Multi-core transmission system and multi-core transmission method

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a multi-core transmission system and a multi-core transmission method. The multi-core transmission system comprises: a first fan-in / fan-out device configured to couple a plurality of single-core fiber signals into multi-core fibers; a transmission line configured to perform signal transmission by using the multi-core fibers; and a second fan-in / fan-out device configured to transmit multi-core fiber signals into the plurality of single-core fibers. According to the present disclosure, multi-core fibers are adopted, so that the fiber density of a data center is reduced.

Description

Multi-core transmission system and multi-core transmission method

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application is based on the application with CN application number CN202310819422.0 and application date July 5, 2023, and claims its priority. The disclosed content of the CN application is hereby introduced as a whole into this application. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to the field of optical communications, and in particular to a multi-core transmission system and a multi-core transmission method. Background Art

[0004] With the development of optical communication technology, the speed of fiber optic modules continues to increase. The optical layer channels of 400G modules, 800G modules and even future 1.6T modules require 4 or 8 optical fibers to receive light. The optical layer interface needs to reach 8 or 16 channels for receiving and transmitting light. Accordingly, the actual application optical fibers of each module also reach 8 or 16.

[0005] Summary of the Invention

[0006] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a multi-core transmission system, comprising:

[0007] A first fan-in fan-out device is configured to couple multiple single-core optical fiber signals into a multi-core optical fiber;

[0008] The transmission line is configured to use a multi-core optical fiber for signal transmission;

[0009] The second fan-in fan-out device is configured to transmit the multi-core fiber signal into multiple single-core fibers.

[0010] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the multi-core transmission system further includes:

[0011] a first multi-core connector configured to connect the multi-core optical fiber of the first fan-in and fan-out device to the multi-core optical fiber of the transmission line;

[0012] The second multi-core connector is configured to connect the multi-core optical fiber of the second fan-in and fan-out device to the multi-core optical fiber of the transmission line.

[0013] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first fan-in fan-out device and the second fan-in fan-out device are multi-fiber push-in connectors.

[0014] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first multi-core connector and the second multi-core connector are LC type connectors.

[0015] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the multi-core optical fiber is a weakly coupled optical fiber.

[0016] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the cladding diameter of the multi-core optical fiber is 100 to 200 microns.

[0017] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, in a radial cross section of each multi-core optical fiber, multiple cores are arranged in a square or annular manner.

[0018] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the cladding diameter of the multi-core optical fiber is 125 microns.

[0019] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, in a radial cross section of each multi-core optical fiber, four cores are arranged in a square manner, or eight cores are arranged in a ring manner.

[0020] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the single-mode end of a fan-in fan-out device is a plurality of single-mode single-core optical fibers, and the multi-core optical fiber end of a fan-in fan-out device is a multi-core optical fiber.

[0021] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first fan-in fan-out device includes a first single-mode end interface arranged on the side of the multiple single-core optical fibers, and the first single-mode end interface is configured to be connected to the first optical module.

[0022] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the second fan-in and fan-out device includes a second single-mode end interface arranged on the side of the multiple single-core optical fibers, and the second single-mode end interface is configured to be connected to the second optical module.

[0023] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, based on the number of transceiver channels in the multi-core transmission system and the optical port form of the first optical module and the second optical module, the number of fan-in and fan-out devices contained in the first fan-in and fan-out device and the second fan-in and fan-out device, the number of single-core optical fibers connected to each fan-in and fan-out device, the number of optical fibers of the multi-core optical fiber, and the number of cores of each multi-core optical fiber are determined.

[0024] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, for a multi-core transmission system with 8 receive and 8 transmit, the first fan-in fan-out device and the second fan-in fan-out device both use 16-way connectors, and the first fan-in fan-out device and the second fan-in fan-out device are both composed of a combination of two 8-core fan-in fan-out devices. The transmission line includes two 8-core optical fibers, one 8-core optical fiber receives optical signals, and one 8-core optical fiber sends optical signals.

[0025] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, for a multi-core transmission system with 4 receive and 4 transmit modules, the first fan-in fan-out device and the second fan-in fan-out device both use 12-way connectors, and the middle four cores of the connectors are left vacant. The first fan-in fan-out device and the second fan-in fan-out device are both 8-core fan-in fan-out devices, and the transmission line is an 8-core optical fiber, with 4 cores being the receive channel and 4 cores being the transmit channel.

