An extensible optical transport device based on optoelectronic fusion

Abstract

The application discloses an extensible optical transmission device based on photoelectric fusion and relates to the technical field of optical transmission, which comprises a customer interface unit, a cell exchange unit, a line interface unit, a wavelength cross-connect unit, a fiber cross-connect unit, a line transmission unit and an SDN control unit, the customer interface unit is used for accessing, aggregating and packaging customer signals, the cell exchange unit is used for exchanging cells between customer-side signals and line-side signals, the line interface unit is used for receiving signals sent by the cell exchange unit to the line side, converting the signals into specific wavelengths and then sending the signals, and receiving signals from the line side, processing the signals and then sending the signals to the cell exchange unit. The application enables the functional units of the device to be placed discretely, and provides the possibility of flexibly building the scale and functions of the device according to scene requirements.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of optical transmission technology, and more specifically to a scalable optical transmission device based on optoelectronic fusion. Background Technology

[0002] Optical fiber boasts significant advantages such as high bandwidth, low cost, and low loss, and has gradually become the primary transmission medium for various distances, including long-distance, metropolitan area, and access networks, over the past four decades. It can be said that without the massive bandwidth provided by optical communication technology, today's mobile communication networks and the Internet would be impossible. In the last decade, silicon-based photonics integration technology has significantly reduced the size and cost of optical transceivers, making optical communication the primary means of interconnecting data center racks. As electrical connections face increasing challenges in bandwidth, speed, and energy consumption, optical communication has even begun to penetrate into inter-board, intra-board, and inter-chip environments.

[0003] On the other hand, the advanced process dimensions of electronic integrated circuits have shrunk to 3 nanometers, increasingly approaching the physical limits, and the eventual end of Moore's Law has become an industry consensus. The industry has proposed the More Than Moore path, hoping to introduce "light" into the chip package, or even on-chip, to continue to improve chip performance.

[0004] Therefore, the long-standing division of labor in the information field—"computer, optical, and transmission"—is being broken down, and optoelectronic integration has become the key to the continued progress of information technology in the present and for a long time to come.

[0005] Currently, optoelectronic integration at the chip level is a hot topic, and the industry has reached a consensus on co-packaged optoelectronic (CPO) technology. CPO significantly alleviates the bandwidth and power consumption problems of chip I / O (Input / Output) by packaging photonic integrated chips and electronic integrated chips together.

[0006] The convergence of optoelectronics will bring about changes in information equipment. The construction of 51.2T switches based on CPO technology is inevitable. Some companies have already released related new products, directly outputting fibers from the chip to the panel, completely changing the previous equipment form of pluggable optical modules arranged on the panel.

[0007] For a long time, optical transmission equipment has been provided to operators in a highly customized and integrated manner. To match various application scenarios, optical transmission equipment from different manufacturers is not only classified into edge, aggregation, and backbone types, but also further subdivided into multiple models every three to four years based on rate evolution. Depending on different capacity requirements (number of wavelengths) and cost requirements (number of functions), optical transmission equipment often further subdivides within the same type. Furthermore, because optical transmission equipment is a tightly coupled integrated form of boards, the equipment is confined to a single sub-frame or rack, resulting in a small scale for individual devices, and the capacity and capabilities of a single device cannot meet the requirements of the site. This customized and integrated equipment form leads to a large number and variety of optical transmission equipment in operator data centers. This results in several problems: first, it increases the difficulty of operation and maintenance for operators, requiring a wide variety of spare parts; second, it drives up construction costs for operators, as equipment needs to be replaced whenever the scenario or requirements change; and third, it forces equipment manufacturers to cope with the diverse and ever-changing needs of operators, resulting in high R&D costs, but the market size for a single product is limited. Summary of the Invention

[0008] In view of the shortcomings of the existing technology, the purpose of this invention is to provide a scalable optical transmission device based on optoelectronic fusion, which enables the discrete placement of each functional unit of the device, and provides the possibility of flexibly building the device scale and functions according to the needs of the scenario.

[0009] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by the present invention includes:

[0010] A client interface unit, which is used for accessing, aggregating and encapsulating client signals;

[0011] A cell switching unit, which is used to perform cell switching between customer-side signals and line-side signals;

[0012] The line interface unit is used to receive signals sent to the line side by the cell switching unit, convert them into a specific wavelength and then transmit them, and to receive signals from the line side, process them and then send them to the cell switching unit.

