Slave station device, master station device, optical communication system, and malfunction detection method

• US 9,906,403 B2
• Filed: 08/26/2014
• Issued: 02/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Mukai, Hiroaki, Nishitani, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Payne, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): MOTSINGER, TANYA THERESA NGO
• Application Number:
  US15/503,920
• Publication Number:
  US 20170279665A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,281 Days
• Field of Search: 398 34, 398 1, 3981675, 398 95
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0212 using optical switches or wavelength selective switches [WSS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0256 at the optical channel layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 14/0282 WDM tree architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0668 by dynamic selection of recovery network elements, e.g. replacement by the most appropriate element after failure
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/069 using logs of notifications; Post-processing of notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0888 Throughput
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0067 Provisions for optical access or distribution networks, e.g. Gigabit Ethernet Passive Optical Network (GE-PON), ATM-based Passive Optical Network (A-PON), PON-Ring
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0016 using wavelength multiplexing or demultiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0064 Arbitration, scheduling or medium access control aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0083 Testing; Monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/00 Systems for electrical power generation, transmission, distribution or end-user application management characterised by the use of communication or information technologies, or communication or information technology specific aspects supporting them

Abstract

An ONU receiving an optical signal from an OLT including PON controllers includes: an optical receiver to convert, into an electric signal, an optical signal having a single optical wavelength set out of plural optical wavelengths; and a control frame extractor to extract and hold wavelength correspondence information indicating correspondence between MAC addresses of the PON controllers received from the OLT and the optical wavelengths. The control frame extractor, when receiving a wavelength switching request, extracts the optical wavelength after wavelength switching instructed in the wavelength switching request, obtains a setting address of the MAC address of the PON controller to which the ONU itself should be connected after the wavelength switching based on the extracted optical wavelength after the wavelength switching and the wavelength correspondence information, and determines whether a malfunction occurs based on a transmission source MAC address stored in a received control frame and the setting address.

Claims

1. A slave station device to receive an optical signal from a master station device including two or more master station control units, the slave station device comprising:

an optical receiver capable of dealing with a plurality of optical wavelengths to receive, from the master station device, an optical signal having a single optical wavelength set out of the plurality of optical wavelengths, and convert the received optical signal into an electric signal;

a processor to execute a program; and

a memory to store the program which, when executed by the processor, performs processes of,

extracting and holding wavelength correspondence information, which is stored in the electric signal, indicating correspondence between the master station control units and the optical wavelengths used for transmitting control signals generated by the respective master station control units,

extracting information on another optical wavelength after wavelength switching based on a wavelength switching request included in the electric signal, the wavelength switching request requesting a switch of the wavelength for the optical receiver,

obtaining setting identification information that is identification information of the master station control unit based on the extracted information of the another optical wavelength and the wavelength correspondence information, and

determining whether a malfunction occurs based on identification information of the master station control unit that is a transmission source of the control signal stored in the control signal, and on the setting identification information.

2. The slave station device according to claim 1, wherein

the identification information of the master station control unit is a media access control address of the master station control unit.

3. The slave station device according to claim 1, wherein

the processor determines that the malfunction occurs when the identification information stored in the received control signal does not coincide with the setting identification information.

4. The slave station device according to claim 1, wherein

the processor determines that the malfunction occurs when at least one of items of the identification information respectively stored in a plurality of the control signals successively received does not coincide with the setting identification information.

5. The slave station device according to claim 1, comprising a display unit capable of displaying occurrence of the malfunction, wherein

the processor instructs the display unit to display the occurrence of the malfunction when the malfunction detection unit determines that the malfunction occurs.

6. The slave station device according to claim 1, wherein

the processor determines whether the malfunction occurs based on the identification information of the master station control unit that is the transmission source of the control signal stored in the control signal that is a band allocation notification, and on the setting identification information.

7. An optical communication system comprising a master station device and a slave station device, the slave station device including an optical receiver capable of dealing with a plurality of optical wavelengths to receive an optical signal transmitted from the master station device, wherein

the master station device includes:

two or more master station control units to generate control signals that are transmitted to the slave station device; and

two or more optical transmitters corresponding to the respective master station control units,

the two or more optical transmitters convert the control signals generated by the corresponding master station control units into optical signals having different optical wavelengths, and transmit the optical signals to the slave station device,

the control signal includes identification information of the master station control unit,

each master station control unit generates the control signal in which wavelength correspondence information that is correspondence between the identification information of the master station control units and the optical wavelengths respectively corresponding to the master station control units is stored, and generates the control signal in which a wavelength switching request that requests a switch of the optical wavelength for the optical receiver in the slave station device is stored, and

the slave station device includes;

the optical receiver capable of dealing with the plurality of optical wavelengths to receive, from the master station device, an optical signal having a single optical wavelength set out of the plurality of optical wavelengths, and convert the received optical signal into an electric signal;

a processor to execute a program; and

a memory to store the program which, when executed by the processor, performs processes of,

extracting and holding wavelength correspondence information stored in the control signal that is the electric signal,

extracting information on another optical wavelength after wavelength switching based on the wavelength switching request included in the electric signal,

obtaining setting identification information that is identification information of the master station control unit based on the extracted information of the another optical wavelength and the wavelength correspondence information, and

determining whether a malfunction occurs based on the identification information of the master station control unit that is a transmission source of the control signal stored in the control signal, and on the setting identification information.

8. A malfunction detection method for an optical communication system including a master station device having two or more master station control units to generate control signals and a slave station device having an optical receiver capable of dealing with a plurality of optical wavelengths to receive an optical signal transmitted from the master station device, the malfunction detection method comprising:

a control signal generation step of generating, by the master station control unit of the master station device, the control signal in which identification information of the master station control unit is stored;

a transmission step of converting, by the master station device, the control signal into an optical signal having an optical wavelength that differs for each master station control unit, and transmitting the optical signal to the slave station device;

a wavelength correspondence information transmission step of transmitting, by the master station device to the slave station device, wavelength correspondence information that is correspondence between the identification information of the master station control units and the optical wavelengths corresponding to the master station control units;

a wavelength switching request transmission step of transmitting, by the master station device to the slave station device, a wavelength switching request that requests a switch of the optical wavelength for the optical receiver in the slave station device;

a wavelength correspondence information holding step of holding, by the slave station device, the wavelength correspondence information received from the master station device;

an identification information extraction step of extracting, by the slave station device when receiving the wavelength switching request from the master station device, the optical wavelength after wavelength switching instructed in the wavelength switching request, and obtaining setting identification information that is identification information of the master station control unit to which the slave station device itself should be connected after the wavelength switching based on the extracted optical wavelength after the wavelength switching and the wavelength correspondence information; and

a malfunction detection step of detecting, by the slave station device, whether a malfunction occurs in the slave station device based on the identification information of the master station control unit that is a transmission source of the control signal stored in the control signal received from the master station device through the optical receiver after receiving the wavelength switching request, and on the setting identification information.