Optical path status determination device, optical transmission system, optical path status determination method, and computer program

Abstract

Because the reliability of an optical transmission system that uses an optical path switching device is reduced when a configuration is adopted in which the switching state of the optical path in the optical path switching device can be ascertained, this optical path state assessment device has: an optical acceptance means configured to connect to an optical transmission line through which propagation light propagates in a latter stage of an optical path switching device for switching the path of signal light; an optical spectrum generation means for generating optical spectrum information of the propagation light; and, a switching state assessment means for assessing the switching state of the optical path switching device from the optical spectrum information.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an optical path status determination device, an optical path status determination method, and a program recording medium, and more particularly to an optical path status determination device, an optical path status determination method, and a program recording medium used in an optical submarine cable system. [Background technology]

[0002] Optical submarine cable systems that connect continents with optical fibers play an important role as infrastructure supporting international communication networks. An optical submarine cable system is composed of an undersea cable that accommodates optical fibers, an undersea repeater equipped with an optical amplifier, an undersea branching device that branches optical signals, and a terminal device installed at a landing station. An example of such an optical submarine cable system is described in Patent Document 1. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-078452 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In recent years, optical submarine cable systems have generally adopted a configuration in which an optical path switching device such as an optical switch is introduced in the optical transmission path, making it possible to switch the optical transmission path. In such optical transmission systems capable of switching the optical transmission path, a method of receiving a notification from the optical path switching device to grasp the optical path state is generally used.

[0005] On the other hand, in an optical submarine cable system, high reliability is required for the equipment, and there is a limit to the number of parts that can be installed in the housing. However, in order to grasp the switching state of the optical path in the optical path switching device installed on the seabed, it is necessary to install a communication function with the terminal device in the optical path switching device. As a result, the number of parts in the optical path switching device increases, and the reliability of the optical transmission system using the optical path switching device decreases.

[0006] Thus, if a configuration is adopted that allows the switching state of the optical paths in the optical path switching device to be grasped, there is a problem that the reliability of the optical transmission system that uses the optical path switching device is reduced.

[0007] An object of the present invention is to provide an optical path status determination device, an optical path status determination method, and a program recording medium that solve the problem that the reliability of an optical transmission system using an optical path switching device decreases when the optical path switching status in the optical path switching device is grasped. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The optical path status determination device of the present invention includes an optical receiving means configured to connect to an optical transmission path through which propagating light propagates at a downstream stage of an optical path switching device that switches the path of signal light, an optical spectrum generating means that generates optical spectrum information of the propagating light, and a switching status determination means that determines the switching status of the optical path switching device from the optical spectrum information.

[0009] The optical path status determination method of the present invention receives propagating light propagating through an optical transmission line at a downstream stage of an optical path switching device that switches the path of signal light, generates optical spectrum information of the propagating light, and determines the switching status of the optical path switching device from the optical spectrum information.

[0010] The program recording medium of the present invention is a computer-readable program recording medium having recorded thereon a program for causing a computer to execute a procedure for generating optical spectrum information of propagating light propagating through an optical transmission line at a downstream stage of an optical path switching device that switches the path of signal light, and a procedure for determining the switching state of the optical path switching device from the optical spectrum information. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the optical path status determination device, the optical path status determination method, and the program recording medium of the present invention, it is possible to grasp the switching status of the optical path in the optical path switching device without causing a decrease in the reliability of the optical transmission system that uses the optical path switching device. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an optical path state determination device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an optical submarine cable system in which an optical path status determination device according to a first embodiment of the present invention is used. [Diagram 3] 1 is a diagram for explaining a state of propagating light in an optical submarine cable system in which an optical path status determining device according to a first embodiment of the present invention is used; [Figure 4] 3 is a diagram for explaining the operation of a switching state determination unit included in the optical path state determination device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Diagram 5] 5A to 5C are diagrams for explaining another operation of the switching state determination unit included in the optical path state determination device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an optical transmission system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0014] [First embodiment] 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an optical path status determination device 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The optical path status determination device 100 includes an optical receiver (optical receiver means) 110, an optical spectrum generator (optical spectrum generator means) 120, and a switching state determiner (switching state determiner means) 130. The optical path status determination device 100 is preferably used in a terminal device constituting an optical submarine cable system.

[0015] Fig. 2 shows the configuration of an optical submarine cable system 10, as an example of an optical submarine cable system, which includes terminal stations A, B, and C each equipped with a terminal device, an optical path switching device 11, and an optical repeater 12. The optical path switching device 11 typically includes an optical switch or an optical add-drop multiplexer (OADM). The optical repeater 12 typically includes an Erbium Doped Fiber Amplifier (EDFA). The optical path switching device 11 and the terminal devices equipped in each of the terminal stations A, B, and C are connected by, for example, a fiber pair. Here, the fiber pair (FP) consists of an optical fiber for an upstream line and an optical fiber for a downstream line.

[0016] The optical receiver 110 is configured to connect to an optical transmission line through which the propagating light propagates, at a stage subsequent to an optical path switching device that switches the path of the signal light. The optical spectrum generator 120 generates optical spectrum information of the propagating light. Then, the switching state determiner 130 determines the switching state of the optical path switching device from the optical spectrum information.

