Patent · US Expired

Optical submarine branching device

US5838477A · kind A · utility

18Cited by
5References
5Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateOct 8, 1996
Grant dateNov 17, 1998
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 8, 2016

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG02B2006/12164
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

An optical submarine branching unit employing an optical circuit structure which is small in the number of optical components used, permits reduction of optical insertion loss and is well compatible with the ADD/DROP function suitable for use in wavelength multiplex transmission. An optical fiber pair provided in an optical submarine cable connecting between first and second points is branched toward a third point, an optical circulator capable of reversing the direction of rotation of an optical input/output is provided as optical switching means by which, in the event of a failure in the branch transmission system having the branched optical fiber pair, the optical fiber pair is connected between the first and second points directly without being branched to the third point.

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