Patent ID: 7369770
Filing Date: 2008-05-06
Classification: H04J

Abstract:
1. A method of assigning optical carrier frequencies to signals to be transmitted in an optical transmission network using wavelength division multiplexing, said frequencies belonging to a comb of optical frequencies, the signals received after transmission in said network and carried by a given carrier frequency having a mean error rate that depends on said given carrier frequency, and one or more transmission constraint parameters being associated with any signal to be transmitted, which method comprises: associating N sets of optical frequencies of the comb with N respective ranges of consecutive error rate values, each of said sets comprising frequencies generating a mean error rate in the associated range; defining a measured signal transmission constraint level that is a function of said transmission constraint parameter(s) and takes N distinct values referred to as constraint values; associating said N constraint values in increasing order respectively with said N sets of optical frequencies in decreasing order of the error rate values of the associated N ranges; assigning any signal to be transmitted a constraint value obtained by applying said measurement; assigning said signal to be transmitted a carrier frequency belonging to one of said sets of optical frequencies that is associated with a constraint value at least equal to the constraint value assigned to said signal to be transmitted; and outputting a signal indicating the carrier frequency assigned to the signal to be transmitted.