Self-healing underwater link

Abstract

To disclose self-healing submarine links, and provide an optical communication signal recovery device and a submarine optical communication signal repeater.SOLUTION: A submarine optical communication recovery device includes multiple inputs 404, multiple outputs 406, and multiple optical switch modules 410, 418, 420, 422. Each input may be operable to connect to a corresponding optical fiber of a submarine optical cable, where the multiple optical fibers carry optical signals and at least one of the optical fibers is an unusable optical path 428 that is unable to carry a usable optical signal. Each output may couple to another corresponding optical fiber, and the multiple outputs may be designated as impaired outputs. Each of the multiple optical switch modules may be operable to connect one of the multiple inputs coupled to the unusable optical path to one of the multiple impaired outputs.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Background Art

[0001] [Cross-reference to Related Applications] This application claims the priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 255,418 entitled "SELF-HEALING SUBMARINE LINKS" filed on October 13, 2021, and U.S. Patent Application No. 17 / 541501 entitled "SELF-HEALING SUBMARINE LINKS" filed on December 3, 2021, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0002] Long-haul optical communication systems, such as submarine optical communication systems, typically undergo signal attenuation due to various factors, including scattering, absorption and bending. To compensate for attenuation, these long-haul systems may comprise a series of optical amplifiers spaced along the signal transmission path, arranged to amplify or boost optical signals to enable reliable detection at a receiver. Depending on the length of the transmission path (e.g., 500 km), the number of optical amplifiers positioned along the path (and the spacing between them) may vary.

[0003] The cost of repeaters is a major contributor to the total cost of submarine optical cable systems, especially high-capacity links. Most amplifiers in submarine optical communication systems are highly reliable. The reliability of submarine amplifiers is typically 5 to 10 times that of amplifiers in terrestrial optical communication systems. The use of less reliable terrestrial erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFA) and semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOA) in submarine optical cable systems can enable miniaturization and lower costs. However, these types of amplifiers contain less reliable components in the signal line. A solution to the low reliability of these types of amplifiers is to double the number of amplifiers to achieve redundancy, but this doubles the size and cost. Also, in some embodiments, a shutdown amplifier may be required, and such shutdown amplifier requires that serviceable components be included in the solution, which increases cost and requires additional power.

[0004] Furthermore, in the case of EDFA, the laser pump is the least reliable component. The laser pump can be considered part of the amplifier, where the failure of a single pump means the failure of the amplifier, or the laser pump may be redundant as usual to increase reliability.

[0005] Having a submarine optical communication system topology that enhances reliability through redundancy while requiring no doubling of amplifiers or fewer switches is beneficial and advantageous. [Overview of the project]

[0006] In one embodiment, a submarine optical communication recovery device is provided. The submarine optical communication recovery device may include a plurality of inputs, a plurality of outputs, and a plurality of optical switch modules. Each of the plurality of inputs is operable to connect to a corresponding optical fiber among a plurality of optical fibers of a submarine optical cable, and a portion of the plurality of optical fibers carry optical signals, and at least one of the plurality of optical fibers belongs to an unusable optical path that cannot carry usable optical signals due to, for example, the failure of several optical components in the path. Each of the plurality of outputs is operable to couple to other corresponding optical fibers, and the plurality of outputs may be designated as lossy outputs. Each of the plurality of optical switch modules is operable to connect one of the plurality of inputs coupled to the unusable optical path to one of the plurality of lossy outputs.

[0007] In another embodiment, a submarine optical communication signal repeater is provided, comprising a housing, an optical communication signal repeater, and a submarine optical communication recovery device. The optical communication signal repeater is operable to couple to a corresponding optical cable segment among a plurality of optical cable segments and to amplify a corresponding optical signal transmitted by a corresponding optical fiber among a plurality of optical fibers. The housing may include the optical communication signal repeater and the submarine optical communication recovery device. The submarine optical communication recovery device may include a plurality of optical switch modules and may be operable to connect at least one optical fiber to one of the optical switch modules in response to a failure of the optical communication signal of at least one optical fiber in a corresponding optical cable segment. The outputs of the optical switch modules may be designated as lossy outputs.

[0008] In another embodiment, an optical communication recovery system is provided comprising an optical cable communication path, a first optical signal repeater section, and a submarine optical communication recovery device. The optical cable communication path may include a plurality of optical cable segments. Each optical cable segment may be operable to transmit optical data signals, which may include communication data signals and monitor data signals. At least one of the plurality of optical cable segments may include an unavailable optical path. The first optical signal repeater section is coupled between corresponding first segments and corresponding second segments of the plurality of optical cable segments of the optical cable communication path. The first optical signal repeater section may include a first set of connectors and a second set of connectors coupled to a set of corresponding amplifiers. The submarine optical communication recovery device may have a plurality of inputs and a plurality of outputs, and the submarine optical communication recovery device is operable to connect the unavailable optical path to one of the plurality of inputs and to couple the unavailable optical path to a lossy output among the plurality of outputs of the submarine optical communication recovery device. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1A] An example of a redundant amplifier that facilitates the restoration of optical communication is shown. [Figure 1B]This specification shows an optical pump unit that can be used to provide a modulated laser to an amplifier in a repeater section as described herein. [Figure 2A] An example of a multi-repeater section in an optical cable communication path is shown. [Figure 2B] This shows an example of an optical communication path having several multi-repeater sections, as shown in Figure 2A, combined with a submarine optical communication recovery device, according to one embodiment. [Figure 3] Detailed examples of optical communication paths relating to other embodiments are shown. [Figure 4] An example of submarine optical communication recovery equipment is shown. [Figure 5] Examples of optical switches that can be used in different embodiments as described herein are shown. [Figure 6] An example of an optical communication recovery system according to an embodiment is shown. [Figure 7] Examples of different states of the optical switch module when recovering from two unusable optical path aspects of the subject, according to the embodiment, are shown. [Figure 8] Here is another example of submarine optical communication recovery equipment. [Figure 9] Examples of other optical communication recovery systems related to the embodiment are shown below. [Figure 10A] A table for determining the number of optical switches based on the number of inputs, according to the embodiment, is shown. [Figure 10B] This is another table relating to another embodiment for determining the number of optical switches based on the number of inputs. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] The following describes examples of submarine optical communication recovery equipment, optical communication recovery systems, and technologies that can provide the advantages of less amplification and less optical switching in response to optical communication signal failures in repeater equipment.

[0011] Figure 1A shows an example of a redundant amplifier for facilitating optical communication recovery. The redundant amplifier device 100a includes a pair of amplifiers 106 and 108 and a pair of switches or splitters 102 and 104. As shown in the figure, the redundant amplifier device 100a requires 100% overhead because it utilizes two switches and requires a redundant amplifier (e.g., amplifier 108) and two switches 102 and 104 to provide recovery of the optical communication signal 110.

