Multi-flow optical transceiver, multi-flow optical transponder and multi-flow optical node

• US 9,762,982 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2016
• Issued: 09/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation
• Inventors: Yonenaga, Kazushige, Takara, Hidehiko, Jinno, Masahiko, Shibahara, Kohki, Goh, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Jacob, Oommen
• Application Number:
  US15/080,282
• Publication Number:
  US 20160205451A1
• Time in Patent Office: 537 Days
• Field of Search: 398 48, 398 44, 398 42
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/40 Transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/506 Multiwavelength transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/516 Details of coding or modulation
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/572 Wavelength control
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/02 Wavelength-division multiplex systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0204 Broadcast and select arrangements, e.g. with an optical splitter at the input before adding or dropping
• 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 14/021 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 14/0224 Irregular wavelength spacing, e.g. to accommodate interference to all wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/026 using WDM channels of different transmission rates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/2697 in combination with other modulation techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0003 Details
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0005 Switch and router aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0035 using miscellaneous components, e.g. circulator, polarisation, acousto/thermo optical

Abstract

There is provided a multi-flow optical transceiver that includes (a) a plurality of wavelength-tunable light sources, (b) a plurality of optical modulation units which modulates light with an input signal, (c) an optical multiplexing/demultiplexing switch which couples light from at least one of the wavelength-tunable light sources to at least one of the optical modulation units with any power, (d) an optical coupling unit which couples a plurality of lights, modulated by a plurality of the optical modulation units, to at least one waveguide, (e) at least one multiple carrier generating unit which generates multiple carries, arranged at equal frequency intervals, from light of the wavelength-tunable light source, and (f) a wavelength separation unit which branches the multiple carriers from the multiple carrier generating unit for each wavelength.

Claims

1. A multi-flow optical transceiver comprising:

a plurality of wavelength-tunable light sources;

at least one multiple carrier generating unit which generates multiple carriers, arranged at equal frequency intervals, from light of one of the wavelength-tunable light sources;

a plurality of optical modulation units which modulates light with an input signal;

an optical multiplexing/demultiplexing switch which couples light from at least one of the wavelength-tunable light sources to at least one of the optical modulation units with any power and which branches the multiple carriers from the multiple carrier generating unit for each wavelength and couples the multiple carriers to any one of the optical modulation units; and

an optical coupling unit which couples a plurality of lights, modulated by the plurality of optical modulation units, to at least one waveguide;

wherein the number of the wavelength-tunable light sources is four and the number of the optical modulation units is four,

wherein the optical multiplexing/demultiplexing switch includes four input ports, four output ports, and three two-input/two-output variable multiplexers/demultiplexers, an input side of a first variable multiplexer/demultiplexer is connected to a second input port and a third input port, an input side of a second variable multiplexer/demultiplexer is connected to a first input port and one of outputs of the first variable multiplexer/demultiplexer, an input side of a third variable multiplexer/demultiplexer is connected to a fourth input port and the other of outputs of the first variable multiplexer/demultiplexer, an output side of a second variable multiplexer/demultiplexer is connected to a first output port and a second output port, an output side of a third variable multiplexer/demultiplexer is connected to a third output port and a fourth output port,

wherein multiple carriers from the multiple carrier generating unit are coupled to at least one of the input ports of the optical multiplexing/demultiplexing switch, and light from the wavelength-tunable light sources is coupled to the other input ports, and

wherein the optical modulation units are connected to the respective output ports of the optical multiplexing/demultiplexing switch.

2. The multi-flow optical transceiver according to claim 1, further comprising:

a digital/analog conversion unit which applies digital/analog conversion to the input signal and inputs the digital/analog converted signal to the optical modulation unit.

3. A multi-flow optical transponder comprising:

at least one client interface;

a reconfigurable digital signal processing unit connected to the client interface;

a parallel-serial/serial-parallel conversion unit which is connected to the digital signal processing unit; and

the multi-flow optical transceiver according to claim 2, which is connected to the parallel-serial/serial-parallel conversion unit.

4. A multi-flow optical node, comprising:

the multi-flow optical transponder according to claim 3; and

a plurality of wavelength selective switches,

wherein the number of output ports of the multi-flow optical transponder or the number of output ports of an optical branching unit connected to the output port of the multi-flow optical transponder is the same as the number of the wavelength selective switches, and an output of the multi-flow optical transponder or an output of the optical branching unit is connected to an input of the wavelength selective switch.

5. The multi-flow optical transceiver according to claim 1, wherein the optical coupling unit is a switch with an optical distribution function having a plurality of optical output ports.

6. A multi-flow optical transponder comprising:

at least one client interface;

a reconfigurable digital signal processing unit connected to the client interface;

a parallel-serial/serial-parallel conversion unit which is connected to the digital signal processing unit; and

the multi-flow optical transceiver according to claim 5, which is connected to the parallel-serial/serial-parallel conversion unit.