[0017] In this manner, in the optical path status determination device 100 according to the present embodiment, the switching status determination unit 130 determines the switching status of the optical path switching device from the optical spectrum information of the propagating light generated by the optical spectrum generation unit 120. Therefore, it is not necessary to obtain a notification or a response from the optical path switching device in order to determine the switching status of the optical path switching device. As a result, it is possible to reduce the number of components of the optical path switching device and to increase reliability. That is, according to the optical path status determination device 100 of the present embodiment, it is possible to grasp the switching status of the optical path in the optical path switching device without causing a decrease in reliability of the optical transmission system using the optical path switching device. Moreover, according to the optical path status determination device 100 of the present embodiment, it is possible to determine the switching status of the optical path switching device even when communication traffic is in an operational state.

[0018] On the other hand, in the field of optical undersea cable systems, the open cable method, in which transponders with open specifications are procured individually, is becoming more and more popular. Even in such an optical undersea cable system using the open cable method, the optical path status determination device 100 of the present embodiment can provide a path switching determination function that does not depend on information communication devices such as transponders.

[0019] The switching state determination unit 130 can be configured to determine whether or not the propagating light contains specific light based on the optical spectrum information. In this case, if the switching state determination unit 130 determines that the propagating light contains specific light, it determines that the optical path switching device 11 is in a first switching state in which the signal light is sent to the optical receiver 110. On the other hand, if the switching state determination unit 130 determines that the propagating light does not contain specific light, it determines that the optical path switching device 11 is in a second switching state in which the signal light is sent to a destination other than the optical receiver 110.

[0020] Here, the specific light can be at least one of signal light and amplified spontaneous emission light. The signal light is, for example, a wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) light including modulated light for communication and dummy light for level adjustment. The amplified spontaneous emission light is typically an amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) light outputted by an erbium doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) provided in the optical repeater 12.

[0021] An example of the state of light propagating in the optical submarine cable system 10 in such a case is shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 3 shows an example in which WDM light is transmitted from terminal station A and is received at terminal station B or terminal station C via optical path switching device 11. Here, optical path switching device 11 switches the output destination of input light from terminal station A to terminal station B or terminal station C, and performs an operation not to output light in the direction not selected.

[0022] In this case, when the switching state determining unit 130 determines that the propagating light includes both the signal light and the amplified spontaneous emission light, it determines that the optical path switching device 11 is in the first switching state. In the example shown in Fig. 3, when the propagating light includes both the WDM light and the ASE light, the switching state determining unit 130 of the optical path status determining device 100 provided in the terminal station B determines that the optical path switching device 11 is in the first switching state SW1 in which the signal light from the terminal station A is transmitted to the terminal station B.

[0023] Moreover, when the switching state determining unit 130 determines that the propagating light does not contain signal light, it determines that the optical path switching device 11 is in the second switching state. In the example shown in Fig. 3, when the propagating light does not contain WDM light, for example, when the propagating light contains only ASE light, the switching state determining unit 130 provided in the terminal station B determines that the optical path switching device 11 is in the second switching state SW2 in which the optical path switching device 11 transmits the signal light from the terminal station A toward the terminal station C. The switching state determining unit 130 of the optical path state determining device 100 provided in the terminal station C also performs a similar operation.

[0024] The operation of the switching state determination unit 130 at this time will be described in further detail with reference to FIG. 4 and FIG.

[0025] 4 shows an example of a case where a discontinuous difference occurs in the optical level of the propagating light over the entire wavelength band in the wavelength dependency of the optical level of the propagating light included in the optical spectrum information. In this case, the switching state determination unit 130 determines that the propagating light includes both signal light (WDM) and amplified spontaneous emission (ASE).

[0026] Specifically, for example, as shown in (I) in Fig. 4, when there is a step in the optical levels of the ASE light and the WDM light near both ends of the optical spectrum, the switching state determination unit 130 determines that the propagating light includes both WDM light and ASE light. Also, as shown in (II) in Fig. 4, there may be a step between the signal lights of each wavelength included in the WDM light where the optical level drops to the noise level, or there may be a level difference of a certain level or more. In such cases, the switching state determination unit 130 may determine that the propagating light includes both WDM light and ASE light.

[0027] 5 shows an example of the case where the optical level of the propagating light included in the optical spectrum information changes continuously over the entire wavelength band of the propagating light in the wavelength dependency of the optical level of the propagating light included in the optical spectrum information. In this case, the switching state determination unit 130 determines that the propagating light does not include signal light.

[0028] Specifically, for example, as shown in (III) in Fig. 5, when a spectrum having a smooth shape overall and no excessive level drop locally is obtained, the switching state determination unit 130 determines that no signal light is included in the propagating light. Also, for example, when an optical repeater is controlled to have a constant output, an optical spectrum is obtained in which the optical level on the long wavelength side drops as shown in (IV) in Fig. 5, and the amount of slope and deviation at this time are constant values. In such a case, the switching state determination unit 130 may determine that no signal light is included in the propagating light. Furthermore, when an optical spectrum having a characteristic shape (distribution position, area, etc.) of the area occupied by the optical spectrum is obtained, the switching state determination unit 130 may determine that no signal light is included in the propagating light.

