Optical transceiver, control circuit, storage medium, and control method

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to obtain an optical transceiver (11) capable of receiving a control signal from an optical network and a device in which the optical transceiver is mounted, and operating on the basis of a control signal that matches a set condition. This optical transceiver comprises: an electrical interface (115) that transmits and receives an electrical signal; an optical interface (116) that transmits and receives an optical signal; a photoelectric conversion unit (114) that converts the electrical signal into the optical signal and converts the optical signal into the electrical signal; a storage unit (117) that can write and read a control content indicated by a control signal received as the optical signal or the electrical signal; and a control signal processing unit (111) that performs control signal processing for writing to the storage unit (117) or reading from the storage unit (117) on the basis of the control content indicated by the control signal that matches a set condition. The electrical interface (115) and the optical interface (116) receive the same type of control signal.

Description

Optical transceiver, control circuit, storage medium, and control method

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an optical transceiver, a control circuit, a storage medium, and a control method for use in an optical network.

[0002] In recent years, all-optical networks have been proposed, which achieve low latency and large capacity by eliminating optical-to-electrical conversion at each node in the network and connecting all-optically end-to-end. In such all-optical networks, it has been proposed that the control of the optical transceivers, which serve as terminals, be performed not from the optical transceiver's destination device, i.e., the device in which the optical transceiver is installed, but from the optical network to which the optical fiber is connected. In optical transceivers in such all-optical networks, internal processing is performed using a portion of the storage medium, such as memory, stored within the optical transceiver. Rewriting a portion of the predetermined storage area allows, for example, the setting of the transmission wavelength, the on / off of the optical transmitter, and the determination of the signal modulation method to be used.

[0003] One method for accessing such a storage area is the Auxiliary Management and Control Channel (AMCC) method, which superimposes control signals on client signals exchanged between end-to-end terminals on a network. This method has the advantage of being able to add control signals regardless of the signal format of the client signals. Another method superimposes control signals at a wavelength separate from that of client signals exchanged between end-to-end terminals on a network. This method requires the end terminal to be capable of processing signals for two wavelengths, but has the advantage of being able to multiplex and demultiplex client signals and control signals more easily than the AMCC method. A method for remotely transmitting information to be set in a storage area within an optical transceiver is disclosed in Patent Document 1. In Patent Document 1, digital diagnostic monitoring information from an optical transceiver is converted into a remote digital diagnostic monitoring signal and transmitted as an AMCC signal to the connected optical transceiver.

[0004] Patent No. 6491350

[0005] However, the above-mentioned conventional techniques only disclose monitoring information within the optical transceiver, and do not disclose a method for transmitting and receiving control information. Furthermore, while other techniques disclose a control method using a control signal from an optical network to which the optical transceiver is optically connected, they do not disclose how to arbitrate when the type of control signal, such as wavelength channel selection, is the same as that from the device in which the optical transceiver is installed.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above, and aims to provide an optical transceiver that can receive control signals from an optical network and an installed device, and can operate based on control signals that meet set conditions.

[0007] To solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the present disclosure provides an optical transceiver that converts between optical signals and electrical signals. The optical transceiver includes an electrical interface that transmits and receives electrical signals to and from a user terminal equipped with the optical transceiver, an optical interface that transmits and receives optical signals to and from a network to which the optical transceiver is connected, an opto-electrical converter that converts electrical signals to optical signals and optical signals to and from electrical signals, a memory unit that can write and read control content indicated by control signals received as optical signals or electrical signals, and a control signal processor that performs control signal processing to write to or read from the memory unit based on control content indicated by control signals that meet set conditions, and is characterized in that the electrical interface and the optical interface receive the same type of control signals.

[0008] The optical transceiver of the present disclosure has the advantage of being able to receive control signals from an optical network and a device in which it is installed, and to operate based on the control signals that meet set conditions.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an optical network system including a user terminal equipped with an optical transceiver according to the first embodiment. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an optical transceiver equipped in a user terminal according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a Venn diagram showing an accessible area for control and monitoring signals for the optical transceiver equipped in a user terminal according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an on / off switching state of a transmission function when the optical transceiver according to the first embodiment is set to determine or change its operation according to the control signal received at the latest. 1 shows the on / off switching state of the transmission function when the optical transceiver according to the second embodiment is set to determine or change its operation according to the control signal received at the latest time, while not accepting control signals during standby time. FIG. 2 shows the operation of the optical transceiver according to the second embodiment. FIG. 3 shows the on / off switching state of the transmission function when the optical transceiver according to the third embodiment is set to determine or change its operation according to the control signal received at the priority interface. FIG. 4 shows the on / off switching state of the transmission function when the optical transceiver according to the fourth embodiment is set to determine or change its operation when it receives control signals with the same content at both the electrical interface and the optical interface. FIG. 5 shows the operation of the optical transceiver according to the fourth embodiment.

[0010] Hereinafter, an optical transceiver, a control circuit, a storage medium, and a control method according to embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0011] 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an optical network system 40 including user terminals 10a and 10b equipped with an optical transceiver 11 according to a first embodiment. The optical network system 40 includes user terminals 10a and 10b, relay nodes 20a and 20b, and optical fibers 30a, 30b, and 30c. In the optical network system 40, the user terminal 10a and the relay node 20a are connected via the optical fiber 30a, the relay node 20a and the relay node 20b are connected via the optical fiber 30b, and the relay node 20b and the user terminal 10b are connected via the optical fiber 30c. The optical network system 40 is an all-optical network in which the user terminals 10a and 10b are connected via the optical fiber 30a, the relay node 20a, the optical fiber 30b, the relay node 20b, and the optical fiber 30c, and in which optical client signals are transmitted and received between the user terminals 10a and 10b.

