Patent ID: 8660428
Filing Date: 2014-02-25
Classification: H04B,H04J

Abstract:
1. A system, comprising: a first optical circuit configured to supply a first plurality of optical signals each at a respective one of a first group of first carrier frequencies; a second optical circuit configured to supply a second plurality of optical signals each at a respective one of a first group of second carrier frequencies, each of the first group of first carrier frequencies being spectrally spaced from adjacent ones of the first group of second carrier frequencies by a first channel spacing; an optical combiner which combines the first plurality of optical signals with the second plurality of optical signals to form an optical output signal; and a carrier frequency circuit which is configured to receive a portion of the optical output signal and supply first and second control signals, the first control signal provided to the first optical circuit and the second control signal provided to the second optical circuit, wherein, in response to said first control signal, the first optical circuit supplies each of the first plurality of optical signals at a respective one of a second group of first carrier frequencies, and in response to said second control signal, the second optical circuit supplies each of the second plurality of optical signals at a respective one of a second group of second carrier frequencies, each of the second group of first carrier frequencies being spectrally spaced from adjacent ones of the second group of second carrier frequencies by a second channel spacing, the second channel spacing being different than the first channel spacing, wherein each of the first carrier frequencies is spectrally spaced from adjacent ones of the first carrier frequencies a first frequency amount, and each of the second carrier frequencies is spectrally spaced from adjacent ones of the second carrier frequencies a second frequency amount, wherein the first frequency amount is the same as the second frequency amount, and wherein the first carrier frequencies conform to a first frequency grid having a first bandwidth, the second carrier frequencies conform to a second frequency grid having a second bandwidth, and the optical combiner is a wavelength selective combiner having a passband frequency range, each of the first and second bandwidths of the first and second frequency grids, respectively, being within the passband frequency range of the wavelength selective combiner.