[0012] The switches or splitters 102 and 104 may have fixed losses, such as -3dB. In operation, the switch or splitter 102 may be configured to allow the input optical signal 110 to pass through amplifier 106, and the switch or splitter 104 may be configured to receive the amplified optical signal from amplifier 106 and output the amplified signal. In response to a failure of amplifier 106, the switches or splitters 102 and 104 may be configured to redirect the input optical signal 110 to amplifier 108 for amplification and output it from the splitter or switch 104, thereby recovering from the failure of amplifier 106.

[0013] The requirement for multiple amplifiers (e.g., 106 and 108) and multiple optical switches (e.g., 102 and 104) increases the cost of implementing and maintaining the redundant amplifier device 100a. By using better solutions, costs can be reduced and the number of components used can be decreased, thereby improving overall reliability as the number of potentially failing components is reduced. The following examples illustrate improved submarine optical communication recovery equipment, devices, technologies, and systems.

[0014] Figure 1B shows an optical pump unit that can be used to provide a modulated laser to an amplifier in a repeater section as described herein. Optical pump unit 100b is an example of a laser device that can be used in an optical communication repeater as described herein.

[0015] In the example shown in Figure 1B, the optical pump unit 100b includes a pair of laser pumps 110 and 112, a combiner 114, and splitters 118 and 116. Each of the laser pumps 110 and 112 can output light of the same wavelength and power. The combiner 114 combines the outputs of the laser pumps 110 and 112 to provide a luminous flux suitable for use by an optical amplifier. The luminous flux is output from the combiner 114 to the splitters 116 and 118. The splitter 116 can split the luminous flux output from the combiner 114 into two additional luminous fluxes, which are output to a repeater section eastward (e.g., East Cable 1) along the first optical communication cable and to a second optical communication cable westward (e.g., West Cable 1). The splitter 118 can split the optical flux output from the combiner 114 into two additional optical fluxes, which are output to the other repeater section eastward (e.g., East Optical Cable 2) along the first optical communication cable, and also to the second optical communication cable westward (e.g., West Optical Cable 2).

[0016] The optical pump unit 100b is an example of a component other than the amplifiers (e.g., amplifiers 106 and 108) of an optical communication repeater that may fail. Failure of any component in the optical communication repeater may prevent the optical communication signal from being transmitted at full power or at all. Such a failure of the optical communication signal renders the affected optical fiber in the submarine optical cable an unusable optical path (i.e., unusable for transmitting optical communication signals or monitor signals).

[0017] An embodiment of the optical pump unit 110b provides optical power for amplifying optical signals for an optical communication system. Since the optical pump unit 100b can be used in a plurality of different arrangements based on the number of optical fibers in an optical cable or the like, the plurality of laser pumps may be operable to provide optical power for amplifying an input optical communication signal. For example, although an arrangement of an optical pump unit (OPU) with two lasers and four outputs is shown, other arrangements are possible, such as an arrangement with four lasers and four outputs.

[0018] Figure 2A shows an example of a multi-repeater section of an optical cable communication path. The multi-repeater section 200a includes optical communication repeaters 204, 206 and 208, and optical cable segments 202, 222, 224 and 226. The optical cable segments 202, 222, 224 and 226 can form an optical cable communication path. Each of the optical cable segments 202, 222, 224 and 226 can span a long distance between respective optical communication repeaters, for example, up to 60 km, 80 km, or 100 km. Of course, it can be adapted for shorter or longer distances. Each of the corresponding optical communication repeaters 204, 206 and 208 may include a plurality of amplifiers, such as amplifier 106 or amplifier 108, in various devices, and may further include an optical pump unit, such as optical pump unit 100b, if necessary. The optical communication repeaters 204, 206 and 208 may be spaced substantially uniformly from each other (e.g., 60 or 80 km apart).

[0019] The optical cable communication path may be part of a submarine optical cable that is part of a communication system passing through oceans, sea areas, rivers, and the like. Each optical cable segment may include a plurality of optical fibers operable to carry optical communication signals and / or optical monitoring signals on the submarine optical cable. The number of optical fibers in a submarine optical cable may be 4, 8, 16, 24 or 32 optical fibers, or a larger number.

[0020] Each of repeaters 204, 206 and 208 may comprise amplifiers used for each optical fiber in corresponding optical cable segments 202, 222, 224 and 226 to amplify corresponding optical signals (e.g., optical communication signals and / or optical monitoring signals) over a distance between each of the corresponding repeaters. Failure of any amplifier in one of the repeaters 204, 206 or 208 may cause failure of the optical communication signal. The failure of the optical communication signal may be recognized as an optical communication signal that does not satisfy the optical signal specification of the optical communication system. The optical signal specification of the optical communication system used for each optical signal may include power level, frequency range, guard band range, and the like. Alternatively or additionally, the failure may be considered as a failure of an optical fiber path. The optical fiber path may be the same optical fiber between submarine optical communication restoration equipment in the optical fiber path, which may include failures of a plurality of amplifiers and / or a plurality of OPUs on a single designated optical fiber. The optical fiber path may include a multi-repeater portion including a plurality of amplifiers and / or a plurality of OPUs. Traffic is interrupted. For example, optical communication signals (including monitoring signals) in one or more optical fibers of an optical cable segment may be impaired by failure of components (e.g., amplifiers, couplers, joints, optical pump units, etc.) in the corresponding repeaters 204, 206 and 208.

[0021] Alternatively, failure of an optical communication signal is caused by damage to an optical fiber in one or more of the optical cable segments 202, 222, 224 and 226. For example, an anchor or a storm may cause damage to the optical cable segment 202 (e.g., a slice or notch in the cable, or a connector between the segment and a repeater or other component), which impairs the ability of the optical fiber(s) in the optical cable segment to carry usable optical signals. In this case, the impaired optical fiber carries an impaired optical signal (i.e., one that does not meet the specifications of the optical system), or carries no optical signal at all (e.g., due to failure of an optical pump unit or damage to an optical communication path), resulting in an unusable optical path.

[0022] As shown in Figure 2A, if an unusable optical path exists in one optical cable segment (e.g., optical cable segment 202), the optical paths in subsequent optical cable segments 222, 224, or 226 are also affected, regardless of whether any components are present in optical communication repeaters 204, 206, or 208. Figure 2B provides a solution for resolving unusable optical paths.

[0023] Figure 2B shows an example of an optical communication path having multiple multi-repeater sections of Figure 2A combined with submarine optical communication recovery equipment, according to one embodiment. In this example, the optical communication path 200b includes an east optical cable segment 210a, a west optical cable segment 210b, multi-repeater sections 212, 216 and 220, and submarine optical communication recovery equipment 214 and 218.

