1. An optical communication system comprising:
an optical ring comprising a plurality of optical nodes and a single fiber optically coupled between two adjacent optical nodes of the plurality of optical nodes to connect the plurality of optical nodes into the optical ring,
wherein the optical ring launches a signal channel as a first optical signal at a first optical wavelength-division-multiplexed (WDM) frequency along a first direction in the optical ring and a second optical signal at a second, different optical WDM frequency along a second, opposite direction and launches different signal channels at different first WDM frequencies and different second WDM frequencies, respectively, and
wherein each optical node comprises:
a first node terminal to connect to the optical ring at a first side of the optical node;
a second node terminal to connect to the optical ring at a second, opposite side of the optical node;
a first optical path within the optical node to carry light along the first direction from the first node terminal to the second node terminal;
a second, separate optical path with the optical node to carry light along the second direction from the second node terminal to the first node terminal;
an optical transmitter to produce an optical carrier beam at an optical carrier frequency and to modulate the optical carrier beam in response to at least one modulation signal at a modulation frequency carrying a signal channel as a baseband signal to produce a modulated optical beam carrying a first modulated optical carrier at the first optical WDM frequency greater than the optical carrier frequency by the modulation frequency and a second modulated optical carrier at the second optical WDM frequency less than the optical carrier frequency by the modulation frequency while energy at the optical carrier frequency is suppressed;
an optical splitter to split the modulated optical beam from the optical transmitter into a first optical add signal and a second optical add signal;
a first optical WDM add unit to couple the first optical add signal to the first optical path and select light at the first optical WDM frequency to propagate along the first direction while blocking light at the second optical WDM frequency from propagating in the first optical path and transmitting light at frequencies different from the second optical WDM frequency;
a second optical WDM add unit to couple the second optical add signal to the second optical path and select light at the second optical WDM frequency to propagate along the second direction while blocking light at the first optical WDM frequency from propagating in the second optical path and transmitting light at frequencies different from the first optical WDM frequency;
a first optical WDM terminal unit coupled at the first node terminal to connect the first and second optical paths to the optical ring to transmit light at the first optical WDM frequency in the first optical path into optical ring along the first direction, and to transmit light at the second optical WDM wavelength from the optical ring into the second optical path along the second direction; and
a second optical WDM terminal unit coupled at the second node terminal to connect the first and second optical paths to the optical ring to transmit light at the second optical WDM frequency in the second optical path into optical ring along the second direction, and to transmit light at the first optical WDM wavelength from the optical ring into the first optical path along the first direction.
2. The system as in claim 1, wherein each optical node further comprises:
a first optical drop unit coupled in the first optical path between the second optical WDM terminal unit and the first optical add unit to drop light at the first optical WDM frequency as a first optical drop signal from the first optical path while transmitting light at frequencies different from the first optical WDM frequency along the first optical path;
a second optical drop unit coupled in the second optical path between the first optical WDM terminal unit and the second optical add unit to drop light at the second optical WDM frequency as a second optical drop signal from the second optical path while transmitting light at frequencies different from the second optical WDM frequency along the second optical path;
an optical detector; and
an optical switch coupled between the optical detector and the first, second optical drop units to receive the first and the second optical drop signals, the optical switch operable to select one of the first and the second optical drop signals to be received by the optical detector.
3. The system as in claim 1, wherein the first optical WDM terminal unit is an optical WDM interleaver.
4. The system as in claim 3, wherein an optical signal in the first optical path in each optical node is at an even numbered channel of the optical WDM interleaver and an optical signal in the second optical path in each optical node is at an odd numbered channel of the optical WDM interleaver.
5. The system as in claim 1, wherein the first optical add unit is an optical WDM multiplexer.
6. The system as in claim 1, wherein the first optical drop unit is an optical WDM demultiplexer.
7. The system as in claim 1, wherein the optical transmitter comprises a laser which produces the optical carrier beam and an Mach-Zehnder interferometer modulator that modulates the optical carrier beam to produce the modulated optical beam.
8. The system as in claim 1, further comprising a switching mechanism to control the optical switch to direct the first optical drop signal to the optical detector and to control the optical switch to direct the second optical drop signal to the optical detector when the first optical drop signal becomes absent.
9. A method for communications in an optical communication system comprising a plurality of optical nodes and a single fiber optically coupled between two adjacent optical nodes of the plurality of optical nodes to connect the plurality of optical nodes into an optical ring, comprising:
launching into the optical ring a signal channel as a first optical signal at a first optical wavelength-division-multiplexed (WDM) frequency along a first direction in the optical ring and a second optical signal at a second, different optical WDM frequency along a second, opposite direction;
launching different signal channels in different first optical signals at different first WDM frequencies and different second optical signals at different second WDM frequencies, respectively;
in launching a signal channel into the optical ring from an optical node,
applying an optical double sideband modulation in modulating an optical carrier beam at an optical carrier frequency to modulate the optical carrier beam in response to at least one modulating signal at a modulation frequency carrying a signal channel as a baseband signal to produce a modulated optical beam carrying a first modulated optical carrier at the first optical WDM frequency greater than the optical carrier frequency by the modulation frequency and a second modulated optical carrier at the second optical WDM frequency less than the optical carrier frequency by the modulation frequency while energy at the optical carrier frequency is suppressed;
splitting the modulated optical beam into a first optical add signal and a second optical add signal;
selecting light at the first optical WDM frequency in the first optical add signal to propagate along the first direction into the optical ring as the first optical signal carrying the baseband signal while blocking light at the second optical WDM frequency from propagating along the first direction in the optical ring; and
selecting light at the second optical WDM frequency in the second optical add signal to propagate along the second direction into the optical ring as the second optical signal carrying the baseband signal while blocking light at the first optical WDM frequency from propagating along the second direction in the optical ring.
