Patent · US Expired

Stable wavelength division multiplex ring network

US6025941A · kind A · utility

39Cited by
3References
14Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateSep 15, 1997
Grant dateFeb 15, 2000
Priority date
Expiry dateSep 15, 2017

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04J14/0227
  • WIPO fieldTelecommunications
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

We have recognized that in a Wavelength Division Multiplex (WDM) ring network with a closed loop, the possibility of lasing at Amplified Spontaneous Emissions (ASE) wavelengths exists. In accordance with the present invention, we provide a technique for protecting against lasing in a WDM ring network comprising a plurality of serially connected node links, each node link including a segment of optical fiber and an access node site for adding or dropping one or more active wavelength channels to a transmission bandwidth of the network. The protection means changes the optical transmission characteristics of the transmission bandwidth of the network to ensure that the network loop gain at any wavelength is always less than the network loop loss.

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