[0024] The eastern optical cable segment 210a may be operated to transmit optical signals from an optical signal source located in the east to an optical signal receiver in the west. Conversely, the western optical cable segment 210b may be operated to transmit optical signals from an optical signal source located in the west to an optical signal receiver in the east. Optical cable segments similar to 210a and 210b may be located between each multi-repeater section and each submarine optical communication restoration device. Each optical cable segment (e.g., 210a and 210b, and the corresponding ones between the multi-repeater section and the submarine optical communication restoration device) includes an optical fiber, through which optical signals can be transmitted. One or more optical fibers may be spare optical fibers not assigned to carry optical communication signals or optical monitor signals. Alternatively, one or more spare optical fibers may be arranged to carry redundant optical communication signals or optical monitor signals and can be switched to carry the fault-affected optical communication or optical monitor signals in the event of a failure. In this example, the East Optical Cable segment 210a and the West Optical Cable segment 210b may be referred to as segments that extend through all the multi-repeater sections 212, 216, and 220, as well as the corresponding submarine optical communication recovery equipment 214 and 218.

[0025] Each of the multi-repeater sections 212, 216, and 220 may include multiple repeaters, for example, the multi-repeater section 200a in Figure 2A. Each repeater in the multi-repeater sections 212, 216, and 220 can be coupled to optical cable segments, for example, the east optical cable segment 210a and the west optical cable segment 210b. Each repeater may be operable to connect to a single optical fiber in each of the corresponding optical cable segments.

[0026] In response to a repeater failure in at least one of the multi-repeater sections 212, 216, or 220, the submarine optical communication recovery devices 214 and 218 are operable to bypass the failed repeater. For example, in one of the repeaters in the multi-repeater section 216, an amplifier may fail, which amplifies the optical communication signal in the optical fiber of the east-facing cable segment 210a. The submarine optical communication recovery device 218 may be operable to switch the optical fiber affected by the failed amplifier to a spare optical fiber in the east-facing cable segment 210a.

[0027] Refer to the following examples for a more detailed discussion of the operation of submarine optical communication recovery equipment and processes.

[0028] Figure 3 shows a detailed example of an optical communication path according to another embodiment. The optical communication path 300 is similar to the optical communication path 200b in Figure 2B, except for an extended discussion regarding submarine optical communication recovery equipment. The optical communication path 300 may include a submarine optical cable 320, multi-repeater sections 306, 308 and 310, and a plurality of submarine optical communication recovery devices 312, 314, 316 and 318.

[0029] The submarine optical cable 320 may have four optical fibers, such as OPU1 EW Path, OPU2 EW Path, OPU1 WE Path, and OPU1 WE Path, and each optical fiber may carry optical communication and monitoring signals. For example, the optical fibers OPU1 EW Path and OPU2 EW Path can carry optical communication and monitoring signals from an eastern transmitter (not shown) to a western receiver (not shown) along the east-to-west direction indicated by arrow 302. The optical fibers OPU1 WE Path and OPU2 WE Path can carry optical communication and monitoring signals from a western transmitter (not shown) to a eastern receiver (not shown) along the west-to-east direction indicated by arrow 304. The submarine optical cable may include several other optical fibers (not shown in this example) that can be operated to carry the optical communication signals and / or monitor signals output by each transmitter, but for the sake of explanation and discussion, only the optical fibers OPU1 EW Path, OPU2 EW Path, OPU1 WE Path, and OPU1 WE Path are shown.

[0030] Each multi-repeater section 306, 308, and 310 may be arranged in a similar manner. For example, the multi-repeater section 306 may include multiple repeaters, as shown in the example in Figure 2A. Each repeater may include an amplifier used for each optical fiber and one or more optical pump units including a laser unit, as shown in the previous example.

[0031] Submarine optical communication recovery devices 312, 314, 316, and 318 may be separated from the multi-repeater sections 306, 308, and 310. Each corresponding submarine optical communication recovery device may be positioned to bypass the unusable optical path output from one of the repeaters in the corresponding multi-repeater section.

[0032] In this example, an amplifier coupled to an optical fiber may fail in one of the repeaters in the multi-repeater section 308. The amplifier can be coupled to an optical fiber in the OPU1 WE Path of the submarine optical cable 320. The amplifier failure may cause a failure in the optical communication signal, potentially rendering the optical fiber coupled to the amplifier unusable with loss in the OPU1 WE path. The submarine optical communication recovery device 316 may be operated to switch the input providing the optical signal to the optical fiber that has experienced the optical communication signal failure to another optical fiber that is not affected by the amplifier failure. Based on the switching by the submarine optical communication recovery device 316, the submarine optical communication recovery device 318 may be operated to switch the unusable optical path (not shown in this example) output from the multi-repeater section 308 to a predetermined lossy output (not shown in this example) that is reserved for this purpose.

[0033] Referring to Figure 4, an example configuration and operation of the submarine optical communication recovery equipment will be explained.

[0034] Figure 4 shows a more detailed example of a submarine optical communication recovery device. The submarine optical communication recovery device 402 may be positioned in the optical communication path between a pair of optical signal repeaters, as will be discussed with reference to other examples. The submarine optical communication recovery device 402 includes an input 404, an output 406, and a number of optical switch modules 410, 418, 420, and 422. In some examples, the submarine optical communication recovery device 402 may further include an optical switch loss compensator 408.

[0035] Each of the optical switch modules 410, 418, 420, and 422 includes a plurality of optical switches, for example, optical switches 412, 414, and 416. Each optical switch is operable to switch optical signals, for example, optical communication signals or optical monitor signals. For example, optical switch module 410 includes optical switches 412, 414, and 416, which are 2x2 switches (i.e., 2 inputs and 2 outputs). Other optical switches with different numbers of inputs and / or outputs may also be used.

[0036] In one embodiment, the submarine optical communication recovery device 402 may include a plurality of inputs 404 and a plurality of outputs 406. Each of the plurality of inputs 404 can be operated to connect a corresponding optical fiber of a plurality of optical fibers in a submarine optical cable (not shown in this example) or optical cable segment to one of the outputs 406.

[0037] Some of the multiple optical fibers in the submarine optical cable carry optical signals, and at least one of the multiple optical fibers is an unusable optical path that cannot carry optical signals. The term "unusable optical path" refers to an optical fiber that carries lossy optical signals (e.g., does not meet the optical signal standards used in the optical communication system) or does not carry any optical signals at all (e.g., part of the optical fiber is severed, or a component failure in the repeater prevents the passage of all signals). The submarine optical communication recovery device 402 may have spare inputs and spare outputs designated to be coupled to the unusable optical path (see the examples below for illustrations).

[0038] Each output in the multiple outputs 406 is coupled to other corresponding optical fibers of other submarine optical cables (for continued transmission), and a predetermined number (e.g., 1 to 5) of the total number of outputs (e.g., 16 to 64) are designated as lossy outputs (e.g., 430). The submarine optical communication recovery device 402 further includes multiple optical switch modules (e.g., 410, 418, 420, and 422) that can be operated to connect the inputs in the multiple inputs 404 coupled to an unavailable optical path (i.e., unavailable (lossy) 428) to the outputs of the multiple lossy outputs 406 designated as lossy outputs 430.

