Power Efficient Multi-Degree ROADM Using Variable Optical Splitter

• US 20160301495A1
• Filed: 04/04/2016
• Published: 10/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2015
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: NEC Laboratories America Inc (NEC Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NEC Laboratories America Inc (NEC Corporation)
• Inventors: Ji, Philip Nan, Wang, Ting, Aono, Yoshiaki
• Application Number:
  US15/089,699
• Publication Number:
  US 20160301495A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0204 Broadcast and select arrangements, e.g. with an optical splitter at the input before adding or dropping
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0205 Select and combine arrangements, e.g. with an optical combiner at the output after adding or dropping
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/021 Reconfigurable arrangements, e.g. reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexers [ROADM] or tunable optical add/drop multiplexers [TOADM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0217 Multi-degree architectures, e.g. having a connection degree greater than two

Abstract

A reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer (ROADM) system includes a transponder aggregator section with one or more transponder aggregators; N input ports and N output ports, each coupled to the transponder aggregators and to a cross-connect module having a variable optical splitter or variable optical coupler (VOS/VOC); and a controller to set the VOS/VOC into one of a Multicast & Select configuration and a Route & Combine configuration.

Claims

1. A reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer (ROADM) system, comprising:

a plurality of transponder aggregators;

N input ports and N output ports, each coupled to the transponder aggregators and to a cross-connect module having a variable optical splitter or variable optical coupler (VOS/VOC); and

a controller to set the VOS/VOC into one of a Multicast &

Select configuration and a Route &

Combine configuration.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein each VOS/VOC is adjusted to send/receive the signal only to/from the output/input port(s) with a useful signal to reduce optical power consumption at other ports.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the VOS/VOC'"'"'s configuration can be changed dynamically through the controller.

4. The system of claim 1, comprising wherein selective multicasting is done among various outputs through the Multicast &

Select configuration.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller reduces crosstalk by preventing signals reaching the unnecessary ports.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein at a node level, the VOS'"'"'s are adjusted by the node controller based on the channel arrangement, different power requirements among various cross-connect paths and various add/drop paths, and live power measurement.

7. The system of claim 1, comprising a network level controller to adjust the VOS/VOC across the network to an overall power optimization requirement.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the network level controller comprises a software defined network controller.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the Multicast &

Select configuration comprises multicasting capability.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller uses the network information to configure the MD-ROADM node hardware (in particular, the VOS'"'"'s/VOC'"'"'s) to optimize the power efficiency.

11. A method for operating an optical add/drop multiplexer (ROADM) system, comprising:

providing a plurality of transponder aggregators with N input ports and N output ports, each coupled to the transponder aggregators and to a cross-connect module having a variable optical splitter or variable optical coupler (VOS/VOC); and

setting the VOS/VOC into one of a Multicast &

Select configuration and a Route &

Combine configuration.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein each VOS/VOC is adjusted to send/receive the signal only to/from the output/input port(s) with a useful signal to reduce optical power consumption at other ports.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the VOS/VOC'"'"'s configuration can be changed dynamically through the controller.

14. The method of claim 11, comprising performing selective multicasting among various outputs through the Multicast &

Select configuration.

15. The method of claim 11, comprising reducing crosstalk by preventing signals reaching the unnecessary ports.

16. The method of claim 11, comprising controlling at a node level, where the VOS'"'"'s are adjusted by the node controller based on the channel arrangement, different power requirements among various cross-connect paths and various add/drop paths, and live power measurement.

17. The method of claim 11, comprising adjusting the VOS/VOC across the network to an overall power optimization requirement.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the network level controller comprises a software defined network controller.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the Multicast &

Select configuration comprises multicasting capability.