Packet-based optical communications networks
US6819878B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 8, 2000 |
| Grant date | Nov 16, 2004 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 12, 2022 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04Q2011/0077
- WIPO fieldTelecommunications
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A structure for an optical packet has a packet header (30) and a digitally encoded packet payload (32). Information is encoded in the header by modulation of a signal comprising a plurality of pulses aligned with regularly occurring timing instants, the payload digits also being aligned with the regularly occurring timing instants. The header information is encoded at a rate lower than the frequency of the timing instants. This structure enables simplified opto-electric circuitry to be used to read the packet header, and also enables the packet header to be used to derive the clock information required to read the high data rate information from the packet payload. This avoids the need for the initial bits of the packet payload to be used to synchronize the clock. The structure is used in an optical communications network.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.