[0012] Each of the user terminals 10a and 10b includes an optical transceiver 11 that performs optical-to-electrical conversion of client signals. The optical transceiver 11 converts optical signals to electrical signals and vice versa. The optical transceiver 11 is pluggable and transmits and receives user signals and control signals to and from the user terminals 10a and 10b via electrical connectors. The detailed configuration and operation of the optical transceiver 11 will be described later.

[0013] The relay node 20a includes an optical transceiver 21 and a multiplexer / demultiplexer 22. The optical transceiver 21 transmits and receives control signals to and from the optical transceiver 11 of the user terminal 10a. The multiplexer / demultiplexer 22 multiplexes or demultiplexes the control signals and client signals. Similarly, the relay node 20b includes an optical transceiver 21 and a multiplexer / demultiplexer 22. The optical transceiver 21 transmits and receives control signals to and from the optical transceiver 11 of the user terminal 10b. The multiplexer / demultiplexer 22 multiplexes or demultiplexes the control signals and client signals.

[0014] In the following description, when there is no need to distinguish between the user terminals 10a and 10b, they will be referred to as user terminals 10, when there is no need to distinguish between the relay nodes 20a and 20b, they will be referred to as relay nodes 20, and when there is no need to distinguish between the optical fibers 30a, 30b, and 30c, they will be referred to as optical fibers 30. In the example of Fig. 1, for simplicity, the optical network system 40 is shown to have two user terminals 10, but the optical network system 40 may be configured to have three or more user terminals 10. In this case, the optical network system 40 may be configured such that the relay nodes 20 switch client signals so that communication between the user terminals 10 is possible.

[0015] 1, the optical network system 40 has two relay nodes 20 between the user terminals 10, but may have a configuration in which multiple new relay nodes 20 exist between the relay nodes 20. The optical network system 40 may also have a configuration in which only one relay node 20 exists between the user terminals 10. Furthermore, in the optical network system 40, when the two user terminals 10 are located at distant points as viewed from the relay node 20 and are connected via an optical fiber 30, each relay node 20 may have two optical transceivers 21 capable of transmitting and receiving control signals, and each optical transceiver 21 may be connected to the user terminal 10. On the other hand, when there is only one relay node 20 between the user terminals 10 and one user terminal 10 is installed within or near the relay node 20 and is not connected via an optical fiber 30, each relay node 20 may have one optical transceiver 21 capable of transmitting and receiving control signals, and this one optical transceiver 21 may be connected to the user terminal 10.

[0016] The detailed configuration and operation of the optical transceiver 11 included in the user terminal 10 will be described. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the optical transceiver 11 included in the user terminal 10 according to the first embodiment. The optical transceiver 11 includes a control signal processing unit 111, a client signal processing unit 112, a two-signal multiplexing / demultiplexing unit 113, an electrical interface 115, an optical interface 116, and a storage unit 117. The optical transceiver 11 transmits and receives signals that require monitoring by the user terminal 10 and signals that require control by the user terminal 10 via the electrical interface 115 of the optical transceiver 11. Meanwhile, the optical transceiver 11 processes signals that require monitoring or control as an all-optical network via the optical interface 116 of the optical transceiver 11. All of these operations of the optical transceiver 11 are managed by the storage unit 117 inside the optical transceiver 11.

[0017] The control signal processing unit 111 writes data to or reads data from the storage unit 117 based on the control content indicated by the control signal received via the electrical interface 115 or the optical interface 116, which matches the set conditions. The control signal may be, for example, but is not limited to, a signal for determining or changing the operation of the optical transceiver 11. By writing data to or reading data from the storage unit 117 based on the control content indicated by the control signal that matches the set conditions, the optical transceiver 11 can operate based on the control signal that matches the set conditions.

[0018] The client signal processing unit 112 outputs the client signal received from the user terminal 10 by the electrical interface 115 to the signal multiplexing / demultiplexing unit 113 and transmits it from the optical interface 116. The client signal processing unit 112 also acquires the client signal received by the optical interface 116 via the signal multiplexing / demultiplexing unit 113 and transmits it from the electrical interface 115 to the user terminal 10. The client signal processing unit 112 can also write the client signal to or read it from the storage unit 117 depending on the content of the client signal.

[0019] For example, when the wavelengths of the control signal and the client signal are different, the two signal multiplexing / demultiplexing units 113 can be wavelength multiplexers / demultiplexers. Furthermore, when an AMCC signal is used, for example, the two signal multiplexing / demultiplexing units 113 can be frequency multiplexers / demultiplexers that also have an opto-electrical conversion function and can superimpose / demultiplex signals on the client signal in the optical or electrical domain. FIG. 2 illustrates an example in which both signal multiplexing / demultiplexing units 113 are equipped with opto-electrical converters 114 for the opto-electrical conversion function. Although FIG. 2 illustrates an example in which the optical transceiver 11 includes both signal multiplexing / demultiplexing units 113, it is also possible to install both signal multiplexing / demultiplexing units 113 outside the optical transceiver 11 by configuring the optical interface 116 sides of the control signal processing unit 111 and the client signal processing unit 112 as optical transceiver input / output interfaces.

[0020] The photoelectric conversion unit 114 converts electrical signals to optical signals and optical signals to electrical signals. In the example of FIG. 2 , the photoelectric conversion unit 114 is located inside the signal multiplexing / demultiplexing unit 113, but may be located outside the signal multiplexing / demultiplexing unit 113.

[0021] The electrical interface 115 transmits and receives electrical signals to and from the user terminal 10 equipped with the optical transceiver 11. The electrical signals include control signals and client signals. Although the optical transceiver 11 is shown in FIG. 2 as equipped with the electrical interface 115, it is also possible to configure the user terminal 10 to have the electrical interface 115, so that the optical transceiver 11 does not have the electrical interface 115.