[0039] In the example, each of the corresponding optical switch modules (e.g., 410, 418, 420, or 422) among the multiple optical switch modules of the submarine optical communication recovery device 402 may include a predetermined number of optical switches (e.g., 412, 414, 416). In the example in Figure 4, the input optical switching component 424 includes five optical switch modules, each optical switch module including three optical switches. Each optical switch module is a 4 input × 4 output module, and the optical switches are 2 input × 2 output optical switches capable of directing any of the four inputs to a corresponding predetermined output.

[0040] The submarine optical communication recovery device 402 has a pair of mirror-image optical switching components. In this example, the submarine optical communication recovery device 402 may include a first portion of multiple optical switch modules arranged as input optical switching components 424 and a second portion of multiple optical switch modules arranged as output optical switching components 426. Each of the input optical switching components 424 and the output optical switching components 426 may have the same number of optical switch modules. With the same number of optical switch modules, the submarine optical communication recovery device 402 may have the same number of inputs 404 and outputs 406. In a particular example, the number of optical switches may be predetermined. For example, a predetermined number of optical switches may be three optical switches, and each of these three optical switches (e.g., 412, 414, and 416) may include two inputs and two outputs. The mirror-image pair of optical switching components 424 and 426 may allow the submarine optical communication recovery device 402 to reduce the number of switches required to provide adequate redundancy (compared to the example in Figure 1A).

[0041] Furthermore, each of the corresponding optical switch modules of the submarine optical communication recovery device 402 may have a designated output that is specified to be coupled to a path to a lossy output of the submarine optical communication recovery device 402, so that each of the corresponding optical switch modules is operable to couple an input to its corresponding designated output. The submarine optical communication recovery device 402 is operable to couple an unavailable (lossy) input 428 to a single lossy output 430. The single lossy output 430 may be one of several lossy outputs.

[0042] In other examples, the optical switch loss compensator 408 of the submarine optical communication recovery device 402 may be configured to account for signal loss as the optical signal passes through the submarine optical communication recovery device 402. For example, in the submarine optical communication recovery device 402, which includes optical switches 412, 414, and 416, all optical switches introduce signal loss to the optical signal passing through the corresponding optical switch. For example, each of the optical switches 412, 414, and 416 may introduce a loss of approximately 0.3 dB individually, but the optical switch module introduces a loss of 0.6 dB. Therefore, an optical communication signal that has passed through multiple optical switch modules may have significant loss. The optical switch loss compensator 408 may be configured to compensate for the maximum loss of any input to the submarine optical communication recovery device 402. For example, the optical signals to optical switch modules 418 and 420 may experience the maximum signal loss of any optical signal passing through the submarine optical communication recovery device 402. Therefore, the optical switch loss compensator 408 may be operable to equalize the signal losses of all other inputs to the maximum signal loss. The optical switch module 420 may be different from all the other optical switch modules of the submarine optical communication recovery device 402, and therefore fewer optical switches can be used than the three optical switches used in the other optical switch modules such as 410, 418, or 422. The optical switch loss compensator 408 may also be operable to compensate for signal losses in the output optical switching component 426. The optical switch loss compensator 408 may have different equipment, such as an optical attenuator (LBO) device, that incorporates optical losses into the optical communication path.

[0043] In this embodiment, due to the fact that the optical switch module 420 uses two optical switches, the submarine optical communication recovery device 402 may use a total of 29 optical switches. All available optical fibers (i.e., those having optical signals that meet the system standards) can be connected to the inputs of the submarine optical communication recovery device 402 and to the outputs from the submarine optical communication recovery device 402.

[0044] The submarine optical communication recovery device 402 may include a processor or hardware / software device, such as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or firmware device, that can be operated to control the switching logic of the corresponding optical switch modules to provide coupling from an unavailable optical path at the input to a designated output (i.e., one designated as a lossy output). The processor or hardware / software device may be operated to respond to monitor signals or monitor optical signal traffic and to respond to traffic changes (e.g., optical signal power loss or complete signal loss) by performing recovery operations. Recovery by an optical switch device may also be considered by rearranging downstream connections and switching.

[0045] Figure 5 shows examples of optical switches that can be used in different embodiments as described herein. Each of the optical switch modules 504–508 can be operated to direct an unavailable optical path to a predetermined switch output, regardless of which input the unavailable optical path is connected to.

[0046] The optical switch 502 may also be called an optical switch module, where the number of inputs is 2 and the number of "failed" outputs is 1 (i.e., 1b). The "failed" output is the output to which an unusable optical path is connected. In the example of optical switch 502, the unusable optical path is a "failed" input that is led by the switching logic and control to a top output (or first output) which may be designated as a "failed output" (i.e., an output held or predetermined as a "failed" output). By using multiple optical switches, for example optical switch 502, different configurations of the optical switch module can be provided.

[0047] In the example, the optical switch module 504 has four optical signal inputs that are coupled to four optical fibers of a submarine optical cable (where one of the four optical fibers is an unusable optical path (i.e., bad)) and four optical signal outputs. One of the four optical signal outputs, for example, the top or first output of the optical switch module 504, may be designated as the "bad" output. In the example, the optical switch module 504 may include multiple optical switches, for example, optical switch 502, and connections may be completed by switching corresponding switches of the multiple optical switches in the optical switch module, and it may be possible to operate it to couple, for example, the unusable optical path at the bottom or the fourth input of the four inputs to the top or first output. The designation of the top or first output to be connected to the "bad" input may be completed during the initial optical switch module design or adjusted based on control software, remote commands, etc.

[0048] In another example, the optical switch module 506 has eight optical signal inputs coupled to eight optical fibers of a submarine optical cable (where one of the eight optical fibers is an unusable optical path (i.e., bad)) and eight optical signal outputs. The optical switch module 506 can accommodate as many as eight inputs (one of which may be determined as the "bad" input) and as many as eight outputs, where one bad input is at a predetermined output. The optical switch module 506 may be called 8 × 1b, where 8 is the number of inputs and 1b is the number of "bad" outputs. The optical switch module 506 may include multiple optical switches, for example optical switch 502, and the number of optical switches in the optical switch module 506 may be arranged to connect the "bad" input, for example, input number 5 of the eight inputs, to a top section or a first output that may be designated or predetermined to be connected to the "bad" input. The designation of the top section or first output connected to the "faulty" input can be finalized during the initial optical switch module design or adjusted based on control software, remote commands, etc.

