Contiguous Network Architecture with Spectral Multiplexing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current network designs face challenges in enabling graceful growth while maintaining structural simplicity, ease of control, and high performance, particularly in efficiently distributing payload and control data across a large number of access nodes interconnected through distributors.
Innovation Solution
A contiguous network architecture is proposed, where access nodes are grouped into bands and connected through constellations of distributors, eliminating the need for cross-connectors by using dual multichannel links and spectral multiplexers/demultiplexers, allowing for multiple dual single-hop paths and efficient data distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional network designs with cross-connectors are used to interconnect access nodes through distributors, then connectivity and data distribution are achieved, but device complexity and structural complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes cross-connectors from the network architecture entirely. Access nodes connect directly to distributors through dual multichannel links, eliminating the intermediate cross-connector component and simplifying the overall network structure while maintaining full connectivity between access nodes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple functions into the dual multichannel links between access nodes and distributors. These links simultaneously provide bidirectional communication, multiple channel aggregation, and direct routing capabilities that previously required separate components including cross-connectors.
2Productivity
If the number of access nodes is increased to enable network growth, then network capacity and coverage are improved, but network complexity and control difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent organizes access nodes into bands and groups, with distributors arranged in constellations. This hierarchical segmentation allows the network to scale by adding more bands and groups without proportionally increasing overall complexity, as each segment follows the same simplified direct-connect architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The dual multichannel link design provides a universal interface that works across all access nodes and distributors regardless of network size. The same direct-connect topology and spectral multiplexing approach scales from small to large networks without requiring different architectural patterns.
3Device complexity
If direct connections between access nodes and distributors are established without cross-connectors, then device complexity is reduced, but data distribution efficiency and routing flexibility may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces spectral dimension through wavelength-division multiplexing on the dual multichannel links. Multiple data channels are transmitted simultaneously over the same physical connection between access nodes and distributors, achieving high data distribution efficiency without adding physical complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the capacity parameter of the direct links by implementing dual multichannel capability. Each link carries multiple channels with different spectral parameters, allowing efficient data distribution across the network while maintaining the simplified direct-connect topology.
Data Source
AI summary
Access nodes of a large-scale network are arranged into a number of groups. The groups are arranged into a number of bands. Each distributor of a pool of distributors interconnects each access node of a selected group to at least one channel from each group of a selected band. A discipline of allocating the selected group and the selected band to a distributor ensures that each access node has: a number, approximately equal to half the number of groups, of parallel single-hop paths to each other access node of a same group; a number, approximately equal to half the number of bands, of parallel single-hop paths to each access node of a different group within a same band; and one single-hop path to each other access node of a different access band. To eliminate the need for cross connectors, geographically-spread distributors are arranged into geographically-spread constellations of collocated distributors.