Optical node and method for switching optical paths

Abstract

The purpose of the present disclosure is to make it possible to verify a port connecting an in-location node and an out-of-location node within a plurality of optical nodes connected in an optical network.　The present disclosure relates to a plurality of optical nodes provided to an optical fiber network in which the optical nodes are connected, each of the optical nodes comprising: an optical cross-connect unit; an optical cross-connect control unit; a light source for optically supplying electric power to the other optical nodes and transmitting, to the other optical nodes, a control signal for switching a port connected to a host device by an optical fiber core line; an optical receiver for receiving information pertaining to an optical power value measured at a post-switching port in the other optical nodes; a controller for controlling the light source and the optical receiver; and an in-location node integrated control unit for controlling the controller and the optical cross-connect control unit so as to switch the port connecting the host device and the other optical nodes, and acquiring the information pertaining to the optical power value that was received by the optical receiver.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the configuration of an optical node that is installed primarily within an optical fiber network and performs remote optical line switching. [Background technology]

[0002] In optical fiber networks, especially in access networks that connect communication equipment installed in communication buildings with user-side communication terminals, optical line switching, such as connecting optical fiber cores to optional routes and changing routes, is performed at a certain frequency in order to use the facilities efficiently during installation and maintenance. Normally, such work is performed by going to the site and physically switching the connections, but a technology has been proposed that allows it to be performed remotely using optical switches.

[0003] Specifically, in a system consisting of a monitoring and control device installed in a power supply environment such as a station, and one or more optical line switching nodes located remotely, a method has been proposed that can simultaneously realize the functions of optical power supply and control of multiple optical switches contained in the node using a single laser, thereby providing an economical optical line switching node system (see, for example, non-patent document 1).

[0004] However, in such a system, in various forms of optical fiber networks, it is assumed that the route inside the premises may also need to be switched in conjunction with the route switching of the optical node outside the premises, but there is no clear method for doing so inside the premises. Also, when the optical port monitoring unit of the optical node installed outside the premises receives test light and checks its normality, it is necessary to transmit test light from the premises in some way in conjunction with the optical node installed outside the premises, but there is no clear method for doing so inside the premises. [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0005] [Non-Patent Document 1] "Study on remote optical path switching nodes for future optical access networks", Tomohiro Kawano, Tatsuya Fujimoto, Kazuhide Nakae, Hiroshi Watanabe, Kazunori Katayama, B-13-16, 2021 IEICE General Conference Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] An object of the present disclosure is to enable confirmation of ports to which in-station nodes and out-station nodes are connected in a plurality of optical nodes connected in an optical network. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The optical node of the present disclosure comprises: The optical node is provided in an optical fiber network to which a plurality of optical nodes are connected, an optical cross-connect unit that is connected to other optical nodes among the plurality of optical nodes excluding the optical node itself and that switches ports that are connected to the other optical nodes through optical fiber cores; an optical cross-connect control unit that controls the optical cross-connect unit; an inter-node connection management unit that stores a mutual connection state between each port of the own device and the other optical nodes; a light source that is connected to the other optical node by an optical fiber core different from the optical cross-connect unit, optically supplies power to the other optical node, and transmits a control signal to the other optical node to switch a port connected to the device by the optical fiber core; an optical receiver that receives information on an optical power value measured at a port after switching in the other optical node; a controller for controlling the light source and the optical receiver; an in-house node general control unit that controls the controller and the optical cross-connect control unit so as to switch a port that connects the local device and the other optical node, and acquires information on an optical power value received by the optical receiver; The present invention is characterized by comprising:

[0008] The method of the present disclosure comprises: A method executed by an optical node in an optical fiber network to which a plurality of optical nodes are connected, comprising: an in-house node general control unit causes an optical cross-connect unit connected to another optical node among the plurality of optical nodes other than the own device to switch a port connected to the other optical node by an optical fiber core line; the in-house node general control unit causes the light source to optically feed power to the other optical node and to transmit to the other optical node a control signal light for switching a port connected to the own device by an optical fiber core line; an optical receiver receives an optical power value measured at a port after switching in the other optical node; an in-house node general control unit acquires information on the optical power value received by the optical receiver, thereby confirming the port connected to the other optical node; The inter-node connection management unit stores the mutual connection states of each port of the own device and the other optical nodes. Effect of the Invention

