Methods and apparatus for performing directionless wavelength addition and subtraction within a ROADM based optical node
US8165468B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 13, 2009 |
| Grant date | Apr 24, 2012 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 25, 2031 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04J14/0295
- WIPO fieldTelecommunications
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
In today's reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer (ROADM) based optical node, transponders associated with the ROADMs' add/drop ports are dedicated to a given network node interface. Dedicated transponders reduce the flexibility to route around network failures. Example embodiments of the invention includes an optical node and corresponding method for routing optical signals within an optical node. The optical node may include at least two ROADMs to transmit respective wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) signals onto at least two inter-node network paths and at least one add/drop module including add ports to direct add wavelengths received from tributary network paths to each of the ROADMs via intra-node network paths to allow the wavelengths to be available to be added to the inter-node network paths. Advantageously, a transponder may transmit and receive to and from different network node interfaces within the optical node, thereby improving the optical node's ability to route around network failures.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.