Optical communication apparatus, optical communication system, and path control method

• US 9,473,262 B2
• Filed: 09/11/2012
• Issued: 10/18/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Nakata, Takeshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Woldekidan, Hibret
• Application Number:
  US13/610,476
• Publication Number:
  US 20130077969A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,498 Days
• Field of Search: 398/83, 398/135, 398/138, 398/139, 398 45- 50, 398/51, 398/54, 398/58, 398/79
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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

Abstract

An optical communication apparatus of a wavelength division multiplexing transmission system has a transponder having a double-wavelength tunable transceiver and a transceiver including a switching controller, and a ROADM device having a device that copes with a colorless function and a directionless function and can operate in cooperation with the transponder.

Claims

1. An optical communication apparatus, comprising:

a transponder comprising a plurality of transceivers operable in response to optical signals of different wavelengths through which data are received/transmitted, a switching part which switches the plurality of transceivers from one to another, and a switching controller controlling the switching part; and

a reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer including a device that copes with a colorless function and a directionless function and is configured to operate in cooperation with the transponder,

wherein each receiver of the plurality of the transceivers includes a receiver part which receives the optical signals of the different wavelengths and which outputs electric signals, and

wherein the switching part is structured by a non-instantaneous-interruption switching part which includes a part for signal delay adjustment of the data received/transmitted through the different wavelengths.

2. The optical communication apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said each receiver of the plurality of the transceivers is structured by a wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) transceiver, a transmitter, and a receiver,

wherein the transponder further comprises:

a coupler which includes multiple inputs and a single output and which is connected to outputs of the plurality of transmitters, and

a coupler which includes a single input and multiple outputs and which is connected to inputs of the plurality of receivers.

3. The optical communication apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the transponder includes an error correction part operable to perform an error correction.

4. The optical communication apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the transponder includes a channel controller operable to manage a channel of an optical signal transmitted to or received from the reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer based upon a control signal for determining a network path.

5. The optical communication apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer includes a transceiver module connectable to a predetermined number of transmission lines, a wavelength cross connector module operable to switch optical signals, and an add part and a drop part connected to the transponder.

6. The optical communication apparatus as recited in claim 5, wherein the add part and the drop part are configured to be capable of coping with a plurality of paths.

7. An optical communication system, comprising:

a plurality of nodes each including the optical communication apparatus as recited in claim 1.

8. The optical communication system as recited in claim 7, wherein a path of λ

1 that is connected to the plurality of nodes is configured to automatically be switched into another path of λ

2 that is different from λ

1.

9. An optical communication system including a plurality of nodes each including an optical communication apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the transponder includes a wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) transceiver part including a plurality of transmitters and a plurality of receivers,

wherein a coupler with multiple inputs and a single output is connected to outputs of the plurality of transmitters, and

wherein a coupler with a single input and multiple outputs is connected to inputs of the plurality of receivers.

10. An optical communication system including a plurality of nodes each including an optical communication apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the transponder includes a non-instantaneous-interruption switching controller operable to control the non-instantaneous-interruption switching part.

11. An optical communication system including a plurality of nodes each including an optical communication apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the transponder includes a non-instantaneous-interruption switching controller operable to control the non-instantaneous-interruption switching part, and

wherein the transponder further includes an error correction part operable to perform an error correction.

12. An optical communication system including a plurality of nodes each including an optical communication apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the transponder includes a channel controller operable to manage a channel of an optical signal transmitted to or received from the reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer based upon a control signal for determining a network path.

13. An optical communication system including a plurality of nodes each including an optical communication apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer includes a transceiver module connectable to a predetermined number of transmission lines, a wavelength cross connector module operable to switch optical signals, and an add part and a drop part connected to the transponder.

14. An optical communication system including a plurality of nodes each including an optical communication apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer includes a transceiver module connectable to a predetermined number of transmission lines, a wavelength cross connector module operable to switch optical signals, and an add part and a drop part connected to the transponder, and

wherein the add part and the drop part are configured to be capable of coping with a plurality of paths.

15. A transponder, comprising:

a plurality of transceivers operable in response to optical signals of different wavelengths through which data are received/transmitted;

a switching part which switches the plurality of transceivers from one to another; and

a client I/F transceiver part placed between the switching part and a plurality of clients,

wherein the client I/F transceiver part comprises a multiplexer/demultiplexer connected to the switching part and the plurality of the clients,

wherein the switching part is structured by a non-instantaneous interruption switch operable when the plurality of the transceivers are switched from one to another, and

wherein the non-instantaneous interruption switch is operable to adjust and/or delay the data received/transmitted through the different wavelengths.

16. A transponder as recited in claim 15, further comprising a switching controller connected to the non-instantaneous interruption switch to equalize delays of the data.