Dynamic OTN Framing for Higher Bandwidth Utilization

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional optical transport networks (OTN) suffer from low bandwidth utilization due to fixed overhead areas occupying increasing bandwidth as transmission rates increase, leading to inefficiencies and higher design complexities.

Innovation Solution

The solution involves dynamically adjusting the payload area in OTN data frames to correlate with transmission rates while maintaining a fixed overhead area, allowing for shared overhead and framing indication information, and using identifiers to ensure correct frame restoration at the receive end.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If layer-by-layer multiplexing is applied to improve interface rate, then transmission capacity increases, but overhead information occupies more bandwidth reducing bandwidth utilization

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinterface rateVSAvoidbandwidth utilization
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies dynamics by making the overhead area length fixed while the payload area length varies with transmission rate. This dynamic structure allows the overhead bandwidth to remain constant across different transmission rates, preventing the overhead from occupying increasing bandwidth as the interface rate increases, thereby resolving the contradiction between improved interface rate and maintained bandwidth utilization.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Reliability

If overhead area increases with transmission rate to carry necessary overheads, then overhead functionality is maintained, but bandwidth utilization decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveoverhead functionalityVSAvoidbandwidth utilization
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies universality by designing a fixed-length overhead area that serves multiple transmission rates. This universal overhead structure can carry necessary overhead information for different transmission rates without requiring separate overhead areas for each rate, thereby maintaining overhead functionality while preventing bandwidth waste.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Device complexity

If fixed proportion overhead is used in data frame, then frame structure simplicity is maintained, but bandwidth efficiency decreases at higher rates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveframe structureVSAvoidbandwidth efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies dynamics by changing the frame structure from fixed proportion to dynamic allocation where the overhead area length is fixed and the payload area length varies with transmission rate. This dynamic structure improves bandwidth efficiency at higher rates while maintaining relatively simple frame structure through the fixed overhead portion.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentEP3923493B1Service data processing method and apparatus
Publication Date: 2025.10.01 HUAWEI TECH CO LTD
  • EP3923493B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3923493B1 patent drawingFigure 3
  • EP3923493B1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

This application discloses a service data processing method and apparatus, to resolve a problem of low bandwidth utilization in the conventional technology. A dynamic framing method is used. When a transmission rate of an OTN data frame increases, a length of a payload area constantly increases, while a length of an overhead area does not increase. In other words, in OTN data frames at different transmission rates, lengths of overhead areas are fixed. As the transmission rates of the OTN data frames increase, lengths of payload areas constantly increase. In this way, when the rate increases, overheads do not occupy more bandwidths, thereby improving bandwidth utilization.