[0026] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, for a multi-core transmission system with 4-receiver and 4-transmitter modules, the first fan-in fan-out device and the second fan-in fan-out device both use 8-way connectors, the first fan-in fan-out device and the second fan-in fan-out device are both composed of a combination of two 4-core fan-in fan-out devices, and the transmission line includes two 4-core optical fibers, one 4-core optical fiber receives optical signals, and one 4-core optical fiber sends optical signals.

[0027] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first single-mode end interface is configured to use different types of interfaces according to different types of the first optical module.

[0028] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the second single-mode end interface is configured to use different types of interfaces according to different types of the second optical module.

[0029] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, when the first optical module is a first-rate optical module, the first single-mode end interface adopts a multi-fiber push-in interface; when the first optical module is a second-rate optical module, the first single-mode end interface adopts an LC interface, wherein the first rate is higher than the second rate.

[0030] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, when the second optical module is a first-rate optical module, the second single-mode end interface adopts a multi-fiber push-in interface; when the second optical module is a second-rate optical module, the second single-mode end interface adopts an LC interface, wherein the first rate is higher than the second rate.

[0031] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a multi-core transmission method is provided, comprising:

[0032] The first fan-in and fan-out device couples multiple single-core optical fiber signals into a multi-core optical fiber;

[0033] The transmission line uses multi-core optical fiber for signal transmission;

[0034] The second fan-in and fan-out device transmits the multi-core optical fiber signal into multiple single-core optical fibers, wherein the multi-core transmission method is executed by the multi-core transmission system as described in any of the above embodiments.

[0035] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the multi-core transmission method further includes:

[0036] According to the number of transceiver channels in the multi-core transmission system and the optical port forms of the first optical module and the second optical module, determine the number of fan-in and fan-out devices contained in the first fan-in and fan-out devices and the second fan-in and fan-out devices, the number of single-core optical fibers connected to each fan-in and fan-out device, the number of optical fibers in the multi-core optical fiber, and the number of cores in each multi-core optical fiber.

[0037] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the multi-core transmission method further includes at least one of the following steps, wherein:

[0038] Different types of first single-mode end interfaces are used according to different types of the first optical module;

[0039] Different types of second single-mode end interfaces are used according to different types of the second optical module. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0040] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present disclosure or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present disclosure. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative work.

[0041] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of some embodiments of the multi-core transmission system disclosed herein.

[0042] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of other embodiments of the multi-core transmission system disclosed herein.

[0043] FIG3 is a cross-sectional diagram of the refractive index of 4-core and 8-core optical fibers in some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0044] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of some further embodiments of the multi-core transmission system disclosed herein.

[0045] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of some further embodiments of the multi-core transmission system disclosed herein.

[0046] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of some embodiments of the multi-core transmission method disclosed herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0047] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present disclosure to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present disclosure, rather than all the embodiments. The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is actually only illustrative and is in no way intended to limit the present disclosure and its application or use. Based on the embodiments in the present disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative work are within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0048] Unless specifically stated otherwise, the relative arrangement of components and steps, the numerical expressions and numerical values ​​set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0049] At the same time, it should be understood that for the convenience of description, the sizes of the various parts shown in the drawings are not drawn according to the actual proportional relationship.

[0050] Technologies, methods, and apparatus known to ordinary technicians in the relevant field may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, such technologies, methods, and apparatus should be considered part of the authorization specification.

[0051] In all examples shown and discussed herein, any specific values ​​should be interpreted as merely exemplary and not limiting. Therefore, other examples of the exemplary embodiments may have different values.

[0052] It should be noted that like reference numerals and letters refer to like items in the following figures, and therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it need not be further discussed in subsequent figures.

[0053] Through research, the inventors found that with the development of optical communication technology and the increase in the number of channels, the number of optical fibers deployed in or between data centers will increase dramatically, resulting in increasing optical fiber density, total volume and weight, and bringing difficulties in fiber laying and management.

[0054] In view of at least one of the above technical problems, the present disclosure provides a multi-core transmission system and a multi-core transmission method, which use multi-core optical fibers to reduce the optical fiber density of a data center.

[0055] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of some embodiments of the multi-core transmission system of the present disclosure. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of some other embodiments of the multi-core transmission system of the present disclosure. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the multi-core transmission system of the present disclosure may include a first fan-in fan-out device 1, a transmission line 2, and a second fan-in fan-out device 3, wherein:

[0056] The first fan-in fan-out device 1 is configured to couple multiple single-core optical fiber signals into a multi-core optical fiber.

