Patent ID: 7512340

Claim:
An optical network system enabling a plurality of nodes to send/receive optical signals to/from one another, comprising: a plurality of optical transmission nodes to which respective different wavelengths are allocated, each of the optical transmission nodes including an N 1 -axis processor, an N k -axis processor, and a wavelength separation filter, the N 1 -axis processor including a set wavelength output unit for outputting a set wavelength allocated to a local node, an N 1 -axis filter for receiving an N 1 -axis optical signal output from a different node and propagated through a ring of an N 1 -axis direction, and performing filtering by removing a wavelength identical with the set wavelength from the N 1 -axis optical signal and adding the set wavelength to the N 1 -axis optical signal to generate a new N 1 -axis optical signal, and an N 1 -axis splitter for splitting the N 1 -axis optical signal generated by the N 1 -axis filter in two directions such that one split N 1 -axis optical signal is output to outside through the ring of the N 1 -axis direction while the other split N 1 -axis optical signal is output to a point of confluence with an N 2 -axis optical signal propagated inside the local node through a ring of an N 2 -axis direction, the N k -axis processor including an N k -axis filter serving as a confluence point where an N k -axis optical signal propagated through a ring of an N k -axis direction (k=2, 3, . . . , n) joins an N kâˆ’1 -axis optical signal propagated through a ring of an N kâˆ’1 -axis direction, the N k -axis filter receiving the N k -axis optical signal output from a different node and propagated through the ring of the N k -axis direction and the N kâˆ’1 -axis optical signal split inside the local node, and performing filtering by removing a wavelength identical with that of the N kâˆ’1 -axis optical signal from the N k -axis optical signal and adding the wavelength of the N kâˆ’1 -axis optical signal to the N k -axis optical signal to generate a new N k -axis optical signal, and an N k -axis splitter for splitting the N k -axis optical signal generated by the N k -axis filter in two directions such that one split N k -axis optical signal is output to outside through the ring of the N k -axis direction while the other split N k -axis optical signal is output, if k<n, to a point of confluence with an N k+1 -axis optical signal propagated inside the local node through a ring of an N k+1 -axis direction, and, if k=n, to a location of wavelength separation, the wavelength separation filter receiving the N k -axis optical signal output from the N k -axis splitter and separating a desired wavelength from the received signal; and optical transmission media forming a plurality of rings of respective different N m -axis directions (m=1, 2, . . . , n) and connecting the optical transmission nodes so as to constitute an n-dimensional torus network.