The present invention relates to optical networks. More particularly, the present invention relates to an optical ring network architecture.
The use of optical networks can dramatically increase the amount of information, such as telephone, video and Internet information, that can be communicated between network users as compared to traditional networks. Such an optical network can, for example, connect a number of terminal stations through a number of parallel optical fibers. When a user at a first terminal station wants to transmit information to a user at a second terminal station, the information is transmitted through one of the optical fibers with a dedicated wavelength of light.
The user at the first terminal station may also want to simultaneously transmit information to a number of different users located at a number of different terminal stations. Moreover, users at a number of different terminal stations may want to transmit information to each other simultaneously. Creating a network that lets all users communicate with all other users simultaneously, however, tends to increase the number of optical fibers that must be used in the network. Unfortunately, each additional optical fiber that is used can be very expensive to install and maintain. In addition, some networks need to be fully “restorable,” meaning that each user can still communicate with each other user when any one of the optical fibers fail. This also tends to increase the number of optical fibers required in the network.
One way to reduce the number of optical fibers in a network is to use Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM). In a WDM network, a set of wavelengths, such as λ1, λ2 . . . λn, are used so that several communications can be simultaneously transmitted over a single optical fiber using different wavelengths. To increase the amount of information that can be transmitted over the network, and to reduce the cost of optical transmitters, receivers and routers, it is desirable to keep the number of different wavelengths used in the network as small as possible.
In addition, to avoid interference in the network a single wavelength should not be used to simultaneously transmit different information over the same optical fiber in the same direction. Moreover, it may be necessary to amplify one or more signals being transmitted over an optical fiber in the network. In this case, it is desirable that information is not simultaneously transmitted over the same optical fiber using the same wavelength, even if the transmissions are in opposite directions.
In view of the foregoing, it can be appreciated that a substantial need exists for an optical network architecture that reduces the number of optical fibers and wavelengths used in the network and solves the other problems discussed above.
The disadvantages of the art are alleviated to a great extent by an optical ring network architecture including a number (N) of multi-add/drop filters, such as filters formed using symmetrical pairs of frequency routers. Each multi-add/drop filter is coupled to two other multi-add/drop filters using N−2 transmission media, such as optical fibers, to form a ring. The network also includes a number (N) of terminal stations associated with the multi-add/drop filters. A terminal station (p) is coupled with, and receives information from, its associated multi-add/drop filter (p) through a single optical fiber. In addition, the terminal station p is coupled with, and transmits information in a first direction around the ring to, a multi-add/drop filter p+1 through a single optical fiber.
Communications from terminal station p to each other terminal station in the first direction are assigned one of N−1 wavelengths such that no two wavelengths on a given optical fiber are associated with communications between terminal stations in the same direction. When there are four terminal stations, for example, the second terminal station may communicate with the first, third and fourth terminal stations using wavelengths λ1, λ3 and λ2, respectively. Moreover, all wavelengths on a given optical fiber may be associated with a communication between terminal stations in either the first or second direction. As a result, each terminal station can communicate with each other terminal station simultaneously using wavelength division multiplexing and N−1 wavelengths. The network may also be bi-directional such that each terminal station p is coupled with, and transmits information in a second direction opposite the first direction to, a multi-add/drop filter p−1 through a single optical fiber.
With these and other advantages and features of the invention that will become hereinafter apparent, the nature of the invention may be more clearly understood by reference to the following detailed description of the invention, the appended claims and to the several drawings attached herein.
The present invention is directed to an optical ring network architecture. Referring now in detail to the drawings wherein like parts are designated by like reference numerals throughout, there is illustrated in
The network also includes a number (N) of terminal stations, and each terminal station is associated with a different multi-add/drop filter. Although the network shown in
According to an embodiment of the present invention, each terminal station is capable of communicating with each other terminal station simultaneously using wavelength division multiplexing and N−1 wavelengths, such as λ1, λ2 and λ3, as follows. The multi-add/drop filters are coupled to each other using N−2 transmission media, such as optical fibers in an optical fiber trunk. Each terminal station (p) is coupled with, and receives information from, its associated multi-add/drop filter (p) through a single transmission medium. For example, the second station 20 receives information from the network through a single transmission medium connected to multi-add/drop filter 25. Note that in the network shown in
In addition, each terminal station p is coupled with, and transmits information in a first direction around the ring to, a multi-add/drop filter p+1 through a single transmission medium, wherein multi-add/drop filter p+1 is the multi-add/drop filter neighboring multi-add/drop filter p in the first direction. For example, the second station 20 sends information to the network through a single transmission medium connected to the multi-add/drop filter 35 associated with the third station 30. Because the network is arranged in a ring, the fourth station 40 sends information to the network through a single transmission medium connected to the multi-add/drop filter 15 associated with the first station 10.
Communications from the terminal station p to each other terminal station in the first direction are assigned a different one of the N−1 wavelengths. For example, the second station 20 may send information to the third station 30, in the direction from left to right in
In this way, the optical ring network may be fully restorable in the event that a single transmission medium fails. That is, if an optical fiber breaks such that a terminal station can no longer transmit to one or more remaining terminal stations in the first direction, the terminal station can still communicate with those remaining terminal stations in the second direction. Moreover, the capability of the network can be doubled when there is no failure by sending information in both directions around the ring.
