Secure wavelength selective switch-based reconfigurable branching unit for submarine network

• US 9,414,134 B2
• Filed: 10/02/2014
• Issued: 08/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Wang, Ting, Aida, Ryuji, Ji, Philip
• Primary Examiner(s): Vanderpuye, Ken N
• Assistant Examiner(s): SANDHU, AMRITBIR K
• Application Number:
  US14/504,597
• Publication Number:
  US 20150093116A1
• Time in Patent Office: 677 Days
• Field of Search: 398/83, 398/104
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/80 Optical aspects relating to the use of optical transmission for specific applications, not provided for in groups H04B10/03 - H04B10/70, e.g. optical power feeding or optical transmission through water
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0205 Select and combine arrangements, e.g. with an optical combiner at the output after adding or dropping
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0212 using optical switches or wavelength selective switches [WSS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0213 Groups of channels or wave bands arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0221 Power control, e.g. to keep the total optical power constant
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0005 Switch and router aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0062 Network aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0037 Operation

Abstract

Systems and methods for method for data transport using secure reconfigurable branching units, including receiving signals from a first trunk terminal and a second trunk terminal by branching units. Broadcasting is prevented for secure information delivery by dividing, within the branching units, the one or more signals from the first trunk terminal and the second trunk terminal into two or more sections, and sending the two or more sections to an optical coupler. Signals may be received from a branch terminal by one or more branching units using two fiber pairs, and the signals from the branch terminals may be divided into two or more groups of optical sections, wherein one of the sections includes dummy light. The divided signals from the first trunk terminal, the second trunk terminal, and dummy light from the branch terminal may be merged, and the merged signal sent to the branch terminal.

Claims

1. A method for data transport using one or more secure reconfigurable branching units, comprising:

receiving one or more signals from a first trunk terminal and a second trunk terminal by one or more branching units;

preventing broadcasting for secure information delivery by dividing, within the branching unit, the one or more signals from the first trunk terminal and the second trunk terminal into two or more sections, blocking, using one or more Wavelength Selective Switches within the branching units, unintended signals on a trunk path, and sending the two or more sections to two or more different optical couplers;

receiving one or more signals from a branch terminal by one or more branching units using two fiber pairs;

dividing the one of more signals from the one or more branch terminals into two or more groups of optical sections, wherein one of the sections includes dummy light;

merging the divided signals from the first trunk terminal, the second trunk terminal, and dummy light from the branch terminal; and

sending a merged signal to the branch terminal.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein power balance is maintained with no active light source at the branching unit by reusing the dummy light from incoming branching fibers to returning branching fibers.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein each section of the divided one or more signals from the first trunk terminal and the second trunk terminal includes different wavelengths than other sections.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the divided signals from the first trunk terminal, the second trunk terminal, and dummy light from the branch terminal are merged using the optical coupler.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the dividing the one or more signals from the first trunk terminal and the second trunk terminal is performed using one or more Wavelength Selective Switches, and each channel passes through the one or more Wavelength Selective Switches twice.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the BU is fully reconfigurable in all channels by setting each of one or more 1:

2 Wavelength Division Multiplexer channels to one of a port one or a port two independently, and delivers 2^K configurations for each source terminal, wherein K is a number of channels.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the dividing the one or more signals from the first trunk terminal and the second trunk terminal is performed using one or more optical splitters and one or more wavelength blockers.

8. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the one or more wavelength blockers block unwanted channels from reaching an unintended destination.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the dividing the one or more signals from the first trunk terminal and the second trunk terminal is performed using two or more Wavelength Selective Switches,

wherein each of the one two or more Wavelength Selective Switches are configured to be concurrently controlled, and

wherein each channel passes through each of the two or more Wavelength Selective Switches twice.

10. A system for data transport using one or more secure reconfigurable branching units, comprising:

one or more branching units configured to receive one or more signals from a first trunk terminal and a second trunk terminal, the one or more branching units being further configured to;

prevent broadcasting for secure information delivery by dividing, within the branching unit, the one or more signals from the first trunk terminal and the second trunk terminal into two or more sections, blocking, using one or more Wavelength Selective Switches within the branching units, unintended signals on a trunk path, and sending the two or more sections to two or more different optical couplers;

receive one or more signals from a branch terminal using two fiber pairs;

divide the one of more signals from the one or more branch terminals into two or more groups of optical sections, wherein one of the sections includes dummy light;

merge the divided signals from the first trunk terminal, the second trunk terminal, and dummy light from the branch terminal; and

send a merged signal to the branch terminal.

11. The system as recited in claim 10, wherein power balance is maintained with no active light source at the branching unit by reusing the dummy light from incoming branching fibers to returning branching fibers.

12. The system as recited in claim 10, wherein each section of the divided one or more signals from the first trunk terminal and the second trunk terminal includes different wavelengths than other sections.

13. The system as recited in claim 10, wherein the divided signals from the first trunk terminal, the second trunk terminal, and dummy light from the branch terminal are merged using the optical coupler.

14. The system as recited in claim 10, wherein the dividing the one or more signals from the first trunk terminal and the second trunk terminal is performed using one or more Wavelength Selective Switches, and each channel passes through the one or more Wavelength Selective Switches twice.

15. The system as recited in claim 10, wherein the BU is fully reconfigurable in all channels by setting each of one or more 1:

2 Wavelength Division Multiplexer channels to one of a port one or a port two independently, and delivers 2^K configurations for each source terminal, wherein K is a number of channels.

16. The system as recited in claim 10, wherein the dividing the one or more signals from the first trunk terminal and the second trunk terminal is performed using one or more optical splitters and one or more wavelength blockers.

17. The system as recited in claim 16, wherein the one or more wavelength blockers block unwanted channels from reaching an unintended destination.

18. The system as recited in claim 14, wherein the one or more Wavelength Selective Switches are configured to provide full reconfigurability.

19. The system as recited in claim 10, the dividing the one or more signals from the first trunk terminal and the second trunk terminal being performed using two or more Wavelength Selective Switches,

wherein each of the one two or more Wavelength Selective Switches are configured to be concurrently controlled, and

wherein each channel passes through each of the two or more Wavelength Selective Switches twice.

20. A method for data transport using one or more secure reconfigurable branching units, comprising:

receiving one or more signals from a first trunk terminal and a second trunk terminal by one or more branching units;

preventing broadcasting for secure information delivery by dividing, within the branching unit, the one or more signals from the first trunk terminal and the second trunk terminal into two or more sections, blocking, within the branching units, unintended signals on a trunk path, and sending the two or more sections to two or more optical couplers, the dividing and blocking being performed using two or more Wavelength Selective Switches,

wherein each of the one two or more Wavelength Selective Switches are configured to be concurrently controlled, and

wherein each channel passes through each of the two or more Wavelength Selective Switches twice;

receiving one or more signals from a branch terminal by one or more branching units using two fiber pairs;

dividing the one of more signals from the one or more branch terminals into two or more groups of optical sections, wherein one of the sections includes dummy light;

merging the divided signals from the first trunk terminal, the second trunk terminal, and dummy light from the branch terminal; and

sending a merged signal to the branch terminal.