[0029] In the above description, the specific light is at least one of the signal light and the amplified spontaneous emission light. However, the specific light is not limited to this, and may be an identification signal with a shaped spectrum inserted either in the optical path switching device 11 or in a stage preceding the optical path switching device 11. In this case, the switching state determination unit 130 may be configured to determine whether or not the propagation light includes an identification signal as the specific light based on the optical spectrum information.

[0030] Furthermore, when it is determined from the optical spectrum information that the propagating light contains only amplified spontaneous emission light, the switching state determination unit 130 may determine the switching state from the alarm information indicating the occurrence of a fault and the optical spectrum information. With this configuration, it becomes possible to grasp the switching state of the optical paths in the optical path switching device, distinguishing from the occurrence of a fault such as a break in the optical transmission path.

[0031] When the switching state determining unit 130 determines that there is a no-signal state from the optical spectrum information, it may determine that the optical path switching device 11 is in a switching state in which the optical signal is sent to other than the optical receiving unit 110. If no optical repeater is disposed downstream of the optical path switching device, there are cases in which no ASE light is generated and the optical receiving unit 110 is in a no-signal state. Even in such a case, the optical path state determining device 100 can grasp the switching state of the optical path in the optical path switching device by using the above configuration.

[0032] In the above description, the switching state determination unit 130 included in the optical path state determination device 100 is configured to determine whether or not specific light is included in the propagating light based on the optical spectrum information, and to determine the switching state of the optical path switching device from the result. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the switching state determination unit 130 may be configured to derive the optical spectrum shape of the propagating light from the optical spectrum information, and to determine the switching state from the optical spectrum shape. In this case, the switching state determination unit 130 may be configured to determine the switching state using a discrimination algorithm based on machine learning.

[0033] Next, a method for determining the state of an optical path according to this embodiment will be described.

[0034] In the optical path state determination method according to the present embodiment, first, a propagating light propagating through an optical transmission line is received at a stage downstream of an optical path switching device that switches the path of a signal light. Next, optical spectrum information of the propagating light is generated. Then, the switching state of the optical path switching device is determined from the optical spectrum information.

[0035] In this way, the optical path state determination method according to the present embodiment is configured to determine the switching state of the optical path switching device from the optical spectrum information of the propagating light. Therefore, it is not necessary to obtain a notification or response from the optical path switching device in order to determine the switching state of the optical path switching device. As a result, it is possible to reduce the number of components of the optical path switching device and increase reliability.

[0036] Here, the determination of the switching state may include determining whether or not the specific light is included in the propagating light based on the optical spectrum information. If it is determined that the specific light is included in the propagating light, the optical path switching device determines that it is in a first switching state in which the signal light is sent to the optical transmission path. On the other hand, if it is determined that the specific light is not included in the propagating light, the optical path switching device may be configured to determine that it is in a second switching state in which the signal light is sent to other than the optical transmission path.

[0037] The specific light may be at least one of signal light and amplified spontaneous emission light. In this case, when determining the switching state, if it is determined that the propagating light contains both signal light and amplified spontaneous emission light, the optical path switching device determines that it is in a first switching state. On the other hand, if it is determined that the propagating light does not contain signal light, the optical path switching device determines that it is in a second switching state.

[0038] In this case, when the wavelength dependency of the optical level of the propagating light included in the optical spectrum information shows a discontinuous difference in the optical level over the entire wavelength band of the propagating light, it can be determined that the propagating light includes both signal light and amplified spontaneous emission light. Also, when determining the switching state, when the wavelength dependency of the optical level of the propagating light included in the optical spectrum information shows a continuous change in the optical level over the entire wavelength band of the propagating light, it can be determined that the propagating light does not include signal light.

[0039] In the above description, the specific light is at least one of the signal light and the amplified spontaneous emission light. However, the specific light is not limited to this, and may be an identification signal with a shaped spectrum inserted either in the optical path switching device or in a stage preceding the optical path switching device.

[0040] When determining the switching state, if it is determined from the optical spectrum information that the propagating light contains only amplified spontaneous emission light, the switching state may be determined from alarm information indicating the occurrence of a fault and the optical spectrum information. Also, when determining the switching state, if it is determined from the optical spectrum information that there is no signal, the optical path switching device may determine that it is in a switching state in which the signal light is sent to another optical transmission line.

[0041] In the above description, when determining the switching state, it is determined whether or not specific light is included in the propagating light based on the optical spectrum information. However, this is not limiting, and when determining the switching state, the optical spectrum shape of the propagating light may be derived from the optical spectrum information, and the switching state may be determined from the optical spectrum shape. In this case, when determining the switching state, a discrimination algorithm based on machine learning may be used to determine the switching state.

[0042] Also, each of the above steps may be executed by a computer. That is, a program can be used to cause a computer to execute a procedure for generating optical spectrum information of a propagating light propagating through an optical transmission line at a stage subsequent to an optical path switching device that switches the path of a signal light, and a procedure for determining a switching state of the optical path switching device from the optical spectrum information. Then, a computer-readable program recording medium on which this program is recorded can be used. Here, the program recording medium can be a non-transitory computer readable medium. The program recording medium includes a magnetic recording medium, a magneto-optical recording medium, an optical disk memory, and a semiconductor memory.