[0049] In other, more extensive examples, the optical switch module 508 has 16 optical signal inputs coupled to 16 optical fibers of a submarine optical cable (where one of the 16 optical fibers is an unusable optical path (i.e., bad)) and 16 optical signal outputs. The optical switch module 508 can accommodate as many as 16 inputs (one of which may be determined as the "bad" input) and as many as 16 outputs, where one bad input is at a predetermined output. The optical switch module 508 may be referred to as 16 × 1b, where 16 is the number of inputs and 1b is the number of "bad" outputs. The optical switch module 508 may include multiple optical switches, e.g., optical switch 502, and the number of optical switches in the optical switch module 508 (e.g., optical switch 502) may be arranged to connect the "bad" input at input number 8 of the 16 inputs to a top section or a first output which may be designated or predetermined to be connected to the "bad" input. The designation of the top section or first output connected to the "faulty" input can be completed during the initial installation of the optical switch module, or it can be adjusted based on control software, remote commands, etc.

[0050] The exemplary optical switch module in this example shows an example of an input optical switching component, e.g., 424 in Figure 4. Each top output of the optical switch module in this example is configured to pass through the input of an output optical switching component, such as 426 in Figure 4. The output component (e.g., component 426) may be a mirror image of the input component (e.g., 424), thereby allowing a single input to be connected to any output at any position on the input side.

[0051] It may be useful to consider an optical communication recovery system that includes submarine optical communication recovery equipment.

[0052] Figure 6 shows an example of an optical communication recovery system according to an embodiment. The optical communication recovery system 600 includes multi-repeater sections 602, 606, and 610, a first submarine optical communication recovery device 604, a second submarine optical communication recovery device 608, the top section (east top section) of the first optical cable 612, the bottom section (east bottom section) of the first optical cable 614, the top section (west top section) of the second optical cable 616, and the bottom section (west bottom section) of the optical cable 618.

[0053] In this example, an optical pump unit (not shown), for example, the optical pump unit 100b in Figure 1B, may be operable to provide input to an optical communication path having an optical cable segment at the west top, an optical cable segment at the west bottom, an optical cable segment at the east top, and an optical cable segment at the east bottom.

[0054] The eastbound cable includes optical cable 612 (east top section) and optical cable 614 (east bottom section), which can be accommodated by a single 32×2b×32 optical switch module or a pair of 16×1b×16 optical switch modules. The overhead is 2 / 30 or 7%, where the number of “bad” optical fibers that can be accommodated is 2, and the number of still operational optical fibers (i.e., optical signals whose transmission meets the optical communication standards of the optical communication system) is 30 out of 32 optical fiber pairs (FP) cables. In an example utilizing 2×4 (2 laser pumps and 4 outputs) or 4×4 (4 laser pumps and 4 outputs) optical pump units (OPUs), an effective 30FP system includes 16 OPUs. In some cases, if semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs) are used, or if OPU failure protection is not required (for example, if the OPU does not require, for example, an erbium-doped optical fiber amplifier (EDFA), or if the OPU is more reliable than other repeater components), a 32×1b×32 optical switch module may be used instead. The system then becomes a 31FP system, or the overhead is 3% instead of 7%. In this example, the optical communication recovery system 600 can be operated to withstand 1 to 4 failures in each multi-repeater section, or a single OPU failure in each multi-repeater section.

[0055] In a possible embodiment, each multi-repeater section 604 or 608 may have four OPUs used in each directional section (i.e., the east top section has four OPUs, the east bottom section has four OPUs, the west top section has four OPUs, and the west bottom section has four OPUs), and failure of an OPU results in a “bad” optical fiber in the corresponding direction (i.e., a “bad” optical fiber in the east top section, a “bad” optical fiber in the east bottom section, a “bad” optical fiber in the west top section, and a “bad” optical fiber in the west bottom section).

[0056] Submarine optical communication recovery devices 604 and 608 may include processors or hardware / software devices, such as application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) or firmware devices, that can be operated to control the switching logic of their respective corresponding optical switch modules to provide coupling from an unavailable optical path at the input to a designated output (i.e., one designated as a lossy output). The processors or hardware / software devices may be operated to respond to monitor signals or monitor optical signal traffic and to respond to traffic changes (e.g., optical signal power loss or complete signal loss) by performing recovery operations. Further downstream connections and switching may be rearranged to allow recovery by optical switch devices. Further downstream connections and switching may be rearranged to allow recovery by optical switch devices. For example, submarine optical communication recovery device 608 may have a first switching device that allows optical communication signals to bypass the multi-repeater section 606 in response to an unavailable optical path in the multi-repeater section 606 (e.g., due to a failure of the optical communication signal). In order to maintain the transmission of optical communication signals, the optical switch module of the submarine optical communication recovery device 604 may be rearranged to allow the optical communication signals to continue to be transmitted from the transmitter to a designated receiver.

[0057] The advantage of the example shown is a reduction in the number of components, which in turn reduces the amount of optical switch overhead. For example, optical communication recovery system 600 uses 116 optical switches to serve 64 optical fibers. In contrast, implementing the embodiment shown in Figure 1A would require 128 optical switches (two per optical fiber). Therefore, the exemplary submarine optical communication recovery equipment can achieve a more reliable optical communication system through the reduction in the number of components and the ability to resolve unusable optical paths.

[0058] Figure 7 shows examples of different states of an optical switch module when recovering from two unavailable optical path sides of the subject, according to an embodiment. This example shows an optical switching device that improves redundancy while reducing the number of components.

[0059] 2- The unavailable switching module 714 is an optical switch module containing multiple optical switches 716. In this example, each optical switch 716 has two switches, and each 2-unavailable optical fiber switching module 714 has four optical switches 716. Each 2-unavailable optical fiber switching module 714 is operable to receive two unavailable optical paths (referred to as “bad”). As mentioned in previous examples, the unavailable optical paths are optical fibers that carry lossy optical signals (e.g., do not meet the optical signal standards of the optical communication system) or do not carry any optical signals at all (e.g., some optical fibers are cut, or a component failure in a repeater prevents the passage of all signals).

[0060] 2-In the unavailable I / O switch state 702, the two unavailable (i.e., “bad”) inputs are the top section or first and second inputs of the 2-unavailable optical fiber switching module 714. Each 2-unavailable optical fiber switching module 714 has four inputs, i.e., top section / first input, second input, third input, and fourth input, and four outputs, i.e., top section / first output, second output, third output, and fourth output. In an exemplary switching module, the 2-unavailable fiber switching module 714 has two outputs designated to output “bad” or lossy optical fibers (denoted as “Bad”). The two designated outputs correspond to the top section outputs of the corresponding optical switch 716, or the top section / first output and third output of the 2-unavailable optical fiber switching module 714.

[0061] In Figure 7, the 2-Unavailable I / O switch state 702 indicates that a "bad" optical fiber is coupled to the top / first input and the second input, and that the switch outputs to the top / first output and the third output of the 2-Unavailable optical fiber switching module 714, which are the specified outputs in this example.

