# US 2014/0193146 A1 · Apparatus and Method For Optical Transport Networks > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0193146 A1 - Document ID: US20140193146A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/124,808 - Filed: 2011-07-04 - Published: 2014-07-10 - Earliest claimed: 2011-06-09 - Assignees: Telefonaktiebolaget L M Ericsson (publ) - Inventors: Sergio Lanzone; Annamaria Fulignoli; Orazio Toscano - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140193146A1 ## CPC - H04B 10/032: using working and protection systems {(H04J14/0287 takes precedence)} - H04J 3/14: Monitoring arrangements {(for SDH/SONET rings H04J3/085)} - H04J 3/1652: {Optical Transport Network [OTN]} - H04J 2203/006: Fault tolerance and recovery - H04B: TRANSMISSION - H04J: MULTIPLEX COMMUNICATION (transmission in general H04B; peculiar to transmission of digital information H04L5/00; systems for the simultaneous or sequential transmission of more than one television signal H04N7/08; in exchanges H04Q11/00; stereophonic systems H04S) ## Abstract An optical transport network comprises a first node and a second node adapted to communicate one or more lower order optical channel data unit (LO-ODU) traffic signals via a higher order optical channel data unit (HO-ODU) traffic signal. An adaptation function between a lower order optical channel data unit traffic signal and a higher order optical channel data unit traffic signal is modified to enable protocol information for bidirectional protection switching to be conveyed in one or more lower order optical channel data unit traffic signals that are conveyed between the first node and the second node using the higher order optical channel data unit traffic signal. This enables the protocol information to be used at a higher order optical channel data unit entity to perform bidirectional protection switching. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for providing bidirectional protection switching in an optical transport network, the optical transport network comprising a first node and a second node adapted to communicate one or more lower order optical channel data unit (LO-ODU) traffic signals via a higher order optical channel data unit (HO-ODU) traffic signal, the method comprising: modifying an adaptation function between a lower order optical channel data unit (LO-ODU) traffic signal and a higher order optical channel data unit (HO-ODU) traffic signal to enable protocol information for bidirectional protection switching to be conveyed in the respective one or more lower order optical channel data unit (LO-ODU) traffic signals; and using the protocol information to perform bidirectional protection switching. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the steps of inserting the protocol information, at the first node, into a respective header portion of each of the one or more lower order optical channel data unit (LO-ODUk) traffic signals. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the protocol information is inserted into a respective automatic protection switching, APS, header portion of each of the one or more lower order optical channel data unit (LO-ODUk) traffic signals. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the steps of extracting protocol information, at the second node, from a header portion of each of the one or more lower order optical channel data unit (LO-ODUk) traffic signals. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the protocol information is extracted from an automatic protecting switching, APS, header portion of each of the one or more lower order optical channel data unit (LO-ODUk) traffic signals. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of using the extracted protocol information in a 1+1 architecture of an optical transport network, for bidirectional subnetwork connection protection switching with inherent monitoring (SNC/I). ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of using the extracted protocol information in a 1:n architecture of an optical transport network, for bidirectional subnetwork connection protection switching with non-intrusive monitoring (SNC/N). ### Claim 8 An optical transport network for providing bidirectional subnetwork connection protection switching, the network comprising: a first node and a second node adapted to communicate one or more lower order optical channel data unit (LO-ODU) traffic signals via a higher order optical channel data unit (HO-ODU) traffic signal; and a processor adapted to modify an adaptation function between a lower order optical channel data unit (LO-ODU) traffic signal and the higher order optical channel data unit (HO-ODU) traffic signal to enable protocol information for bidirectional protection switching to be conveyed in the respective one or more lower order optical channel data unit traffic signals. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The optical transport network as claimed in claim 8, further comprising an inserting unit and/or an extracting unit for respectively inserting and/or extracting the protocol information into and/or from a respective header portion of each of the lower order optical channel data unit (LO-ODU) traffic signals. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The optical transport network as claimed in claim 9, wherein the inserting unit and/or an extracting unit is adapted to insert and/or extract the protocol information into and/or from a respective automatic protection switching (APS) header portion of each of the lower order optical channel data unit (LO-ODU) traffic signals. ### Claim 11 A node for use in an optical transport network, the node comprising: one or more input interface for receiving one or more lower order optical channel data unit traffic signals; an output interface for outputting a higher order optical channel data unit traffic signal; a multiplexer adapted to multiplex the one or more lower order optical channel data traffic signals into the higher order optical channel data unit traffic signal; and a processor adapted to control the operation of the multiplexer, such that protocol information for bidirectional protection switching is mapped into a respective header portion of the one or more lower order optical channel data unit traffic signals. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The node as claimed in claim 11, wherein the processor is adapted to map the protocol information into an automatic protection switching, APS, header portion of each of the respective lower order optical channel data unit traffic signals. ### Claim 13 A method in a node of an optical transport network, the method comprising: receiving one or more lower order optical channel data unit (LO-ODU) traffic signals; multiplexing the one or more lower order optical channel data (LO-ODU) traffic signals into a higher order optical channel data unit (HO-ODU) traffic signal; and outputting the higher order optical channel data unit (HO-ODU) traffic signal, wherein the multiplexing step comprises mapping protocol information for bidirectional protection switching into a respective header portion of the one or more lower order optical channel data unit (LO-ODU) traffic signals. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the mapping step comprises mapping the protocol information into an automatic protection switching, APS, header portion of each of the respective lower order optical channel data unit traffic signals. ### Claim 15 A node for use in an optical transport network, the node comprising: an input interface for receiving a higher order optical channel data unit traffic signal, which comprises one or more lower order optical channel data unit (LO-ODU) traffic signals; one or more output interface for outputting one or more lower order optical channel data unit traffic signals; a demultiplexer adapted to demultiplex the one or more traffic signals from the higher order optical channel data unit traffic signal; and a processor adapted to control the operation of the demultiplexer, such that protocol information for bidirectional protection switching is unmapped from a respective header portion of the one or more lower order optical channel data unit traffic signals. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The node as claimed in claim 15, wherein the processor is adapted to unmap the protocol information from an automatic protection switching, APS, header portion of each of the respective lower order optical channel data unit traffic signals. ### Claim 17 A method in a node of an optical transport network, the method comprising: receiving a higher order optical channel data unit traffic signal, which comprises one or more lower order optical channel data unit (LO-ODU) traffic signals; demultiplexing the one or more lower order optical channel data unit (LO-ODU) traffic signals from the higher order optical channel data unit (HO-ODU) traffic signal; and outputting one or more lower order optical channel data unit traffic signals, wherein the demultiplexing step comprises unmapping protocol information for bidirectional protection switching from a respective header portion of the one or more lower order optical channel data unit (LO-ODU) traffic signals. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein demultiplexing step comprises unmapping the protocol information from an automatic protection switching, APS, header portion of each of the respective lower order optical channel data unit traffic signals. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17, 18) The method as claimed in claim 17 or 18, further comprising the step of using the unmapped protocol information in a 1+1 architecture of an optical transport network, for bidirectional subnetwork connection protection switching with inherent monitoring (SNC/I). ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The method as claimed in claim 17, further comprising the step of using the unmapped protocol information in a 1:n architecture of an optical transport network, for bidirectional subnetwork connection protection switching with non-intrusive monitoring (SNC/N).