[0043] The above-mentioned procedure for determining the switching state may include a procedure for determining whether or not the specific light is included in the propagating light based on the optical spectrum information. Here, when it is determined that the specific light is included in the propagating light, the optical path switching device may include a procedure for determining that it is in a first switching state in which the signal light is sent to the above-mentioned optical transmission path. On the other hand, when it is determined that the specific light is not included in the propagating light, the optical path switching device may include a procedure for determining that it is in a second switching state in which the signal light is sent to other than the above-mentioned optical transmission path.

[0044] The above-mentioned procedure for determining the switching state may include a procedure for deriving an optical spectrum shape of the propagating light from the optical spectrum information and determining the switching state from the optical spectrum shape. In this case, the procedure for determining the switching state may include a procedure for determining the switching state using a discrimination algorithm based on machine learning.

[0045] As described above, according to the optical path status determination device 100, the optical path status determination method, and the program recording medium of the present embodiment, it is possible to grasp the switching state of the optical path in the optical path switching device without causing a decrease in the reliability of the optical transmission system that uses the optical path switching device.

[0046] Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Fig. 6 shows the configuration of an optical transmission system 1000 according to this embodiment. The optical transmission system 1000 includes a first optical path status determining device 1100, a second optical path status determining device 1200, and an optical path switching device 1300. The optical transmission system 1000 is preferably used in an optical submarine cable system.

[0047] Each of the first optical path state determining device 1100 and the second optical path state determining device 1200 may be the optical path state determining device 100 according to the first embodiment. That is, each of the first optical path state determining device 1100 and the second optical path state determining device 1200 includes an optical receiving unit 110, an optical spectrum generating unit 120, and a switching state determining unit 130 (see FIG. 1).

[0048] As described in the first embodiment, the optical path status determining device 100 is configured such that the switching status determining unit 130 determines the switching status of the optical path switching device from the optical spectrum information of the propagating light generated by the optical spectrum generating unit 120. Therefore, it is not necessary to obtain a notification or response from the optical path switching device in order to determine the switching status of the optical path switching device. As a result, it is possible to reduce the number of components of the optical path switching device and increase reliability.

[0049] The first optical path status determining device 1100 and the second optical path status determining device 1200 are preferably used in terminal devices provided in terminal stations (terminal stations B and C in the example of FIG. 6) that constitute an optical submarine cable system.

[0050] The optical path switching device 1300 typically includes an optical switch or an optical add-drop multiplexer (OADM). In the example shown in Fig. 6, the optical path switching device 1300 switches the output destination of input light from terminal station A to terminal station B or terminal station C, and does not output light in the direction not selected. The optical path switching device 1300 and the first optical path status determination device 1100 are connected by an optical transmission path 1001, and the optical path switching device 1300 and the second optical path status determination device 1200 are connected by an optical transmission path 1002. The optical transmission paths 1001 and 1002 are typically fiber pairs consisting of an optical fiber for an upstream line and an optical fiber for a downstream line.

[0051] Here, the first optical path state determining device 1100 generates first optical spectrum information which is optical spectrum information, and the second optical path state determining device 1200 generates second optical spectrum information which is optical spectrum information.

[0052] In this case, the first optical path status determining device 1100 and the second optical path status determining device 1200 can be configured to determine the switching state of the optical path switching device 1300 from at least one of the first optical spectrum information and the second optical spectrum information. That is, the first optical path status determining device 1100 and the second optical path status determining device 1200 can be configured to determine the switching state using one of the first optical spectrum information and the second optical spectrum information, or both of the first optical spectrum information and the second optical spectrum information.

[0053] Specifically, for example, when multiple optical path switching devices 1300 are arranged in the optical transmission path 1001 connected to the terminal station B and no other optical path switching devices are arranged in the optical transmission path 1002 connected to the terminal station C, the switching state may be determined only from the second optical spectrum information. Also, when multiple optical path switching devices 1300 are arranged in both the optical transmission path 1001 connected to the terminal station B and the optical transmission path 1002 connected to the terminal station C, the switching state may be determined using both the first optical spectrum information and the second optical spectrum information.

[0054] The optical transmission system 1000 may further include a network management device (not shown). The network management device acquires first optical spectrum information from the first optical path status determining device 1100, and acquires second optical spectrum information from the second optical path status determining device 1200. The network management device may then be configured to determine the switching state of the optical path switching device 1300 based on the first optical spectrum information and the second optical spectrum information.

[0055] Next, a method for determining the state of an optical path according to this embodiment will be described.

[0056] In the optical path status determination method according to the present embodiment, first, a propagating light propagating through an optical transmission line is received at a stage subsequent to an optical path switching device that switches the path of a signal light. Next, optical spectrum information of the propagating light is generated. Then, the switching state of the optical path switching device is determined from the optical spectrum information. The configuration up to this point is the same as the optical path status determination method according to the first embodiment.

[0057] In the optical path state determination method according to the present embodiment, when generating optical spectrum information, first optical spectrum information is generated which is optical spectrum information of a first propagating light which is a propagating light, and second optical spectrum information is generated which is optical spectrum information of a second propagating light which is a propagating light.

[0058] In this case, when determining the switching state, the switching state may be determined from at least one of the first optical spectrum information and the second optical spectrum information.