Each of the multi-add/drop filters comprises a symmetrical pair of frequency routers. For example, the multi-add/drop filter associated with the second station comprises an “input” frequency router 530 and an “output” frequency router 540. Each of the frequency routers has 3 input ports, located on the left in
A detailed explanation of frequency router and multi-add/drop filter technology is provided in U.S. Pat. No. 5,002,350 to Dragone and U.S. Pat. No. 5,367,586 to Glance et al., the entire disclosures of which is hereby incorporated by reference. The operation of the input and output frequency routers shown in
As shown in
When an optical beam comprised of wavelengths λ1 to λ3 enters one of the output frequency routers 520, 540, 560, 580 at input port 1, λ1 exits at output port 1, λ2 exits at output port 2, and λ3 exits at output port 3. In general, as shown in Table II, when λx enters input port X, λx exits from output port (X+x−1). As with the input frequency routers 510, 530, 550, 570, the output frequency routers 520, 540, 560, 580 also have a cyclical routing quality.
Finally, both the input and output frequency routers have the property of “reciprocity,” meaning that when a signal enters an output port, i.e. travels right to left in
Referring again to
Note that input port 3 and output port 1 of the output frequency router 540 are not used. These ports are used with respect to communications through the network in the opposite direction, as explained with respect to
Thus, where N represents the total number of terminal stations, or 4 in the architecture shown in
When λ2 enters an input frequency router's input port 3, λ2 exits from the input frequency router's output port 2. As shown in
Similarly, when λ3 enters input port 3 of input frequency router 530, λ3 exits from the input frequency router's output port 1. As shown in
Thus, when the first station transmits λ1, λ2 and λ3 into the multi-add/drop filter associated with the second station, λ1 “drops” down to the second station's multiple receiver 210, and the remaining wavelengths, namely λ2 and λ3, pass on to the next multi-add/drop filter.
When λ2 and λ3 enter input port 2 of input frequency router 550, λ3 drops down to the third station's multiple receiver 310. This is how the first station transmits to the third station. λ2 passes on to the next multi-add/drop filter and is dropped down to the fourth station's multiple receiver 410. This is how the first station transmits to the fourth station. Thus, by using N−1 wavelengths, or λ1, λ2 and λ3, the first station is able to simultaneously transmit information to each other station.
In addition to being able to simultaneously transmit to each other station using different wavelengths, each terminal station is able to simultaneously receive information from each other terminal station using different wavelengths. For example, as explained with respect to
Wavelengths may be selected such that no two of the N−1 wavelengths, such as λ1, λ2 and λ3, on a given transmission medium are associated with communications between terminal stations in the same direction. Moreover, all of the N−1 wavelengths, such as λ1, λ2 and λ3, on a given transmission medium may be associated with a communication between terminal stations in either the first or second directions.
By way of example, the transmission of information from the second station in the second direction will now be described. The dashed arrows shown in
The output frequency router 520 associated with the first station drops λ2 down to the first station's multiple receiver 110. The same multiple receiver that receives information from the first direction may be used, or a second multiple receiver may be used instead, if desired. In either case, λ1 and λ3 pass on to the multi-add/drop filter associated with the fourth station, where λ3 drops down to the fourth station's multiple receiver 410, and λ1 continues on to the third station's multiple receiver 310.
In this way, if an optical fiber breaks such that a terminal station can no longer transmit to one or more remaining terminal stations in the first direction, that terminal station can still communicate with the remaining terminal stations in the second direction. Moreover, the capability of the network can be doubled when there is no failure by sending information in both directions around the ring.
Finally, note that in the bi-directional network every one of the wavelength λ1, λ2 and λ3 on any given optical fiber is associated with a communication between terminal stations in either the first or second direction. Consider, for example, the fiber coupling output port 1 of input frequency router 510 with input port 1 of output frequency router 520. As shown in
Although various embodiments are specifically illustrated and described herein, it will be appreciated that modifications and variations of the present invention are covered by the above teachings and within the purview of the appended claims without departing from the spirit and intended scope of the invention. For example, although particular architectures were used to illustrate the present invention, it can be appreciated that other architectures may be used instead, including other numbers of terminals, input ports and output ports and/or the selection of different ports to couple devices. Similarly, although particular devices were used within the illustrated embodiments, other devices will also fall within the scope of the invention.
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/756,025, filed Apr. 7, 2010, which is currently allowed and is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/173,679, filed Jul. 15, 2008, (now U.S. Pat. No. 7,764,884) and is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/539,772, filed Oct. 9, 2006, (now U.S. Pat. No. 7,412,171) which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/324,344, filed Dec. 20, 2002, (now U.S. Pat. No. 7,123,837) which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/175,171, filed Oct. 20, 1998, (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,567,197), all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
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Entry |
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20120315042 A1 | Dec 2012 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 12756025 | Apr 2010 | US |
Child | 13589950 | US | |
Parent | 12173679 | Jul 2008 | US |
Child | 12756025 | US | |
Parent | 11539772 | Oct 2006 | US |
Child | 12173679 | US | |
Parent | 10324344 | Dec 2002 | US |
Child | 11539772 | US | |
Parent | 09175171 | Oct 1998 | US |
Child | 10324344 | US |