[0062] 2- The unavailable I / O switch state 704 indicates that a “bad” optical fiber is coupled to the top / first input and the third input, and is output to the top / first output and the third output of the unavailable optical fiber switching module 714, which are the outputs specified in this example.

[0063] 2- The unavailable I / O switch state 706 indicates that a “bad” optical fiber is coupled to the top / first input and the fourth input, and is output to the top / first output and the third output of the unavailable optical fiber switching module 714, which are the outputs specified in this example.

[0064] 2- The unavailable I / O switch state 708 indicates that a “bad” optical fiber is coupled to the second and third inputs and output to the top / first and third outputs of the unavailable optical fiber switching module 714, which are the outputs specified in this example.

[0065] 2- The unavailable I / O switch state 710 indicates that a “bad” optical fiber is coupled to the second and fourth inputs and output to the top / first and third outputs of the unavailable optical fiber switching module 714, which are the outputs specified in this example.

[0066] 2- The unavailable I / O switch state 712 indicates that a “bad” optical fiber is coupled to the third and fourth inputs and output to the top / first and third outputs of the unavailable optical fiber switching module 714, which are the outputs specified in this example.

[0067] Using these six different states, the submarine optical communication recovery device may be operated to recover from a failure of the optical communication signal affecting two optical fibers. This optical recovery device is shown in other examples.

[0068] Figure 8 shows another example of a submarine optical communication recovery device, which is a submarine optical communication recovery device 800. The submarine optical communication recovery device 800 may be positioned in the optical communication path between a pair of optical signal repeaters, as will be discussed with reference to other examples. The submarine optical communication recovery device 800 includes an input 802, an output 804, and a number of optical switch modules 816, 818, 820, 822, 824, and 826. In some examples, the submarine optical communication recovery device 800 may further include an optical switch loss compensator 828.

[0069] Each of the optical switch modules 816, 818, 820, 822, 824, and 826 may contain multiple optical switches (for example, optical switch 716 in Figure 7). The number of optical switches may be four, as in the two-unavailable optical fiber switching module 714 in Figure 4. Each optical switch is operable to switch optical signals, such as optical communication signals or optical monitor signals. For example, optical switch module 816 may contain four optical switches, each being a 2x2 switch (i.e., two inputs and two outputs). Of course, similar arrangements can also be provided using other optical switches with different numbers of inputs and / or outputs.

[0070] In one embodiment, the submarine optical communication recovery device 800 may include a plurality of inputs 802 and a plurality of outputs 804. Each of the plurality of inputs 802 can be operated to connect a corresponding optical fiber of a plurality of optical fibers in a submarine optical cable (not shown in this example) or optical cable segment to one of the outputs 804.

[0071] Some of the multiple optical fibers in a submarine optical cable carry optical signals, and at least one of the multiple optical fibers is an unusable optical path that cannot carry optical signals. The term "unusable optical path" refers to an optical fiber that carries lossy optical signals (e.g., does not meet the optical signal standards used in optical communication systems) or does not carry any optical signals at all (e.g., part of the optical fiber is cut, or a component failure in a repeater prevents the passage of all signals). The submarine optical communication recovery device 402 may have spare inputs and spare outputs designated to be coupled to the unusable optical path (see the examples below for illustrations).

[0072] Each output in the multiple outputs 804 can be coupled to other corresponding optical fibers in other submarine optical cables (for continued transmission), and a predetermined number (e.g., 1 to 5) of the total number of outputs (e.g., 16 to 64) are designated as lossy outputs (e.g., lossy 810 and lossy 812). The submarine optical communication recovery device 402 further includes optical switch modules (e.g., 816, 818, 820, 822, 824 and 826), which may be operable to connect each input of the multiple inputs 802 coupled to the unavailable optical paths (e.g., inputs 806 and 808) to the outputs of the multiple lossy outputs 804 designated as lossy outputs (e.g., 810 and 812).

[0073] In this example, each of the corresponding optical switch modules among the multiple optical switch modules of the submarine optical communication recovery device 800 (for example, 816, 818, 820, 822, 824, and 826) may include a predetermined number of optical switches (not shown in this example).

[0074] The submarine optical communication recovery device 800 may have a pair of mirror-image optical switching components. In this example, the submarine optical communication recovery device 800 may include a first portion of a plurality of optical switch modules arranged as an input optical switching component 830 and a second portion of a plurality of optical switch modules arranged as an output optical switching component 832. Each of the input optical switching component 830 and the output optical switching component 832 may include the same number of optical switch modules. For example, as shown in Figure 8, the input optical switching component 830 may include optical switch modules 816, 818, 820 and at least four other optical switch modules, and the output optical switching component 832 may include optical switch modules 822, 824, 826 and at least four other optical switch modules. With the same number of optical switch modules, the submarine optical communication recovery device may have the same number of inputs 802 and outputs 804.

[0075] Furthermore, each of the corresponding optical switch modules of the submarine optical communication recovery device 800 may have a number of designated outputs, such as 810 and 812, which are designated to be coupled to a path to the lossy output of the submarine optical communication recovery device 800, so that each of the corresponding optical switch modules is operable to couple an input to its corresponding designated output. The submarine optical communication recovery device 800 may be operable to couple one or both of the unavailable (lossy) inputs 806 and 808 to the corresponding lossy output 810 or 812.

[0076] In other examples, the optical switch loss compensator 828 of the submarine optical communication recovery device 800 may be configured to account for signal loss as the optical signal passes through the submarine optical communication recovery device 800. For example, all optical switch modules in the submarine optical communication recovery device 800 can introduce signal loss into the optical signal passing through the corresponding optical switch. The optical switch loss compensator 828 may be configured to compensate for the maximum loss of any input to the submarine optical communication recovery device 800. For example, the optical signals to optical switch modules 820 and 822 can experience the maximum signal loss of any optical signal passing through the submarine optical communication recovery device 800. Thus, the optical switch loss compensator 828 may be operable to equalize the signal loss of all other inputs to the maximum signal loss. The optical switch loss compensator 828 may have other devices, such as lithium triborate devices, that incorporate optical loss into the optical communication path.

[0077] In this embodiment, the submarine optical communication recovery device 800 may use a total of 56 optical switches. All usable optical fibers (i.e., those having optical signals that meet the system standards) can be connected to input 802 and output 806 from the submarine optical communication recovery device 800.

[0078] Figure 9 shows an example of another optical communication recovery system according to the embodiment.

[0079] The optical communication recovery system 900 may include multi-repeater sections 902, 906, and 910, a first submarine optical communication recovery device 904, a second submarine optical communication recovery device 908, the top section (east top section) of the first optical cable 912, the bottom section (east bottom section) of the first optical cable 914, the top section (west top section) of the second optical cable 916, and the bottom section (west bottom section) of the optical cable 918.

[0080] In this example, an optical pump unit (not shown), for example, the optical pump unit 100b in Figure 1B, may be operable to provide input to an optical communication path having an optical cable segment at the west top, an optical cable segment at the west bottom, an optical cable segment at the east top, and an optical cable segment at the east bottom.

