US 11,705,971 B2 · Submarine optical communication system and submarine branching apparatus

a first optical transmission apparatus outputting a first optical signal;

a second optical transmission apparatus;

a third optical transmission apparatus outputting a monitoring signal;

a submarine branching apparatus including a first filter unit returning the monitoring signal received from the third optical transmission apparatus and switching an output destination of the first optical signal received from the first optical transmission apparatus to the second optical transmission apparatus or the third optical transmission apparatus;

a first optical fiber transmitting the first optical signal output from the submarine branching apparatus to the third optical transmission apparatus;

and

a second optical fiber connecting the third optical transmission apparatus and the submarine branching apparatus;

a third optical fiber transmitting the second optical signal output from the submarine branching apparatus to the third optical transmission apparatus;

and

a fourth optical fiber connecting the third optical transmission apparatus to the submarine branching apparatus, wherein

the third optical transmission apparatus further detects the monitoring signal returned from the first filter unit and notifies the first optical transmission apparatus of a result of the detection,

the first optical transmission apparatus further instructs the submarine branching apparatus to switch the output destination of the first optical signal in accordance with the notification, and

the submarine branching apparatus switches the output destination of the first optical signal to the second optical transmission apparatus when an optical intensity of the monitoring signal received by the third optical transmission apparatus is smaller than a prescribed value under a state in which the output destination of the first optical signal is the third optical transmission apparatus, wherein

the submarine branching apparatus further comprises:

a first optical switch receiving the first optical signal from the first optical transmission apparatus;

and

a second optical switch outputting an optical signal input thereto to the second optical transmission apparatus;

and

a control unit controlling the first and the second optical switches in accordance with an instruction from the first optical transmission apparatus, wherein

when the optical intensity of the monitoring signal received by the third optical transmission apparatus is smaller than the prescribed value, the control unit switches:

an output destination of the first optical signal of the first optical switch from the third optical transmission apparatus to the second optical switch;

and

an input source of the optical signal received by the second optical switch from the third optical transmission apparatus to the first optical switch, wherein

the third optical transmission apparatus comprises:

an optical transmission/reception unit outputting the monitoring signal to the second optical fiber;

a detection unit detecting the monitoring signal which is returned from the first filter unit, transmitted through the first optical fiber, and input to the third optical transmission apparatus;

and

a notification unit notifying the first optical transmission apparatus of a result of the detection by the detection unit, wherein

the second optical transmission apparatus outputs a second optical signal, and

the submarine branching apparatus further comprises a second filter unit returning the monitoring signal received from the third optical transmission apparatus and switching an output destination of the second optical signal received from the second optical transmission apparatus to the first optical transmission apparatus or the third optical transmission apparatus, wherein

the submarine branching apparatus further comprises:

a third optical switch receiving the second optical signal received from the second optical transmission apparatus;

and

a fourth optical switch outputting an optical signal input thereto to the first optical transmission apparatus, wherein

when the optical intensity of the monitoring signal received by the third optical transmission apparatus is smaller than the prescribed value, the control unit switches:

an output destination of the second optical signal of the third optical switch from the third optical transmission apparatus to the fourth optical switch;

and

an input source of the optical signal input to the fourth optical switch from the third optical transmission apparatus to the third optical switch, wherein

the third optical transmission apparatus further comprises a third filter unit returning the monitoring signal received from the submarine branching apparatus via the first optical fiber and outputting the returned monitoring signal to the fourth optical fiber, and

the detection unit further detects the monitoring signal which is returned from the third filter unit, transmitted through the third optical fiber, and received by the third optical transmission apparatus.

Submarine optical communication system and submarine branching apparatus

Life of this patent

Submarine optical communication system and submarine branching apparatus

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims8