Telefonaktiebolaget Lm Ericsson (publ)

Robert Batchellor

Bengt Johansson

Lars Egnell

Nigel Robert Wood

Magnus &Ouml;berg

A system and a method for maintaining operation of a signaling interconnection between a first ring network and a separate second ring network. Each ring network comprises two communication paths transmitting data in opposite directions and at least two nodes connected to both communication paths. The networks are interconnected via two adjacent gateways, which receive data from the two communication paths on one network, and transmit the data onto the other network directed away from the other gateway. Data traffic is stopped in both directions in an inactive segment on each ring network, so that a node situated on a ring network receives traffic from only one of the two gateways.

Method and a system for interconnecting ring networks

An optical fiber network of WDM type comprises two fibers which carry light signals propagating in opposite directions and which are arranged in a ring configuration. One standby link between two neighboring nodes is inactive but is made active if an active link fails. An add and drop node used in the network has band blocking filters connected in a fiber between a drop coupler and an add coupler, taking out a share of the light power in each direction to be received through bandpass filters in receivers and adding new wavelength channels produced in transmitters, respectively. Switches are used for receiving and transmitting on the wavelength channels in correct directions. The positions of the switches can be changed when the inactive link has to become one of the two active links directly connected to the node. A very efficient use of the wavelength channels in the network can then be achieved for nodes having a minimum of in-line components, and particularly, a minimum of in-line filtering components.

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West Sussex, United Kingdom

Robert Batchellor