System for an optical domain

• US 5,903,370 A
• Filed: 06/28/1996
• Issued: 05/11/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: MCI Communications Corporation (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Johnson, William Arthur
• Primary Examiner(s): PASCAL, LESLIE C
• Application Number:
  US08/670,849
• Time in Patent Office: 1,047 Days
• Field of Search: 359/119, 359/110, 359/128, 359/139, 359/161, 359/166, 359/117
• US Class Current: 398/4
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/27 Arrangements for networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/275 Ring-type networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/085 for ring networks, e.g. SDH/SONET rings, self-healing rings, meashed SDH/SONET networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/14 Monitoring arrangements for SDH/SONET rings H04J3/085

Abstract

A transmission-based restoration system and method restores a failure of an optical pipe within an optical domain. Restoration occurs in the same domain in which the failed optical pipe is located. First and second optical pipe rings and a first plurality of optical switch platforms are deployed within a domain. The first optical pipe ring carries optical communication signals in first and second opposing directions around the first optical pipe ring. The second optical pipe ring carries optical communication signals in first and second opposing directions around the second optical pipe ring. Each optical switch platform is connected to the first optical pipe ring and the second optical pipe ring for switching the optical communication signals between the first and second optical pipe rings. When the first and second optical pipe rings both fail between adjacent first and second optical switch platforms, the first optical switch platform switches the optical communication signals carried in the first direction in the optical pipe ring to be carried in the second direction in the second optical pipe ring. The second optical switch platform switches the optical communication signals carried in the second direction in the first optical pipe ring to be carried in the first direction in the second optical pipe ring. Preemptive traffic, multiple domain switches, and redundant configurations are used.

Claims

1. An optical domain restoration system for restoring communication over a first domain, the system comprising:

a first optical pipe ring within the first domain for carrying optical communication signals in first and second opposing directions around said first optical pipe ring;

a second optical pipe ring within the first domain for carrying optical communication signals in first and second opposing directions around said second optical pipe ring, the first direction around said second optical pipe ring being in a substantially same direction as the first direction around said first optical pipe ring; and

a first plurality of optical switch platforms including adjacent first and second optical switch platforms, each optical switch platform being connected to said first and second optical pipe rings for switching optical communication signals between said first and second optical pipe rings, and each optical switch platform switching said optical communication signals without converting said optical communication signals from optical to electrical;

wherein, when a communication failure occurs between said first optical switch platform and said second optical switch platform,

said first optical switch platform switches optical communication signals carried in the first direction in said first optical pipe ring between said first optical switch platform and said second optical switch platform to be carried in the second direction in said second optical pipe ring between said first optical switch platform and said second optical switch platform, and

said second optical switch platform switches optical communication signals carried in the second direction in said first optical pipe ring between said second optical switch platform and said first optical switch platform to be carried in the first direction in said second optical pipe ring between said second optical switch platform and said first optical switch platform.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein each optical switch platform is coupled to a mediation device for generating an alarm based on a loss of received light.

3. The system according to claim 2, further comprising a central management operation system for generating transmission-based restoration commands in response to alarms received from said mediation devices.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein said central management operation system includes a memory for storing a state table of said transmission-based restoration commands for controlling switching in said first and second optical switching platforms.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein said first optical pipe ring carries traffic having a higher priority than preemptive traffic carried by said second optical pipe ring.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein said first and second optical switch platforms preempt said preemptive traffic during optical domain restoration.

7. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a second domain adjacent to and coupled with said first domain, said second domain comprising:

a third optical pipe ring within said second domain for carrying optical communication signals in first and second opposing directions around said third optical pipe ring, the first direction around said third optical pipe ring being in a substantially same direction as the first direction around said first optical pipe ring;

a fourth optical pipe ring within said second domain for carrying optical communication signals in first and second opposing directions around said fourth optical pipe ring, the first direction around said fourth optical pipe ring being in a substantially same direction as the first direction around said third optical pipe ring; and

a second plurality of optical switch platforms including third and fourth optical switch platforms, each optical switch platform of said second plurality of optical switch platforms being connected to said third and fourth optical pipe rings for switching optical communication signals between said third and fourth optical pipe rings.

8. The system according to claim 7, further comprising first and second optical domain switches coupled to a common restoration path shared by the first and second domains for restoration.

9. An optical domain restoration method for restoring communication over a first domain, the method comprising the steps of:

carrying optical communication signals in first and second opposing directions around a first optical pipe ring;

carrying optical communication signals in first and second opposing directions around a second optical pipe ring, the first direction around said second optical pipe ring being in a substantially same direction as the first direction around said first optical pipe ring; and

switching optical communication signals between said first and second optical pipe rings through a plurality of optical switch platforms wherein said switching occurs without converting said optical communication signals from optical to electrical;

during restoration, controlling said first optical switch platform to switch optical communication signals carried in the first direction in said first optical pipe ring between said first optical switch platform and said second optical switch platform to be carried in the second direction in said second optical pipe ring between said first optical switch platform and said second optical switch platform; and

during restoration, controlling said second optical switch platform to switch optical communication signals carried in the second direction in said first optical pipe ring between said second optical switch platform and said first optical switch platform to be carried in the first direction in said second optical pipe ring between said second optical switch platform and said first optical switch platform.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising the steps of:

detecting a loss of received light at each optical switch platform; and

generating an alarm in response to a detected loss of received light.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising the step of centrally managing transmission-based restoration of failed first and second optical pipe rings in response to an alarm.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein said centrally managing step includes looking up transmission-based restoration commands in a state table for controlling switching in said first and second optical switch platforms.

13. The method according to claim 9, wherein during normal operation, said first optical pipe ring carries traffic having a higher priority than preemptive traffic carried by said second optical pipe ring.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising the step of preempting preemptive traffic carried by said second optical pipe ring during optical domain restoration.

15. The method according to claim 9, further comprising the steps of:

optically coupling a second domain adjacent to said first domain through a common restoration path;

carrying optical communication signals in first and second opposing directions around a third optical pipe ring, the first direction around said third optical pipe ring being in a substantially same direction as the first direction around said first optical pipe ring;

carrying optical communication signals in first and second opposing directions around a fourth optical pipe ring, the first direction around said fourth optical pipe ring being in a substantially same direction as the first direction around said second optical pipe ring; and

switching optical communication signals between said third and fourth optical pipe rings.