Optical apparatus and optical cross connect apparatus

• US 7,764,881 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2005
• Issued: 07/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Aoki, Yasuhiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Vanderpuye; Ken N
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEUNG, WAI LUN
• Application Number:
  US11/320,960
• Publication Number:
  US 20060210266A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,670 Days
• Field of Search: 398/45, 398/50, 398/51, 398 53- 56, 398/2, 398/5, 398/6, 398/7
• US Class Current: 398/2
• 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 14/0212 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: H04J 14/0269 using tables for routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/029 Dedicated protection at the optical multiplex section (1+1)
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0291 Shared protection at the optical multiplex section (1:1, n:m)
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0294 Dedicated protection at the optical channel (1+1)
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0295 Shared protection at the optical channel (1:1, n:m)
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0297 Optical equipment protection
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0005 Switch and router aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0016 using wavelength multiplexing or demultiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0024 using space switching
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0039 Electrical control
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0043 Fault tolerance
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0081 Fault tolerance; Redundancy; Recovery; Reconfigurability

Abstract

An optical apparatus is disclosed wherein increase of the number of wavelength selective switches provided for a standby system can be suppressed. The optical apparatus includes a plurality of upstream side optical devices and a plurality of downstream side optical devices configured such that a plurality of output ports to be set as output destinations of light from a plurality of input ports can be changed over for each wavelength. An upstream side standby switch connected at a plurality of inputs thereof individually to the input ports and can change over an output of light from the inputs for each wavelength. A downstream side standby switch is connected at an input thereof to the output of the upstream side standby switch and at a plurality of outputs thereof individually to the output ports and can output light from the input to the plural outputs thereof.

Claims

1. An optical apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of input ports;

a plurality of output ports;

a plurality of upstream side optical devices provided corresponding to said input ports;

a plurality of downstream side optical devices provided corresponding to said output ports;

each of said plural upstream side optical devices having an input connected to a corresponding one of said input ports and a plurality of outputs individually connected to said plural downstream side optical devices;

each of said downstream side optical devices having a plurality of inputs individually connected to the outputs of said upstream side optical devices and an output connected to a corresponding one of said output ports;

said upstream side optical devices and said down-stream side optical devices being configured so as to be capable of changing over said output ports which are to be determined as output destinations of lights from said input ports for each of wavelengths;

an upstream side standby switch having a plurality of inputs individually connected to said input ports and capable of changing over an output of the lights from said inputs for each of the wavelengths;

a downstream side standby switch having an input connected to the output of said upstream side standby switch and a plurality of outputs individually connected to said output ports and capable of outputting the light from the input to said outputs for each of the wavelengths; and

a controller to perform changeover control between a path between said input ports and said output ports for each of the optical wavelengths set by said upstream side optical devices and said downstream optical devices and another path set by said upstream side standby switch and said downstream side standby switch;

wherein each of said upstream side optical devices is formed as an upstream side optical switch capable of selectively outputting the light from the input to said outputs for each of the wavelengths;

said optical apparatus further comprises;

a plurality of input port side optical couplers individually corresponding to said input ports each for branching a wavelength division multiplexed signal inputted from the corresponding input port into two signals and for outputting one of the branched signals to the upstream side optical device corresponding to the input port and outputting the other one of the branched signals to the upstream side standby switch; and

a plurality of output port side optical couplers individually corresponding to said output ports each for multiplexing an output wavelength multiplexing optical signal outputted from the corresponding downstream side optical device and an optical signal from said downstream side standby switch; and

said controller includes;

a wavelength path table to store, for each of wavelengths used to form the wavelength multiplexing optical signals, a relationship between said input ports and said output ports between which a wavelength path is to be set; and

a setting changing section to change a changeover setting between said upstream side optical devices and downstream side optical devices and between said upstream side standby switch and said downstream side standby switch based on contents of said wavelength path table.

2. The optical apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said downstream side optical devices is formed as a downstream side optical switch capable of selectively outputting the lights from said upstream side optical devices for each of the wavelengths.

3. The optical apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein, when a fault occurs with the connection of a first upstream side optical device which is one of said upstream side optical devices to a first downstream side optical device which is one of said downstream side optical devices, said upstream side standby switch outputs the light inputted from the input port which corresponds to the first upstream side optical device and having a wavelength of the light which is to be outputted from the first upstream side optical device to the first downstream side optical device, and said downstream side standby switch outputs the light inputted thereto to the output port which corresponds to the first downstream side optical device.

4. The optical apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein, when a fault occurs with the output of a first wavelength from a first upstream side optical device which is one of said upstream side optical devices, said upstream side standby switch outputs the light of the first wavelength inputted from the input port corresponding to the first upstream side optical device, and said downstream side standby switch outputs the light inputted thereto to the output port which corresponds to the downstream side optical device to which the light of the first wavelength is to be outputted from the first upstream side optical device.

5. The optical apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein, where each of N and M represents an integer, each of said upstream side optical devices is formed from a 1×

N wavelength selective switch and the number of said upstream side optical devices provided is M, and each of said downstream side optical devices is formed from an M×

1 wavelength selective switch and the number of said downstream side optical devices provided is N.

6. The optical apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein, where each of N and M represents an integer, each of said upstream side optical devices is formed from a 1×

N wavelength selective switch and the number of said upstream side optical devices provided is M, and each of said downstream side optical devices is formed from an M×

1 optical coupler and the number of said downstream side optical devices provided is N.

7. The optical apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein, where each of N and M represents an integer, each of said upstream side optical devices is formed from a 1×

N wavelength selective switch and the number of said upstream side optical devices provided is M, and each of said downstream side optical devices is formed from an M×

1 optical coupler and the number of said downstream side optical devices provided is N.

