Nortel Networks Corporation

Azmina Somani

Alan Glen Solheim

Robert William Spagnoletti

A unidirectional or bidirectional node for use in an optical communications network, a network consisting of such nodes. The node comprises one or more optical couplers as well as either or both of drop circuitry connected to an output port and add circuitry connected to an input port. This allows for changes to the wavelength plan without interruption of the ring traffic. If add circuitry is used, the wavelengths in the filtered add signal should be distinct from those of the incoming signal on the main optical path which is merged with the add signal. When separate fibers are used for transmitting and receiving data between a hub and nodes in a ring, the through loss of the couplers is reduced for upstream couplers, which increases the available loss to be assigned to the fiber.

Flexible WDM network architecture

A unidirectional or bidirectional node for use in an optical communications network, a network consisting of such nodes and a method of maintaining a target loss around a ring. The node comprises one or more optical couplers as well as either or both of drop circuitry connected to an output port and add circuitry connected to an input port. This allows for changes to the wavelength plan without interruption of the ring traffic. If add circuitry is used, the wavelengths in the filtered add signal should be distinct from those of the incoming signal on the main optical path which is merged with the add signal. When separate fibers are used for transmitting and receiving data between a hub and nodes in a ring, the through loss of the couplers is reduced for upstream couplers, which increases the available loss to be assigned to the fiber. The method of maintaining a target loss around a ring relies on the known through loss of the coupler at each node to set the gain of an amplifier connected to the node.

Growing community of inventors

Nepean, Canada

Azmina Somani