[0009] The present disclosure can make it possible to confirm ports to which in-house nodes and out-house nodes are connected in a plurality of optical nodes connected to an optical network. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 2 is a configuration example of an optical fiber network using optical nodes. [Diagram 2] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an optical node arranged within a central office; [Diagram 3] 13 is an example of a connection information table in an inter-node connection management unit and an example of updating the same; [Figure 4] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an optical node arranged within a central office; [Diagram 5] These are examples of the operation of an off-site optical node, where (a) shows the state where route A (ports 1, 61) is connected, (b) shows the state where route A (ports 1, 61) is being switched to route B (ports 31, 71), and (c) shows the state where route B (ports 31, 71) is connected. [Figure 6] 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of normal operation of an optical node. [Figure 7] 13 is an example of a connection information table of an in-house wiring management department. [Figure 8] 13 is an example of optical power information of a port of an outside node stored in an optical output value management unit. [Figure 9] 2 is a configuration example of an optical fiber network using optical nodes. [Figure 10] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an optical node arranged within a central office; [Figure 11] 13 is an example of an operation of an optical node when an abnormality occurs. [Figure 12] 13 is an example of data stored in an inter-node core line usage status management unit. [Figure 13] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an optical node arranged within a central office; [Figure 14] 13 is an example of data stored in the inter-node core wire usage status management unit (extended version). [Figure 15] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an optical node arranged within a central office; [Figure 16] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an optical node arranged within a central office; [Figure 17] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an optical node arranged within a central office; [Figure 18] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an optical node arranged within a central office; [Figure 19] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an optical node arranged within a central office; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments shown below. These implementation examples are merely illustrative, and the present disclosure can be implemented in various forms with various modifications and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art. Note that components with the same reference numerals in this specification and drawings are assumed to indicate the same components.

[0012] (First embodiment) A first embodiment of the present disclosure will now be described in detail. FIG. 1 shows an example of an optical line switching node (hereinafter, optical node) installed both on-site and off-site. One optical node 91 is installed on-site, and one optical node 92 is installed off-site. Note that there may be a configuration in which multiple on-site and off-site optical nodes are installed on an optical fiber network. The on-site optical node 91 is installed in an environment where power can be provided. The off-site optical node 92 is in an environment where commercial power is not available, and is powered by optical power supplied from on-site. Hereinafter, the optical node installed on-site will be referred to as the "on-site node", and the optical node installed off-site will be referred to as the "off-site node".

[0013] An on-site node 91 and an off-site node 92 are connected by an optical fiber network. The optical fiber network may be in any form, but the figure shows an example of a loop-shaped network configuration. Port 1 of on-site node 91 and port 1 of off-site node 92 are connected by route RA, and port 31 of on-site node 91 and port 31 of off-site node 92 are connected by route RB different from route RA. Using route RA or RB, communication light is transmitted, control signals are sent and received, and power is supplied using optical signals.

[0014] The present disclosure relates to an optical network in which a plurality of optical nodes that switch optical paths are connected, The optical nodes include: An in-house node 91 installed in an environment where power can be provided; an outside node 92 driven by power supply light from the inside node; Equipped with The in-station node 91 has a group of functions related to optical cross-connection and a group of functions for remotely controlling the outside nodes, and switches the port of the in-station node 91 and switches the port of the outside node 92 by remote control. In addition, the on-site node 91 has a function of confirming the ports to which the on-site node 91 and the off-site node 92 are connected by transmitting test light from the on-site node 91 or a termination rack 93 connected to the on-site node to the off-site node. As a result, the present disclosure makes it possible to confirm the ports to which the in-house node 91 and the out-house node 92 are connected.

[0015] FIG. 2 shows an example of the configuration of an on-site node 91. In the figure, the numbers in the boxes indicate port numbers. First, the functional group that remotely controls the off-site node 92 will be described. This functional group includes a light source 21, an optical circulator 22, an optical receiver 24, and a controller 25. The laser light emitted from the light source 21 passes through the optical circulator 22 and is input to an on-site termination rack (e.g., IDM: Integrated Distribution Module) 93 through an optical fiber cable 82 that functions as an inter-rack cable. The termination rack 93 is connected to the off-site node 92 through an external optical fiber network via the optical fiber cable 83 that functions as a termination cable. The termination rack 93 may also have an optical coupler function.

[0016] The light source 21 optically supplies power to the off-site node 92. This enables each function of the off-site node 92 to be driven. The light source 21 also transmits a control signal to the off-site node 92. This enables remote control of the off-site node 92. On the other hand, when a control signal is transmitted from the off-site node 92, it is input from the optical circulator 22 to the optical receiver 24 and received by the optical receiver 24. The control signal transmitted from the off-site node 92 may include an optical power value measured by an optical port monitoring function unit provided in the off-site node 92. The controller 25 has a function of controlling the light source 21 and the optical receiver 24.

[0017] Next, a group of functions related to the optical cross-connect of the on-site node 91 will be described. This group of functions includes an optical cross-connect unit 11 having a cross-connect function for N input ports and M output ports, and an optical cross-connect control unit 12 that controls the optical cross-connect unit 11. The input ports and output ports of the optical cross-connect unit 11 can be identified, for example, by being assigned numbers. The upper side of the optical cross-connect unit 11 is connected to various transmission devices through optical fiber cables 81 and 82. The lower side is connected to an off-site node 92 through an optical fiber network including an external optical fiber cable 83 via an on-site termination frame 93 having an optical coupler function via the optical fiber cable 82.

