OPTICAL SIGNAL LEVEL ADJUSTMENT SYSTEM, INFORMATION ANALYSIS/CONTROL SIGNAL GENERATION APPARATUS IN THE SAME SYSTEM, AND INFORMATION ANALYSIS/CONTROL SIGNAL GENERATION METHOD

• US 20110311216A1
• Filed: 03/16/2010
• Published: 12/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Inoue, Takanori
• Granted Patent: US 8,798,473 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 398/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/0791 Fault location on the transmission path
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/27 Arrangements for networking
• 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

Abstract

The present invention enables to prevent transmission characteristics from deteriorating due to the nonlinear effect in the transmission path caused by an increase in the channel power when a cable disconnection occurs. An optical signal level adjustment method comprises the steps of: obtaining, based on one or more optical signal disconnections which are detected per wavelength block and each of which is detected by a signal disconnection detection section included in each of terminal station devices, a location at which the optical signal disconnection has occurred, a combination of a terminal station device and a wavelength block, and a dummy light adjustment amount, said combination being required to be subjected to adjustment of transmission dummy light, said combination and said dummy light adjustment amount corresponding to the location; and transmitting, to the terminal station device which is required to be subjected to adjustment of the transmission dummy light, a control signal for adjusting the intensity of the dummy light in the obtained wavelength block by the dummy light adjustment amount.

Claims

1. An optical signal level adjustment method comprising:

obtaining a fault pattern representing optical signal connection or optical signal disconnection at each wavelength block of each input of each terminal station device;

obtaining one or more combinations corresponding to the fault pattern, each of said combinations representing a place where adjustment of transmission dummy light is required, and including a wavelength block, and a terminal station device as items for identifying the place;

obtaining a dummy light adjustment amount for each of said combinations, said dummy light adjustment amount corresponding to the fault pattern; and

transmitting, to the terminal station device, which is included in each of said combinations, a control signal for adjusting the intensity of the dummy light in the wavelength block, which is included in each of said combinations, at an output by the dummy light adjustment amount for each of said combinations.

2. The optical signal level adjustment method according to claim 1, further comprising detecting the optical signal connection or the optical signal disconnection at each wavelength block of each output of each terminal station device, by a signal disconnection detection section of each of the terminal station devices.

3. The optical signal level adjustment method according to claim 1, further comprising generating dummy light whose intensity has been adjusted in the wavelength block at the output included in the combination by the dummy light adjustment amount according to the control signal.

4. The optical signal level adjustment method according to claim 3, wherein the number of the dummy light sources is adjusted in lieu of adjusting the intensity of the dummy light.

14. The optical signal level adjustment method according to claim 1,

wherein said combination further includes an output as an additional item for identifying the place,

wherein the control signal is for adjusting the intensity of the dummy light in the wavelength block, which is included in each of said combinations, at the output, which is included in each of said combinations, by the dummy light adjustment amount for each of said combinations.

5. A terminal station device comprising:

a device for detecting optical signal connection or optical signal disconnection per wave length block of each output;

a device for obtaining a fault pattern representing optical signal connection or optical signal disconnection at each wavelength block of each input of each terminal station device;

a device for obtaining one or more combinations corresponding to the fault pattern, each of said combinations representing a place where adjustment of transmission dummy light is required, and including a wavelength block, and a terminal station device as items for identifying the place;

a device for obtaining a dummy light adjustment amount for each of said combinations, said dummy light adjustment amount corresponding to the fault pattern;

a device for transmitting, to the terminal station device, which is included in each of said combinations, a control signal for adjusting the intensity of the dummy light in the wavelength block, which is included in each of said combinations, at an output by the dummy light adjustment amount for each of said combinations; and

a dummy light generation/adjustment section for generating dummy light whose intensity has been adjusted in the wavelength block at the output included in the combination by the dummy light adjustment amount according to the control signal.

6. The terminal station device according to claim 5, wherein the dummy light generation/adjustment section adjusts the number of the dummy light sources in lieu of adjusting the intensity of the dummy light.

15. The terminal station device according to claim 5,

wherein said combination further includes an output as an additional item for identifying the place,

wherein the control signal is for adjusting the intensity of the dummy light in the wavelength block, which is included in each of said combinations, at the output, which is included in each of said combinations, by the dummy light adjustment amount for each of said combinations.

7. A terminal station device comprising:

a device for detecting optical signal connection or optical signal disconnection per wave length block of each output;

a device for obtaining a fault pattern representing optical signal connection or optical signal disconnection at each wavelength block of each input of each terminal station device;

a device for obtaining one or more combinations corresponding to the fault pattern, each of said combinations representing a place where adjustment of transmission dummy light is required, and including a wavelength block, and a terminal station device as items for identifying the place;

a device for obtaining a dummy light adjustment amount for each of said combinations, said dummy light adjustment amount corresponding to the fault pattern; and

a dummy light generation/adjustment section for generating dummy light whose intensity has been adjusted in the wavelength block at the output included in the combination by the dummy light adjustment amount according to a control signal which is sent from an information analysis/control signal generation apparatus for transmitting, to the terminal station device, which is included in each of said combinations, the control signal for adjusting the intensity of the dummy light in the wavelength block, which is included in each of said combinations, at an output by the dummy light adjustment amount for each of said combinations.

8. The terminal station device according to claim 7, wherein the dummy light generation/adjustment section adjusts the number of the dummy light sources in lieu of adjusting the intensity of the dummy light.

16. The terminal station device according to claim 7,

wherein said combination further includes an output as an additional item for identifying the place,

wherein the control signal is for adjusting the intensity of the dummy light in the wavelength block, which is included in each of said combinations, at the output, which is included in each of said combinations, by the dummy light adjustment amount for each of said combinations.

9. An information analysis/control signal generation apparatus comprising:

a device for obtaining a fault pattern representing optical signal connection or optical signal disconnection at each wavelength block of each input of each terminal station device;

a device for obtaining one or more combinations corresponding to the fault pattern, each of said combinations representing a place where adjustment of transmission dummy light is required, and including a wavelength block, and a terminal station device as items for identifying the place;

a device for obtaining a dummy light adjustment amount for each of said combinations, said dummy light adjustment amount corresponding to the fault pattern; and

a device for transmitting, to the terminal station device, which is included in each of said combinations, a control signal for adjusting the intensity of the dummy light in the wavelength block, which is included in each of said combinations, at an output by the dummy light adjustment amount for each of said combinations.

10. An optical signal level adjustment system comprising:

the information analysis/control signal generation apparatus as claimed in claim 9; and

terminal station devices.

11. The optical signal level adjustment system according to claim 10, wherein

the terminal station devices each comprise a dummy light generation/adjustment section that generates the dummy light whose intensity has been adjusted in the wavelength block at the output included in the combination by the dummy light adjustment amount according to the control signal.

12. The optical signal level adjustment system according to claim 11, wherein the number of the dummy light sources is adjusted in lieu of adjusting the intensity of the dummy light.

13. The optical signal level adjustment system according to claim 10, further comprising a branching apparatus having an optical add/drop multiplexing function.

17. The information analysis/control signal generation apparatus according to claim 9,

wherein said combination further includes an output as an additional item for identifying the place,

wherein the control signal is for adjusting the intensity of the dummy light in the wavelength block, which is included in each of said combinations, at the output, which is included in each of said combinations, by the dummy light adjustment amount for each of said combinations.

18. The information analysis/control signal generation apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the terminal station devices each comprise a device for detecting optical signal connection or optical signal disconnection per wave length block of each output;