10. The method as claim 9, comprising:
coupling light at the first optical WDM frequency along the first direction as a first optical drop signal while transmitting light at frequencies different from the first optical WDM frequency along the first direction;
coupling light at the second optical WDM frequency along the second direction as a second optical drop signal while transmitting light at frequencies different from the second optical WDM frequency along the second direction;
selecting the first optical drop signal as a default drop signal to an optical detector for detection; and
when the first optical drop signal becomes absent, switching the second optical drop signal to the optical detector for detection.
11. The method as in claim 9, comprising:
using a Mach-Zehnder modulator to perform the optical double sideband modulation in modulating the optical carrier beam, wherein the modulating comprising splitting the optical carrier beam into a first optical carrier beam into a first optical path of the Mach-Zehnder modulator and a second optical carrier beam into a second optical path of the Mach-Zehnder modulator, and applying a phase shift of 180 degrees between the first and second optical paths to suppress energy at the optical carrier frequency in the modulated optical beam.
12. The method as in claim 9, comprising:
using a first optical WDM interleaver in each optical node to connect first and second optical paths, that respectively carry light in the first and second directions, to transmit light in the first optical path in one or more even numbered optical channels of the first optical WDM interleaver into optical ring along the first direction, and to transmit light in the second optical path in one or more odd numbered optical channels of the first optical WDM interleaver into the optical ring along the second direction; and
a second optical WDM interleaver in each optical node to connect other ends of the first and second optical paths to transmit light in the second optical path in one or more odd numbered optical channels of the second optical WDM interleaver into optical ring along the second direction, and to transmit light in the first optical path in one or more even numbered optical channels of the second optical WDM interleaver into the optical ring along the first direction.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A cargo power drive unit comprising:
(a) a housing;
(b) a shaft rotatably mounted in the housing, the shaft having a longitudinal axis, a first end, and a first spindle outwardly extending from the first end and being offset from the longitudinal axis; and
(c) a first lift roller having a hub with a first center axis, a first opening that is radially offset from the first center axis, and an outer rim rotatably disposed on the hub, the first spindle being non-rotatably received in the first opening;
(d) wherein the spindle is offset from the longitudinal axis in a first direction and the first opening is offset from the first center axis in a second direction that is substantially opposite from the first direction, and wherein the offset of the spindle and the offset of the first opening remain in substantially opposite directions for all rotational positions of the shaft as the shaft rotates in the housing.
2. A cargo power drive unit according to claim 1 wherein the shaft further includes a second end and a second spindle outwardly extending from the second end, and further comprising a second lift roller having a second center axis and a second opening that is radially offset from the second center axis, the second spindle being non-rotatably received in the second opening.
3. A cargo power drive unit according to claim 1 wherein the outer rim is rotatably supported on the hub by bearings.
4. A cargo power drive unit according to claim 1 wherein the rotatable outer rim has an outer circumference and further comprises a rigid material on the outer circumference.
5. A cargo power drive unit according to claim 1 wherein the first spindle and the first opening have mating non-circular shapes.
6. A cargo power drive unit according to claim 1 wherein the first opening extends through the first lift roller and the first lift roller is retained on the first spindle by a retainer ring.
7. A cargo power drive unit according to claim 1 and further comprising a lift block positioned beneath the first lift roller.
8. A compact lift apparatus for selectively raising and lowering a power roller of a power drive unit, the apparatus comprising:
(a) a shaft support;
(b) a shaft rotatably supported by the shaft support and having a longitudinal axis and a first eccentric end having a first eccentric axis that is offset from the longitudinal axis by a first distance; and
(c) a first lift roller having a hub with a first central axis and a first opening, the first opening being offset from the first central axis by a second distance, and an outer rim rotatably disposed on the hub;
(d) wherein the first eccentric end of the shaft is non-rotatably received in the first opening of the first lift roller, wherein the first eccentric axis is offset from the longitudinal axis in a first direction, and the first opening is offset from the first central axis in a second direction that is substantially opposite from the first direction, and wherein the offset of the first eccentric axis and the offset of the first opening are offset in substantially opposite directions for all rotational positions of the shaft as the shaft rotates in the shaft support.
9. A lift apparatus according to claim 8 wherein the shaft further includes a second eccentric end having a second eccentric axis that is offset from the longitudinal axis by the first distance; and further comprising a second lift roller having a second central axis and a second opening, the second opening being offset from the second central axis by a second distance; wherein the second eccentric end of the shaft is non-rotatably received in the second opening of the second lift roller.
10. A lift apparatus according to claim 8 wherein the outer rim is rotatably supported on the hub by bearings.
11. A lift apparatus according to claim 8 wherein the rotatable outer rim has an outer circumference and further comprises a rigid material on the outer circumference.
12. A lift apparatus according to claim 8 wherein the first eccentric end and the first opening have mating non-circular shapes.
13. A lift apparatus according to claim 8 wherein the first opening extends through the first lift roller, and the first lift roller is retained on the first eccentric end by a retainer ring.