8. The optical apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein, where each of N and M represents an integer, each of said upstream side optical devices is formed from a 1×

N optical coupler and the number of said upstream side optical devices provided is M, and each of said downstream side optical devices is formed from an M×

1 wavelength selective switch and the number of said downstream side optical devices provided is N.

9. The optical apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein, where each of N and M represents an integer, each of said upstream side optical devices is formed from a 1×

N optical coupler and the number of said upstream side optical devices provided is M, and each of said downstream side optical devices is formed from an M×

1 wavelength selective switch and the number of said downstream side optical devices provided is N.

10. The optical apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a control section for performing changeover control between a path between said input ports and said output ports for each of the optical wavelengths set by said upstream side optical devices and said downstream optical devices and another path set by said upstream side standby switch and said downstream side standby switch.

11. The optical apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein said control section includes:

a wavelength path table for storing, for each of wavelengths used to form the wavelength multiplexing optical signals, a relationship between said input ports and said output ports between which a wavelength path is to be set; and

a setting changing section for changing a changeover setting between said upstream side optical devices and downstream side optical devices and between said upstream side standby switch and said downstream side standby switch based on contents of said wavelength path table.

12. The optical apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein said setting changing section leaves a first wavelength path not suffering from a fault of wavelength paths between the upstream side optical device and the downstream side optical device without changing over the first path to the paths set by the upstream side standby switch and the downstream side standby switch, the wavelength paths between the upstream side optical device and the downstream side optical device including a second wavelength path suffering from a fault;

meanwhile said setting changing section changes over the second wavelength path to a path set by the upstream side standby switch and the downstream side standby switch.

13. An optical cross connect apparatus for optically cross connecting a plurality of input ports and a plurality of output ports, comprising:

a plurality of upstream side wavelength selective switches provided corresponding to said input ports for outputting input wavelength division multiplexed signals from said input ports from output routes changed over for each of wavelengths;

a plurality of downstream side wavelength selective optical switches provided corresponding to said output ports for receiving, at inputs thereof, the optical signals outputted from the output routes of said upstream side wavelength selective switches, selecting the optical signals to be introduced to said output ports from among the inputted optical signals for each of the wavelengths and outputting the selected wavelength division multiplexed signals;

a plurality of tunable wavelength filters individually corresponding to said input ports for receiving the input wavelength division multiplexed signals from said input ports as inputs thereto and passing selected wavelength components of the input wavelength division multiplexed optical signals therethrough;

a plurality of branching devices individually corresponding to said input ports for branching the optical signals of the wavelength components having passed through said tunable wavelength filters toward said output ports;

a plurality of continuity/discontinuity gates individually corresponding to said input ports for continuing or discontinuing the optical signals branched by said branching devices to said output ports; and

a control section for performing changeover control between a path between said input ports and said output ports for each of the optical wavelengths set by said upstream side optical devices and said downstream optical devices and another path set by said upstream side standby switch and said downstream side standby switch, wherein said control section comprises;

a wavelength path table for storing, for each of wavelengths used to form the wavelength multiplexing optical signals, a relationship between said input ports and said output ports between which a wavelength path is to be set; and

a setting changing section for changing a changeover setting between said upstream side optical devices and downstream side optical devices and between said upstream side standby switch and said downstream side standby switch based on contents of said wavelength path table.

14. A method of optically cross connecting a plurality of input ports and a plurality of output ports, comprising:

providing a plurality of input ports;

providing a plurality of output ports;

providing a plurality of upstream side optical devices corresponding to the input ports;

providing a plurality of downstream side optical devices corresponding to the output ports;

connecting an input of each of the plural upstream side optical devices to a corresponding one of the input ports;

connecting a plurality of outputs of each of the plural upstream side optical devices individually to the plural downstream side optical devices;

connecting a plurality of inputs of each of the downstream side optical devices having individually to the outputs of the upstream side optical devices;

connecting an output of each of the downstream side optical devices to a corresponding one of the output ports;

changing over the output ports of the upstream side optical devices and the downstream side optical devices which are to be determined as output destinations of lights from the input ports for each of wavelengths;

connecting a plurality of inputs of an upstream side standby switch individually to the input ports;

changing over an output of the lights from the inputs of the upstream side standby switch for each of the wavelengths;

connecting an input of a downstream side standby switch to the output of the upstream side standby switch;

connecting a plurality of outputs of the downstream side standby switch individually to the output ports;

outputting the light from the input of the downstream side standby switch to the outputs for each of the wavelengths;

changing between a path between the input ports and the output ports for each of the optical wavelengths set by the upstream side optical devices and the downstream side optical devices and another path set by the upstream side standby switch and the downstream side standby switch;

providing a plurality of input port side optical couplers individually corresponding to the input ports;

branching a wavelength division multiplexed signal inputted from a corresponding input port into two signals;

outputting one of the branched signals to the upstream side optical device corresponding to the input port;

outputting the other one of the branched signals to the upstream side standby switch;

forming each of the upstream side optical devices as an upstream side optical switch capable of selectively outputting the light from the input to said outputs for each of the wavelengths;

providing a plurality of output port side optical couplers individually corresponding to the output ports; and

multiplexing an output wavelength multiplexing optical signal outputted from the corresponding downstream side optical device and an optical signal from the downstream side standby switch;

storing a relationship between the input ports and the output ports between which a wavelength path is to be set for each of the wavelengths used to form the wavelength multiplexing optical signals in a wavelength path table; and

changing between the path between the input ports and the output ports for each of the optical wavelengths set by the upstream side optical devices and the downstream side optical devices and the another path set by the upstream side standby switch and the downstream side standby switch based on contents of the wavelength path table.