[0013] A wavelength cross-connection unit is used to perform cross-scheduling between wavelengths in the line fiber core, as well as to schedule the local uplink / downlink wavelengths.

[0014] The fiber cross-connect unit is used to perform cross-connection at the fiber core level and to schedule the fiber cores that need to be processed in the wavelength cross-connect unit.

[0015] A line transmission unit, which is used to implement the functions required for line transmission;

[0016] SDN control unit, which is used to control cell switching unit, wavelength cross-connect unit, optical fiber cross-connect unit and line interface unit;

[0017] The client interface unit, cell switching unit, line interface unit, wavelength cross-connection unit, optical fiber cross-connection unit, and line transmission unit are interconnected via optical fibers.

[0018] Based on the above technical solution, the customer interface unit includes multiple customer interface boards, and the customer interface boards include various types to adapt to different rates, types, and forms of customer signal requirements.

[0019] Based on the above technical solutions,

[0020] The cell switching unit includes an O / EI, a cell switching matrix, and an E / OI;

[0021] The cell switching matrix is ​​used for electrical domain grouping and / or TDM signal switching;

[0022] The E / OI is used to convert the optical signal sent by the client interface unit into an electrical signal, and to convert the electrical signal output by the cell switching matrix to the client interface unit into an optical signal.

[0023] The O / EI is used to convert the optical signal sent by the line interface unit into an electrical signal, and to convert the electrical signal output by the cell switching matrix to the line interface unit into an optical signal.

[0024] Based on the above technical solutions,

[0025] The line interface unit includes multiple line interface boards, and the line interface boards include multiple speed types.

[0026] The wavelength and rate of each line interface board in the line interface unit are specified as needed by the SDN control unit;

[0027] The line interface unit receives the signal sent to the line side by the cell switching unit, performs channel coding and scrambling processing, converts it into a specific wavelength, and then transmits it.

[0028] The line interface unit receives signals from the line side, performs descrambling and channel decoding processing, and then sends them to the cell switching unit.

[0029] Based on the above technical solution, the optical fiber cross-connection unit is specifically used to realize the cross-connection between fiber cores in the optical fiber line.

[0030] Based on the above technical solution, the line transmission unit is specifically used to realize the amplification, line monitoring and line protection functions required for line transmission.

[0031] Based on the above technical solution, the SDN control unit controls the cell switching unit, wavelength cross-connect unit and optical fiber cross-connect unit to perform cross-connection, scheduling and switching control as needed.

[0032] Compared with the prior art, the advantages of the present invention are as follows:

[0033] (1) The scalability is greatly improved compared with traditional optical transmission equipment. With the advancement of photonic integration technology and the promotion of optoelectronic integration, the cost and size of short-distance optical connections can be introduced into the equipment, thereby eliminating the constraints of integrated construction caused by the extremely limited space of high-speed electrical connections in optical transmission equipment. This allows the functional units of the equipment to be placed discretely, providing the possibility for flexible construction of equipment scale and functions according to scenario requirements.

[0034] (2) Based on highly scalable modular construction, the types, models and quantities of optical transmission equipment in the computer room can be significantly reduced.

[0035] (3) The functional units are not tightly coupled and can be expanded / reduced or upgraded independently as needed, which can effectively protect the operator's investment. Attached Figure Description

[0036] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0037] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a scalable optical transmission device based on optoelectronic fusion in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0038] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this application clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are some embodiments of this application, but not all embodiments.

[0039] Advances in photonic integration technology and the emergence of optoelectronic fusion technology have made it possible to break away from the long-standing customized and integrated nature of optical transmission equipment. This invention proposes a scalable optical transmission device based on optoelectronic fusion, which decouples and decentralizes the tight coupling and integration of functional units in physical space. This allows the optical transmission device to be flexibly and discretely constructed in a large physical space in a modular fashion. Each functional unit can be independently modified and upgraded as needed, thereby significantly enhancing the device's adaptability to diverse application scenarios through scalability and greatly reducing the types of equipment required.

[0040] This invention provides a scalable optical transmission device based on optoelectronic fusion. It introduces small-size, low-cost optical connections based on optoelectronic fusion into the device, enabling interconnection between functional units and eliminating the distance constraints imposed by electrical connections on device construction. This discrete, modular approach to on-demand construction allows the optical transmission device to flexibly adapt to various application scenarios and avoids an excessive number of device types.

