Optical waveguides – With optical coupler – Switch
Reexamination Certificate
2000-11-01
2003-07-22
Palmer, Phan T. H. (Department: 2874)
Optical waveguides
With optical coupler
Switch
C385S015000, C385S016000, C385S024000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06597826
ABSTRACT:
GENERAL BACKGROUND
Over the last few years, the demand for high-speed communication networks has increased dramatically. In many situations, communication networks are implemented with electrical interconnections. As desired levels of bandwidth and transmission speed for communication networks increase, it will become more and more difficult for electrical interconnections to satisfy these levels.
Optical fiber offers a solution to the difficulties affecting conventional electrical interconnections. For example, optical fiber is less susceptible to inductive or even capacitive coupling effects as electrical interconnections. In addition, optical fiber offers increased bandwidth and substantial avoidance of electromagnetic interference. The potential advantages of optical fiber becomes more important as the transmission rates increase.
Albeit local or global in nature, many communication networks feature hybrid, optical-electrical semiconductor circuits that employ photodetectors, electrical switches, optical modulators and/or lasers. To handle greater data traffic, an alternative approach has been to employ an optical cross-connect switch, which performs switching operations of light pulses or photons (referred to generally as “light signals”) without the need for converting and reconverting signals between the optical domain to the electrical domain. However, conventional optical cross-connect switches are still subject to a wide variety of disadvantages.
One disadvantage is that traditional optical cross-connect switches may not offer any protective features against damage to the optical fiber (facility protection) and against equipment failures, namely failures within the optical cross-connect switch itself. One protective feature may be redundancy. Moreover, traditional optical cross-connect switches do not provide one or more of the following: (1) test access capability to non-intrusively monitor the light signals passing through the cross-connect as well as performance monitoring of these light signals; (2) automatic determination of the topology of the communication network; or (3) low-loss bridging capabilities as described below.
SUMMARY
In general, one embodiment of the present invention relates to a scalable cross-connect switching system and its corresponding method of performing a bridging operation by splitting the incoming light signal into at least a first bridged light signal and a second bridged light signal. The first bridged light signal has a power level equal to or substantially greater than a power level of the second bridged light signal. The disproportionate power levels provide low-loss bridging. Light signals based on these bridged light signals are routed through multiple switch fabrics, which provide redundancy in case of failure by switching within the switch fabric. To detect failures, a test access port may be configured for monitoring multiple optical paths through an optical-to-electrical (O/E) conversion and monitoring device in lieu of test access ports for assigned for each I/O port.
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Clark Steven
Ramaswami Rajiv
Ward Robert R.
Blakely , Sokoloff, Taylor & Zafman LLP
Palmer Phan T. H.
XROS, Inc.
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