Patent ID: 7231109
Filing Date: 2007-06-12
Classification: H04J

Abstract:
1. An electronic-to-optical multiplexer with n electronic inputs, an optical multiplexer frame sync signal, and an optical output comprising: n electronic-to-optical converters each with an input an output a wavelength multiplexer with n inputs and one output a first optical switch with a broadband input, a control input, and an output a delay means with an input and an output a single wavelength optical source; and a second optical switch with an broadband input, a control input, and an output whereby the electronic-to-optical converters convert the n electronic input signals into n optical signals; the wavelength multiplexer combines the different wavelength optical signals; the first optical switch samples the optical signals by gating the optical signals with the optical multiplexer frame sync signal; the delay means temporally interlace the optical signals by staggering the different wavelength optical signals; the second optical switch converts the wavelength of the wavelength multiplexed, sampled, temporally interlaced, optical signals by using the optical signal to gate the single wavelength optical source signal; and the gated single wavelength optical source signal is used as the output of the electronic-to-optical converter.