second optical wavelength demultiplexer means for demultiplexing an optical signal of transmission wavelength and an optical signal of reception wavelength from the optical signal output of said first optical wavelength demultiplexer means, an optical receiver for receiving an optical signal of the reception wavelength demultiplexed by said second optical wavelength demultiplexer means, an optical modulator for modulating an optical signal of the transmission wavelength demultiplexed by said second optical wavelength demultiplexer means with data to be transmitted, and optical wavelength division multiplexer means for multiplexing the optical signal output from said optical modulator with optical signals which are not extracted by said first optical wavelength demultiplexer means and transmitting the multiplexed signal to said main trunk line.

12. An optical wavelength division multiplexed network system according to claim 11, wherein said central node includes pulse forming means for converting lights of the transmission wavelength of each of said terminal nodes generated from said multi-wavelength light source into a pulse form of constant period;

and each of said plurality of terminal nodes includes delay means for transmitting the light pulse modulated by said optical modulator to said optical wavelength division multiplexer with time delay and multiplexing the light pulses between the light pulses from said central node.

13. An optical wavelength division multiplexed network system according to claim 11, wherein each of said plurality of terminal nodes includes scramble means for scrambling the light modulated by said optical modulator according to at least one of the polarization or phase scramble functions and transmitting the scrambled light to said optical wavelength division multiplexer.

14. An optical wavelength division multiplexed network system according to claim 13, wherein the average degree of polarization for every bit time is made zero when said scramble means effects the polarization scramble function.

15. An optical wavelength division multiplexed network system according to claim 13, wherein the phase coherency for every bit time is made zero when said scramble means effects the phase scramble function.

16. An optical wavelength division multiplexed network system according to claim 11, further comprises a sub-trunk line formed of an optical fiber connected in a ring form together with said main trunk line;

and in which each of said central node and said terminal nodes includes optical switches connected to optical signal input/output terminals thereof and selectively connected to said main trunk line and sub-trunk line.