[0022] The optical interface 116 transmits and receives optical signals to and from the network to which the optical transceiver 11 is connected, which in the examples of FIGS. 1 and 2 is the optical network system 40. The optical signals include superimposed control signals and client signals. Although the optical transceiver 11 in FIG. 2 includes the optical interface 116, it is also possible to configure the optical transceiver 11 without the optical interface 116 by providing the optical interface 116 at the terminal end of the optical fiber 30.

[0023] The storage unit 117 can write and read control content indicated by a control signal received as an optical signal or an electrical signal by the control signal processing unit 111. The storage unit 117 can also write and read content according to the content of a client signal received as an optical signal or an electrical signal by the client signal processing unit 112.

[0024] 3 is a Venn diagram showing the accessible areas for control and monitoring signals for the optical transceiver 11 included in the user terminal 10 according to the first embodiment. Items requiring control and monitoring are represented by three areas: an electrical interface area A requiring access only from the electrical interface 115; an optical interface area B requiring access only from the optical interface 116; and a mixed area C requiring access from both the electrical interface 115 and the optical interface 116. Which items belong to which area depends on the required specifications of the optical network system 40. Therefore, the electrical interface area A and the optical interface area B may completely overlap, resulting in a mixed area like the mixed area C, or the electrical interface area A and the optical interface area B may be completely separated, resulting in no mixed area C.

[0025] However, in currently widespread non-all-optical optical networks, electrical interfaces are the only interfaces available for controlling and monitoring optical transceivers. Therefore, almost all of the necessary controls for optical transceivers are already specified. For example, the Small Form Factor (SFF) standard published by the Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA) specifies the on / off status of the optical transceiver's transmitter and whether or not to bypass the internal Clock and Data Recovery (CDR) path. Therefore, if new controls are specified on the optical interface side, it is unlikely that they will be limited to those not already specified on the electrical interface side. Therefore, there is a high possibility that some kind of mixed area will occur.

[0026] In the first embodiment, a control method for the optical transceiver 11 included in the user terminal 10 will be described, assuming a network in which such a mixed area, i.e., mixed area C shown in Figure 3, occurs. That is, in the optical transceiver 11, it is assumed that the electrical interface 115 and the optical interface 116 receive the same type of control signal. Note that the electrical interface 115 can also transmit and receive control signals of a type that is not transmitted and received by the optical interface 116, as shown in the electrical interface area A of Figure 3. Also, the optical interface 116 can also transmit and receive control signals of a type that is not transmitted and received by the electrical interface 115, as shown in the optical interface area B of Figure 3.

[0027] In embodiment 1, the control signal processing unit 111 of the optical transceiver 11 accesses the memory area of ​​the memory unit 117 of the optical transceiver 11 for control signals received from either the electrical interface 115 or the optical interface 116 as control signals that meet the set conditions, and determines or changes the operation of the optical transceiver 11 according to the most recent control signal on the time axis, i.e., the control signal received at the latest time.

[0028] FIG. 4 illustrates the on / off switching state of the transmission function when the optical transceiver 11 according to the first embodiment is set to determine or change its operation based on the latest received control signal. Here, the transmission function refers to the transmission function of the optical client signal at the optical interface 116 in the optical transceiver 11. In other words, the control signal for the optical signal at the optical interface 116, in addition to the control signal for the electrical signal and the client signal at the electrical interface 115, is not included in the on / off control of the transmission function. In FIG. 4, the control signal for turning the transmission function on is represented by "Tx-On" and the control signal for turning the transmission function off is represented by "Tx-Off." The optical transceiver 11 can receive "Tx-On" or "Tx-Off" control signals from both the electrical interface 115 and the optical interface 116. In the optical transceiver 11, the control signal processing unit 111 determines or changes the operation of the optical transceiver 11 based on the latest received control signal from either the electrical interface 115 or the optical interface 116.

[0029] The aforementioned "same type of control signal" here refers to a control signal for the transmission function. In this case, the control signal for the transmission function may be a control signal for turning the transmission function on or a control signal for turning the transmission function off. In other words, "the same type of control signal" refers to a control signal for controlling the same object, and the "on" and "off" parts may be different, and the "on" and "off" parts do not have to be the same. The same applies hereinafter.

[0030] First, when the electrical interface 115 receives a control signal for turning on the transmission function (step S101), the control signal processing unit 111 writes the control signal to the storage area of ​​the storage unit 117, thereby turning on the transmission function as the operation of the optical transceiver 11 (step S102). Next, when the optical interface 116 receives a control signal for turning off the transmission function (step S103), the control signal processing unit 111 writes the control signal to the storage area of ​​the storage unit 117, thereby turning off the transmission function as the operation of the optical transceiver 11 (step S104). Next, when the optical interface 116 receives a control signal for turning on the transmission function (step S105), the control signal processing unit 111 writes the control signal to the storage area of ​​the storage unit 117, thereby turning on the transmission function as the operation of the optical transceiver 11 (step S106). Next, when the electrical interface 115 receives a control signal for turning off the transmission function (step S107), the control signal processing unit 111 writes the control signal to the storage area of ​​the storage unit 117, thereby turning off the transmission function as the operation of the optical transceiver 11 (step S108).

[0031] Although the description has been given using the example of turning on and off the transmission function, the type of control signal is not limited to this and may be other external control signals. Examples of types of control signals include power consumption class, whether or not CDRs on the transmitting and receiving sides are bypassed, whether or not a FEC (Forward Error Correction) circuit is bypassed, FEC type selection, transmitting and receiving wavelengths, transmission rate, modulation method, baud rate, and transmitting and receiving optical power. The same applies to the following embodiments.

[0032] 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the optical transceiver 11 according to the first embodiment. In the optical transceiver 11, if a control signal is not received at the electrical interface 115 or the optical interface 116 (step S11: No), the control signal processing unit 111 waits until a control signal is received at the electrical interface 115 or the optical interface 116. If a control signal is received at the electrical interface 115 or the optical interface 116 (step S11: Yes), the control signal processing unit 111 performs control signal processing based on the received control signal (step S12). The control signal processing unit 111 then returns to step S11 and repeats the above operation. In this way, if the same type of control signal is received at the electrical interface 115 and the optical interface 116 as a control signal that meets the set condition, the control signal processing unit 111 performs control signal processing based on the control content of the control signal that was received last.

