Abstract: We disclose communication methods using which a cluster of network nodes is interconnected via an optical interconnect and an electrical switch engine. A communication method executed at a master optical transceiver coupled to one side of the optical interconnect enables that transceiver to establish an optical communication link with any one of a plurality of slave optical transceivers coupled to the other side of the optical interconnect. A communication method executed at a slave optical transceiver enables that transceiver to communicate with the master optical transceivers without having its own light source and, instead, modulating data onto previously un-modulated signaling dimensions of the incoming optical waveforms, which are then turned around and broadcast back to the master optical transceivers.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention provides an optical line terminal (OLT) in an Ethernet passive optical network (EPON). The OLT includes a number of bi-directional optical transceivers. At least one bi-directional optical transceiver is coupled to an optical network unit (ONU) group that includes a number of ONUs. The OLT further includes a first downstream media access control (MAC) interface configured to provide a first downstream control signal and a splitter configured to split the first downstream control signal to a number of sub-signals. At least one sub-signal is configured to control downstream transmission of a corresponding bi-directional optical transceiver to a corresponding ONU-group.

Abstract: The present invention is directed, in part, to a receiver for an infrared light source. The receiver comprises a substantially transparent body; a sensor for receiving infrared light; and a substantially planar first surface on the transparent body. The first surface is configured to direct light from the infrared light source to the sensor. The substantially planar first surface comprises the end of the substantially transparent body. The substantially planar first surface provides an internally reflective surface that directs light into the interior of the substantially transparent body so it will make contact with the sensor.

Abstract: One embodiment provides an optical line terminal (OLT) module in a network device. The OLT module includes an optical signal module, an OLT management module, a scheduler module, and a forwarding module. The optical signal module transmits optical signals to and receives optical signals from a number of optical network units (ONUs). During operation, the OLT management module identifies a remote OLT module operating at a lower upstream data rate than the OLT module. The scheduler module identifies a report message received from a first ONU operating at the lower upstream data rate and generates a grant corresponding to the report message. A grant specifies a time slot for an upstream data burst. The scheduler module includes the grant in a notification frame destined for the remote OLT module. The forwarding module forwards the notification frame to an internal switch of the network device.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide a method and an apparatus for transmitting and receiving a client signal, and relate to the field of communications technologies. The method includes: mapping the client signal into channels of a parallel transmission frame, where the parallel transmission frame includes at least two channels; adding an overhead for the channels of the parallel transmission frame after the mapping, to form transmission channels of the parallel transmission frame, where bit rates of the transmission channels of the parallel transmission frame are fixed; and modulating the transmission channels of the parallel transmission frame onto one or more optical carriers in a same optical fiber, and transmitting the optical carrier after the modulation.

Abstract: Disclosed is an optical line monitoring system and method which detects an optical line where a disorder occurs, by using an OTDR (Optical Time Domain Reflectometer) pulse pattern with matching information. The optical line monitoring system generates and stores a reference OTDR pulse pattern matched with identification information of an optical channel service unit, and compares the matched reference OTDR pulse pattern with the OTDR pulse pattern collected at an inspection time to verify an optical line region where a disorder occurs.

Abstract: The present invention provides an apparatus, in particular an optical network unit, which comprises a first part operably coupled to an arm of an optical fiber network, the first part comprises an optical module including an optical-electric interface and/or an electric-optical interface locked on a preset wavelength band, and an interface module, and at least one second part operably coupled to a network entity of a communication network, each comprising a control unit, a signal processing unit and an interface module. One of the control units of the at least one second part is set by a optical line terminal of the optical fiber network as a master control unit configured to tune and control the optical module of the first part. The first part and the at least one second part are wireless coupled with respect to each other via the interface modules.

Abstract: A bidirectional data communications cable is disclosed. The cable includes first connector, second connector, and cable housing coupled to the first and second connectors. The first connector includes a controller configured to determine whether the first connector is connected to a data source or data sink. If connected to a data source, the controller configures a switch circuit to route a data signal from the data source to an optical modulator for modulating an optical signal for transmission from the first to the second connector via an optical fiber. If connected to a data sink, the controller configures the switch circuit to route a data signal from an optical demodulator to the data sink, the optical demodulator receiving an optical signal modulated with the data signal from the second connector via an optical fiber. The second connector is configured similar to the first connector. The cable housing encloses the optical fibers.

Abstract: A method for detecting an optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR). A wavelength label loading end (11) loads a wavelength label signal in an optical signal, and sends a loading modulation depth of the wavelength label signal to an OSNR detection end (12) through a wavelength label channel or an optical monitoring channel. The OSNR detection end (12) obtains a loading modulation depth of a wavelength label signal loaded in each wavelength optical signal, parses the wavelength label signal to obtain a current modulation depth of the wavelength label signal, and obtains an OSNR value of each wavelength optical signal according to the loading modulation depth and the current modulation depth of the wavelength label signal. A system and device for detecting an OSNR applicable to OSNR tests of present optical signals with high rates of 40 G, 100 G, etc., and in particular to OSNR tests of polarization multiplexing optical signals.

Abstract: We disclose a signal-routing method directed at improving the throughput of an optical network by taking into account the fiber nonlinearity in the process of solving a joint signal-routing and power-control problem for the optical network. Based on the obtained solution, a network controller may set the signal-routing configurations of the various network nodes and the optical gains of the various optical amplifiers to enable the optical network to carry the traffic in a manner that results in a higher throughput than that achievable with the use of conventional signal-routing and/or power-control methods.

