Patent · US Expired

Optical signal translator unit

US6124957A · kind A · utility

24Cited by
3References
5Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateFeb 13, 1998
Grant dateSep 26, 2000
Priority date
Expiry dateFeb 13, 2018

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04J14/0201
  • WIPO fieldTelecommunications
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

The invention is directed to an optical node, e.g., a so-called add/drop site, that receives an optical carrier signal formed from a plurality of component optical signals of respective wavelengths and a plurality of different identification signals which identify respective ones of the wavelengths. As is typically the case, the node includes a demultiplexer that demultiplexes the optical carrier signal and outputs the demultiplexed component optical signals to respective optical paths. Disadvantageously, each of the demultiplexed optical component signals includes all of the identification signals as a result of such demultiplexing. However, we dispose an optical translator unit in at least one of the optical paths to remove all of the identification signals from the one component optical signals and also reset the power level of that signal. A transmitter in the translator unit outputs the latter signal as an optical signal in which the wavelength of the outputted optical signal may be changed on an optional basis to a wavelength that is different from the wavelength of the one component optical signal.

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