OPTICAL RELAY DEVICE, CONTROL METHOD, AND OPTICAL TRANSMISSION SYSTEM

• US 20180191441A1
• Filed: 12/21/2015
• Published: 07/05/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Granted Patent: US 10,084,544 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/00 Transmission systems employing electromagnetic waves other than radio-waves, e.g. infrared, visible or ultraviolet light, or employing corpuscular radiation, e.g. quantum communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/079 using measurements of the data signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/294 in a multiwavelength system, e.g. gain equalisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/02 Wavelength-division multiplex systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0212 using optical switches or wavelength selective switches [WSS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0221 Power control, e.g. to keep the total optical power constant
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/02216 by gain equalization
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0275 using an optical service channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0307 Multiplexers; Demultiplexers
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/06 Polarisation multiplex systems

Abstract

An optical relay device includes a WSS functioning as a wavelength selective switch capable of performing path switching in wavelength units and optical level adjustment for each of wavelengths and a control device that instructs, on the basis of a fluctuation amount of an optical level for each of the wavelengths of an optical signal output from the WSS and setting information indicating, for each of the wavelengths, whether optical level adjustment for the wavelengths of the optical signal is enabled, the WSS to perform a setting change of an optical level adjustment amount of the optical signal.

Claims

1. An optical relay device comprising:

a wavelength selective switcher capable of performing path switching in wavelength units and optical level adjustment for each of wavelengths and incapable of receiving new setting during a setting change of a wavelength and a band transmitted through ports, and transmittance; and

a controller to instruct, on the basis of a fluctuation amount of an optical level for each of the wavelengths of an optical signal output from the wavelength selective switch and setting information indicating, for each of the wavelengths, whether optical level adjustment for the wavelengths of the optical signal is being carried out in another optical relay device, the wavelength selective switcher to perform a setting change of an optical level adjustment amount of the optical signal, wherein the controller excludes a wavelength, the optical level adjustment for which is being carried out by another optical relay device, from a target of the optical level adjustment.

2. The optical relay device according to claim 1, wherein the controller includes:

an optical-level-fluctuation detector to determine, for each of the wavelengths, whether optical levels of the wavelengths output from the wavelength selective switcher fluctuate;

a control-target-wavelength managing circuit to retain the setting information;

an adjustment-implementation determiner to determine, on the basis of a determination result by the optical-level-fluctuation detector and the setting information, for each of the wavelengths, whether the optical level adjustment is necessary;

a level-adjustment-amount determiner to determine the optical level adjustment amount of a waveform for which the optical level adjustment is determined as necessary by the adjustment-implementation determiner; and

a wavelength-selective-switch controller to notify transmittances of the wavelengths based on the optical level adjustment amount determined by the level-adjustment-amount determiner to the wavelength selective switcher and instruct a setting change of the optical level adjustment amount at a time when the wavelength selective switcher outputs the optical signal.

3. The optical relay device according to claim 2, wherein, when optical level fluctuation of a wavelength, the setting information of which indicates adjustment enabled that optical level adjustment is not carried out yet in another optical relay device, is detected by the optical-level-fluctuation detector, the adjustment-implementation determiner determines that optical level adjustment of the wavelength is necessary.

4. The optical relay device according to claim 2, wherein the control-target-wavelength managing circuit acquires the setting information from an external work terminal and retains the setting information.

5. The optical relay device according to claim 2, wherein the control-target-wavelength managing circuit acquires information concerning a wavelength, for which the optical level adjustment is carried out by an optical relay device at a transmission source connected to a plurality of ports, from the other optical relay device, generates the setting information on the basis of the acquired information, and retains the setting information.

6. The optical relay device according to claim 5, wherein the control-target-wavelength managing circuit transmits information concerning a wavelength, for which the optical level adjustment is carried out by the wavelength selective switcher, to another optical relay device at a transmission destination of an optical signal output from the wavelength selective switcher.

7. The optical relay device according to claim 2, further comprising a plurality of input ports to which an optical signal output from another optical relay device is input, wherein

the control-target-wavelength managing circuit acquires information concerning wavelengths, for which the optical level adjustment is carried out by other optical relay devices connected to each of the plurality of input ports, from each of the other optical relay devices connected to each of the plurality of input ports, generates the setting information on the basis of the acquired information, and retains the setting information.

9. An optical transmission system comprising a singularity or a plurality of the optical relay devices according to claim 1.

10. An optical transmission system comprising a pair or a plurality of the optical relay devices according to claim 5, wherein the setting information can be transmitted and received among the two or more optical relay devices.

11. An optical transmission system comprising a pair or a plurality of the optical relay devices according to claim 7, wherein the setting information can be transmitted and received among the two or more optical relay devices.

8. A control method for a wavelength selective switcher capable of performing path switching in wavelength units and optical level adjustment for each of wavelengths and incapable of receiving new setting during a setting change of a wavelength and a band transmitted through ports, and transmittance;

the control method comprising;

determining, for each of the wavelengths, whether optical levels of the wavelengths output from the wavelength selective switch fluctuate;

determining, on the basis of setting information indicating, for each of the wavelengths, whether optical level adjustment for wavelengths of an optical signal output from the wavelength selective switcher is being carried out in another optical relay device and a determination result in the optical-level-fluctuation detecting, for each of the wavelengths, whether the optical level adjustment is necessary;

determining the optical level adjustment amount of a waveform for which the optical level adjustment is determined as necessary in the adjustment-implementation determining; and

notifying transmittances of the wavelengths based on the optical level adjustment amount determined in the level-adjustment-amount determining to the wavelength selective switcher and instructing a setting change of the optical level adjustment amount at a time when the wavelength selective switcher outputs the optical signal, wherein

in the adjustment-implementation determining, a wavelength, the optical level adjustment for which is being carried out by another optical relay device, is excluded from a target of the optical level adjustment.