Programmable wavelength router
US5867291A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 29, 1996 |
| Grant date | Feb 2, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 29, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04Q2011/0035
- WIPO fieldTelecommunications
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A programmable wavelength router having a plurality of cascaded stages where each stage receives one or more optical signals comprising a plurality of wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) channels. Each stage divides the received optical signals into divided optical signals comprising a subset of the channels and spatially positions the divided optical signals in response to a control signal applied to each stage. Preferably each stage divides a received WDM signal into two subsets that are either single channel or WDM signals. A final stage outputs optical signals at desired locations. In this manner, 2.sup.N optical signals in a WDM signal can be spatially separated and permuted using N control signals.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.