[0018] Furthermore, in this disclosure, the on-site node 91 is equipped with an on-site node overall control unit 13 and an inter-node connection management unit 14. This on-site node overall control unit 13 is connected to the controller 25, the optical cross-connect unit control unit 12, and the inter-node connection management unit 14. The inter-node connection management unit 14 stores connection information between the on-site node 91 and the outside node 92. This connection information includes connection information with the outside node 92 to which the own device is connected, and may also include connection information of other on-site nodes 91.

[0019] When the in-station node 91 and the out-station node 92 switch from the route RA to the route RB shown in FIG. 1, it is assumed that the port 1 of the in-station node 91 and the ports 1 and 31 of the out-station node 92 are connected in the route RA. Next, based on a signal from the local node overall control unit 13, the optical cross-connect control unit 12 refers to the information from the node-to-node connection management unit 14 (checking the connection between local node #1 out port 31 and external node #1 in port 31) and switches the lower side of the optical cross-connect unit 11 in Figure 2 from port 1 to port 31 at the local node 91. Next, in response to a signal from the local node overall control unit 13, the outside node 91 switches from ports 1 and 61 to ports 31 and 71 based on a signal from the controller 25 of the local node 91. After the switching, the information in the inter-node connection management unit 14 is updated in response to a signal from the local node overall control unit 13. Figure 3 shows a connection information table in the inter-node connection management unit 14 and an example of the update. As described above, in cooperation with the outside node 92, switching of the route between the inside node 91 and the outside node 92 can be realized.

[0020] Second embodiment The second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to FIG. In addition to the configuration of the intra-office node 91 described in the first embodiment, the intra-office node 91 is provided with an intra-office wiring management unit 15 that holds mutual connection information between each port of the optical cross-connect unit 11 and each port of the termination frame 93. Also, the intra-office node 91 is provided with an optical output value management unit 16 that holds the optical power values ​​of each port of the outside node 92 in chronological order. The intra-office wiring management unit 15 and the optical output value management unit 16 operate in connection with the intra-office node general control unit 13 described in the first embodiment.

[0021] An in-station termination rack 93 such as an existing IDM rack may include an optically terminated port for connecting to an optical fiber cable 83 leading to the outside of the station, an optical coupler 31 for multiplexing test light and the like into the optical fiber of the optical fiber cable 83, a fiber selector 32 connected to the multiple optical couplers 31 and switching light to a specific optical coupler to enable optical connection, an optical testing device 33 for emitting test light, and an optical testing function controller 34 for controlling the optical testing device 33 and the fiber selector 32. The in-station node general control unit 13 operates the optical testing device 33 and the fiber selector 32 through the optical testing function controller 34, and is configured to be able to insert the test light emitted from the optical testing device 33 through all the optical couplers 31 to which the fiber selector 32 is connected.

[0022] (Third embodiment) The third embodiment of the present disclosure will now be described in detail. In the second embodiment, as shown in Fig. 1, an on-site node 91 and an off-site node 92 switch from route RA to route RB, and in the process, as shown in Fig. 5, an operation procedure of the entire on-site and off-site optical nodes will be described with reference to Fig. 6 along with an example of the operation of the off-site node 92. Fig. 7 shows an example of connection information stored in the on-site wiring management unit 15. This connection information shows that the port 1 and port 2 to port 60 on the off-site side of the optical cross-connect unit 11 shown in Fig. 4 are connected one-to-one with the port 11 and port 12 to port 70 on the off-site side of the termination rack 93, respectively.

[0023] 8 shows an example of the optical power values ​​of the ports of the external node 92 stored in the optical output value management unit 16. The optical power value for each port measured at the external node 92 is stored together with the measurement time of the optical power value.

[0024] Step S11: Assume that port 1 of in-house node 91 is connected to port 1 of out-house node 92, and port 1 of out-house node 92 is connected to port 61 (the state of route RA in FIG. 1). In the in-house node 91, port 101 of the optical cross-connect unit 11 in FIG. 4 is connected to port 1, and port 11 of the termination frame 93 is connected to port 1. Focusing on the inside of the out-house node 92, port 1 and port 61 are connected via the optical cross-connect unit 211 as shown in FIG. 5(a).