[0033] Next, the hardware configuration of the optical transceiver 11 will be described. In the optical transceiver 11, the electrical interface 115 is a communication interface capable of transmitting and receiving electrical signals. The optical interface 116 is a communication interface capable of transmitting and receiving optical signals. The storage unit 117 is a memory. The control signal processing unit 111, the client signal processing unit 112, and the signal multiplexing / demultiplexing unit 113 including the optical-to-electrical conversion unit 114 are realized by processing circuits. The processing circuit may be a processor and memory that executes a program stored in memory, or may be dedicated hardware.

[0034] FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a processing circuit 90 that implements the optical transceiver 11 according to the first embodiment, configured with a processor 91 and a memory 92. When the processing circuit 90 is configured with the processor 91 and the memory 92, each function of the processing circuit 90 of the optical transceiver 11 is implemented by software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware. The software or firmware is written as a program and stored in the memory 92. The processor 91 reads and executes the program stored in the memory 92 to implement each function of the processing circuit 90. In other words, the processing circuit 90 includes the memory 92 for storing the program that results in the processing of the optical transceiver 11. It can also be said that these programs cause a computer to execute the procedures and methods of the optical transceiver 11.

[0035] The above program includes an electrical interface transmission / reception step in which the electrical interface 115 transmits and receives electrical signals to and from the user terminal 10 equipped with the optical transceiver 11; an optical interface transmission / reception step in which the optical interface 116 transmits and receives optical signals to and from the optical network system 40, which is the network to which the optical transceiver 11 is connected; an opto-electrical conversion step in which the opto-electrical conversion unit 114 converts electrical signals to optical signals and optical signals to and from the electrical signals; and a control signal processing step in which the control signal processing unit 111 performs control signal processing to write to or read from the memory unit 117, which can write and read control content indicated by a control signal received as an optical signal or an electrical signal, based on the control content indicated by the control signal that meets the set conditions.It can also be said that this program causes the optical transceiver 11 to receive the same type of control signal in the electrical interface transmission / reception step and the optical interface transmission / reception step.

[0036] Here, the processor 91 may be a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a processing device, an arithmetic device, a microprocessor, a microcomputer, or a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), etc. The memory 92 may be, for example, a non-volatile or volatile semiconductor memory such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a flash memory, an EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), or an EEPROM (Electrically EPROM), a magnetic disk, a flexible disk, an optical disk, a compact disk, a minidisk, or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc).

[0037] 7 is a diagram illustrating an example in which the processing circuit 93 that implements the optical transceiver 11 according to the first embodiment is configured with dedicated hardware. When the processing circuit 93 is configured with dedicated hardware, the processing circuit 93 illustrated in FIG. 7 corresponds to, for example, a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel programmed processor, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or a combination thereof. Each function of the optical transceiver 11 may be implemented by the processing circuit 93 individually, or all functions may be implemented collectively by the processing circuit 93.

[0038] It is also possible to implement some of the functions of the optical transceiver 11 using dedicated hardware and some using software or firmware. In this way, the processing circuit can implement each of the above-described functions using dedicated hardware, software, firmware, or a combination of these.

[0039] As described above, according to this embodiment, the control signal processing unit 111 in the optical transceiver 11 determines the operation of the optical transceiver 11 based on the most recent control signal received via the electrical interface 115 or the optical interface 116, i.e., the control signal received most recently. This allows the optical transceiver 11 to receive control signals from the optical network system 40, which is an optical network, and the user terminal 10, which is an installed device, and to operate based on the control signal that meets the set conditions.

[0040] In the first embodiment, when the optical transceiver 11 receives the same type of control signal from two interfaces, the electrical interface 115 and the optical interface 116, it determines or changes its operation based on the control signal that it receives most recently, regardless of the type of interface. In the second embodiment, a case will be described in which, after determining or changing its operation based on a control signal, the optical transceiver 11 provides a waiting period during which it does not accept any further control signals.

[0041] In the second embodiment, the configuration of the optical network system 40 is the same as the configuration of the optical network system 40 of the first embodiment shown in Fig. 1. Also, in the second embodiment, the configuration of the optical transceiver 11 is the same as the configuration of the optical transceiver 11 of the first embodiment shown in Fig. 2.

[0042] In the second embodiment, the control signal processing unit 111 of the optical transceiver 11 determines the operation of the optical transceiver 11 based on the latest received control signal that meets the set conditions, as in the first embodiment. However, when the control signal processing unit 111 accesses the memory area of ​​the memory unit 117 of the optical transceiver 11 based on the control signal to determine or change the operation of the optical transceiver 11, a waiting time is set during which the control signal of the same type as the control signal is not accepted. The waiting time may be, for example, 100 msec or 1 sec, but is not limited thereto. The control signal processing unit 111 does not accept control signals received via either the electrical interface 115 or the optical interface 116 during the waiting time; that is, it does not perform control signal processing based on the control signal.

[0043] Figure 8 shows the on / off switching state of the transmission function when the optical transceiver 11 of embodiment 2 determines or changes its operation according to the control signal received at the latest time, but is set not to accept control signals during standby time.

