EP0667690A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Optical wavelength division multiplexer for high speed, protocol-independent serial data sources
Assignee: International Business Machines Corp
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Filing: 1995-01-24
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2015-01-24
Abstract
Abstract A wavelength division multiplexer (WDM) unit (12) includes a plurality of Input/Output cards (IOCs 14). Each IOC is bidirectionally coupled to I/O specific media (fiber or copper) and to two coaxial cables. Also bidirectionally coupled to the coaxial cables are a plurality of Laser/Receiver Cards (LRC 20). The interface between the IOCs and the LRCs is an Emitter Coupled Logic (ECL) electrical interface that is conveyed over the coaxial cables. Each LRC is bidirectionally coupled by two single mode fibers to an optical multiplexer and demultiplexer, embodied within a grating (24). An input/output port of the grating is coupled to a fiber link (28) that enables bidirectional, full duplex data communications with a second WDM. Each WDM also includes a Diagnostic Processor Card (DPC 28) that receives status signals from the IOCs and LRCs, that forwards the status signals on to an external processor, and which generates control information for the IOCs and LRCs. Each IOC is associated with one of a plurality of communications channels and includes an I/O specific media connector (30) that is coupled to an appropriate transmitter (Tx) and receiver (Rx). The I/O specific media connector, Tx and Rx are constructed and operated in accordance with the specific data stream type that is input to and output from the associated channel of the WDM. By example, a first data stream may be conveyed through an optical (fiber) conductor in accordance with an ESCON protocol at 200Mb/s, and a second data stream may be conveyed through an electrical (copper) conductor in accordance with an ECL non-specific protocol at up to 622 MB/s.
Inventors
- 👤 Michael M. Choy
- 👤 William Eric Hall
- 👤 Paul Eliot Green, Jr.
- 👤 Frank James Janniello
- 👤 Jeff Keneth Kravitz
- 👤 Karen Liu
- 👤 Rajiv Ramaswami
- 👤 Franklin Fuk-Kay Tong
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-08 04:52
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04B; H04B10/00; H04B10/50; H04B10/501; H04B10/506; H04B10/572; H04J; H04J14/00; H04J14/02; H04J14/03; H04J14/0307
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 13
Claim 1
Independent Claim
82 words
Data communications apparatus, comprising: means for receiving a plurality of inputs from a plurality of data communications devices, at least two of the data communications devices operating with different protocols; means for converting each of the received inputs into an optical signal having a wavelength that differs from other wavelengths of others of the converted received inputs; and means for wavelength division multiplexing the optical signals and for transmitting a wavelength division multiplexed signal over an optical conductor to a remote site.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
83 words
Data communications apparatus as set forth in claim 1 and further comprising: means for receiving a wavelength division multiplexed signal from the remote site and for demultiplexing the received wavelength division multiplexed signal into a plurality of received optical signals; means for converting each of the received optical signals into a corresponding electrical signal; and means for providing an output to each of the plurality of data communications devices such that each output corresponds to the protocol of the receiving data communications device.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
37 words
Data communications apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein at least one of the inputs is received from an electrical conductor, and wherein at least one other of the inputs is received from an optical conductor.