[0057] The transmission line 2 is configured to use multi-core optical fibers for signal transmission.

[0058] The second fan-in and fan-out device 3 is configured to transmit the multi-core optical fiber signal into multiple single-core optical fibers.

[0059] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first fan-in fan-out device 1 and the second fan-in fan-out device 3 may be multi-fiber push-in connectors.

[0060] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , the first fan-in fan-out device 1 may include a first single-mode end interface 10 , a first single-mode end 11 , a first connector 12 and a first multi-core optical fiber end 13 .

[0061] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , the second fan-in and fan-out device 3 may include a second single-mode end interface 30 , a second single-mode end 31 , a second connector 32 and a second multi-core optical fiber end 33 .

[0062] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG1 and FIG2 , the single-mode end of a fan-in fan-out device is a plurality of single-mode single-core optical fibers, and the multi-core optical fiber end of a fan-in fan-out device is a multi-core optical fiber.

[0063] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG1 and FIG2 , the first fan-in and fan-out device 1 includes a first single-mode end interface 10 provided on the side of multiple single-core optical fibers, and the first single-mode end interface is configured to be connected to the first optical module.

[0064] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG1 and FIG2 , the second fan-in and fan-out device 3 includes a second single-mode end interface 30 provided on the side of the multiple single-core optical fibers, and the second single-mode end interface is configured to be connected to the second optical module.

[0065] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first single-mode end interface 10 is configured to use different types of interfaces according to different types of the first optical module.

[0066] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, when the first optical module is a first-rate optical module, the first single-mode end interface adopts an MPO (Multi-fiber Push On) interface; when the first optical module is a second-rate optical module, the first single-mode end interface adopts an LC interface, wherein the first rate is higher than the second rate.

[0067] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , the second single-mode end interface 30 is configured to use different types of interfaces according to different types of the second optical module.

[0068] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG1 , when the second optical module is a first-rate optical module, the second single-mode end interface 30 adopts a multi-fiber push-in interface.

[0069] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG. 2 , when the second optical module is a second-rate optical module, the second single-mode end interface 30 adopts an LC interface, wherein the first rate is higher than the second rate.

[0070] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first-rate optical module is a high-speed optical module, and the second-rate optical module is a low-speed optical module.

[0071] In the embodiment of Figure 1 , the first optical module and the second optical module are both high-speed optical modules, and thus Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of two high-speed optical modules docking a multi-core transmission system.

[0072] In the embodiment of Figure 2, the first optical module is a high-speed optical module and the second optical module is a low-speed optical module. Therefore, Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a multi-core transmission system in which a high-speed optical module and a low-speed optical module are connected.

[0073] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG1 and FIG2 , the multi-core transmission system may further include a first multi-core connector 4 and a second multi-core connector 5 , wherein:

[0074] The first multi-core connector 4 is configured to connect the multi-core optical fiber of the first fan-in / fan-out device 1 and the multi-core optical fiber of the transmission line 2 .

[0075] The second multi-core connector 5 is configured to connect the multi-core optical fiber of the second fan-in and fan-out device 3 and the multi-core optical fiber of the transmission line 2 .

[0076] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first multi-core connector 4 and the second multi-core connector 5 are LC type connectors.

[0077] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, in a multi-core transmission system as shown in Figures 1 and 2: the optical interface of the first optical module panel is connected to the single-mode end of the fan-in device (MPO type connector), and the N single-core optical fiber signals are coupled to the multi-core optical fiber through the fan-in device. The multi-core LC connector is used to connect to the multi-core optical fiber of the transmission line. After the signal is transmitted through the multi-core optical fiber, it is transmitted to the single-core optical fiber through the fan-out device, and then directly coupled to the high-speed optical module through the MPO port, or fanned out to the low-speed optical module through the LC interface. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, here we take 8 receive and 8 transmit as an example.

[0078] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the multi-core optical fiber is a weakly coupled optical fiber.

[0079] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the cladding diameter of the multi-core optical fiber is 100 to 200 microns.

[0080] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, in a radial cross section of each multi-core optical fiber, multiple cores are arranged in a square or annular manner.

[0081] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the cladding diameter of the multi-core optical fiber is 125 microns.

[0082] The above-mentioned embodiments of the present disclosure use multi-core optical fibers to reduce the optical fiber density of the data center.