[0059] In addition, the first optical spectrum information may be sent to the network management device, and the second optical spectrum information may be sent to the network management device so that the network management device determines a switching state based on the first optical spectrum information and the second optical spectrum information.

[0060] As described above, according to the optical transmission system 1000 and the optical path status determination method of this embodiment, it is possible to grasp the switching status of the optical path in the optical path switching device without causing a decrease in reliability of the optical transmission system that uses the optical path switching device.

[0061] A part or all of the above-described embodiments can be described as, but is not limited to, the following supplementary notes.

[0062] (Supplementary Note 1) An optical path status determination device comprising: an optical receiving means configured to connect to an optical transmission path through which propagating light propagates at a downstream stage of an optical path switching device that switches the path of signal light; an optical spectrum generating means that generates optical spectrum information of the propagating light; and a switching status determination means that determines a switching status of the optical path switching device from the optical spectrum information.

[0063] (Supplementary Note 2) The optical path state determination device described in Supplementary Note 1, wherein the switching state determination means determines whether or not the propagating light contains specific light based on the optical spectrum information, and if it is determined that the propagating light contains the specific light, determines that the optical path switching device is in a first switching state in which the signal light is sent to the optical receiving means, and if it is determined that the propagating light does not contain the specific light, determines that the optical path switching device is in a second switching state in which the signal light is sent to a means other than the optical receiving means.

[0064] (Supplementary Note 3) The optical path state determination device according to Supplementary Note 2, wherein the specific light is at least one of the signal light and the amplified spontaneous emission light, and the switching state determination means determines that the optical path switching device is in a first switching state if it determines that the propagating light includes both the signal light and the amplified spontaneous emission light, and determines that the optical path switching device is in a second switching state if it determines that the propagating light does not include the signal light.

[0065] (Supplementary Note 4) The optical path state determination device according to Supplementary Note 3, wherein the switching state determination means determines that the propagating light includes both the signal light and the amplified spontaneous emission light when a discontinuous difference occurs in the optical level of the propagating light over an entire wavelength band of the propagating light in the wavelength dependency of the optical level of the propagating light included in the optical spectrum information.

[0066] (Supplementary Note 5) The optical path state determination device according to Supplementary Note 3, wherein the switching state determination means determines that the propagating light does not include the signal light when, in the wavelength dependency of the optical level of the propagating light included in the optical spectrum information, the optical level changes continuously over the entire wavelength band of the propagating light.

[0067] (Supplementary Note 6) The optical path state determination device according to Supplementary Note 2, wherein the specific light is an identification signal having a shaped spectrum inserted either in the optical path switching device or in a stage preceding the optical path switching device.

[0068] (Supplementary Note 7) The optical path state determination device according to Supplementary Note 1, wherein the switching state determination means, when determining from the optical spectrum information that the propagating light includes only amplified spontaneous emission light, determines the switching state from alarm information indicating the occurrence of a fault and the optical spectrum information.

[0069] (Supplementary Note 8) The optical path state determination device according to Supplementary Note 1, wherein the switching state determination means, when determining from the optical spectrum information that a no-signal state exists, determines that the optical path switching device is in a switching state in which the signal light is sent to a means other than the optical receiving means.

[0070] (Supplementary Note 9) The optical path state determining device according to Supplementary Note 1, wherein the switching state determining means derives an optical spectrum shape of the propagating light from the optical spectrum information, and determines the switching state from the optical spectrum shape.

[0071] (Supplementary Note 10) The optical path state determination device according to Supplementary Note 9, wherein the switching state determination means determines the switching state using a discrimination algorithm based on machine learning.

[0072] (Supplementary Note 11) An optical transmission system comprising: a first optical path state determination device which is the optical path state determination device described in any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 10; a second optical path state determination device which is the optical path state determination device described in any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 10; and an optical path switching device, wherein the first optical path state determination device generates first optical spectrum information which is the optical spectrum information, and the second optical path state determination device generates second optical spectrum information which is the optical spectrum information.

[0073] (Supplementary Note 12) The optical transmission system according to Supplementary Note 11, wherein the first optical path status determination device and the second optical path status determination device determine the switching status from at least one of the first optical spectrum information and the second optical spectrum information.

[0074] (Supplementary Note 13) The optical transmission system according to Supplementary Note 11, further comprising a network management device, the network management device acquiring the first optical spectrum information from the first optical path status determination device, acquiring the second optical spectrum information from the second optical path status determination device, and determining the switching state based on the first optical spectrum information and the second optical spectrum information.

[0075] (Supplementary Note 14) An optical path state determination method for receiving propagation light propagating through an optical transmission line at a downstream stage of an optical path switching device that switches the path of signal light, generating optical spectrum information of the propagation light, and determining a switching state of the optical path switching device from the optical spectrum information.

[0076] (Supplementary Note 15) The optical path state determining method according to Supplementary Note 14, wherein determining the switching state includes determining whether or not the propagating light contains specific light based on the optical spectrum information, determining that the optical path switching device is in a first switching state in which the signal light is sent to the optical transmission path when it is determined that the propagating light contains the specific light, and determining that the optical path switching device is in a second switching state in which the signal light is sent to a path other than the optical transmission path when it is determined that the propagating light does not contain the specific light.