[0044] First, when the control signal processing unit 111 receives a control signal for turning on the transmission function via the electrical interface 115 (step S201), it writes the control signal to the storage area of ​​the storage unit 117 and turns on the transmission function as the operation of the optical transceiver 11 (step S202). The control signal processing unit 111 also provides a waiting time after turning on the transmission function (step S203). Next, when the control signal processing unit 111 receives a control signal for turning off the transmission function via the optical interface 116 (step S204), it does not accept this control signal because it is currently in the waiting time. That is, the control signal processing unit 111 maintains the transmission function on state as the operation of the optical transceiver 11 (step S202). Next, when the control signal processing unit 111 receives a control signal for turning off the transmission function via the electrical interface 115 after the waiting time has elapsed (step S205), it writes the control signal to the storage area of ​​the storage unit 117 and turns off the transmission function as the operation of the optical transceiver 11 (step S206). The control signal processing unit 111 also provides a waiting time after turning off the transmission function (step S207). During the waiting time set in step S207, the optical transceiver 11 receives no control signals from either the electrical interface 115 or the optical interface 116.

[0045] Next, when the control signal processing unit 111 receives a control signal for turning on the transmission function via the optical interface 116 after the waiting time has elapsed (step S208), it writes the control signal to the storage area of ​​the storage unit 117 and turns on the transmission function as the operation of the optical transceiver 11 (step S209). The control signal processing unit 111 also sets a waiting time after turning on the transmission function (step S210). During the waiting time set in step S210, the optical transceiver 11 does not receive control signals from either the electrical interface 115 or the optical interface 116. Next, when the control signal processing unit 111 receives a control signal for turning off the transmission function via the electrical interface 115 after the waiting time has elapsed (step S211), it writes the control signal to the storage area of ​​the storage unit 117 and turns off the transmission function as the operation of the optical transceiver 11 (step S212). The control signal processing unit 111 also sets a waiting time after turning off the transmission function (step S213). During the waiting time set in step S213, the optical transceiver 11 receives no control signals from either the electrical interface 115 or the optical interface 116.

[0046] Although the control signal processing unit 111 sets a waiting time when determining or changing the operation of the optical transceiver 11 in accordance with the same type of control signal, the present invention is not limited to this. When the control signal processing unit 111 sets a waiting time in accordance with the control signal for turning the transmission function on or off shown in FIG. 8, the control signal processing unit 111 may also not accept an Rx-CDR bypass control signal even if a control signal different from the control signal for turning the transmission function on or off, such as an Rx-CDR bypass control signal, is received.

[0047] The standby time may be fixed or externally changeable. For example, the optical transceiver 11 may store the standby time in the storage unit 117, and the optical transceiver 11 may change the standby time by changing the settings in the storage area for the standby time based on an instruction from an external control signal or the like.

[0048] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the operation of the optical transceiver 11 according to the second embodiment. In FIG. 9, the operations in steps S11 and S12 are the same as those in steps S11 and S12 in the flowchart of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 5. In the optical transceiver 11, the control signal processing unit 111 waits for a waiting time after step S12, i.e., after processing the control signal (step S21). If the waiting time has not elapsed (step S22: No), the control signal processing unit 111 waits until the waiting time has elapsed. If the waiting time has elapsed (step S22: Yes), the control signal processing unit 111 returns to step S11 and repeats the above operation.

[0049] In this way, the control signal processing unit 111 sets a specified period after control signal processing as a standby time, and does not accept control signals of the same type as the control signal that was the subject of the latest control signal processing, which are received by the electrical interface 115 and the optical interface 116 during the standby time. Alternatively, the control signal processing unit 111 sets a specified period after control signal processing as a standby time, and does not accept any type of control signals received by the electrical interface 115 and the optical interface 116 during the standby time.

[0050] As described above, according to this embodiment, in addition to the operation of the first embodiment, the control signal processing unit 111 of the optical transceiver 11 further provides a waiting time during which it does not accept control signals after determining or changing the operation of the optical transceiver 11. This prevents the optical transceiver 11 from frequently changing its operation, even when, for example, it receives a control signal from one interface to turn on a certain function and then immediately receives a control signal from the other interface to turn off the same function.

[0051] In the first and second embodiments, when the optical transceiver 11 receives the same type of control signal from two interfaces, the electrical interface 115 and the optical interface 116, it determines or changes its operation based on the control signal that it receives most recently, regardless of the type of interface. In the third embodiment, we will explain a case where the optical transceiver 11 preferentially uses the control signal received from one of the interfaces.

[0052] In the third embodiment, the configuration of the optical network system 40 is the same as the configuration of the optical network system 40 of the first embodiment shown in Fig. 1. Also, in the third embodiment, the configuration of the optical transceiver 11 is the same as the configuration of the optical transceiver 11 of the first embodiment shown in Fig. 2.

[0053] In the third embodiment, the control signal processing unit 111 of the optical transceiver 11 determines or changes the operation of the optical transceiver 11 using a control signal received through an interface set as a priority interface as a control signal that meets the set conditions, and does not accept a control signal received through an interface that is not set as a priority interface. The setting of the priority interface can be changed externally, for example, using a control signal.

[0054] FIG. 10 illustrates the on / off switching state of the transmission function when the optical transceiver 11 according to the third embodiment is set to determine or change its operation in accordance with a control signal received via a priority interface.

[0055] First, when the control signal processing unit 111 receives a control signal for setting the electrical interface 115 as the priority interface in the electrical interface 115 or the optical interface 116, the control signal processing unit 111 writes the control signal to a storage area in the storage unit 117 and sets the electrical interface 115 as the priority interface (step S301). With this setting, the control signal processing unit 111 accepts a control signal for turning on or off the transmission function from the electrical interface 115, but does not accept a control signal for turning on or off the transmission function from the optical interface 116.