[0083] Figure 3 is a refractive index profile of 4-core and 8-core optical fibers in some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 3, in the radial cross-section of each multi-core optical fiber, the 4 cores are arranged in a square pattern, or the 8 cores are arranged in a ring pattern.

[0084] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the requirements for multi-core optical fibers are as follows: first, in order to support a smooth transition from single-mode optical fibers to multi-core optical fibers, the multi-core optical fibers should be weakly coupled optical fibers; and in order to make the manufacturing process of optical devices (MPO, LC connectors, etc.) compatible with single-mode single-core optical fibers, multi-core optical fibers with a cladding diameter of 125um are generally used, such as a 4-core square or 8-core ring arrangement structure, as shown in Figure 3.

[0085] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, based on the number of transceiver channels in the multi-core transmission system and the optical port form of the first optical module and the second optical module, the number of fan-in and fan-out devices contained in the first fan-in and fan-out device 1 and the second fan-in and fan-out device 3, the number of single-core optical fibers connected to each fan-in and fan-out device, the number of optical fibers of the multi-core optical fiber, and the number of cores of each multi-core optical fiber are determined.

[0086] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a single module is considered using fiber count.

[0087] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the number of optical fibers in a multi-core optical fiber is determined based on the form of optical ports on an existing module panel.

[0088] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, for a multi-core transmission system with 8 receive and 8 transmit, the first fan-in fan-out device 1 and the second fan-in fan-out device 3 both use 16-way connectors, the first fan-in fan-out device 1 and the second fan-in fan-out device 3 are both composed of two 8-core fan-in fan-out devices, and the transmission line 2 includes two 8-core optical fibers, one 8-core optical fiber receives optical signals, and one 8-core optical fiber sends optical signals.

[0089] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, for a system with 8 receive and 8 transmit modules, the single-mode end of the fan-in fan-out device needs to use a 16-way MPO. In this case, it can be composed of two 8-core fan-in fan-out single-mode ends, with one 8-core optical fiber receiving and one 8-core optical fiber transmitting.

[0090] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of further embodiments of the multi-core transmission system disclosed herein. As shown in Figure 4 , for a multi-core transmission system with 4 receive and 4 transmit modules, both the first fan-in / fan-out device 1 and the second fan-in / fan-out device 3 use 12-way connectors, with the middle four cores of the connectors left vacant. The first fan-in / fan-out device 1 and the second fan-in / fan-out device 3 are both 8-core fan-in / fan-out devices, and the transmission line 2 is an 8-core optical fiber, with 4 cores serving as receive channels and 4 cores serving as transmit channels.

[0091] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of further embodiments of the multi-core transmission system disclosed herein. As shown in Figure 5, for a multi-core transmission system with 4-receiver / 4-transmitter modules, both the first fan-in / fan-out device 1 and the second fan-in / fan-out device 3 use 8-way connectors. Both the first fan-in / fan-out device 1 and the second fan-in / fan-out device 3 are composed of two 4-core fan-in / fan-out devices. Transmission line 2 includes two 4-core optical fibers, one for receiving optical signals and one for transmitting optical signals.

[0092] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, for a system with 4 receive and 4 transmit modules, the single-mode end of the fan-in / fan-out device requires a 12-way MPO, with the four cores in the middle of the MPO left vacant. This can be achieved by using an 8-core fan-in / fan-out, with 4 receive and 4 transmit, as shown in Figure 4. Alternatively, two 4-core fibers can be combined to form an MPO, with one fiber receiving and one fiber transmitting, as shown in Figure 5.

[0093] The present disclosure provides a transmission system based on multi-core optical fibers for reducing optical fiber density in data centers.

[0094] This disclosure uses a multi-core fiber transmission solution to reduce fiber density within or between data centers. By using multi-core fan-in and fan-out (LC or MPO connectors on single-core fiber ends), multi-core connectors (LC type), and multi-core fibers to form a multi-core transmission system, the number of fibers in the system is reduced by a corresponding multiple, significantly reducing the fiber density, fiber cable weight, total volume, and operational difficulties of the data center.

[0095] The methods for reducing the optical fiber density in data centers proposed in the above embodiments of the present disclosure are all based on already developed optical devices (such as single-core fiber MPO connectors, single-core fiber LC connectors, multi-core fiber LC connectors, fan-in and fan-out) and optical fibers.