[0081] If a 2x4 or 4x4 pump is used and the system is operable to recover from four unusable optical paths, the system effectively has 28 FP (e.g., 4 bad paths / 28 good paths, corresponding to 14% overhead). In the example, the optical communication recovery system 900 can utilize 16 OPUs. Alternatively, if SOA is used, or if OPU failure protection is not required, a 32x2bx32 configuration may be used instead. The optical communication recovery system 900 then becomes a 30 FP system (with 7% overhead). In the example in Figure 9, the optical communication recovery system 900 may be operable to receive 2 to 8 failures in each multi-repeater section, or to receive failures of 2 OPUs in each multi-repeater section. Failures occurring in the same optical fiber or optical communication path between repeaters in a multi-repeater section may be considered a single failure. This overhead is 2 defective optical fibers / 30 good optical fibers, or 7%.

[0082] The submarine optical communication recovery devices 904 and 908 may include processors or hardware / software devices, such as application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) or firmware devices, that can be operated to control the switching logic of their respective corresponding optical switch modules to provide coupling from an unavailable optical path at the input to a designated output (i.e., one designated as a lossy output). The processors or hardware / software devices may be operated to respond to monitor signals or monitor optical signal traffic and to respond to traffic changes (e.g., optical signal power loss or complete signal loss) by performing recovery operations. Further downstream connections and switching may be rearranged to allow recovery by optical switch devices. Further downstream connections and switching may be rearranged to allow recovery by optical switch devices. For example, the submarine optical communication recovery device 908 may have a first switching device that allows optical communication signals to bypass the multi-repeater section 906 in response to an unavailable optical path in the multi-repeater section 906 (e.g., due to a failure of the optical communication signal). In order to maintain the transmission of optical communication signals, the optical switch module of the submarine optical communication recovery device 904 may be rearranged to allow the optical communication signals to continue to be transmitted from the transmitter to a designated receiver.

[0083] The advantage of the example shown is a reduction in the number of components, which in turn reduces the amount of optical switch overhead. For example, optical communication recovery system 900 uses 224 optical switches (e.g., 56 × 4) to serve 64 optical fibers, but has the capacity to accommodate two unavailable optical paths. In contrast, implementing the embodiment shown in Figure 1A would require 128 optical switches (two per optical fiber) due to the redundancy of each amplifier in each optical fiber (as shown in Figure 1A). Thus, the exemplary submarine optical communication recovery devices 904 and 908 can achieve a more reliable optical communication system through the reduction in the number of components and the ability to resolve unavailable optical paths.

[0084] Figure 10A shows a table for determining the number of optical switches based on the number of inputs, according to an embodiment.

[0085] The optical communication restoration solution described above does not result in doubling the number of amplifiers (i.e., redundant amplifiers resulting in 100% amplifier overhead), but can be implemented by using fewer switches, thereby reducing the percentage of amplifier overhead.

[0086] In Table 1000a, the Y coefficient may correspond to the number of inputs and outputs of a submarine optical communication recovery device occupying one unusable optical path. The number of switches (#) may be determined based on the value of Y. For example, if there are 16 inputs, the number of switches is used to provide redundant paths to bypass unusable optical paths and to provide usable optical fibers to transmit optical communication signals or monitor signals around a faulty multi-repeater section or a lossy optical cable segment, as shown in the example in Figure 4.

[0087] Figure 10B shows another table relating to another embodiment for determining the number of optical switches based on the number of inputs.

[0088] In Table 1000b, the Z coefficient can correspond to the number of inputs and outputs of the submarine optical communication recovery equipment occupying the two unusable optical paths. The number of switches (#) may be determined based on the value of Z. For example, if there are 16 inputs, as shown in Figure 4, the number of switches may be used to enable a redundant path, which may be used to bypass the two unusable optical paths and provide usable optical fiber to transmit optical communication signals or monitor signals around a faulty multi-repeater section or a lossy optical cable segment.

[0089] In the disclosed example, the optical switch is positioned to redirect "failed" optical fibers, so other FPs in the optical communication system may be temporarily affected during the recovery period, for example, optical signal traffic may be interrupted. For example, the optical fiber pair of an transmitter / receiver (Tx-Rx) may be rearranged during the recovery period by potentially coupling Tx to a different Rx. An optical branching and insertion device (OADM) is a device used in wavelength division multiplexing optical communication systems to multiplex and route different optical channels into or from single-mode optical fibers. With a fixed OADM, the positioning of the OADM can be considered during the implementation period so that the submarine optical communication recovery equipment does not discard pass-through optical fibers, and vice versa. With a repositionable OADM, the control system may rearrange the OADM accordingly during the recovery period. Other technical features will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following figures, description and claims.

[0090] Novel and unique technologies, equipment, and systems used for improved submarine optical communication restoration are disclosed here. The scope of this disclosure is not limited by the specific examples described herein. In practice, in addition to those described herein, various other examples and modifications of this disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing description and accompanying figures.

