Alcatel Network Systems, Inc.

Alcatel

Don G Dempsey

Stephen C Carlton

Gary W Ester

Glenn W Nelson

Robert M Kaminsky

A SONET format signal transport system and method providing an increased transport capacity. The transport system includes multiple low speed transport systems wherein each low speed transport system can have a pair of low speed terminals connected by N working channels and one protection channel. A clear channel high speed SONET transport system is connected between the low speed transport systems. The clear channel high speed SONET transport system has N&plus;1 working channels that each terminate at a high speed terminal. The low speed system protection channels are multiplexed into a protection channel of the clear channel high speed system, while each working channel of each individual low speed system is multiplexed into different high speed channels.

Clear channel 1:N SONET transport system and method

An optical bi-directional line switched ring for performing adding and dropping of traffic into the traffic path and for performing ring and/or span protection switching. The optical bi-directional line switched ring include a plurality of nodes, each node having multiple input demultiplexer/output multiplexer sections, a command and control channel having multiple fibers, and up to N-1 slave circuits. Each multiple input demultiplexer/output multiplexer sections has an input demultiplexer to receive and demultiplex signals from a fiber and an output multiplexer to receive the demultiplexed wavelengths from internally and multiplex them into an outgoing signal. The command and control channel can be a standard bi-directional line switch that has one channel coupled to each fiber of the system. Each slave circuit comprising a plurality optical switching circuits coupled to the multiple input demultiplexer/output multiplexer sections such that the optical switching circuits are operable to carry up to N wavelengths of traffic. The command and control channel in conjunction with a SONET bi-directional line switched ring monitors the plurality of lines in the bi-directional line switched ring to control the operation of the optical add/drop multiplexer in response to the sensed signals on the plurality of lines. If a disruption of traffic occurs, the command and control channel will so indicate and will use the optical switching circuits that are slaved to it to re-route and protect traffic.

Method and apparatus for an optical bi-directional line switched ring

A lightwave telecommunications matrix configuration for use in a fiber-optic telecommunications network includes a first set of interface circuits for interfacing with a first external fiber-optic circuit. A second set of interface circuits interfacing with a second external fiber-optic circuit. A plurality of time slot matrices associate between the first and second sets of interface circuits for routing lightwave transmissions within the fiber-optic network. The matrix configuration is optimized for a variety of telecommunication switch architectures, including add/drop matrix, ring, and terminal configurations. Accordingly, the matrix configuration is easily scalable to a wide range of telecommunications network sizes and data rates.

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Grapevine, TX, United States of America

Don G Dempsey