[0025] Step S12: In response to a signal from the on-site node overall control unit 13, the controller 25 of the on-site node 91 transmits a control signal to measure the optical power values ​​of all ports. The optical port monitoring function unit 212 of the off-site node 92 measures the optical power values ​​received at all ports of the off-site node 92 in accordance with the control signal received by the microprocessor 225. The microprocessor 225 of the off-site node 92 returns the measurement results of the optical power values ​​to the controller 25 of the on-site node 91. The on-site node overall control unit 13 records the optical power values ​​returned via the controller 25 in the optical output value management unit 16 together with the time the optical power values ​​were received. As a result, the optical power values ​​received at all ports of the off-site node 92 are stored in the optical output value management unit 16 together with the measurement time of the optical power values.

[0026] Step S13: After referring to the information of the on-site distribution management unit 15 by a signal from the on-site node overall control unit 13 (as shown in FIG. 7, it is confirmed that the port of the termination rack 93 connected to the port 1 of the on-site node 91 is "11"), the optical test function control unit 34 connects the fiber selector 32 to the optical coupler 31 of the port 1 of the termination rack 93 on the outside node 92 side, and inserts the test light into the optical coupler 31. The optical port monitoring function unit 212 of the outside node 92 measures the optical power values ​​of all the ports of the outside node 92. The microprocessor 225 of the outside node 92 returns the measurement results of the optical power values ​​to the controller 25 of the on-site node 91. The returned optical power value is stored in the optical output value management unit 16 together with the measurement time of the optical power value via the on-site node overall control unit 13.

[0027] Fig. 8 shows an example of the optical power values ​​of the ports of the outside node 92 stored in the optical output value management unit 16. As shown in Fig. 8, the measurement data of all ports before and after the insertion of this test light is compared, and it is confirmed that the optical power values ​​of ports 1 and 61 of the outside node 92 have increased since the test light was inserted compared to the optical power values ​​before the test light was inserted. This makes it possible to confirm that port 1 of the inside node 91 is connected to ports 1 and 61 of the outside node 92.

[0028] Step S14: In response to a signal from the local node overall control unit 13, the optical cross-connect control unit 12 refers to the information from the inter-node connection management unit 14 and switches the lower side of the optical cross-connect unit 11 in Fig. 4 from port 1 to port 31 at the local node 91. As a result, port 101 and port 31 of the optical cross-connect unit 11 in Fig. 4 and port 41 and port 31 of the termination frame 93 are connected to each other.

[0029] Step S15: In response to a signal from the local node integrated control unit 13, the controller 25 of the local node 91 transmits a control signal to switch ports. As shown in Fig. 5(b), the optical cross-connect unit 211 of the outside node 92 switches from ports 1 and 61 to ports 31 and 71 in response to the control signal received by the microprocessor 225. As a result, as shown in Fig. 5(c), ports 31 and 71 are connected through the optical cross-connect unit 211, and the route RB in Fig. 1 is connected.

[0030] Step S16: In response to a signal from the intra-office node overall control unit 13, the controller 25 of the intra-office node 91 transmits a control signal to measure the optical power values ​​of all ports. The optical port monitoring function unit 212 of the outside node 92 measures the power values ​​received at all ports of the outside node 92 in accordance with the control signal received by the microprocessor 225. The microprocessor 225 of the outside node 92 returns the measurement results of the optical power value to the controller 25 of the intra-office node 91. The returned optical power value is stored in the optical output value management unit 16 together with the measurement time of the optical power value via the intra-office node overall control unit 13.

[0031] Step S17: In response to a signal from the local node overall control unit 13, the optical testing function controller 34 refers to information from the local distribution management unit 15, connects the fiber selector 32 to the optical coupler 31 of the port 41 of the termination rack 93, and inserts test light into the optical coupler 31 to which the port 31 of the local node 91 is connected. The optical port monitoring function unit 212 of the outside node 92 measures all of the optical ports of the outside node 92. The microprocessor 225 of the outside node 92 returns the measurement results of the optical power value to the controller 25 of the inside node 91. The returned optical power value is stored in the optical output value management unit 16 together with the measurement time of the optical power value via the local node overall control unit 13.

[0032] The on-site node integrated control unit 13 compares the measurement data of all ports before and after the test light is inserted, and confirms that the optical power values ​​of ports 31 and 71 of the off-site optical nodes have increased from the optical power values ​​before the test light was inserted. This confirms that port 31 of on-site node 91 is connected to ports 31 and 71 of the off-site node 92.

[0033] As described above, not only can route switching be realized by linking the off-site node 92 and the on-site node 91, but the connection state between ports can be confirmed by checking the optical output value using test light before and after switching.

[0034] (Fourth embodiment) The fourth embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to Fig. 9 to Fig. 12. As shown in Fig. 9, it is assumed that a fault occurs on the path of the route RA, causing an interruption of the optical signal.

