Output port switching device in N-WDM system

• US 6,172,782 B1
• Filed: 05/15/1998
• Issued: 01/09/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Kiyoto
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Jason
• Assistant Examiner(s): PATEL, SANJAY N
• Application Number:
  US09/079,555
• Time in Patent Office: 970 Days
• Field of Search: 359/110, 359/128, 359/161, 359/133, 359/180, 359/187, 359/114, 359/115, 359/117, 359/127, 359/124, 370/219, 370/220
• US Class Current: 398/9
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/02 Wavelength-division multiplex systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0221 Power control, e.g. to keep the total optical power constant
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0279 WDM point-to-point architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0295 Shared protection at the optical channel (1:1, n:m)
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0005 Switch and router aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0011 using wavelength conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0015 using splitting combining
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0016 using wavelength multiplexing or demultiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0018 using tunable transmitters or receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0043 Fault tolerance

Abstract

In an output port switching device in an N-WDM system, plural ports are switched by a change-over switch 18, and a backup light source path 19 linked to the change-over switch 18 has a wavelength-variable light source 23. A first multiplexer 14 wavelength-multiplexes plural optical signals output from the plural ports, and a trouble-occurring port monitoring mechanism portion 17 monitors occurrence of a trouble on the basis of an optical signal split from the output optical signal. The change-over switch 18 selects and switches an optical signal to which the trouble is detected, and the backup light source path 19 is controlled so that the wavelength thereof is substantially coincident with the wavelength of the optical signal to which the trouble is detected, and the optical signal thus controlled and the output optical signals of the first multiplexer are multiplexed by a second multiplexer 15.

Claims

1. An output port switching device in an N-WDM (N-channel Wavelength Division Multiplexing) system with a switching backup output port having a laser generator serving a backup light source, comprising:

a change-over switch (18) for switching plural ports having plural electric signal converted from plural optical signal by a optical/electrical converter;

a backup light source path (19) having a wavelength-variable light source which is linked to the change-over switch;

a first multiplexer (14) for wavelength-multiplexing plural optical signals output from said plural ports;

a trouble-occurring port monitoring mechanism portion (17) comprising a wavelength-variable filter (20) for monitoring whether an occurrence of a trouble on the basis of an optical signal branched from the output optical signal of said first multiplexer and a light amount detector (21); and

a second multiplexer (15) for wavelength-multiplexing the output optical signal of said backup light source path (19) with the output optical signals of the other normal ports,

wherein said change-over switch (18) selects and switches an optical signal to which some trouble is monitored by said trouble-occurring port monitoring mechanism portion (17), said backup light source path (19) is controlled so that the wavelength thereof is substantially coincident with the wavelength of the optical signal to which the trouble is detected, and

wherein the controlled optical signal and the output optical signal of said first multiplexer (14) are multiplexed by the second multiplexer (15).

2. The output port switching device of the N-WDM system as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said output port switching device is constructed as a device at a transmission side.

3. The output port switching device of the N-WDM system as claimed in claim 2,

wherein said trouble-occurring port monitoring mechanism portion (17) has a control circuit (22) for performing various control operations such as detection of troubles, the switching operation of said change-over switch (18), the control operation of the wavelength to the substantially coincident wavelength.

4. The output port switching device of the N-WDM system as claimed in claim 2, further including a splitter (31) between said first multiplexer (14) and said second multiplexer (15),

wherein the output optical signal of said first multiplexer (14) is split by said splitter (31), and

wherein one optical signal thus split is input to said second multiplexer while the other optical signal is input to said trouble-occurring port monitoring mechanism portion (17).

5. The output port switching device of the N-WDM system as claimed in claim 3, further including a splitter (31) between said first multiplexer (14) and said second multiplexer (15),

wherein the output optical signal of said first multiplexer (14) is split by said splitter (31), and

wherein one optical signal thus split is input to said second multiplexer while the other optical signal is input to said trouble-occurring port monitoring mechanism portion (17).

6. The N-WDM system as claimed in claim 2,

wherein said trouble-occurring port monitoring mechanism portion (17) has a control circuit (22) for performing various control operations such as detection of troubles, the switching operation of said change-over switch (18), the control operation of the wavelength to the substantially coincident wavelength.

7. The N-WDM system as claimed in claim 6, further including a splitter (31) between said first multiplexer (14) and said second multiplexer (15),

wherein the output optical signal of said first multiplexer (14) is split by said splitter (31), and

wherein one optical signal thus split is input to said second multiplexer while the other optical signal is input to said trouble-occurring port monitoring mechanism portion (17).

8. An N-WDM (N-channel Wavelength Division Multiplexing) system with a switching backup output port having a laser diode serving as a backup light source, comprising:

a change-over switch (18) for switching plural ports having plural electric signal converted from plural optical signal by a optical/electrical converter ;

a backup light source path (19) having a wavelength-variable light source which is linked to the change-over switch;

a first multiplexer (14) for wavelength-multiplexing plural optical signals output from said plural ports;

a trouble-occurring port monitoring mechanism portion (17) comprising a wavelength-variable filter (20) for monitoring whether an occurrence of a trouble on the basis of an optical signal branched from the output optical signal of said first multiplexer and a light amount detector (21); and

a second multiplexer (15) for wavelength-multiplexing the output optical signal of said backup light source path (19) with the output optical signals of the other normal ports,

wherein said change-over switch (18) selects and switches an optical signal to which some trouble is monitored by said trouble-occurring port monitoring mechanism portion (17), said backup light source path (19) is controlled so that the wavelength thereof is substantially coincident with the wavelength of the optical signal to which the trouble is detected, and

wherein the controlled optical signal and the output optical signal of said first multiplexer (14) are multiplexed by the second multiplexer (15).

9. The N-WDM system as claimed in claim 8,

wherein said second multiplexer is constructed at a transmission side and a output optical signal wavelength-multiplexed is output to a optical fiber through a post-amplifier.

10. The N-WDM system as claimed in claim 9, further including a splitter (31) between said first multiplexer (14) and said second multiplexer (15),

wherein the output optical signal of said first multiplexer (14) is split by said splitter (31), and

wherein one optical signal thus split is input to said second multiplexer while the other optical signal is input to said trouble-occurring port monitoring mechanism portion (17).