US 10,897,321 B1Granted

Protection for a degree-to-degree fiber link in an optical add/drop multiplexer (OADM)

AssigneeCiena Corporation

InventorChoudhury A. Al Sayeed

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Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for enabling degree-to-degree protection within an optical node, such as an Optical Add/Drop Multiplexer (OADM) node or Reconfigurable Optical Add/Drop Multiplexer (ROADM) node. According to an exemplary protection method, a step is executed for configuring two degree-to-degree fiber links between a first degree of the OADM node and a second degree of the OADM node. The method also includes designating a first degree-to-degree fiber link of the two degree-to-degree fiber links as a primary fiber link. Also, the method includes designating a second degree-to-degree fiber link of the two degree-to-degree fiber links as a protection fiber link configured for providing protection if a fiber break is detected on the primary fiber link.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A local controller configured to provide control signals to an Optical Add/Drop Multiplexer (OADM) node, the local controller comprising:

a processing device, and
a memory device configured to store a local switch control module including logic instructions which, when executed, cause the processing device to
configure a plurality of degree-to-degree fiber links between a first degree of the OADM node and a second degree of the OADM node,
designate a first degree-to-degree fiber link of the plurality of degree-to-degree fiber links as a primary fiber link,
designate at least a second degree-to-degree fiber link of the plurality of degree-to-degree fiber links as one or more protection fiber links configured for providing protection if a fiber break is detected on the primary fiber link,
configure the OADM node with a Route and Select (R&S) architecture,
switch a demultiplexing element of a transmitting degree of the OADM node to initially allow traffic to be passed along the primary fiber link if no fiber break is detected on the primary fiber link and to secondarily pass traffic along one of the one or more protection fiber links if a fiber break is detected on the primary fiber link, and
switch a multiplexing element of a receiving degree of the OADM node to initially select the primary fiber link for receiving the traffic if no fiber break is detected on the primary fiber link and to secondarily select the one protection fiber link for receiving the traffic if a fiber break is detected on the primary fiber link.

5 more elements

A local controller configured to provide control signals to an Optical Add/Drop Multiplexer (OADM) node, the local controller comprising:

a processing device, and
a memory device configured to store a local switch control module including logic instructions which, when executed, cause the processing device to
configure a plurality of degree-to-degree fiber links between a first degree of the OADM node and a second degree of the OADM node,
designate a first degree-to-degree fiber link of the plurality of degree-to-degree fiber links as a primary fiber link,
designate at least a second degree-to-degree fiber link of the plurality of degree-to-degree fiber links as one or more protection fiber links configured for providing protection if a fiber break is detected on the primary fiber link, and
configure the plurality of degree-to-degree fiber links by configuring the fiber links as a plurality of redundant links using multiple ports at each of the first degree and second degree,
wherein traffic between the first degree and the second degree is distributed over the plurality of redundant links or over the primary fiber link.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/697,365Filed 27 Nov 2019
Granted: 19 Jan 2021
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

H04J 14/029
Optical multiplex section protection: dedicated protection at the optical multiplex section
H04J 14/0204
Arrangements therefor: broadcast and select arrangements, e.g. with an optical splitter at the input before adding or dropping
H04J 14/021
Arrangements therefor: reconfigurable arrangements, e.g. reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexers [ROADM] or tunable optical add/drop…
H04J 14/0212
Reconfigurable arrangements, e.g. reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexers [ROADM] or tunable optical add/drop multiplexers [TOADM]: using…