[0035] In the third embodiment, the functions of the local office node 91 are provided with an inter-node core wire usage status management unit 17 and an abnormality detection unit 18, as shown in Fig. 10. The inter-node core wire usage status management unit 17 indicates whether or not the service of each core wire connecting optical nodes is being used, as shown in Fig. 12. The abnormality detection unit 18 cooperates with the local office node general control unit 13 and has a function of detecting the occurrence of a fault. The operation procedure is shown in Fig. 11.

[0036] Step S21: Assume that port 1 of in-house node 91 is connected to port 1 of out-house node 92, and port 1 of out-house node 92 is connected to port 61 (the state of route RA in FIG. 9). In the in-house node 91, port 101 of the optical cross-connect unit 11 in FIG. 10 is connected to port 1, and port 11 of the termination frame 93 is connected to port 1.

[0037] Step S22: In response to a signal from the intra-office node overall control unit 13, the controller 25 of the intra-office node 91 transmits a control signal to measure the optical power values ​​of all ports. The optical port monitoring function unit 212 of the outside node 92 measures the optical power values ​​received at all ports of the outside node 92 in accordance with the control signal received by the microprocessor 225. The microprocessor 225 of the outside node 92 returns the measurement results of the optical power values ​​to the controller 25 of the intra-office node 91. The returned optical power values ​​are stored in the optical output value management unit 16 together with the measurement time of the optical power values ​​via the intra-office node overall control unit 13.

[0038] Step S23: In response to a signal from the on-site node overall control unit 13, the optical testing function controller 34 refers to information from the on-site distribution management unit 15, connects the fiber selector 32 to the optical coupler 31 of port 1 of the termination rack 93, and inserts test light into the optical coupler 31. The optical port monitoring function unit 212 of the off-site node 92 measures the optical power values ​​of all ports of the off-site node 92. The microprocessor 225 of the off-site node 92 returns the measurement results of the optical power values ​​to the controller 25 of the on-site node 91. The returned optical power value is stored in the optical output value management unit 16 together with the measurement time of the optical power value via the on-site node overall control unit 13.

[0039] The measurement data of all ports before and after the insertion of this test light is compared, and it is assumed that the test light has been inserted, but the optical power values ​​of port 1 and port 61 of outside node 92 are the same as the optical power values ​​before the insertion of the test light. In this case, the connection between port 1 of inside node 91 and port 1 and port 61 of outside node 92 cannot be confirmed, and it is assumed that there is some kind of failure on route RA.

[0040] Step S24: The anomaly detection unit 18 refers to the inter-node core wire usage status management unit 17 and searches for optical fiber core wires that are not being used for service. If there is a corresponding result, then as shown in Fig. 12, port 31 of the in-station node 91 and the out-station node 92 with item number 1031 is found to be the corresponding result. This result is transmitted to the in-station node overall control unit 13. If there is a corresponding port, the process proceeds to step S25. If there is no corresponding port, the process proceeds to step S29.

[0041] Step S25: In response to a signal from the in-house node general control unit 13, the optical cross-connect control unit 12 refers to the information from the inter-node connection management unit 14 and switches the lower side of the optical cross-connect unit 11 in Fig. 10 from port 1 to port 31. As a result, the port 101 and port 31 of the optical cross-connect unit 11 in Fig. 10 and the port 41 and port 31 of the termination frame 93 are connected to each other.

[0042] Step S26: In response to a signal from the local node integrated control unit 13, the controller 25 of the local node 91 transmits a control signal to switch ports. The optical cross-connect unit 211 of the outside node 92 switches from ports 1, 61 to ports 31, 61 in response to a control signal from the microprocessor 225.

[0043] Step S27: In response to a signal from the intra-office node overall control unit 13, the controller 25 of the intra-office node 91 transmits a control signal to measure the optical power values ​​of all ports. The optical port monitor 212 of the outside node 92 measures the optical power values ​​received at all ports of the outside node 92 in accordance with the control signal received by the microprocessor 225. The microprocessor 225 of the outside node 92 returns the measurement results of the optical power values ​​to the controller 25 of the intra-office node 91. The returned optical power values ​​are stored in the optical output value management unit 16 together with the measurement time of the optical power values ​​via the intra-office node overall control unit 13.

[0044] Step S28: In response to a signal from the on-site node overall control unit 13, the optical testing function controller 34 refers to information from the on-site distribution management unit 15, connects the fiber selector 32 to the optical coupler 31 of the port 41 of the termination rack 93, and inserts test light into the optical coupler 31 to which the port 31 of the on-site node 91 is connected. The optical port monitoring function unit 212 of the off-site node 92 measures all of the optical ports of the off-site node 92. The microprocessor 225 of the off-site node 92 returns the measurement results of the optical power value to the controller 25 of the on-site node 91. The returned optical power value is stored in the optical output value management unit 16 together with the measurement time of the optical power value via the on-site node overall control unit 13.

