Dorsal Networks, Inc.

Zhengchen Yu

William Shieh

Vladimir Petricevic

Thomas R Clark, Jr

A method for maintaining amplifier saturation in a wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) optical network having a plurality of sub-bands, each sub-band including at least two signal channels which carry respective data signals, and a plurality of substitute signal transmitters, each substitute signal transmitter generating a substitute signal and corresponding to a respective one of the plurality of sub-bands, includes identifying signal channels having a predetermined characteristic within each of the plurality of sub-bands. A substitute signal transmitter is turned on if the sub-band corresponding to the substitute signal transmitter includes a predetermined number of signal channels having said predetermined characteristic. The data signals and the substitute signals are combined into a WDM signal, and the WDM signal is transmitted over an optical transmission fiber.

Methods of signal substitution for maintenance of amplifier saturation

A wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) optical network includes a plurality of optical transmitters, each optical transmitter generating a data signal sent over a respective one of a plurality of signal channels, the plurality of signal channels being divided into a number of sub-bands where each sub-band includes at least two signal channels, and a plurality of substitute signal transmitters, the number of substitute signal transmitters being equal to the number of sub-bands, each substitute signal transmitter generating a substitute signal which provides loading in a corresponding sub-band. The WDM optical network also includes a combining circuit which combines the data signals output from the plurality of optical transmitters and the substitute signals output from the plurality of substitute signal transmitters into a WDM signal, and an optical transmission fiber which receives the WDM signal from the combining circuit.

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Germantown, MD, United States of America

Zhengchen Yu