[0041] See Figure 1 As shown in the figure, an embodiment of the present invention provides a scalable optical transmission device based on optoelectronic convergence, including a client interface unit, a cell switching unit, a line interface unit, a wavelength cross-connect unit, an optical fiber cross-connect unit, a line transmission unit, and an SDN (Software Defined Networking) control unit. The client interface unit, cell switching unit, line interface unit, wavelength cross-connect unit, optical fiber cross-connect unit, and line transmission unit constitute the data plane of the scalable optical transmission device, while the SDN control unit constitutes the control plane. It should be noted that each unit of the above data plane is flexibly configured as needed according to the actual situation of each local station. For example, smaller local stations do not need to be configured with optical fiber cross-connect units, while the cell switching unit of a large local station is larger than that of a small local station.

[0042] The client interface unit, cell switching unit, line interface unit, wavelength cross-connect unit, fiber optic cross-connect unit, and line transmission unit are interconnected via optical fiber. That is, the functional units within the data plane are interconnected via optical fiber. Compared with electrical connection media such as copper wire and coaxial cable, optical fiber has an absolute advantage of several orders of magnitude in terms of connection distance and speed. This allows the above functional units to be placed in a highly discrete spatial manner (up to hundreds of meters) instead of being constrained by distance.

[0043] The scalable optical transmission device provided by this invention fully considers the diversity and variability of application scenarios. The data plane and control plane inside the device, as well as the functional units within the data plane, are independent of each other and spatially discretized, possessing high scalability. It can be built on demand, and the scale of cross-connection and switching at each level can be large or small, meeting the different capacity requirements of various scenarios such as edge, aggregation, core, and backbone.

[0044] In this invention, the client interface unit is used for the access, aggregation, and encapsulation of client signals, that is, to access, aggregate, and encapsulate client signals, and then send them to the cell switching unit via optical fiber. The client interface unit includes multiple client interface boards, and these boards come in various types to adapt to different rates, types, and forms of client signals. Because actual client signals are diverse, exhibiting various rates (e.g., 100M, 1G, 2.5G, 10G, etc.), types (e.g., TDM, FC, ATM, Ethernet, etc.), and forms (electrical or optical), the client interface boards need to be of multiple types to accommodate the requirements of different client signals.

[0045] In this invention, the cell switching unit is used to perform cell switching between customer-side signals and line-side signals. Specifically, the cell switching unit includes O / EI (Optical / Electrical Interconversion), a cell switching matrix, and E / OI (Electro / Optical Interconversion). The cell switching matrix is ​​used to perform electrical domain grouping and / or TDM signal switching. The E / OI is used to convert the optical signals sent from the customer interface unit into electrical signals and to convert the electrical signals output by the cell switching matrix to the customer interface unit into optical signals. The O / EI is used to convert the optical signals sent from the line interface unit into electrical signals and to convert the electrical signals output by the cell switching matrix to the line interface unit into optical signals.

[0046] In this invention, the line interface unit is used to receive signals sent to the line side by the cell switching unit, convert them into a specific wavelength, and then transmit them; it also receives signals from the line side, processes them, and then sends them to the cell switching unit. The line interface unit includes multiple line interface boards, and these boards include various rate types, such as 100G, 400G, 800G, and 1T, as needed. Furthermore, the wavelength of the line interface boards can be dynamically set as required, and the operating rate can be fixed or adjustable.

[0047] Specifically, the line interface unit receives signals sent to the line side by the cell switching unit, performs channel coding and scrambling processing, converts them into a specific wavelength, and then transmits them; the line interface unit receives signals from the line side, performs descrambling and channel decoding processing, and then sends them to the cell switching unit.

[0048] In this invention, the wavelength cross-connection unit is used to perform cross-scheduling between wavelengths in the line fiber core, as well as to schedule the local uplink / downlink wavelengths.

[0049] In this invention, the fiber cross-connect unit is used to perform cross-connection at the fiber core level and to schedule the fiber cores that need to be processed in the wavelength cross-connect unit; specifically, the fiber cross-connect unit is used to realize cross-connection between fiber cores in the fiber optic line.

[0050] In this invention, the line transmission unit is used to realize the functions required for line transmission; specifically, the line transmission unit is used to realize the amplification, line monitoring, line protection and other functions required for line transmission.