[0045] The on-site node integrated control unit 13 compares the measurement data of all ports before and after the insertion of this test light, and checks for any fluctuations in the optical power values ​​of ports 31 and 61 of the off-site node 92 compared with the optical power values ​​before the insertion of the test light. If there is an increase, it can be confirmed that port 31 of the on-site node 91 is connected to ports 31 and 71 of the off-site node 92. If there is no increase, the process returns to step S24 and a search is made for other optical fiber cores not used for service.

[0046] Step S29: If there are no cores not used for service, or if it is confirmed that the optical power values ​​of all cores not used for service do not increase even after the insertion of test light in step S28, the abnormality detection unit 18 sends a message to the in-house node general control unit 13 to notify that the abnormality has not been resolved, such as that the route cannot be changed and that the route needs to be repaired.

[0047] As described above, when a route failure occurs, it is possible to detect the abnormality by switching to a route that is not used for the service and that is not experiencing the failure, or if there is no route that is not used for the service or no route that is not experiencing the failure.

[0048] Fifth embodiment The fifth embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 13 and Fig. 14. In the third embodiment, an intra-office node 91 is provided with an inter-node core wire use status management unit 17 and a core wire distribution function unit 19. As shown in Fig. 14, the inter-node core wire use status management unit 17 stores, in addition to the example of information stored in the inter-node core wire use status management unit 17 described in the fourth embodiment, whether the state is a right-handed direction or a left-handed direction as the directionality of the loop network configuration. This information is used to clearly indicate that two routes, a right-handed route RA and a left-handed route RB, exist for optical fiber core wires connected between nodes in a loop network such as the optical network between the intra-office node 91 and the off-office node 92 shown in Fig. 1.

[0049] 1, when it is necessary to open a new route between an in-house node 91 and an outside node 92, the fiber distribution functional unit 19 selects a fiber to be switched from among the optical fiber fibers not used for service, and notifies the in-house node general control unit 13. The in-house node general control unit 13 changes the port in which an abnormality has been detected by the abnormality detection unit 18 to the port to which the fiber selected by the fiber distribution functional unit 19 is connected.

[0050] Here, the selection of the core wire distribution function unit 19 is based on, for example, the number of core wires in the clockwise and counterclockwise directions between optical nodes, and further the number of optical fibers in use or not in use, or the ratio of the two, based on a policy such as determining the core wire number to be used so that there is no imbalance between the number of optical fiber core wires in the clockwise direction and the number of optical fiber core wires in the counterclockwise direction (e.g., port 60 for in-house node #1, port 60 for out-house node #1), and notifying the in-house node overall control unit 13 of the number.

[0051] As described above, in the loop wiring, the ratio of optical fiber core wires used is not biased between clockwise and counterclockwise, and, for example, it is possible to use optical fiber core wires that are not used for services in both directions while leaving the same core wire, or to use optical fiber core wires in both directions so that the ratio of the number of core wires not used for services is constant.

[0052] Sixth embodiment The sixth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 15. In the second to fifth embodiments, an optical test function control unit 134 functioning as the optical test function control device 34, an optical test function unit 133 functioning as the optical test function device 33, and a fiber selector unit 132 functioning as the fiber selector 32 are added to the functions of the optical node in the central office. That is, compared to FIG. 4, FIG. 10, or FIG. 13, a fiber selector unit 132 that is connected to a plurality of optical couplers 31 and can switch and connect light to a specific optical coupler 31, an optical test function unit 133 that emits test light, and an optical test function control unit 134 that controls the optical test function unit 133 and the fiber selector unit 132 are added to the central office node 91. The central office node general control unit 13 controls the optical test function unit 133 and the fiber selector unit 132 through the optical test function control unit 134, and is capable of inserting optical test light through all the optical couplers 31 to which the fiber selector unit 132 is connected. Note that FIG. 15 shows the configuration added to FIG. 10.

[0053] Seventh embodiment The seventh embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 16. In the sixth embodiment, an optical coupler unit 131 and a termination function unit 193 are added to the functions of an intra-station node 91. In other words, compared to Fig. 15, a termination function unit 193 that connects to an optical fiber cable 83 that leads to an off-station node 92, and an optical coupler unit 131 that multiplexes test light or the like into the optical fiber cable 83 are added to the functions of the intra-station node 91.

[0054] As shown in Fig. 16, the optical communication system includes a fiber selector unit 132 that is connected to a plurality of optical coupler units 131 and can switch and connect light to a specific optical coupler unit 131, an optical testing function unit 133 that emits test light, and an optical testing function control unit 134 that controls the optical testing function unit 133 and the fiber selector unit 132. Usually, the optical coupler units 131 are connected to each port of the optical termination function unit 193. Each port of the optical termination function unit 193 can be identified by, for example, being assigned an individual number. The upper port of the optical termination function unit 193 is connected to a port of the optical cross-connect unit 11 through an optical fiber cable 182. The lower port is connected to an external optical fiber network through an optical fiber cable 83, and further connected to an external node 92. The in-house node general control unit 13 controls the optical testing function unit 133 and the fiber selector unit 132 through the optical testing function control unit 134, and is configured to be able to insert optical test light through all the optical coupler units 131 to which the fiber selector unit 132 is connected.

