Digital Subcarrier Modulation Access Device for Optical Network Resource Slicing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Traditional coherent schemes based on single carrier modulation lack the flexibility to efficiently manage network resources, leading to inefficiencies in signal transmission and potential collisions due to wavelength drift in fiber optic communications, which degrades the performance of digital subcarrier modulation (DSCM) systems.

Innovation Solution

A processing device informs carrier signals and control information to access devices, which process and modulate target carrier signals to generate modulation signals that are combined with other access devices' signals, optimizing the quality and efficiency of point-to-multipoint DSCM systems by reducing aliasing and improving bandwidth utilization.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If traditional coherent scheme based on single carrier modulation is used, then system complexity is reduced, but flexible slicing capability and network resource management efficiency are lacking

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveflexible slicing capabilityVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides a single high-rate carrier signal into multiple lower-rate subcarrier signals. Each subcarrier can be independently modulated and assigned to different access devices, enabling flexible slicing of network resources while maintaining manageable complexity through modular signal processing

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically allocates subcarriers to different access devices based on real-time network conditions and traffic demands. The processing device can reconfigure which access device receives which subcarrier, providing adaptive resource management without requiring physical reconfiguration of the network infrastructure

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Ease of operation

If access devices generate their own carrier signals independently, then device autonomy is improved, but wavelength drift causes signal collisions and performance degradation

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedevice autonomyVSAvoidsignal transmission quality
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The processing device pre-generates and distributes carrier signals to access devices before actual data transmission begins. This preliminary action ensures that all carrier signals are synchronized and properly configured, preventing wavelength drift-induced collisions during operation while maintaining straightforward device operation

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The processing device acts as an intermediary that centrally manages carrier signal generation and distribution. It mediates between the need for device autonomy and signal quality by providing pre-configured carrier signals that eliminate drift issues, while access devices retain operational simplicity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Productivity

If higher baud rate and higher-order modulation are used, then transmission capacity is increased, but tolerance to impairments and system robustness are reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetransmission capacityVSAvoidtolerance to impairments
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

By segmenting a high-capacity signal into multiple lower-rate subcarriers, the system achieves high aggregate transmission capacity while each individual subcarrier maintains robustness against impairments. The diversity of subcarriers provides inherent protection against frequency-selective fading and other channel distortions

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP4475466A1Access device, processing device, method, apparatus and computer readable medium
Publication Date: 2024.12.11 NOKIA SOLUTIONS & NETWORKS OY
  • EP4475466A1 patent drawingFigure 1A~1B
  • EP4475466A1 patent drawingFigure 1C~1D
  • EP4475466A1 patent drawingFigure 2

AI summary

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an access device, a processing device, an associated method, an apparatus, and a medium. In one aspect, the access device receives at least one carrier signal and control information from the processing device. The access device processes a target carrier signal of the at least one carrier signal based on the control information. The access device modulates the target carrier signal based on the control information to generate a modulation signal, wherein the modulation signal will be combined with other modulation signals of one or more other access devices at the processing device to form a digital subcarrier modulation (DSCM) signal. The access device then transmits the modulation signal to the processing device. Embodiments of the present disclosure uniformly inform the carrier signals by the processing device, thereby reducing aliasing of modulated signals from different access devices in the frequency domain, improving the quality of the DSCM signals, and facilitating the realization of flexible high-speed optical networks.