Claim 4
Independent Claim
16 words
A method for operating a data communications apparatus, as defined in anyone of the previous claims.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
354 words
Communications apparatus, comprising: a plurality of input/output (I/O) interface units, each of said I/O interface units including means for coupling to a communications network for receiving a signal from the network and for transmitting a signal to the network, each of said I/O interface units further including an input buffer means having an input for receiving a first electrical signal representing information to be transmitted to the network, each of said I/O interface units further including an output buffer means having an output for providing a second electrical signal representing information received from the network; a plurality of optical transmitter and receiver units each including an optical transmitter means and an optical receiver means, individual ones of said optical transmitter and receiver units being coupled to one of said I/O interface units for providing said first electrical signal thereto and for receiving said second electrical signal therefrom, said second electrical signal being supplied to said optical transmitter means for modulating an output thereof, said first electrical signal being output from said optical receiver means, each of said optical transmitter and receiver units having an optical transmitter means that generates an optical signal that differs in wavelength from others of said optical transmitter means; and optical multiplexing and demultiplexing means having a plurality of inputs, individual ones of said inputs being coupled to an output of an optical transmitter means of one of said optical transmitter and receiver units, said optical multiplexing and demultiplexing means further having a plurality of outputs, individual ones of said outputs being coupled to an input of an optical receiver means of one of said optical transmitter and receiver units, said optical multiplexing and demultiplexing means having a port for bidirectionally coupling to an optical fiber and operating to wavelength division multiplex said inputs from said plurality of optical transmitter means before application to the optical fiber and to wavelength division demultiplex optical signals received from the optical fiber and to separately provide demultiplexed optical signals to said plurality of outputs; wherein at least two of said I/O interface units are coupled to networks that operate with different network protocols.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
53 words
Communications apparatus as set forth in claim 5 wherein one of said I/O interface units is coupled to a network that conveys information signals over an electrical conductor, and wherein at least one other one of said I/O interface units is coupled to a network that conveys information signals over an optical conductor.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
86 words
Communications apparatus as set forth in claim 5 or 6 wherein each of said plurality of I/O interface units includes means for generating a first status signal indicating an operational status of the network that is coupled to said receiving means, and wherein each of said plurality of optical transmitter and receiver units includes means for generating at least one second status signal indicating an operational status of said optical transmitter means and a third status signal indicating an operational status of said optical receiver means.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
69 words
Communications apparatus as set forth in claim 7 and further including diagnostic processor means having inputs coupled to said first, second, and third status signals from each of said plurality of I/O interface units and each of said plurality of optical transmitter and receiver units, said diagnostic processor means further having an output for transmitting information indicating a state of all of said first, second, and third status signals.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
155 words
Communications apparatus as set forth in claim 7 or 8 wherein each of said plurality of optical transmitter and receiver units includes a signal multiplexing means that is interposed between said optical transmitter means and the second electrical signal that is received from an associated one of said I/O interface units, said signal multiplexing means including a first input coupled to said second electrical signal, a second input coupled to a signal line that conveys a frequency signal, and a selection input that is coupled to said first status signal that is generated by said associated one of said I/O interface units, said signal multiplexing means being responsive to a first state of said first status signal for coupling said second electrical signal to an input of said optical transmitter means and responsive to a second state of said first status signal for coupling said frequency signal to said input of said optical transmitter means.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
67 words
Communications apparatus as set forth in claim 5 and further comprising timing means that repetitively generates a plurality of enabling signals, individual ones of said enabling signals being coupled to one of said optical transmitter means, said enabling signal for each of said optical transmitter means being generated so as not to overlap an enabling signal that is generated for another one of said optical transmitter means.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
33 words
Communications apparatus as set forth in claim 5 wherein said optical multiplexing and demultiplexing means is comprised of an optical coupler and a plurality of wavelength selective filter means, or a grating means.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
159 words
A method of operating a wavelength division multiplexer of a type that includes a plurality of channels each of which receives a data input and that outputs a wavelength division multiplexed optical signal representing the plurality of data inputs, comprising the steps of : receiving a data input with one of the channels ; providing a first electrical signal for modulating an optical source in accordance with the received data input; and wavelenght division multiplexing an output of the optical source with outputs of optical sources of others of said plurality of channels, wherein the step of receiving includes the steps of, detecting a loss of the input data ; generating a status signal that indicates the loss of the input data ; and responsive to the generated status signal, the step of providing includes a step of, providing a second electrical signal having a predetermined frequency for modulating the optical source in accordance with the second electrical signal.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
38 words
A method as set forth in claim 12 wherein at least one of the data inputs is received from an electrical conductor, and wherein at least one other of the data inputs is received from an optical conductor.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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