[0055] Eighth embodiment The eighth embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 17. In the first to seventh embodiments, an optical selector 23 is added to an intra-office node 91. Fig. 17 shows a configuration in which an optical selector 23 is added to the configuration of Fig. 16.

[0056] The optical fiber cables 82-1 and 82-2 connected to the optical selector 23 are respectively connected to the optical fiber cables 83-1 and 83-2. The optical fiber cable 83-1 is connected to the off-site node 92#1, and the optical fiber cable 83-2 is connected to the off-site node 92#2.

[0057] The controller 25 has the function of controlling the optical selector 23, which can change the port of the termination function unit 193 to which the laser light from the light source 21 is input, making it possible to transmit laser light from a single light source 21 to multiple off-site nodes 92 through multiple optical fiber cores.

[0058] Ninth embodiment The ninth embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 18. In the first to eighth embodiments, the in-station node 91 is configured to be composed only of an in-station node general control unit 13, an inter-node connection management unit 14, an in-station wiring management unit 15, an optical output value management unit 16, an inter-node core wire usage status management unit 17, and an abnormality detection unit 18. Here, instead of the abnormality detection unit 18, or together with the abnormality detection unit 18, a core wire distribution function unit 19 may be provided.

[0059] The remote control function group such as the controller 25, the optical cross-connect function group such as the optical cross-connect control unit 12, and the optical testing function group such as the test function control unit 134 are configured in separate housings, and the in-house node overall control unit 13 operates in cooperation with the controller 25, the optical cross-connect control unit 12, and the test function control unit 34.

[0060] In this way, all or part of the light source 21 and controller 25, the optical cross-connect unit 11 and optical cross-connect control unit 12, the in-house node overall control unit 13 and the inter-node connection management unit 14 may be stored in separate housings rather than in a single housing.

[0061] (Tenth embodiment) The tenth embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 19. In the first to ninth embodiments, the inter-node connection management unit 14, the in-house wiring management unit 15, the optical output value management unit 16, and the inter-node core wire utilization status management unit 17 are not configured in the same housing as the in-house node 91, but are stored in another device such as a server via a network, and information is exchanged between them. Fig. 19 shows the case of the embodiment applied to Fig. 18.

[0062] In this way, all or a part of the inter-node connection management unit 14 may not be housed in the same housing as the optical cross-connect unit 11, but may be housed in a different housing via a network.

[0063] The optical node of the present disclosure can also be realized by a computer and a program, and the program can be recorded on a recording medium or provided via a network.

[0064] (Effects of the present disclosure) In a plurality of optical nodes connected to an optical network, test light is transmitted from an on-site node 91 installed inside the premises to an off-site node 92 installed outside the premises to confirm the ports to which the on-site node 91 and the off-site node 92 are connected, and then the port of the on-site node 91 is switched and the port of the off-site node 92 is switched to remote control, changing the optical route, and then test light is transmitted again to confirm the ports to which the on-site node 91 and the off-site node 92 are connected. [Industrial Applicability]

[0065] The present disclosure can be applied to the information and communications industry. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 11: Optical cross-connect section 111: Optical port monitoring function unit 12: Optical cross-connect control section 13: Internal node general control unit 14: Inter-node connection management unit 15:In-house wiring management department 16: Optical output value control unit 17: Inter-node core wire usage status management unit 18: Anomaly detection unit 19: Wire distribution function unit 21:Light source 22: Optical circulator 23: Optical selector 24: Optical receiver 25: Controller 31: Optical coupler 32: Fiber selector 33: Optical test function device 34: Optical test function control device 81, 82, 83, 182: Fiber optic cable 91: Internal node 92: External node 93: Termination rack 132: Fiber selector section 131: Optical coupler section 133: Optical test function unit 134: Optical test function control unit 211: Optical cross-connect section 212: Optical port monitoring function unit 225: Microprocessor

Claims

1. The optical node is provided in an optical fiber network to which a plurality of optical nodes are connected, an optical cross-connect unit that is connected to other optical nodes among the plurality of optical nodes excluding the optical node itself and that switches ports that are connected to the other optical nodes through optical fiber cores; an optical cross-connect control unit that controls the optical cross-connect unit; an inter-node connection management unit that stores a mutual connection state between each port of the own device and the other optical nodes; a light source that is connected to the other optical node by an optical fiber core different from the optical cross-connect unit, optically supplies power to the other optical node, and transmits a control signal to the other optical node to switch a port connected to the device by the optical fiber core; an optical receiver that receives information on an optical power value measured at a port after switching in the other optical node; a controller for controlling the light source and the optical receiver; an in-house node general control unit that controls the controller and the optical cross-connect control unit so as to switch a port that connects the local device and the other optical node, and acquires information on an optical power value received by the optical receiver; An optical node comprising:

2. an optical output value management unit that stores an optical power value received by the optical receiver in association with a port of the other optical node and a measurement time; the local node general control unit checks the connection state of the port of the other optical node by determining a change in the optical power value stored in the optical output value management unit. The optical node of claim 1 .

