Patent ID: 8923700
Filing Date: 2014-12-30
Classification: G02B,H04J

Abstract:
1. An optical device comprising: an optical splitter having an input port, a first output port and a second output port and adapted to receive at said input port, an optical signal comprising a plurality of channels lying on a grid of optical frequencies equally spaced by a frequency spacing and occupying an optical bandwidth, and wherein said optical splitter is adapted to output at said first and second output ports, respectively, a first and a second portion of said optical signal; an optical combiner having a respective first and second input ports and a respective output port and adapted to combine two optical radiations, input respectively into the first and second input ports, and to output them into the respective output port; a first optical path optically connecting the first output port of the optical splitter to the first input port of the optical combiner and capable of propagating said first portion; a second optical path optically connecting the second output port of the optical splitter to the second input port of the optical combiner and capable of propagating said second portion; a first optical filter optically coupled along the first optical path and capable of filtering a channel within said first portion propagating through the first optical path; a first bypass path bypassing the first optical filter; and a first optical switch optically coupled to the first optical path and the first bypass path, the optical switch continuously switching the first optical path between the first optical filter and the first bypass path; wherein the optical device further comprises a second optical filter optically coupled to the second optical path and capable of filtering a channel within said second portion propagating through the second optical path; and wherein said first portion substantially comprises the channels which lie on a sub-grid of optical frequencies equally spaced by the double of said frequency spacing and the second portion substantially comprises the remaining channels, and the free spectral range of both the first and the second optical filters is substantially equal to an odd multiple of said frequency spacing and greater than half of said optical bandwidth.