[0096] The above-mentioned embodiments of the present disclosure reduce the number of optical fibers within and between data centers by using multi-core optical fibers.

[0097] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of some embodiments of the multi-core transmission method of the present disclosure. Preferably, this embodiment can be performed by the multi-core transmission system of the present disclosure (e.g., the multi-core transmission system of any of the embodiments of FIG1 to FIG5 ). The method includes at least one of steps 61 to 63, wherein:

[0098] Step 61: The first fan-in / fan-out device 1 couples signals of multiple single-core optical fibers into a multi-core optical fiber.

[0099] Step 62: Transmission line 2 uses a multi-core optical fiber for signal transmission.

[0100] In step 63, the second fan-in and fan-out device 3 transmits the multi-core optical fiber signal into multiple single-core optical fibers, wherein the multi-core transmission method is performed by a multi-core transmission system as described in any of the above embodiments (for example, the multi-core transmission system of any of the embodiments in Figures 1 to 5).

[0101] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the multi-core transmission method may further include: determining the number of fan-in and fan-out devices contained in the first fan-in and fan-out device 1 and the second fan-in and fan-out device 3, the number of single-core optical fibers connected to each fan-in and fan-out device, the number of optical fibers of the multi-core optical fiber, and the number of cores of each multi-core optical fiber based on the number of transceiver channels in the multi-core transmission system and the optical port form of the first optical module and the second optical module.

[0102] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, for a multi-core transmission system with 8 receive and 8 transmit, the first fan-in fan-out device 1 and the second fan-in fan-out device 3 both use 16-way connectors, the first fan-in fan-out device 1 and the second fan-in fan-out device 3 are both composed of two 8-core fan-in fan-out devices, and the transmission line 2 includes two 8-core optical fibers, one 8-core optical fiber receives optical signals, and one 8-core optical fiber sends optical signals.

[0103] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, for a system with 8 receive and 8 transmit modules, the single-mode end of the fan-in fan-out device needs to use a 16-way MPO. In this case, it can be composed of two 8-core fan-in fan-out single-mode ends, with one 8-core optical fiber receiving and one 8-core optical fiber transmitting.

[0104] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in Figure 4, for a multi-core transmission system with 4 receive and 4 transmit modules, the first fan-in fan-out device 1 and the second fan-in fan-out device 3 both use 12-way connectors, and the middle four cores of the connectors are vacant. The first fan-in fan-out device 1 and the second fan-in fan-out device 3 are both 8-core fan-in fan-out devices, and the transmission line 2 is an 8-core optical fiber, with 4 cores being the receiving channel and 4 cores being the transmitting channel.

[0105] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in Figure 5, for a multi-core transmission system with 4-receiver and 4-transmitter modules, the first fan-in fan-out device 1 and the second fan-in fan-out device 3 both use 8-way connectors, the first fan-in fan-out device 1 and the second fan-in fan-out device 3 are both composed of two 4-core fan-in fan-out devices, and the transmission line 2 includes two 4-core optical fibers, one 4-core optical fiber receives optical signals, and one 4-core optical fiber sends optical signals.

[0106] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, for a system with 4 receive and 4 transmit modules, the single-mode end of the fan-in / fan-out device requires a 12-way MPO, with the four cores in the middle of the MPO left vacant. This can be achieved by using an 8-core fan-in / fan-out, with 4 receive and 4 transmit, as shown in Figure 4. Alternatively, two 4-core fibers can be combined to form an MPO, with one fiber receiving and one fiber transmitting, as shown in Figure 5.

[0107] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the multi-core transmission method may further include at least one of the following steps, wherein: different types of first single-mode end interfaces are used according to different types of the first optical module; and different types of second single-mode end interfaces are used according to different types of the second optical module.

[0108] In the embodiment of Figure 1 , the first optical module and the second optical module are both high-speed optical modules, and thus Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of two high-speed optical modules docking a multi-core transmission system.

[0109] In the embodiment of Figure 2, the first optical module is a high-speed optical module and the second optical module is a low-speed optical module. Therefore, Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a multi-core transmission system in which a high-speed optical module and a low-speed optical module are connected.

[0110] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG1 , when the second optical module is a first-rate optical module, the second single-mode end interface 30 adopts a multi-fiber push-in interface.

[0111] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG. 2 , when the second optical module is a second-rate optical module, the second single-mode end interface 30 adopts an LC interface, wherein the first rate is higher than the second rate.

