Large-Scale, Fast Optical Circuit Switching System
AssigneeTelescent Inc.
InventorAnthony Stephen Kewitsch
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A large-scale, high-performance hybrid fiber optic switching system is comprised of a multiplicity of fast optical circuit switch (OCS) units with high-speed reconfiguration capabilities, wherein the fibers of each fast OCS unit are spliced to a large-scale robotic patch-panel system that enables nonblocking, any-to-any connectivity between thousands of ports without adding insertion loss. Integrated diagnostics to validate the optical performance of each fiber connection are also disclosed.
Claims21
A fast fiber optic switching system with greater than 144 total ports, the system comprising:
- a large-scale robotic fiber optic patch-panel system;
- and
- a multiplicity of fast OCS (optical circuit switches) units, each unit with X fibers that can be reconfigured in parallel and within less than 10 seconds, and with the fibers of each fast OCS unit spliced to an equal number of input fibers of the robotic fiber optic patch-panel system,
- wherein the robotic fiber optic patch panel system has Y ports and can reconfigure each port in about one minute in a serial fashion, and
- wherein the system provides reconfigurable, any-to-any connectivity between the Y ports, and
- wherein Y is at least 2 times X.
A fiber optic switching system with greater than 144 ports, the system comprised of a multiplicity of fast optical circuit switch (OCS) units with X fibers, wherein
- insertion loss of fast OCS units to switch X internal fibers increases in proportion to the number X, and
- the fibers of each fast OCS unit are spliced to an equal number of input fibers of a large-scale robotic fiber optic patch panel, and
- the insertion loss of the robotic fiber optic patch panel with a number Y internal, independently reconfigurable fibers is independent of the number Y of fibers, and
- the fiber optic switching system enables any-to-any connectivity between the Y fibers, wherein Y is at least 2 times X, and
- wherein the insertion loss of the fiber optic switching system is less than what would be possible for a Y port fast OCS unit alone.
A high port count, fast fiber optic switching system with greater than 144 total ports, the system comprising:
- a multiplicity of fast optical circuit switch (OCS) units, each unit with X fibers, the fibers of each fast OCS unit spliced to an equal number of input fibers of a large-scale robotic fiber optic patch-panel system comprising a connector array with Y ports, wherein a time to reconfigure a port is an additive combination comprised of:
- (i) a first switching time t1 of the fast OCS to change all connections in a substantially parallel fashion,
- (ii) a second switching time t2 of the robotic patch-panel to change connections within a column of the connector array in a serial fashion, and
- (iii) a third switching time t3 of the robotic patch panel to pass connections across a column of the connector array in a serial fashion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.