Patent ID: 6262821
Filing Date: 2001-07-17
Classification: H04J,H04Q

Abstract:
An insert-and-extract optical wavelength-division multiplexer for receiving an incoming multiplexed signal (ME) and a multiplexed signal to be inserted (MI), and for supplying an outgoing multiplexed signal (MS) and an extracted multiplexed signal (MT), each of these multiplexed signals comprising a plurality of optical carriers each at a wavelength that is distinct within any one multiplexed signal, the multiplexer comprising:a first set of filters (F.sub.1.sup.T, . . . , F.sub.N.sup.T) each tunable on any one of the possible wavelengths (.lambda..sub.1, . . . , .lambda..sub.N, .lambda."".sub.1, . . . , .lambda."".sub.N)for carriers of the incoming multiplexed signal and of the multiplexed signal to be inserted, so as to select from said carriers at least those carriers which carry signals to be transmitted over the outgoing multiplexed signal (MS);a second set of filters (F.sub.1.sup.E, . . . , F.sub.N.sup.E), each filter being tunable to any one of the possible wavelengths (.lambda..sub.1, . . . , .lambda..sub.N, .lambda."".sub.1, . . . , .lambda."".sub.N) for the carriers of the incoming multiplexed signal and of the multiplexed signal to be inserted, to select from said carriers at least those carriers which carry signals to be transmitted over the extracted multiplexed signal (MT); anda transmitter (D1, D2, SW.sub.1, . . . , SW.sub.N) for transmitting either the incoming multiplexed signal (ME) or the multiplexed signal to be inserted (MI) to any of the inputs to the first or second sets of filters (F.sub.1.sup.T, . . . , F.sub.N.sup.T ; F.sub.1.sup.E, . . . , F.sub.N.sup.E);the multiplexer being characterized in that the transmitter comprises a plurality of switches (SW.sub.1, . . . , SW.sub.N), each having at least a first output (k) coupled to a respective one of the filters of the first set (F.sub.1.sup.T, . . . , F.sub.N.sup.T) and at least a second output (j) coupled to a respective one of the filters of the second set (F.sub.1.sup.E, . . . , F.sub.N.sup.E).