[0056] Next, when the electrical interface 115, which is set as the priority interface, receives a control signal for turning on the transmission function (step S302), the control signal processor 111 writes the control signal to a storage area of ​​the storage unit 117 and turns on the transmission function as the operation of the optical transceiver 11 (step S303). Next, when the optical interface 116 receives a control signal for turning off the transmission function (step S304), the control signal processor 111 does not accept the control signal received by the optical interface 116 because the optical interface 116 is not set as the priority interface. In other words, the control signal processor 111 maintains the transmission function on state as the operation of the optical transceiver 11 (step S303). Next, when the electrical interface 115, which is set as the priority interface, receives a control signal for turning off the transmission function (step S305), the control signal processor 111 writes the control signal to a storage area of ​​the storage unit 117 and turns off the transmission function as the operation of the optical transceiver 11 (step S306). Next, the control signal processor 111 receives a control signal for turning on the transmission function at the optical interface 116 (step S307), but because the optical interface 116 is not set as a priority interface, the control signal processor 111 does not accept the control signal received at the optical interface 116. In other words, the control signal processor 111 maintains the transmission function off state as the operation of the optical transceiver 11 (step S306).

[0057] Next, when the control signal processing unit 111 receives a control signal for setting the optical interface 116 as the priority interface at the electrical interface 115 or the optical interface 116, it writes the control signal to the storage area of ​​the storage unit 117 and sets the optical interface 116 as the priority interface (step S308). With this setting, the control signal processing unit 111 accepts a control signal for turning on or off the transmission function from the optical interface 116, but does not accept a control signal for turning on or off the transmission function from the electrical interface 115.

[0058] Next, when the optical interface 116, which is set as the priority interface, receives a control signal to turn on the transmission function (step S309), the control signal processing unit 111 writes the control signal to the storage area of ​​the storage unit 117 and turns on the transmission function as the operation of the optical transceiver 11 (step S310). Next, the control signal processing unit 111 receives a control signal to turn off the transmission function at the electrical interface 115 (step S311). However, because the electrical interface 115 is not set as the priority interface, the control signal processing unit 111 does not accept the control signal received at the electrical interface 115. In other words, the control signal processing unit 111 maintains the transmission function on state as the operation of the optical transceiver 11 (step S310).

[0059] In the above example, the optical transceiver 11 is configured to set a priority interface based on an external control signal. However, there are three possible interfaces that can receive the priority interface control signal: (1) only the electrical interface 115, (2) only the optical interface 116, or (3) both the electrical interface 115 and the optical interface 116. The third embodiment may employ any of these three patterns. The priority interface setting may also be fixed and readable at the time of shipment of the optical transceiver 11. In this case, the optical transceiver 11 receives the external control signal according to the initial setting of the priority interface, either the electrical interface 115 or the optical interface 116.

[0060] Furthermore, in the third embodiment, it is also possible to provide the standby time described in the second embodiment. The standby time may be for a control signal for setting a priority interface, rather than for a control signal from the electrical interface 115 and the optical interface 116. The standby time may be fixed, or may be externally changeable.

[0061] 11 is a flowchart showing the operation of the optical transceiver 11 according to the third embodiment. In the optical transceiver 11, when the electrical interface 115 or the optical interface 116 receives a control signal indicating that the electrical interface 115 should be the priority interface (step S31: Yes), the control signal processor 111 sets the electrical interface 115 as the priority interface (step S32). After step S32, or when the electrical interface 115 or the optical interface 116 has not received a control signal indicating that the electrical interface 115 should be the priority interface (step S31: No), the control signal processor 111 determines whether the electrical interface 115 or the optical interface 116 has received a control signal indicating that the optical interface 116 should be the priority interface (step S33).

[0062] If the electrical interface 115 or the optical interface 116 receives a control signal to set the optical interface 116 as the priority interface (step S33: Yes), the control signal processing unit 111 sets the optical interface 116 as the priority interface (step S34). After step S34, or if the electrical interface 115 or the optical interface 116 does not receive a control signal to set the optical interface 116 as the priority interface (step S33: No), the control signal processing unit 111 returns to step S31. If the electrical interface 115 or the optical interface 116 receives a control signal to set the same interface as the current priority interface as the priority interface, the control signal processing unit 111 may ignore the control signal.

[0063] In embodiment 3, the operation of the optical transceiver 11 after the priority interface is set can be explained by simply changing the question "Was a control signal received at the electrical interface 115 or the optical interface 116?" in step S11 in the flowchart shown in FIG. 5 described in embodiment 1 and the flowchart shown in FIG. 9 described in embodiment 2 to "Was a control signal received at the priority interface?", and therefore detailed explanation will be omitted.

[0064] In this way, the control signal processing unit 111 sets either the electrical interface 115 or the optical interface 116 as a priority interface, and when the same type of control signal is received at the priority interface as a control signal that meets the set conditions, it performs control signal processing based on the control content of the control signal that was received latest. At this time, the control signal processing unit 111 sets or changes the priority interface according to the control signal received at the electrical interface 115 or the optical interface 116. Alternatively, the control signal processing unit 111 sets or changes the priority interface according to the control signal received at the electrical interface 115. Alternatively, the control signal processing unit 111 sets or changes the priority interface according to the control signal received at the optical interface 116.

[0065] Furthermore, when the third embodiment is applied to the second embodiment, the control signal processing unit 111 sets a specified period after the control signal processing as a standby time, and does not accept a control signal that is received via the priority interface during the standby time and is the same type as the control signal that was the subject of the most recent control signal processing. Alternatively, the control signal processing unit 111 sets a specified period after the control signal processing as a standby time, and does not accept any type of control signal that is received via the priority interface during the standby time.

[0066] As described above, according to this embodiment, in the optical transceiver 11, the control signal processing unit 111 can set either the electrical interface 115 or the optical interface 116 as a priority interface, and controls the operation of the optical transceiver 11 based on the control signal received through the interface set as the priority interface, thereby determining or changing the operation of the optical transceiver 11. This allows the optical transceiver 11 to determine the priority of the network and then operate in accordance with the control signal from an external device.

[0067] In the first to third embodiments, the optical transceiver 11 determines or changes its operation based on the latest control signal of a specified interface. In the fourth embodiment, the optical transceiver 11 determines or changes its operation when it receives the same control signal through two interfaces, the electrical interface 115 and the optical interface 116.

