Stackable WDM arrangement
First Claim
1. 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 Λ
1, and where Λ
i is disjoint from Λ
j 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 Λ
i;
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 havingan 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, anda drop-out node input port that is connected to module MN.
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Accused Products
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.
7 Citations
34 Claims
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1. 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 Λ
1, and where Λ
i is disjoint from Λ
j 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 Λ
i;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. - 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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25. A node comprising:
-
a first series connection of N elements, where N is greater than 1, forming a first optical path in a first node, where each of the elements in said first series injects an optical signal of a preselected band of wavelengths, and where bands of wavelengths of the different elements in said first series are disjoint from each other; a second series connection of N elements, forming a second optical path in said first node that is disjoint from said first optical path, where each of the elements in said second series extracts an optical signal of a preselected band of wavelengths, and where bands of wavelengths of the different elements in said second series are the same as the bands of wavelengths of the different elements in said first series; a plurality of transmitter elements, with each one of said transmitter elements being coupled to a different one of said N elements in said first series connection of N elements; and a plurality of receiver elements, with each one of said receiver elements being coupled to a different one of said N elements in said second series connection of N elements.
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26. An arrangement comprising:
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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. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28)
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29. A node comprising:
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a first sub-node serially connected to a second sub-node, where said first sub-node comprises a series connection of elements E″
n, n=1, 2, . . . N″
, where N″
is greater than 1, forming a first optical path in said first node, where each of said elements E″
n injects an optical signal of band Λ
n, and where Λ
n is disjoint from Λ
o for all n≠
o;a series connection of elements F″
n, n=1, 2, . . . N″
, forming a first optical path, where each of said elements F″
n extracts an optical signal of band Λ
n;a plurality of transmitters T″
n, n=1, 2, . . . N″
, coupled to said elements E″
n on a one to one basis; anda plurality of receivers R″
n, n=1, 2, . . . N″
, coupled to said elements F″
n on a one to one basis; andsaid second sub-node comprises a series connection of elements E′
″
p, p=1, 2 . . . N′
″
, where N′
″
is greater than 1, forming a first optical path in said second sub-node, where each of said elements E′
″
p injects an optical signal of band Λ
p, and where Λ
p is disjoint from Λ
q for all p≠
q;a series connection of elements F′
″
p, p=1, 2, . . . N′
″
, forming a first optical path, where each of said elements F′
″
p extracts an optical signal of band Λ
p;a plurality of transmitters T′
″
n, n=1, 2, . . . N′
″
, coupled to said elements E′
″
n on a one to one basis; anda plurality of receivers R′
″
n, n=1, 2, . . . N′
″
, coupled to said elements F′
″
n on a one to one basis; andwhere at least one of said bands Λ
n is equal to one of said bands Λ
p.
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30. A node comprising:
-
a first optical path composed of a series connection of elements Ei, i=1, 2, . . . N, where N is greater than 1, where each of said elements Ei injects an optical signal of band Λ
i, and where Λ
i is disjoint from Λ
j for all i≠
j, followed by a series connection of elements Fj, j=1, 2, . . . M, where each of said elements Fj extracts an optical signal of band Λ
j, and where at least one Λ
i is equal to a Λ
i; anda second optical path, disjoint from said first optical path, composed of a series connection of elements Fi, i=1, 2, . . . N, followed by series connection of elements Ej, j=1, 2, . . . M; a plurality of transmitters Ti, i=1, 2, . . . N, coupled to said elements Ei on a one to one basis; a plurality of transmitters Tj, j=1, 2, . . . M, coupled to said elements Ej on a one to one basis a plurality of receivers Ri, i=1, 2, . . . N, coupled to said elements Fi on a one to one basis; and a plurality of receivers Rj, j=1, 2, . . . M, coupled to said elements Fj 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.
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31. A node, comprising:
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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. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34)
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Specification