[0077] (Supplementary Note 16) The optical path state determining method according to Supplementary Note 15, wherein the specific light is at least one of the signal light and the amplified spontaneous emission light, and determining the switching state includes determining that the optical path switching device is in a first switching state when it is determined that the propagating light includes both the signal light and the amplified spontaneous emission light, and determining that the optical path switching device is in a second switching state when it is determined that the propagating light does not include the signal light.

[0078] (Supplementary Note 17) The optical path state determining method according to Supplementary Note 16, wherein determining the switching state includes determining that the propagating light includes both the signal light and the amplified spontaneous emission light when a discontinuous difference occurs in the optical level of the propagating light over an entire wavelength band of the propagating light in the wavelength dependency of the optical level of the propagating light included in the optical spectrum information.

[0079] (Supplementary Note 18) The optical path state determination method according to Supplementary Note 16, wherein determining the switching state includes determining that the signal light is not included in the propagating light when, in the wavelength dependency of the optical level of the propagating light included in the optical spectrum information, the optical level changes continuously over the entire wavelength band of the propagating light.

[0080] (Supplementary Note 19) The optical path state determination method according to Supplementary Note 15, wherein the specific light is an identification signal having a shaped spectrum inserted in either the optical path switching device or a stage preceding the optical path switching device.

[0081] (Supplementary Note 20) The optical path state determining method according to Supplementary Note 14, wherein determining the switching state includes, when it is determined from the optical spectrum information that the propagating light includes only amplified spontaneous emission light, determining the switching state from alarm information indicating the occurrence of a fault and the optical spectrum information.

[0082] (Supplementary Note 21) The optical path state determination method according to Supplementary Note 14, wherein determining the switching state includes determining that the optical path switching device is in a switching state in which the signal light is sent to a path other than the optical transmission path when it is determined from the optical spectrum information that there is no signal.

[0083] (Supplementary Note 22) The optical path state determination method according to Supplementary Note 14, wherein determining the switching state includes deriving an optical spectrum shape of the propagating light from the optical spectrum information, and determining the switching state from the optical spectrum shape.

[0084] (Supplementary Note 23) The optical path state determination method according to Supplementary Note 22, wherein determining the switching state includes determining the switching state using a discrimination algorithm based on machine learning.

[0085] (Supplementary Note 24) The optical path state determination method according to any one of Supplementary Notes 14 to 23, wherein generating the optical spectrum information includes generating first optical spectrum information, which is the optical spectrum information of a first propagating light, which is the propagating light, and generating second optical spectrum information, which is the optical spectrum information of a second propagating light, which is the propagating light.

[0086] (Supplementary Note 25) Determining the switching state includes determining the switching state from at least one of the first optical spectrum information and the second optical spectrum information. 25. A method for determining an optical path state as described in Supplementary Note 24.

[0087] (Supplementary Note 26) The optical path status determination method according to Supplementary Note 24, further comprising: sending the first optical spectrum information to a network management device and sending the second optical spectrum information to the network management device so that the network management device determines the switching status based on the first optical spectrum information and the second optical spectrum information.

[0088] (Supplementary Note 27) A computer-readable program recording medium having recorded thereon a program for causing a computer to execute a procedure for generating optical spectrum information of a propagating light propagating through an optical transmission path at a downstream stage of an optical path switching device that switches the path of a signal light, and a procedure for determining a switching state of the optical path switching device from the optical spectrum information.

[0089] (Supplementary Note 28) The program recording medium described in Supplementary Note 27, wherein the procedure for determining the switching state includes the steps of determining whether or not the propagating light contains specific light based on the optical spectrum information, determining that the optical path switching device is in a first switching state in which the signal light is sent to the optical transmission path if it is determined that the propagating light contains the specific light, and determining that the optical path switching device is in a second switching state in which the signal light is sent to another path besides the optical transmission path if it is determined that the propagating light does not contain the specific light.

[0090] (Supplementary Note 29) The program recording medium according to Supplementary Note 27, wherein the procedure of determining the switching state includes the procedures of deriving an optical spectrum shape of the propagating light from the optical spectrum information, and determining the switching state from the optical spectrum shape.

[0091] (Supplementary Note 30) The program recording medium according to Supplementary Note 29, wherein the procedure for determining the switching state includes a procedure for determining the switching state using a discrimination algorithm based on machine learning.

[0092] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiment, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. Various modifications that can be understood by those skilled in the art can be made to the configuration and details of the present invention within the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0093] 100 Optical path status determination device 110 Optical reception unit 120 Optical spectrum generation unit 130 Switching state determination unit 1000 Optical Transmission System 1001, 1002 Optical transmission line 1100 First optical path state determination device 1200 Second optical path state determination device 1300 Optical Route Switching Equipment 10. Optical Submarine Cable System 11 Optical Route Switching Equipment 12 Optical repeater