[0068] In the fourth embodiment, the configuration of the optical network system 40 is the same as the configuration of the optical network system 40 of the first embodiment shown in Fig. 1. Also, in the fourth embodiment, the configuration of the optical transceiver 11 is the same as the configuration of the optical transceiver 11 of the first embodiment shown in Fig. 2.

[0069] In the fourth embodiment, the control signal processing unit 111 of the optical transceiver 11 determines or changes the operation of the optical transceiver 11 according to the control signals received by both the electrical interface 115 and the optical interface 116 as control signals that meet the set conditions. The order in which the control signals with the same content are received does not matter; either the electrical interface 115 or the optical interface 116 may receive them first. Here, "control signals with the same content" differ from the aforementioned "control signals of the same type" in that they are identical control signals, including the "on" or "off" part. Therefore, in the aforementioned example, the control signal for turning on the transmission function and the control signal for turning off the transmission function are "control signals of the same type," but not "control signals with the same content."

[0070] Figure 12 shows the on / off switching state of the transmission function when the optical transceiver 11 of embodiment 4 is set to determine or change its operation when it receives control signals of the same content at the electrical interface 115 and the optical interface 116.

[0071] First, the optical transceiver 11 is set to the transmission function off state (step S401). Next, when the electrical interface 115 receives a control signal for turning on the transmission function (step S402), the control signal processor 111 writes information about the electrical interface 115 receiving the control signal for turning on the transmission function into a storage area of ​​the storage unit 117. However, since there is no information about the optical interface 116 receiving the control signal for turning on the transmission function, the transmission function remains off (step S401). Next, when the optical interface 116 receives a control signal for turning on the transmission function (step S403), the control signal processor 111 writes information about the optical interface 116 receiving the control signal for turning on the transmission function into a storage area of ​​the storage unit 117. Since there is information about the electrical interface 115 receiving the control signal for turning on the transmission function, the optical transceiver 11 turns on the transmission function (step S404).

[0072] Next, when the optical interface 116 receives a control signal to turn off the transmission function (step S405), the control signal processing unit 111 writes information about the reception of the control signal to turn off the transmission function in the storage area of ​​the storage unit 117. However, since there is no information about the reception of the control signal to turn off the transmission function in the electrical interface 115, the control signal processing unit 111 maintains the transmission function on state (step S404). Next, when the electrical interface 115 receives a control signal to turn off the transmission function (step S406), the control signal processing unit 111 writes information about the reception of the control signal to turn off the transmission function in the storage area of ​​the storage unit 117. Since there is information about the reception of the control signal to turn off the transmission function in the optical interface 116, the control signal processing unit 111 turns off the transmission function as the operation of the optical transceiver 11 (step S407).

[0073] In the fourth embodiment, the control signal processing unit 111 performs AND on the control signals from the two interfaces, the electrical interface 115 and the optical interface 116, and therefore when a control signal is received at each interface, the fact that a control signal has been received at each interface is written to the storage area of ​​the storage unit 117 as described above. The storage area may have not only two values, on and off, for the transmission function, but also a cancel area in which no control signal is input.

[0074] Furthermore, in the fourth embodiment, it is also possible to provide the standby time described in the second embodiment. The standby time may be fixed or may be externally changeable.

[0075] 13 is a flowchart showing the operation of the optical transceiver 11 according to the fourth embodiment. In the optical transceiver 11, if the electrical interface 115 and the optical interface 116 do not receive identical control signals (step S41: No), the control signal processing unit 111 waits until the electrical interface 115 and the optical interface 116 receive identical control signals. If the electrical interface 115 and the optical interface 116 receive identical control signals (step S41: Yes), the control signal processing unit 111 performs control signal processing based on the received control signals (step S42). The control signal processing unit 111 then returns to step S41 and repeats the above operation.

[0076] In this way, the control signal processing unit 111 receives control signals with the same content from both the electrical interface 115 and the optical interface 116 as control signals that meet the set conditions, and then performs control signal processing based on the control content of the control signal. At this time, the control signal processing unit 111 stores the control content of the control signal received by the electrical interface 115 and the optical interface 116 in the storage unit 117. The control content of the control signal stored in the storage unit 117 also includes information about the interface from which the control signal was received.

[0077] Furthermore, when the fourth embodiment is applied to the second embodiment, the control signal processing unit 111 sets a specified period after the control signal processing as a standby time, and does not accept control signals of the same type as the control signal that was the subject of the latest control signal processing, which are received by the electrical interface 115 and the optical interface 116 during the standby time. Alternatively, the control signal processing unit 111 sets a specified period after the control signal processing as a standby time, and does not accept any type of control signals received by the electrical interface 115 and the optical interface 116 during the standby time.

[0078] As described above, according to this embodiment, the control signal processing unit 111 of the optical transceiver 11 receives identical control signals via both the electrical interface 115 and the optical interface 116, and then determines or changes the operation of the optical transceiver 11 in accordance with the control signals. This allows the optical transceiver 11 to determine or change its operation after receiving requests from both the user terminal 10 and the optical network system 40.

[0079] The configurations shown in the above embodiments are merely examples, and may be combined with other known technologies, or different embodiments may be combined with each other. It is also possible to omit or modify parts of the configurations as long as they do not deviate from the gist of the invention.

[0080] 10, 10a, 10b User terminal, 11, 21 Optical transceiver, 20, 20a, 20b Relay node, 22 Multiplexer / Demultiplexer, 30, 30a, 30b, 30c Optical fiber, 40 Optical network system, 90, 93 Processing circuit, 91 Processor, 92 Memory, 111 Control signal processing unit, 112 Client signal processing unit, 113 Both signal multiplexer / demultiplexer unit, 114 Opto-electrical conversion unit, 115 Electrical interface, 116 Optical interface, 117 Storage unit.