[0112] This publication proposes, for the first time, a specific method for simplifying fiber deployment in data centers using a multi-core fiber system. This publication addresses the interface types of modules, the smooth transition from single-core fiber to multi-core fiber, the selection of multi-core fibers, the construction of MPOs, and the interconnection of high-speed and low-speed modules, developing a multi-core transmission system solution for data centers.

[0113] Different from the related art solution of developing a new optical module, the present disclosure does not require any changes to the interior of the optical module.

[0114] The system disclosed herein specifically takes into account the interface type of the actual optical module, the type of multi-core optical fiber, the composition of the MPO, and the future docking of high-speed optical modules with low-speed optical modules.

[0115] The present disclosure reduces fiber density by introducing multi-core optical fibers within a data center or in an inter-data center system, thereby reducing the total volume and weight of the optical fibers and the difficulty of fiber routing and management.

[0116] The above embodiments of the present disclosure belong to physical layer transmission and application technologies in the field of optical communications.

[0117] The above embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to scenarios within a data center or interconnected between data centers.

[0118] In order to solve the problem of an increasing number of optical fibers used in data centers as the speed of optical modules increases, the above-mentioned embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a solution based on a multi-core optical fiber system. By using multi-core optical fiber transmission, the purpose of using fewer optical fibers is achieved, thereby reducing the optical fiber density, weight and total volume, reducing the difficulty of management, and solving the problems of optical fiber clutter and fiber laying difficulties.

[0119] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that embodiments of the present disclosure may be provided as methods, apparatus, or computer program products. Therefore, the present disclosure may take the form of a complete hardware embodiment, a complete software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, the present disclosure may take the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-usable non-transient storage media (including but not limited to magnetic disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0120] The present disclosure is described with reference to the flowcharts and / or block diagrams of the methods, devices (systems) and computer program products according to the embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be understood that each process and / or box in the flowchart and / or block diagram and the combination of the processes and / or boxes in the flowchart and / or block diagram can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor or other programmable data processing device to produce a machine, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device generate a device for implementing the functions specified in one or more processes in the flowchart and / or one or more boxes in the block diagram.

[0121] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to operate in a specific manner, so that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce a product including an instruction device that implements the functions specified in one or more processes in the flowchart and / or one or more boxes in the block diagram.

[0122] These computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device so that a series of operating steps are executed on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, so that the instructions executed on the computer or other programmable device provide steps for implementing the functions specified in one or more processes in the flowchart and / or one or more boxes in the block diagram.

[0123] The present disclosure has been described in detail so far. To avoid obscuring the concept of the present disclosure, some details known in the art have not been described. Based on the above description, those skilled in the art can fully understand how to implement the technical solutions disclosed herein.

[0124] Those skilled in the art will understand that all or part of the steps to implement the above embodiments may be accomplished by hardware, or may be accomplished by instructing the relevant hardware through a program, and the program may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, and the above-mentioned storage medium may be a read-only memory, a disk or an optical disk, etc.

[0125] The description of the present disclosure is provided for purposes of illustration and description and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the disclosed form. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The embodiments are selected and described in order to better illustrate the principles and practical applications of the present disclosure and to enable those skilled in the art to understand the present disclosure and design various embodiments with various modifications suitable for specific applications.

Claims

1. A multi-core transmission system, comprising: A first fan-in fan-out device is configured to couple a plurality of single-core optical fiber signals into a multi-core optical fiber; The transmission line is configured to use a multi-core optical fiber for signal transmission; The second fan-in fan-out device is configured to transmit the multi-core optical fiber signal into multiple single-core optical fibers.

2. The multi-core transmission system according to claim 1, further comprising: A first multi-core connector is configured to connect the multi-core optical fiber of the first fan-in and fan-out device to the multi-core optical fiber of the transmission line; The second multi-core connector is configured to connect the multi-core optical fiber of the second fan-in and fan-out device to the multi-core optical fiber of the transmission line.

3. The multi-core transmission system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The first fan-in fan-out device and the second fan-in fan-out device are multi-fiber push-in connectors; and / or, The first multi-core connector and the second multi-core connector are LC type connectors.

4. The multi-core transmission system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The multi-core optical fiber is a weakly coupled optical fiber; and / or, The cladding diameter of the multi-core optical fiber is 100 to 200 microns; and / or, In the radial cross section of each multi-core optical fiber, a plurality of cores are arranged in a square or ring manner.

