Limited wavelength all-to-all wavelength routing network configuration

• US 9,401,774 B1
• Filed: 05/05/2014
• Issued: 07/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: National Security Agency
• Original Assignee: The United States of America As Represented By The Director National Security Agency
• Inventors: Mineo, Christopher A., Yoo, Sung-Joo Ben, Wen, Ke
• Primary Examiner(s): Singh, Dalzid
• Application Number:
  US14/120,661
• Time in Patent Office: 813 Days
• Field of Search: 398/48, 398/49, 398/82
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0267 Optical signaling or routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/00 Selecting arrangements for multiplex systems multiplex systems H04J
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0005 Switch and router aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0022 using fibre gratings
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1319 Amplifier, attenuation circuit, echo suppressor

Abstract

A network configuration provides arbitration-free all-to-all connection between the nodes of the network utilizing wavelength routing devices and utilizing a limited number of wavelengths for routing optical signals to the nodes of the network.

Claims

1. A network configuration comprising:

a plurality of nodes, each node including a plurality of banks of transmitters and a plurality of banks of receivers, said transmitters transmitting signals having a plurality of different wavelengths and said receivers receiving said transmitted signals, wherein the number of different wavelengths of the transmitted signals is less than the number of nodes and wherein a multiplexed signal is associated with each bank of transmitters;

a wavelength routing device having input ports in communication with said transmitters and output ports in communication with said receivers, said routing device routing signals transmitted by said transmitters from said input ports to said output ports; and

wherein a first bank of transmitters of a first node is in communication with a first input port and a second bank of transmitters of said first node is in communication with a second input port.

2. The network configuration of claim 1, wherein said network configuration provides all-to-all connection of said nodes.

3. The network configuration of claim 1, wherein said wavelength routing device is an arrayed waveguide grating router.

4. The network configuration of claim 1, wherein optical signals transmitted from a single node are received by a plurality of wavelength routing devices.

5. A network configuration as defined in claim 4, wherein the number of routing devices included in the network is defined by N²/W², where N represents the number of nodes and W represents the number of wavelengths of the transmitted signals.

6. A network configuration as defined in claim 4, wherein said nodes and said wavelength routing devices are grouped into a plurality of groups;

wherein said input ports of each said group of wavelength routing devices is in communication with transmitters of a single group of nodes and said output ports of each said group of wavelength routing devices is in communication with receivers from each of said groups of nodes.

7. A network configuration as defined in claim 6, wherein the number of nodes grouped in a group is limited by the number of different wavelengths of the transmitted signals.

8. The network configuration of claim 4, wherein the number of input ports provided by each said wavelength routing device is fewer than the number of nodes.

9. The network configuration of claim 1:

wherein as the number of nodes increases a network diameter is fixed.

10. The network configuration of claim 9, wherein the diameter of said network is 2.

11. The network configuration of claim 1, wherein the total number of fibers required to implement the network is defined by 2 N²/W, where N represents the number of nodes and W represents the number of wavelengths of the transmitted signals.

12. The network configuration of claim 1, wherein said transmitters transmit signals of a fixed wavelength.