Claims

1. An optical transceiver that converts between optical signals and electrical signals, An electrical interface for sending and receiving electrical signals with a user terminal equipped with the optical transceiver, An optical interface that transmits and receives the optical signal to and from the network to which the optical transceiver is connected, A photoelectric conversion unit that performs conversion from the electrical signal to the optical signal and conversion from the optical signal to the electrical signal, A storage unit capable of writing and reading control content indicated by the control signal received as the optical signal or the electrical signal, A control signal processing unit performs control signal processing, which involves writing to or reading from the storage unit based on the control content indicated by the control signal that matches the set conditions. Equipped with, The electrical interface and the optical interface receive the same type of control signal. An optical transceiver characterized by the following features.

2. The electrical interface transmits and receives control signals of a type not transmitted or received by the optical interface. The optical transceiver according to feature 1.

3. The optical interface transmits and receives control signals of a type not transmitted or received by the electrical interface. The optical transceiver according to feature 1.

4. When the control signal processing unit receives the same type of control signal at the electrical interface and the optical interface as the control signal that matches the set conditions, it performs the control signal processing based on the control content of the control signal that was received most recently. The optical transceiver according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The control signal processing unit sets a predetermined period after the control signal processing as a waiting time, and during the waiting time, does not accept control signals received by the electrical interface and the optical interface that are of the same type as the control signal that was the subject of the most recent control signal processing. The optical transceiver according to feature 4.

6. The control signal processing unit sets a predetermined period after the control signal processing as a waiting time, and during the waiting time, does not accept any type of control signal received by the electrical interface and the optical interface. The optical transceiver according to feature 4.

7. The control signal processing unit sets either the electrical interface or the optical interface as the preferred interface, and when the same type of control signal is received on the preferred interface as the control signal that matches the set conditions, it performs the control signal processing based on the control content of the control signal that was received most recently. The optical transceiver according to feature 1.

8. The control signal processing unit sets or changes the preferred interface according to the control signals received by the electrical interface or the optical interface. The optical transceiver according to feature 7.

9. The control signal processing unit sets or changes the preferred interface according to the control signals received by the electrical interface. The optical transceiver according to feature 7.

10. The control signal processing unit sets or changes the preferred interface according to the control signals received by the optical interface. The optical transceiver according to feature 7.

11. The control signal processing unit sets a predetermined period after the control signal processing as a waiting time, and during the waiting time, does not accept control signals received by the priority interface that are of the same type as the control signal that was the subject of the most recent control signal processing. The optical transceiver according to any one of claims 7 to 10.

12. The control signal processing unit sets a predetermined period after the control signal processing as a waiting time, and during the waiting time, does not accept any type of control signal received by the priority interface. The optical transceiver according to any one of claims 7 to 10.

13. The control signal processing unit, after receiving control signals with the same content from both the electrical interface and the optical interface as control signals that match the set conditions, performs the control signal processing based on the control content of the control signals. The optical transceiver according to feature 1.

14. The control signal processing unit stores the control content of the control signals received by the electrical interface and the optical interface in the storage unit. The optical transceiver according to feature 13.

15. The control signal processing unit sets a predetermined period after the control signal processing as a waiting time, and during the waiting time, does not accept control signals received by the electrical interface and the optical interface that are of the same type as the control signal that was the subject of the most recent control signal processing. The optical transceiver according to feature 13 or 14.

16. The control signal processing unit sets a predetermined period after the control signal processing as a waiting time, and during the waiting time, does not accept any type of control signal received by the electrical interface and the optical interface. The optical transceiver according to feature 13 or 14.

17. A control circuit for controlling an optical transceiver that converts optical signals and electrical signals to each other, The electrical interface transmits and receives electrical signals with the user terminal equipped with the optical transceiver. The optical interface transmits and receives the optical signal to and from the network to which the optical transceiver is connected. The photoelectric conversion unit converts from the electrical signal to the optical signal and from the optical signal to the electrical signal. Control signal processing unit performs control signal processing that, based on a control signal that matches the set conditions and is received as an optical signal or electrical signal, writes the control content indicated by the control signal to a storage unit capable of writing and reading, or reads from the storage unit. A control circuit characterized in that the optical transceiver performs the above, and the electrical interface and the optical interface receive the same type of control signal.

18. A storage medium containing a program for controlling an optical transceiver that converts optical signals and electrical signals to each other, The aforementioned program, The electrical interface transmits and receives electrical signals with the user terminal equipped with the optical transceiver. The optical interface transmits and receives the optical signal to and from the network to which the optical transceiver is connected. The photoelectric conversion unit converts from the electrical signal to the optical signal and from the optical signal to the electrical signal. Control signal processing unit performs control signal processing that, based on a control signal that matches the set conditions and is received as an optical signal or electrical signal, writes the control content indicated by the control signal to a storage unit capable of writing and reading, or reads from the storage unit. A storage medium characterized in that the optical transceiver performs the above, and the electrical interface and the optical interface receive the same type of control signal.

19. A control method for an optical transceiver that converts between optical signals and electrical signals, The electrical interface includes an electrical interface transmission / reception step in which the electrical interface transmits and receives electrical signals with a user terminal equipped with the optical transceiver, The optical interface includes an optical interface transmission / reception step in which the optical interface transmits and receives the optical signal to and from the network to which the optical transceiver is connected, The photoelectric conversion unit performs a photoelectric conversion step that converts from the electrical signal to the optical signal and from the optical signal to the electrical signal, A control signal processing step in which a control signal processing unit performs control signal processing, which involves writing the control content indicated by the control signal to a storage unit capable of writing and reading the control content indicated by the control signal to a storage unit or reading it from the storage unit, based on a control signal that matches a set condition and is received as the optical signal or the electrical signal; Includes, In the electrical interface transmission / reception step and the optical interface transmission / reception step, the electrical interface and the optical interface receive the same type of control signal. A control method characterized by the following:

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