Patent · US Expired

Self-synchronization of an optical packet network using seed pulses extracted from within the packets

US7099593B1 · kind B1 · utility

4Cited by
2References
20Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateFeb 17, 1999
Grant dateAug 29, 2006
Priority date
Expiry dateFeb 17, 2019

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04L7/02
  • WIPO fieldDigital communication
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method and system for self-synchronizing an optical packet network by selecting a seed pulse from among the data pulses within a packet having no synchronization marker, transforming the seed pulse to be optically distinguishable from the remaining data pulses after the packet has been transmitted, and extracting that seed pulse for use in synchronizing the operation of the network. In one embodiment, the process is practiced using a intensity modifier (such as a fast-saturation, slow-recovery amplifier) to modify the seed pulse intensity, and an intensity discriminator (such as an unbalanced NOLM, or a dispersion-shifted fiber and bandpass filter) to extract the differentiated seed pulse.

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