Patent · US Expired

Optical add-drop multiplexers for WDM optical communication systems

US5778118A · kind A · utility

128Cited by
10References
13Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateDec 3, 1996
Grant dateJul 7, 1998
Priority date
Expiry dateDec 3, 2016

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04J14/0213
  • WIPO fieldTelecommunications
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

The present invention provides an optical add-drop multiplexer for wavelength division multiplexed optical communication systems which includes first and second optical couplers which optically communicate with each other through an optical filter. The first optical coupler includes a first input port and first and second output ports while the second optical coupler includes first and second input ports and an output port An optical path optically communicates with the first output port of the first optical coupler and with the first input port of the second optical coupler and includes an optical filter for selecting portions of a wavelength division multiplexed optical signal input to the first optical coupler. The portions of the wavelength division multiplexed signal which are not sent to an input port of the second optical coupler exit the add-drop multiplexer. An optical path communicating with the second output port of the first optical coupler includes wavelength selectors configured to select one or more optical wavelengths from the wavelength division multiplexed optical signal. Optical channels to be added are sent the second input port of the second optical coupler and…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.