SYSTEM CONSIDERATIONS IN MULTIPLEXED ADDRESSING USING AN OPTICAL TIME-OF-FLIGHT TECHNIQUE

An unconventional method of multiplexing data in a fiber-optic network is described. The method uses a linearly swept optical carrier frequency and physical distances in fiber as "addresses" to create frequency division multiplexed signals at the receivers. As it is a coherent self-heterodyne or -homodyne method, wide network bandwidth is available without need for receiver local oscillator lasers or wide bandwidth electronics. An example describes a 2-Gb/s system that allows each of 200 nodes to access a 10-Mb/s channel without network blocking. Such a system could be used as a local area network or a backbone network for existing LAN's.