Patent ID: 6411412
Filing Date: 2002-06-25
Classification: H04J

Abstract:
An optical network including a bridge for selectively transferring information from an optical channel carried on a first wavelength division multiplexed optical waveguide to at least two optical channels on a second wavelength division multiplexed optical waveguide comprising:a first optical waveguide carrying a first wavelength division multiplexed optical communication signal, the first wavelength division multiplexed optical communication signal comprising a plurality of first optical channels; a second optical waveguide carrying a second wavelength division multiplexed optical communication signal, the second wavelength division multiplexed optical communication signal comprising a plurality of second optical channels; a bridge interposed between the first optical waveguide and the second optical waveguide, the bridge comprising: a first optical add-drop multiplexer optically communicating with the first optical waveguide for selecting at least a first optical channel from the first wavelength division multiplexed optical signal, the first optical channel including at least a first series of data bits and a second series of data bits encoded on the optical channel; an optical network interface optically communicating with the first optical add-drop multiplexer, the first optical network interface including an optical to electrical conversion means for taking information from the first selected first optical channel and creating at least first and second electrical signals, the first electrical signal including the first series of data bits and the second electrical signal including the second series of data bits; at least two electrical to optical conversion elements configured such that the first electrical signal encoded with the first series of data bits is used to modulate a second optical channel and the second electrical signal encoded with the second series of data bits is used to modulate a third optical channel; one or more electrical communication paths for routing the first and second electrical signals to the electrical-to-optical conversion elements; a second optical add-drop multiplexer optically communicating with the second optical waveguide; a second optical path between the second optical add-drop multiplexer and the at least two electrical to optical conversion elements for receiving the second and third optical channels and supplying them to the second optical add-drop multiplexer such that they are added to the second optical waveguide.