Communication device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9712900-B1
Application number	US-201414253394-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Apr 15, 2014
Priority date	Apr 15, 2014
Publication date	Jul 18, 2017
Grant date	Jul 18, 2017

Abstract

A communication method includes combining first and second optical signals into a third optical signal, processing the third optical signal, and separating the third optical signal back into the first and second optical signals. The method includes sending the first optical signal out a first system port, sending the second optical signal out a second system port, receiving a fourth optical signal in the first system port, and receiving a fifth optical signal in the second system port. The method also includes combining the fourth and fifth optical signals into a sixth optical signal, processing the sixth optical signal, and separating the sixth optical signal back into the fourth and fifth optical signals.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A communication device comprising:
an optical device comprising first, second, third and fourth device ports;
a router in optical communication with the optical device; and
a combiner in optical communication with the optical device and the router;
when the optical device receives a first combined optical signal, the optical device receives the first combined optical signal in the first device port, the optical device separates the first combined signal into first and second optical signals, sends the first optical signal out of the third device port to a first input/output, and sends the second optical signal out of the second device port to the router, the router routing the second optical signal to a second input/output; and
when the optical device receives a third optical signal from the first input/output, the optical device receives the third optical signal in the third device port and sends the third optical signal out of the fourth device port to the combiner, the router receives a fourth optical signal from the second input/output and routes the fourth optical signal to the combiner, the combiner combining the third and fourth optical signals as a second combined optical signal.

2. The communication device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a first signal processor in optical communication with the optical device, the first processor processing the first combined optical signal and sending the processed first combined optical signal to the optical device.

3. The communication device of claim 2 , further comprising:
a second signal processor in optical communication with the combiner, the second signal processor processing the second combined optical signal; and
a separator in optical communication with the second signal processor, the separator separating the second combined optical signal back into the third and fourth optical signals.

4. The communication device of claim 3 , wherein the first signal processor or the second signal processor comprises an optical amplifier.

5. The communication device of claim 4 , wherein the optical amplifier comprises an erbium doped fiber amplifier, an erbium/ytterbium co-doped fiber amplifier, an ytterbium doped fiber amplifier, a thulium doped fiber amplifier, a holmium doped fiber amplifier, or a rare earth doped fiber amplifier.

6. The communication device of claim 1 , wherein the optical device comprises a wavelength division multiplexer, an optical interleaver, an optical circulator, or a combination thereof, the wavelength division multiplexer multiplexing or demultiplexing optical signals, the interleaver combining/separating two sets of dense wavelength-division multiplexing channels into/from a composite signal stream in an interleaving manner, the optical circulator having three circulator ports, an optical signal received in any one circulator port routed to exit an adjacent circulator port in a clockwise or counter-clockwise order.

7. The communication device of claim 1 , wherein the router comprises first, second, and third router ports, the first router port in optical communication with the second device port, the router:
receiving in the first router port the second optical signal from the second device port;
sending the second optical signal out of the second router port;
receiving the fourth optical signal in the second router port; and
sending the fourth optical signal out of the third router port.

8. The communication device of claim 7 , wherein the router comprises a wavelength division multiplexer, an optical interleaver, an optical circulator, or a combination thereof, the wavelength division multiplexer multiplexing or demultiplexing optical signals, the interleaver combining/separating two sets of dense wavelength-division multiplexing channels into/from a composite signal stream in an interleaving manner, the optical circulator having three circulator ports, an optical signal received in any one circulator port routed to exit an adjacent circulator port in a clockwise or counter-clockwise order.

9. A communication device comprising:
a first combiner receiving and combining first and second optical signals into a third optical signal;
a first signal processor in optical communication with the first combiner, the first processor processing the third optical signal;
an optical device in optical communication with the first signal processor and having first, second, third and fourth device ports, wherein:
when the optical device receives in the first device port the third optical signal from the first signal processor, the optical device separates the third optical signal back into the first and second optical signals, sending the first optical signal out of the third device port, and sending the second optical signal out of the second device port; and
when the optical device receives a fourth optical signal in the third device port, the optical device sends the fourth optical signal out of the fourth device port;

a router having first, second, and third router ports, the first router port in optical communication with the second device port, wherein:
when the router receives in the first router port the second optical signal from the second device port, the router sends the second optical signal out of the second router port; and
when the router receives a fifth optical signal in the second router port, the router sends the fifth optical signal out of the third router port;

a second combiner in optical communication with the optical device and the router, when the second combiner receives the fourth optical signal from the optical device and the fifth optical signal from the router, the second combiner combining the fourth and fifth optical signals into a sixth optical signal;
a second signal processor in optical communication with the second combiner, the second signal processor processing the sixth optical signal; and
a separator in optical communication with the second signal processor, the separator separating the sixth optical signal back into the fourth and fifth optical signals.

10. The communication device of claim 9 , further comprising:
a first transmitter transmitting the first optical signal;
a second transmitter transmitting the second optical signal;
a first modulator in optical communication with the first transmitter and the first combiner, the first modulator modulating the first optical signal; and
a second modulator in optical communication with the second transmitter and the first combiner, the second modulator modulating the second optical signal.

11. The communication device of claim 9 , wherein the separator routes the fourth optical signal to a first receiver and the fifth optical signal to a second receiver.

12. The communication device of claim 9 , wherein the first combiner, the second combiner, and the separator each comprises a wavelength division multiplexer or an optical interleaver, the wavelength division multiplexer multiplexing or demultiplexing optical signals, the interleaver combining/separating two sets of dense wavelength-division multiplexing channels into/from a composite signal stream in an interleaving manner.

13. The communication device of claim 9 , wherein the first signal processor or the second signal processor comprises an erbium doped fiber amplifier, an erbium/ytterbium co-doped fiber amplifier, an ytterbium doped fiber amplifier, a thulium doped fiber amplifier, a holmium doped fiber amplifier, or a rare earth doped fiber amplifier.

14. The communication device of claim 9 , wherein the optical device comprises a wavelength division multiplexer, an optical interleaver

Assignees

• Google Inc

Inventors

• Wang Chiachi
• Clement Romain

Classifications

• H04B10/50

  Transmitters · CPC title

• H04Q2011/0016

  using wavelength multiplexing or demultiplexing · CPC title

• H01S3/06754

  Fibre amplifiers (H01S3/06708 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04J14/02

  Wavelength-division multiplex systems · CPC title

• H04Q2011/0041

  Optical control · CPC title