Patent · US Expired

Optical transmission system including optical restoration

US6414771B2 · kind B2 · utility

12Cited by
6References
31Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateApr 27, 1998
Grant dateJul 2, 2002
Priority date
Expiry dateApr 27, 2018

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04Q2011/0092
  • WIPO fieldTelecommunications
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

An optical communications system employs a plurality of optical nodes interconnected in a ring configuration by at least two optical transmission media, for example, optical fiber. The at least two optical transmission media, in this example, provide optical service transmission capacity and optical protection transmission capacity. Efficient restoration of optical communications between optical nodes in the ring, after an optical transmission media failure, is realized by employing a relatively simple and efficient optical switch matrix having a first number of possible switching states and, then, by utilizing only a second number of the switching states fewer than the first number to switch optically from the optical service transmission capacity of the failed or faulted optical transmission media to the optical protection transmission capacity of another optical transmission media. Optical switching states of the optical switch matrix are blocked that are not actively used for switching from the active optical service capacity of the faulted optical transmission media to the standby optical protection capacity of the other optical transmission media. Use of this relatively simpl…

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