[0091] Therefore, other such examples and modifications are intended to fall within the scope of this disclosure. While this disclosure has been described in the context of specific embodiments in specific environments for specific purposes, those skilled in the art will see that its uses are not limited thereto, and that this disclosure can be usefully implemented for any number of purposes in any number of environments. Accordingly, the claims described below should be interpreted in accordance with the entire scope and spirit of this disclosure as described herein. 。 (Item 1) Multiple inputs, each of which is operable to connect to a corresponding optical fiber among multiple optical fibers of a submarine optical cable, and a portion of the multiple optical fibers carry optical signals, and at least one of the multiple optical fibers is an unusable optical path that cannot carry usable optical signals, Multiple outputs, each of which is coupled to another corresponding optical fiber, and some of which are designated as lossy outputs, The set includes a plurality of optical switch modules that can be operated to connect one of the plurality of inputs coupled to the unavailable optical path to one of a plurality of lossy outputs, Undersea optical communication recovery equipment. (Item 2) Each of the corresponding optical switch modules among the plurality of optical switch modules includes a predetermined number of optical switches. Submarine optical communication recovery equipment as described in item 1. (Item 3) The predetermined number of optical switches are three optical switches, and each of the three optical switches includes two inputs and two outputs. Submarine optical communication recovery equipment as described in item 2. (Item 4) Each optical switch module includes the same number of optical switch inputs and optical switch outputs, Each of the corresponding optical switch modules is operable to connect an input to a designated output connected to one of the several lossy outputs. Submarine optical communication recovery equipment as described in item 2. (Item 5) Each optical switch module includes an output designated to be connected to a lossy output among the plurality of outputs, Submarine optical communication recovery equipment as described in item 4. (Item 6) The first portion of the plurality of optical switch modules is arranged in the input optical switching component, and the second portion of the plurality of optical switch modules is arranged in the output optical switching component. Submarine optical communication recovery equipment as described in item 1. (Item 7) The input optical switching component includes the same number of optical switch modules as the output optical switching component, Submarine optical communication recovery equipment as described in item 6. (Item 8) The system further includes a loss equalizer that can be operated to equalize the optical signal loss between each optical fiber coupled to each of the plurality of inputs. Submarine optical communication recovery equipment as described in any one of items 1 through 7. (Item 9) The first portion of the plurality of optical switch modules is arranged in the input optical switching component, The second portion of the plurality of optical switch modules is arranged in the output optical switching component, and The loss equalizer is positioned between the input optical switching component and the output optical switching component. Submarine optical communication recovery equipment as described in item 8. (Item 10) An optical communication signal repeater that can be operated to couple to a corresponding optical cable segment among multiple optical cable segments, and an optical communication signal repeater that can be operated to amplify a corresponding optical signal transmitted by a corresponding optical fiber among the multiple optical fibers, Optical communication recovery equipment, The housing includes the optical communication signal repeater and the optical communication recovery device, The optical communication recovery device includes a plurality of optical switch modules and is operable to connect the at least one optical fiber to an output designated as a lossy output of one of the plurality of optical switch modules in response to a failure of the optical communication signal of at least one optical fiber in a corresponding optical cable segment. Submarine optical communication signal repeater. (Item 11) Each of the plurality of optical switch modules of the optical communication recovery device has a plurality of inputs and a plurality of outputs, and the number of inputs and the plurality of outputs are the same. Submarine optical communication signal repeater as described in item 10. (Item 12) The failure of the optical communication signal is at least one failure of a component of the optical communication signal repeater, one corresponding optical cable segment, or one corresponding optical fiber among the plurality of optical fibers. Submarine optical communication signal repeater as described in item 10. (Item 13) Of the plurality of optical switch modules, the first set of optical switch modules is arranged as an input optical switching component, and the second set of optical switch modules, which is different from the first set of optical switch modules, is arranged as an output optical switching component. Submarine optical communication signal repeater as described in item 10. (Item 14) The optical communication signal repeater is operable to be coupled to an optical cable communication path including the plurality of optical cable segments, and each of the plurality of segments of the optical cable has a plurality of optical fibers. Submarine optical communication signal repeater as described in item 10. (Item 15) The optical communication recovery device further includes a loss equalizer that can be operated to equalize the optical signal loss between each optical fiber coupled to each of the plurality of inputs of the optical communication recovery device, The first portion of the plurality of optical switch modules is arranged as an input optical switching component, and The second portion of the plurality of optical switch modules is arranged as an output optical switching component, The loss equalizer is positioned between the input optical switching component and the output optical switching component. A submarine optical communication signal repeater as described in any one of items 10 to 14.

Claims

1. Multiple inputs, each of which is operable to connect to a corresponding optical fiber among multiple optical fibers of a submarine optical cable, and a portion of the multiple optical fibers carry optical signals, and at least one of the multiple optical fibers is an unusable optical path that cannot carry usable optical signals, Multiple outputs, each of which is coupled to another corresponding optical fiber, and some of which are designated as lossy outputs, The set includes a plurality of optical switch modules that can be operated to connect one of the plurality of inputs coupled to the unavailable optical path to one of the lossy outputs, Undersea optical communication recovery equipment.

2. Each of the plurality of optical switch modules includes a predetermined number of optical switches, Submarine optical communication recovery device according to claim 1.

3. The predetermined number of optical switches are three optical switches, and each of the three optical switches includes two inputs and two outputs. Submarine optical communication recovery device according to claim 2.

4. Each of the plurality of optical switch modules includes the same number of optical switch inputs and optical switch outputs, Each of the plurality of optical switch modules is operable to connect an input to a designated output connected to one of the lossy outputs. Submarine optical communication recovery device according to claim 2.

5. Each of the plurality of optical switch modules includes an output designated to be connected to the lossy output of the plurality of outputs, Submarine optical communication recovery device according to claim 4.

6. The first portion of the plurality of optical switch modules is arranged in the input optical switching component, and the second portion of the plurality of optical switch modules is arranged in the output optical switching component. Submarine optical communication recovery device according to claim 1.

7. The input optical switching component includes the same number of optical switch modules as the output optical switching component, Submarine optical communication recovery device according to claim 6.

8. The system further includes a loss equalizer that can be operated to equalize the optical signal loss between each optical fiber coupled to each of the plurality of inputs. Submarine optical communication recovery device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

9. The first portion of the plurality of optical switch modules is arranged in the input optical switching component, The second portion of the plurality of optical switch modules is arranged in the output optical switching component, and The loss equalizer is positioned between the input optical switching component and the output optical switching component. Submarine optical communication recovery device according to claim 8.

10. An optical communication signal repeater that can be operated to couple to an optical cable segment containing multiple optical fibers among multiple optical cable segments, and an optical communication signal repeater that can be operated to amplify a corresponding optical signal transmitted by a corresponding optical fiber among the multiple optical fibers, An optical communication recovery device to which the optical signal output from the aforementioned optical communication signal repeater is input, The housing includes the optical communication signal repeater and the optical communication recovery device, The optical communication recovery device includes a plurality of optical switch modules and is operable to connect the at least one optical fiber to an output designated as a lossy output of one of the plurality of optical switch modules in response to a failure of the optical communication signal of at least one optical fiber in a corresponding optical cable segment. Submarine optical communication signal repeater.

11. Each of the plurality of optical switch modules of the optical communication recovery device has a plurality of inputs and a plurality of outputs, and the number of inputs and the plurality of outputs are the same. The submarine optical communication signal repeater according to claim 10.

12. The failure of the optical communication signal is a failure of at least one component of the optical communication signal repeater, one corresponding optical cable segment, or one corresponding optical fiber among the plurality of optical fibers. The submarine optical communication signal repeater according to claim 10.

13. Of the plurality of optical switch modules, the first set of optical switch modules is arranged as an input optical switching component, and of the plurality of optical switch modules, the second set of optical switch modules, which is different from the first set of optical switch modules, is arranged as an output optical switching component. The submarine optical communication signal repeater according to claim 10.

14. The optical communication signal repeater is operable to be coupled to an optical cable communication path including the plurality of optical cable segments, each of the plurality of optical cable segments having a plurality of optical fibers. The submarine optical communication signal repeater according to claim 10.

15. The optical communication recovery device further includes a loss equalizer that can be operated to equalize the optical signal loss between each optical fiber coupled to each of the plurality of inputs of the optical communication recovery device, The first portion of the plurality of optical switch modules is arranged as an input optical switching component, and The second portion of the plurality of optical switch modules is arranged as an output optical switching component, The loss equalizer is positioned between the input optical switching component and the output optical switching component. A submarine optical communication signal repeater according to any one of claims 10 to 12 and 14.

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