METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR OPTICAL NODE CONSTRUCTION USING SOFTWARE PROGRAMMABLE ROADMS

• US 20170366291A1
• Filed: 09/04/2017
• Published: 12/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2013
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: Kimon Papakos, Mark E. Boduch
• Original Assignee: Kimon Papakos, Mark E. Boduch
• Inventors: Boduch, Mark E., Papakos, Kimon
• Granted Patent: US 10,284,932 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/2941 using an equalising unit, e.g. a filter H04B10/296 takes precedence
• 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 14/0206 Express channels arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0212 using optical switches or wavelength selective switches [WSS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0217 Multi-degree architectures, e.g. having a connection degree greater than two
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0005 Switch and router aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0009 using wavelength filters
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0015 using splitting combining
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0016 using wavelength multiplexing or demultiplexing

Abstract

Example embodiments of the present invention relate to a software programmable reconfigurable optical add drop multiplexer (ROADM) comprising of a plurality of wavelength switches and a plurality of waveguide switches, wherein when the plurality of waveguide switches are set to a first switch configuration, the software programmable ROADM provides n degrees of an n-degree optical node, and wherein when the waveguide switches are set to a second switch configuration, the software programmable ROADM provides k degrees of an m-degree optical node.

Claims

1. A software programmable reconfigurable optical add drop multiplexer (ROADM) comprising:

a plurality of wavelength switches; and

a plurality of waveguide switches,

wherein when the plurality of waveguide switches are set to a first switch configuration, the software programmable ROADM provides n degrees of an n-degree optical node, and wherein when the waveguide switches are set to a second switch configuration, the software programmable ROADM provides k degrees of an m-degree optical node, wherein n>

1, and wherein m>

n, and wherein k>

0, and wherein the second switch configuration is different from the first switch configuration.

2. The software programmable ROADM of claim 1, wherein m−

n=1.

3. The software programmable ROADM of claim 1, wherein m−

n>

1.

4. The software programmable ROADM of claim 1, wherein k>

1.

5. The software programmable ROADM of claim 1, wherein k=n.

6. The software programmable ROADM of claim 1, wherein the plurality of wavelength switches are operable to selectively switch individual wavelengths, and wherein the plurality of waveguide switches are not operable to selectively switch individual wavelengths.

7. The software programmable ROADM of claim 1, wherein the plurality of wavelength switches includes a set of p×

1 wavelength selective switches and a set of r×

1 wavelength selective switches, wherein r>

p.

8. The software programmable ROADM of claim 1, wherein the plurality of wavelength switches comprises of a plurality of wavelength equalizers, wherein each wavelength equalizer within the plurality of wavelength equalizers has only one optical input and only one optical output.

9. The software programmable ROADM of claim 1, wherein when the waveguide switches are set to a third switch configuration, the software programmable ROADM provides m−

k degrees of the m-degree optical node.

10. The software programmable ROADM of claim 9, wherein the third switch configuration is different from the second switch configuration.

11. The software programmable ROADM of claim 9, wherein the third switch configuration is identical to the second switch configuration.

12. The software programmable ROADM of claim 1, wherein when the plurality of waveguide switches are set to the first switch configuration, the software programmable ROADM provides wavelength switching for n degrees of the n-degree optical node, and wherein when the waveguide switches are set to the second switch configuration, the software programmable ROADM provides wavelength switching for k degrees of the m-degree optical node.

13. The software programmable ROADM of claim 1, wherein each waveguide switch of the plurality of waveguide switches comprises of at least one Mach-Zehnder interferometer.

14. A software programmable reconfigurable optical add drop multiplexer (ROADM) comprising:

a plurality of wavelength switches; and

a plurality of waveguide switches,

wherein when the plurality of waveguide switches are set to a first switch configuration, the software programmable ROADM provides n degrees and q directionless add/drop ports of an optical node, and wherein when the plurality of waveguide switches are set to a second switch configuration the software programmable ROADM provides n+j degrees and q−

j directionless add/drop ports of an optical node, wherein q>

0, and wherein j>

0.

15. The software programmable ROADM of claim 14, wherein j=1.

16. The software programmable ROADM of claim 14, wherein q=2.

17. The software programmable ROADM of claim 14, wherein the plurality of wavelength switches are operable to selectively switch individual wavelengths, and wherein the plurality of waveguide switches are not operable to selectively switch individual wavelengths.

18. The software programmable ROADM of claim 14, wherein the plurality of wavelength switches includes a set of p×

1 wavelength selective switches and a set of r×

1 wavelength selective switches, wherein r>

p.

19. The software programmable ROADM of claim 14, wherein the plurality of wavelength switches comprises of a plurality of wavelength equalizers, wherein each wavelength equalizer within the plurality of wavelength equalizers has only one optical input and only one optical output.

20. A method of constructing an optical node having n number of optical degrees comprising:

configuring a set of waveguide switches to a first switch configuration on a software programmable reconfigurable optical add drop multiplexer (ROADM) if n<

i; and

configuring the set of waveguide switches to a second switch configuration on the software programmable ROADM if n>

i.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising, configuring a second set of waveguide switches to a third switch configuration on a second software programmable ROADM if n≧

i.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the software programmable ROADM and the second software programmable ROADM are identical.