Abstract: A transmitter module having a plurality of semiconductor laser diodes (LDs) as optical signal sources that emit optical respective optical beams with specific wavelengths different from other is disclosed. The transmitter module includes, in addition to the LDs, a driver to drive LDs in the shunt-driving configuration. Inductors through which the bias currents for the LDs are provided are mounted on the driver as interposing a spacer and a top carrier.

Abstract: A method and a device for realizing an optical channel data unit (ODU) shared protection ring (SPRing) are disclosed by the present invention. The method includes: first, receive an ODUj, wherein the ODUj carries an ODUi; then, perform de-multiplexing processing to obtain the ODUi from the ODUj; next, multiplex the ODUi to an optical channel data unit k (ODUk); meanwhile, keep monitoring the ODUk; and when the monitoring result that is obtained through monitoring the ODUk indicates that a failure has occurred, perform a switching on the ODUi; wherein i, j, k are integers equal to or larger than 0, k is larger than j, j is larger than i, and i, j, k are used to indicate different rates of respective optical channel data unit (ODU) signals.

Abstract: There are provided an optical transponder having a first end and a second end, as well as an electric switch having the transponder. The transponder includes an optical interface, at the first end, having a variable rate optical transmitter and a variable rate optical receiver to respectively transmit and receive signals using at least one of different bandwidths and different bit rates. The transponder further includes an electrical interface, at the second end, having an electrical interface throughput matching an optical capacity of the optical interface. The transponder also includes a processor for controlling the optical capacity.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an optical transmitter for transmitting data. The optical transmitter includes a pulse generator for generating N data streams overlapping in time from a de-multiplexed data source. Each respective data stream has pulses with shapes unique to that respective data stream. The transmitter also includes an optical source optically transmitting an output pulse that is generated by summing the uniquely shaped pulses from each respective data stream that are overlapping in time. Each output pulse represents N bits of the data source, where N>1.

Abstract: A method and system for storing and transmitting data using variable pulse characteristics to represent ASCII or UNICODE characters, of the value of a string of data using a number base higher than 2. Pulse characteristics are modified to correspond to different data values. Pulse characteristics can include pulse durations, pulse spacings, pulse amplitudes, pulse phases, pulse polarities, pulse shapes and/or other pulse characteristics.

Abstract: A transmitting apparatus and a receiving apparatus for visible light communication, and a visible light communication system are provided. The visible light communication system includes a transmitting apparatus and a receiving apparatus. The transmitting apparatus includes two transmitting modules. The transmitting modules include a plurality of visible light sources and a transmitting polarization plate. Polarizations of the two transmitting polarization plates are orthogonal to each other. The receiving apparatus includes two receiving modules. The receiving modules include a plurality of light detecting diodes and a receiving polarization plate. Polarizations of the paired receiving polarization plate and transmitting polarization plate are the same.

Abstract: A network and method of operating the network, the network comprising a transport layer that includes first and second disjoint but topologically substantially identical subnetworks A and B, each having a plurality of optical switch nodes and/or reconfigurable optical add-drop multiplexer (ROADM) nodes, and a routing layer wherein each router is coupled to at least one node in A and at least one node in B. The network is operable to provide a plurality of classes of services providing corresponding Quality of Service, and the routing layer or routing/transport interface can differentiate between traffic having different classes of service and schedule the traffic based on its service class. In the case either of the subnetworks becomes inoperable, all of the traffic is transferred to the other subnetwork, and the QoS of the classes of service is maintained by scheduling traffic to increase the delay experienced by delay-tolerant traffic.

Abstract: An optical switch includes: a first birefringent element; a first Faraday rotator; a first half-wave plate; a second birefringent element; a second half-wave plate; a second Faraday rotator; and a third birefringent element, which are arranged in a forward direction from the front, wherein the first birefringent element splits light in the forward direction from a first optical port into ordinary and extraordinary lights emitted onto first and second optical paths, respectively, the first and second half-wave plates are arranged on the first and second optical paths, respectively, and in the first and second Faraday rotators, a permanent magnetic field in a left-right direction and an external magnetic field in a front-back direction in an on state are applied to a Faraday element, a bidirectional optical path is formed between the first and second optical ports in an off state, and the optical path is interrupted in the on state.

Abstract: Method and devices of controlling wavelengths in two-channel DEMUX/MUX in silicon photonics are provided. The two-channel DEMUX/MUX includes a waveguide-based delay-line-interferometer at least in receiver portion of a two-channel transceiver for DWDM optical transmission loop and is configured to split a light wave with combined two-wavelengths into one light wave with locked one channel wavelength and another light wave with locked another channel wavelength. The waveguide-based delayed-line interferometer (DLI) is characterized by a free-spectral-range configured to be equal to twice of channel spacing. The method includes tuning heater of DLI in receiver of each two-channel transceiver by using either low-frequency dither signals added on MZMs associated with respective two channels as feedback signal or one DFB laser wavelength tapped from an input of transmitter portion at one channel before or after the MZMs as a direct wavelength reference to feed into an output of receiver portion at another channel.

Abstract: Integrated performance monitoring (PM); optical layer operations, administration, maintenance, and provisioning (OAM&P); alarming; amplification, and the like is described in optical transceivers, such as multi-source agreement (MSA)-defined modules. A pluggable optical transceiver defined by an MSA agreement can include advanced integrated functions for carrier-grade operation which preserves the existing MSA specifications allowing the pluggable optical transceiver to operate with any compliant MSA host device with advanced features and functionality, such as Forward Error Correction (FEC), framing, and OAM&P directly on the pluggable optical transceiver. The advanced integrated can be implemented by the pluggable optical transceiver separate and independent from the host device.