[0051] In this invention, the SDN control unit is used to control the cell switching unit, wavelength cross-connect unit, fiber cross-connect unit, and line interface unit. Specifically, the SDN control unit controls the cell switching unit, wavelength cross-connect unit, and fiber cross-connect unit to perform cross-connection, scheduling, and switching as needed. The wavelength and rate of each line interface board in the line interface unit are specified by the SDN control unit as needed. The SDN control unit can also, based on the signal transmission requirements of customers at each site, achieve dynamic, on-demand, and joint scheduling of network transmission resources through the combined effects of fiber-core level cross-connection, wavelength-level scheduling, wavelength and rate arrangement, and cell-level switching.

[0052] In this embodiment of the invention, the client interface unit, cell switching unit, line interface unit, wavelength cross-connect unit, fiber cross-connect unit, line transmission unit, and SDN control unit are functionally identical to their corresponding units in traditional optical transmission equipment. The main difference lies in the spatial discreteness of each unit (they can be placed far apart, ranging from several meters to hundreds of meters), whereas the functional units of traditional optical transmission equipment are integrated (limited to sub-racks or racks). In particular, the cell switching unit, due to the addition of O / EI and E / OI capabilities, can be connected to adjacent functional units via optical fiber, whereas the cell switching unit of traditional optical transmission equipment is electrically connected to adjacent functional units.

[0053] In the description of this application, it should be noted that the terms "upper," "lower," etc., indicating the orientation or positional relationship are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this application. Unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installed," "connected," and "linked" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication between two elements. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in this application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0054] It should be noted that in this application, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used merely to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element.

[0055] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, enabling those skilled in the art to understand or implement this application. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of this application. Therefore, this application is not to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features claimed herein.

Claims

1. A scalable optical transmission device based on optoelectronic fusion, characterized in that, include: A client interface unit, which is used for accessing, aggregating and encapsulating client signals; A cell switching unit, which is used to perform cell switching between customer-side signals and line-side signals; The line interface unit is used to receive signals sent to the line side by the cell switching unit, convert them into a specific wavelength and then transmit them, and to receive signals from the line side, process them and then send them to the cell switching unit. A wavelength cross-connection unit is used to perform cross-scheduling between wavelengths in the line fiber core, as well as to schedule the local uplink / downlink wavelengths. Fiber cross-connect unit, which is used to perform cross-connection at the fiber core level and to schedule the fiber cores that need to be processed in the wavelength cross-connect unit; A line transmission unit, which is used to implement the functions required for line transmission; SDN control unit, which is used to control cell switching unit, wavelength cross-connect unit, optical fiber cross-connect unit and line interface unit; The client interface unit, cell switching unit, line interface unit, wavelength cross-connection unit, optical fiber cross-connection unit, and line transmission unit are interconnected via optical fibers.

2. The scalable optical transmission device based on optoelectronic fusion as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The customer interface unit includes multiple customer interface boards, and the customer interface boards include various types to adapt to different rates, types, and forms of customer signal requirements.

3. The scalable optical transmission device based on optoelectronic fusion as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The cell switching unit includes an O / EI, a cell switching matrix, and an E / OI; The cell switching matrix is ​​used for electrical domain grouping and / or TDM signal switching; The E / OI is used to convert the optical signal sent by the client interface unit into an electrical signal, and to convert the electrical signal output by the cell switching matrix to the client interface unit into an optical signal. The O / EI is used to convert the optical signal sent by the line interface unit into an electrical signal, and to convert the electrical signal output by the cell switching matrix to the line interface unit into an optical signal.

4. A scalable optical transmission device based on optoelectronic fusion as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The line interface unit includes multiple line interface boards, and the line interface boards include multiple speed types. The wavelength and rate of each line interface board in the line interface unit are specified as needed by the SDN control unit; The line interface unit receives the signal sent to the line side by the cell switching unit, performs channel coding and scrambling processing, converts it into a specific wavelength, and then transmits it. The line interface unit receives signals from the line side, performs descrambling and channel decoding processing, and then sends them to the cell switching unit.

5. A scalable optical transmission device based on optoelectronic fusion as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The fiber optic cross-connect unit is specifically used to realize the cross-connection between fiber cores in the fiber optic line.

6. A scalable optical transmission device based on optoelectronic fusion as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The line transmission unit is specifically used to realize the amplification, line monitoring and line protection functions required for line transmission.

7. A scalable optical transmission device based on optoelectronic fusion as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The SDN control unit controls the cell switching unit, wavelength cross-connect unit, and fiber cross-connect unit to perform cross-connection, scheduling, and switching as needed.

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