Alice C White

US Patent:

7437075, Oct 14, 2008

Filed:

Aug 27, 2002

Appl. No.:

10/228800

Inventors:

Christopher Richard Doerr - Middletown NJ, US
David S Levy - Freehold NJ, US
Timothy O. Murphy - Fairport NJ, US
Alice Elizabeth White - Summit NJ, US

Assignee:

Lucent Technologies Inc. - Murray Hill NJ

International Classification:

H04J 14/02

US Classification:

398 83, 398 45, 398 82

Abstract:

An integrated reconfigurable planar lightwave add-drop (RPLAD) multiplexer for use in a WDM optical communication system is arranged such that each drop port can receive any wavelength channel and each add port can transmit on any wavelength channel. Drop port reconfigurability is achieved by integrating a cross-connect functionality into the RPLAD, illustratively using optical 1×2 switches to perform “space” switching. The switches are controlled from a remotely located node controller. Add port reconfigurability is achieved by having tunable lasers and a wavelength independent optical power combiner, which may be a star coupler that is integrated with the other above-mentioned elements. The RPLAD has a modular architecture, so that when RPLAD's are connected by dual unidirectional transmission rings for the purpose of redundancy and failure protection, an RPLAD that fails can be removed and the remaining module can be reconfigured so as to re-route incoming traffic backwards around the still operating optical communication ring.