3. an inter-node core line usage status management unit that stores whether or not a service of an optical fiber core line connecting the own device and the other optical node is being used; an abnormality detection unit that detects an abnormality in a port of the other optical node based on a determination result of a change in an optical power value in the local node general control unit; When the abnormality detection unit detects an abnormality, the abnormality detection unit selects a port of an optical fiber core line that is not being used for a service from among the ports of the other optical nodes based on the information stored in the inter-node core line usage status management unit; The on-site node general control unit comprises: changing the port in which an abnormality has been detected by the abnormality detection unit to the port selected by the abnormality detection unit; By determining a change in the optical power value at the port after the change, a connection state of the port of the optical fiber core line selected by the abnormality detection unit is confirmed; The abnormality detection unit notifies the in-station node general control unit that the abnormality has not been resolved when the abnormality is not resolved even by changing the port. The optical node according to claim 2 .

4. a core distribution function unit that operates by exchanging signals with the in-station node general control unit, The inter-node core wire usage status management unit further stores information indicating whether the optical fiber core wire is in a clockwise or counterclockwise rotation direction of the loop network configuration, The core wire distribution function unit is (i) the number of optical fiber cores in each rotation direction stored in the inter-node core wire usage status management unit; (ii) the number of optical fiber cores used in the service; (iii) the number of optical fiber cores not being used for service; (iv) The proportion of passengers using the service in each direction of rotation; Selecting an optical fiber core to be replaced from among the optical fiber cores not used for the service based on at least one of the in-house node general control unit changes the port in which an abnormality is detected by the abnormality detection unit to a port to which the optical fiber core selected by the core fiber distribution function unit is connected. The optical node according to claim 3 .

5. the optical cross-connect unit is connected to the optical fiber network through a termination frame to which an optical fiber cable included in the optical fiber network is connected; an in-house wiring management unit that stores mutual connection information between the ports of the optical cross-connect unit and the ports of the termination frame; the central office node general control unit controls a port of the termination rack into which test light is input from an optical testing device; The connection state of the port after switching is confirmed by determining a change in the optical power value in the optical output value management unit due to the test light from the optical testing device. An optical node according to any one of claims 2 to 4.

6. an optical test function unit that emits a test light; a fiber selector unit for connecting any one of the optical fiber cores connected to the other optical node to the optical testing function unit; an optical testing function control unit that controls the fiber selector unit and the optical testing function unit; Equipped with The on-site node general control unit, Controlling the optical testing function unit and the fiber selector unit through the optical testing function control unit; An optical test light is inserted into any of the optical fibers connected by the fiber selector unit; A change in the optical power value in the optical output value management unit due to the test light from the optical testing function unit is determined, thereby confirming the connection state of the port after switching. An optical node according to any one of claims 2 to 4.

7. a termination function unit to which an optical fiber cable included in the optical fiber network is connected; an optical coupler unit that multiplexes a test light from the optical testing function unit with any one of the optical fiber cores included in the optical fiber cable; The present invention is characterized in that it comprises: The optical node according to claim 6 .

8. an optical selector that switches an optical path from the light source to the other optical node, An optical node according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. the light source and the controller; the optical cross-connect unit and the optical cross-connect control unit; the in-house node general control unit; The inter-node connection management unit; All or a part of the above is not stored in a single housing but is stored in a separate housing. An optical node according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. The inter-node connection management unit, all or a part of which is not stored in the same housing as the optical node, but is stored in a different housing via a network and functions. An optical node according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. A method executed by an optical node in an optical fiber network to which a plurality of optical nodes are connected, comprising: an in-house node general control unit causes an optical cross-connect unit connected to another optical node among the plurality of optical nodes other than the own device to switch a port connected to the other optical node by an optical fiber core line; the central office node general control unit causes the light source to optically feed power to the other optical node and to transmit to the other optical node a control signal light for switching a port connected to the central office node via an optical fiber core line; an optical receiver receives an optical power value measured at a port after switching in the other optical node; an in-house node general control unit acquires information on the optical power value received by the optical receiver, thereby confirming the port connected to the other optical node; storing a mutual connection state between each port of the own device and the other optical node in an inter-node connection management unit; method.

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