5. The multi-core transmission system according to claim 4, wherein: The cladding diameter of the multi-core optical fiber is 125 microns; and / or, In the radial cross section of each multi-core optical fiber, four cores are arranged in a square manner, or eight cores are arranged in a ring manner.

6. The multi-core transmission system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The single-mode end of a fan-in fan-out device is a plurality of single-mode single-core optical fibers, and the multi-core optical fiber end of a fan-in fan-out device is a multi-core optical fiber.

7. The multi-core transmission system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: The first fan-in fan-out device includes a first single-mode end interface arranged on the side of the plurality of single-core optical fibers, the first single-mode end interface being configured to be connected to the first optical module; The second fan-in and fan-out device includes a second single-mode end interface arranged on the side of the multiple single-core optical fibers, and the second single-mode end interface is configured to be connected to the second optical module.

8. The multi-core transmission system according to claim 7, wherein: According to the number of transceiver channels in the multi-core transmission system and the optical port forms of the first optical module and the second optical module, the number of fan-in and fan-out devices contained in the first fan-in and fan-out devices and the second fan-in and fan-out devices, the number of single-core optical fibers connected to each fan-in and fan-out device, the number of optical fibers of the multi-core optical fiber, and the number of cores of each multi-core optical fiber are determined.

9. The multi-core transmission system according to claim 8, wherein: For a multi-core transmission system with 8 receive and 8 transmit, the first fan-in fan-out device and the second fan-in fan-out device both use 16-way connectors, the first fan-in fan-out device and the second fan-in fan-out device are both composed of two 8-core fan-in fan-out devices, and the transmission line includes two 8-core optical fibers, one 8-core optical fiber receives optical signals, and the other 8-core optical fiber sends optical signals.

10. The multi-core transmission system according to claim 8, wherein: For a multi-core transmission system with 4 receive and 4 transmit modules, The first fan-in fan-out device and the second fan-in fan-out device both use a 12-way connector, with the middle four cores of the connector left vacant. The first fan-in fan-out device and the second fan-in fan-out device are both 8-core fan-in fan-out devices, and the transmission line is an 8-core optical fiber, with 4 cores for receiving channels and 4 cores for sending channels. or, The first fan-in fan-out device and the second fan-in fan-out device both use an 8-way connector, and the first fan-in fan-out device and the second fan-in fan-out device are both composed of two 4-core fan-in fan-out devices. The transmission line includes two 4-core optical fibers, one 4-core optical fiber receives optical signals, and one 4-core optical fiber sends optical signals.

11. The multi-core transmission system according to claim 7, wherein: The first single-mode end interface is configured to use different types of interfaces according to different types of the first optical module; The second single-mode end interface is configured to use different types of interfaces according to different types of the second optical module.

12. The multi-core transmission system according to claim 11, wherein: When the first optical module is a first-rate optical module, the first single-mode end interface adopts a multi-fiber push-in interface, and when the first optical module is a second-rate optical module, the first single-mode end interface adopts an LC interface, wherein the first rate is higher than the second rate; When the second optical module is a first-rate optical module, the second single-mode end interface adopts a multi-fiber push-in interface. When the second optical module is a second-rate optical module, the second single-mode end interface adopts an LC interface, wherein the first rate is higher than the second rate.

13. A multi-core transmission method, comprising: The first fan-in fan-out device couples multiple single-core optical fiber signals into a multi-core optical fiber; The transmission line uses multi-core optical fiber for signal transmission; The second fan-in and fan-out device transmits the multi-core optical fiber signal into multiple single-core optical fibers, wherein the multi-core transmission method is performed by a multi-core transmission system as described in any one of claims 1-12.

14. The multi-core transmission method according to claim 13, further comprising: According to the number of transceiver channels in the multi-core transmission system and the optical port forms of the first optical module and the second optical module, the number of fan-in and fan-out devices contained in the first fan-in and fan-out devices and the second fan-in and fan-out devices, the number of single-core optical fibers connected to each fan-in and fan-out device, the number of optical fibers of the multi-core optical fiber, and the number of cores of each multi-core optical fiber are determined.

15. The multi-core transmission method according to claim 13 or 14, further comprising at least one of the following steps, wherein: According to different types of the first optical module, different types of first single-mode end interfaces are used; Different types of second single-mode end interfaces are used according to different types of the second optical module.

Images