Claims

1. an optical receiving unit configured to be connected to an optical transmission line through which the propagation light propagates, at a downstream stage of an optical path switching device that switches the path of the signal light; an optical spectrum generating means for generating optical spectrum information of the propagating light; a switching state determination unit that determines a switching state of the optical route switching device from the optical spectrum information; The switching state determination means determining whether or not the propagating light contains specific light based on the optical spectrum information; When it is determined that the specific light is included in the propagating light, the optical path switching device determines that the optical path switching device is in a first switching state in which the signal light is transmitted to the optical receiving means; When it is determined that the specific light is not included in the propagating light, the optical path switching device determines that the optical path switching device is in a second switching state in which the signal light is sent to a destination other than the optical receiving means; the specific light is at least one of the signal light and amplified spontaneous emission light, The switching state determination means when a discontinuous difference occurs in the optical level over the entire wavelength band of the propagating light in the wavelength dependency of the optical level of the propagating light included in the optical spectrum information, it is determined that the propagating light includes both the signal light and the amplified spontaneous emission light; When it is determined that the propagation light includes both the signal light and the amplified spontaneous emission light, the optical path switching device determines that it is in a first switching state; if it is determined that the signal light is not included in the propagation light, it is determined that the optical path switching device is in a second switching state; Optical path status determination device.

2. an optical receiving unit configured to be connected to an optical transmission line through which the propagation light propagates, at a downstream stage of an optical path switching device that switches the path of the signal light; an optical spectrum generating means for generating optical spectrum information of the propagating light; a switching state determination unit that determines a switching state of the optical route switching device from the optical spectrum information; The switching state determination means determining whether or not the propagating light contains specific light based on the optical spectrum information; When it is determined that the specific light is included in the propagating light, the optical path switching device determines that the optical path switching device is in a first switching state in which the signal light is transmitted to the optical receiving means; When it is determined that the specific light is not included in the propagating light, the optical path switching device determines that the optical path switching device is in a second switching state in which the signal light is sent to a destination other than the optical receiving means; the specific light is at least one of the signal light and amplified spontaneous emission light, The switching state determination means determining that the signal light is not included in the propagating light when the optical level of the propagating light included in the optical spectrum information changes continuously over the entire wavelength band of the propagating light in the wavelength dependency of the optical level of the propagating light; When it is determined that the propagation light includes both the signal light and the amplified spontaneous emission light, the optical path switching device determines that it is in a first switching state; if it is determined that the signal light is not included in the propagation light, it is determined that the optical path switching device is in a second switching state; Optical path status determination device.

3. an optical receiving unit configured to be connected to an optical transmission line through which the propagation light propagates, at a downstream stage of an optical path switching device that switches the path of the signal light; an optical spectrum generating means for generating optical spectrum information of the propagating light; a switching state determination unit that determines a switching state of the optical route switching device from the optical spectrum information; When it is determined from the optical spectrum information that the propagating light contains only amplified spontaneous emission light, the switching state determination means determines the switching state from alarm information indicating the occurrence of a fault and the optical spectrum information. Optical path status determination device.

4. an optical receiving unit configured to be connected to an optical transmission line through which the propagation light propagates, at a downstream stage of an optical path switching device that switches the path of the signal light; an optical spectrum generating means for generating optical spectrum information of the propagating light; a switching state determination unit that determines a switching state of the optical route switching device from the optical spectrum information; The switching state determination unit derives an optical spectrum shape of the propagating light from the optical spectrum information, and determines the switching state from the optical spectrum shape using a discrimination algorithm based on machine learning. Optical path status determination device.

5. The switching state determination means determines whether or not specific light is included in the propagating light based on the optical spectrum information, When it is determined that the specific light is included in the propagating light, the optical path switching device determines that the optical path switching device is in a first switching state in which the signal light is transmitted to the optical receiving means; When it is determined that the specific light is not included in the propagating light, the optical path switching device determines that it is in a second switching state in which the signal light is sent to a destination other than the optical receiving means.

5. An optical path state determination device according to claim 3 or 4.

6. the specific light is at least one of the signal light and amplified spontaneous emission light, The switching state determination means When it is determined that the propagation light includes both the signal light and the amplified spontaneous emission light, the optical path switching device determines that it is in a first switching state; When it is determined that the signal light is not included in the propagation light, the optical path switching device determines that it is in a second switching state.

6. An optical path state determination device according to claim 5.

7. The switching state determination unit derives an optical spectrum shape of the propagating light from the optical spectrum information, and determines the switching state from the optical spectrum shape using a discrimination algorithm based on machine learning.

7. An optical path state determination device according to claim 6.

8. The switching state determination means determines that the signal light is not included in the propagating light when the optical level of the propagating light included in the optical spectrum information changes continuously over the entire wavelength band of the propagating light in wavelength dependency of the optical level of the propagating light.

7. An optical path state determination device according to claim 6.

9. A first optical path state determination device which is an optical path state determination device according to any one of claims 1 to 8; A second optical path state determination device which is the optical path state determination device according to any one of claims 1 to 8; The optical path switching device, the first optical path state determination device generates first optical spectrum information which is the optical spectrum information; The second optical path state determination device generates second optical spectrum information which is the optical spectrum information. Optical transmission system.

10. receiving light propagating through an optical transmission line at a downstream of an optical path switching device that switches the path of the signal light; generating optical spectrum information of the propagating light; determining whether or not at least one of the signal light and the amplified spontaneous emission light is included in the propagating light based on the optical spectrum information; when a discontinuous difference occurs in the optical level over the entire wavelength band of the propagating light in the wavelength dependency of the optical level of the propagating light included in the optical spectrum information, it is determined that the propagating light includes both the signal light and the amplified spontaneous emission light; when it is determined that the propagating light includes both the signal light and the amplified spontaneous emission light, the optical path switching device determines that it is in a first switching state in which the signal light is transmitted to the optical transmission line; when it is determined that the signal light is not included in the propagating light, the optical path switching device determines that it is in a second switching state in which the signal light is sent out to a path other than the optical transmission path; A method for determining the state of an optical path.