7. A multi-flow optical node, comprising:

the multi-flow optical transponder according to claim 6; and

a plurality of wavelength selective switches,

wherein the number of output ports of the multi-flow optical transponder or the number of output ports of an optical branching unit connected to the output port of the multi-flow optical transponder is the same as the number of the wavelength selective switches, and an output of the multi-flow optical transponder or an output of the optical branching unit is connected to an input of the wavelength selective switch.

8. A multi-flow optical transponder comprising:

at least one client interface;

a reconfigurable digital signal processing unit connected to the client interface;

a parallel-serial/serial-parallel conversion unit which is connected to the digital signal processing unit; and

the multi-flow optical transceiver according to claim 1, which is connected to the parallel-serial/serial-parallel conversion unit.

9. A multi-flow optical node, comprising:

the multi-flow optical transponder according to claim 8; and

a plurality of wavelength selective switches,

wherein the number of output ports of the multi-flow optical transponder or the number of output ports of an optical branching unit connected to the output port of the multi-flow optical transponder is the same as the number of the wavelength selective switches, and an output of the multi-flow optical transponder or an output of the optical branching unit is connected to an input of the wavelength selective switch.

10. A multi-flow optical transceiver comprising:

a multiple carrier generating unit which generates multiple carriers arranged at equal frequency intervals;

a wavelength separation unit which branches the multiple carriers from the multiple carrier generating unit for each wavelength;

a plurality of optical modulation units which modulates light with an input signal;

an optical multiplexing/demultiplexing switch which couples light, branched by at least one of the wavelength separation unit, to at least one of the optical modulation unit with any power; and

an optical coupling unit which couples a plurality of lights, modulated by a plurality of the optical modulation units, to at least one waveguide,

wherein the number of the optical modulation units is four,

wherein the optical multiplexing/demultiplexing switch includes four input ports, four output ports, and three two-input/two-output variable multiplexers/demultiplexers, an input side of a first variable multiplexer/demultiplexer is connected to a second input port and a third input port, an input side of a second variable multiplexer/demultiplexer is connected to a first input port and one of outputs of the first variable multiplexer/demultiplexer, an input side of a third variable multiplexer/demultiplexer is connected to a fourth input port and the other of outputs of the first variable multiplexer/demultiplexer, an output side of a second variable multiplexer/demultiplexer is connected to a first output port and a second output port, an output side of a third variable multiplexer/demultiplexer is connected to a third output port and a fourth output port,

wherein multiple carriers from the multiple carrier generating unit are coupled to the input port of the optical multiplexing/demultiplexing switch, and

wherein the optical modulation units are connected to the respective output ports of the optical multiplexing/demultiplexing switch.

11. The multi-flow optical transceiver according to claim 10, further comprising:

a digital/analog conversion unit which applies digital/analog conversion to the input signal and inputs the digital/analog converted signal to the optical modulation unit.

12. A multi-flow optical transponder comprising:

at least one client interface;

a reconfigurable digital signal processing unit connected to the client interface;

a parallel-serial/serial-parallel conversion unit which is connected to the digital signal processing unit; and

the multi-flow optical transceiver according to claim 11, which is connected to the parallel-serial/serial-parallel conversion unit.

13. A multi-flow optical node, comprising:

the multi-flow optical transponder according to claim 12; and

a plurality of wavelength selective switches,

wherein the number of output ports of the multi-flow optical transponder or the number of output ports of an optical branching unit connected to the output port of the multi-flow optical transponder is the same as the number of the wavelength selective switches, and an output of the multi-flow optical transponder or an output of the optical branching unit is connected to an input of the wavelength selective switch.

14. The multi-flow optical transceiver according to claim 10, wherein the optical coupling unit is a switch with an optical distribution function having a plurality of optical output ports.

15. A multi-flow optical transponder comprising:

at least one client interface;

a reconfigurable digital signal processing unit connected to the client interface;

a parallel-serial/serial-parallel conversion unit which is connected to the digital signal processing unit; and

the multi-flow optical transceiver according to claim 14, which is connected to the parallel-serial/serial-parallel conversion unit.

16. A multi-flow optical node, comprising:

the multi-flow optical transponder according to claim 15; and

a plurality of wavelength selective switches,

wherein the number of output ports of the multi-flow optical transponder or the number of output ports of an optical branching unit connected to the output port of the multi-flow optical transponder is the same as the number of the wavelength selective switches, and an output of the multi-flow optical transponder or an output of the optical branching unit is connected to an input of the wavelength selective switch.

17. A multi-flow optical transponder comprising:

at least one client interface;

a reconfigurable digital signal processing unit connected to the client interface;

a parallel-serial/serial-parallel conversion unit which is connected to the digital signal processing unit; and

the multi-flow optical transceiver according to claim 10, which is connected to the parallel-serial/serial-parallel conversion unit.

18. A multi-flow optical node, comprising:

the multi-flow optical transponder according to claim 17; and

a plurality of wavelength selective switches,

wherein the number of output ports of the multi-flow optical transponder or the number of output ports of an optical branching unit connected to the output port of the multi-flow optical transponder is the same as the number of the wavelength selective switches, and an output of the multi-flow optical transponder or an output of the optical branching unit is connected to an input of the wavelength selective switch.