11. receiving light propagating through an optical transmission line at a downstream of an optical path switching device that switches the path of the signal light; generating optical spectrum information of the propagating light; determining whether or not at least one of the signal light and the amplified spontaneous emission light is included in the propagating light based on the optical spectrum information; In the determination, when the optical level of the propagating light included in the optical spectrum information changes continuously over the entire wavelength band of the propagating light, it is determined that the signal light is not included in the propagating light, when it is determined that the propagating light includes both the signal light and the amplified spontaneous emission light, the optical path switching device determines that it is in a first switching state in which the signal light is transmitted to the optical transmission line; when it is determined that the signal light is not included in the propagating light, the optical path switching device determines that it is in a second switching state in which the signal light is sent out to a path other than the optical transmission path; A method for determining the state of an optical path.

12. receiving light propagating through an optical transmission line at a downstream of an optical path switching device that switches the path of the signal light; generating optical spectrum information of the propagating light; determining a switching state of the optical path switching device from the optical spectrum information; When it is determined in the determination of the switching state from the optical spectrum information that the propagating light contains only amplified spontaneous emission light, the switching state is determined from alarm information indicating the occurrence of a fault and the optical spectrum information. A method for determining the state of an optical path.

13. receiving light propagating through an optical transmission line at a downstream of an optical path switching device that switches the path of the signal light; generating optical spectrum information of the propagating light; determining a switching state of the optical path switching device from the optical spectrum information; In the determination of the switching state, an optical spectrum shape of the propagating light is derived from the optical spectrum information, and the switching state is determined from the optical spectrum shape using a discrimination algorithm based on machine learning. A method for determining the state of an optical path.

14. To your computer A step of generating optical spectrum information of light propagating through an optical transmission line at a downstream side of an optical path switching device that switches a path of a signal light; A step of determining a switching state of the optical route switching device from the optical spectrum information. Run the command, In the step of determining the switching state, determining whether or not the propagating light contains specific light based on the optical spectrum information; When it is determined that the specific light is included in the propagating light, the optical path switching device determines that the optical path switching device is in a first switching state in which the signal light is transmitted to the optical transmission line; When it is determined that the specific light is not included in the propagating light, the optical path switching device determines that the optical path switching device is in a second switching state in which the signal light is sent to a path other than the optical transmission path; the specific light is at least one of the signal light and amplified spontaneous emission light, In the step of determining the switching state, when a discontinuous difference occurs in the optical level over the entire wavelength band of the propagating light in the wavelength dependency of the optical level of the propagating light included in the optical spectrum information, it is determined that the propagating light includes both the signal light and the amplified spontaneous emission light; When it is determined that the propagation light includes both the signal light and the amplified spontaneous emission light, the optical path switching device determines that it is in a first switching state; a computer program product for determining that the optical path switching device is in a second switching state when it is determined that the signal light is not included in the propagating light;

15. To your computer A step of generating optical spectrum information of light propagating through an optical transmission line at a downstream side of an optical path switching device that switches a path of a signal light; A step of determining a switching state of the optical route switching device from the optical spectrum information. Run the command, In the step of determining the switching state, determining whether or not the propagating light contains specific light based on the optical spectrum information; When it is determined that the specific light is included in the propagating light, the optical path switching device determines that the optical path switching device is in a first switching state in which the signal light is transmitted to the optical transmission line; When it is determined that the specific light is not included in the propagating light, the optical path switching device determines that the optical path switching device is in a second switching state in which the signal light is sent to a path other than the optical transmission path; the specific light is at least one of the signal light and amplified spontaneous emission light, In the step of determining the switching state, determining that the signal light is not included in the propagating light when the optical level of the propagating light included in the optical spectrum information changes continuously over the entire wavelength band of the propagating light in the wavelength dependency of the optical level of the propagating light; When it is determined that the propagation light includes both the signal light and the amplified spontaneous emission light, the optical path switching device determines that it is in a first switching state; a computer program product for determining that the optical path switching device is in a second switching state when it is determined that the signal light is not included in the propagating light;

16. To your computer A step of generating optical spectrum information of light propagating through an optical transmission line at a downstream side of an optical path switching device that switches a path of a signal light; A step of determining a switching state of the optical route switching device from the optical spectrum information. Run the command, a step of determining the switching state, when it is determined from the optical spectrum information that the propagating light includes only amplified spontaneous emission light, determining the switching state from alarm information indicating the occurrence of a fault and the optical spectrum information.

17. To your computer A step of generating optical spectrum information of light propagating through an optical transmission line at a downstream side of an optical path switching device that switches a path of a signal light; A step of determining a switching state of the optical route switching device from the optical spectrum information. Run the command, a computer program product comprising: a step of deriving an optical spectrum shape of the propagating light from the optical spectrum information; and determining the switching state from the optical spectrum shape using a discrimination algorithm based on machine learning, the computer program product comprising:

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