Input Module Optical Switching for Petabit Data Rates
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current optical switches/routers face challenges in handling high data rates of petabits per second due to limitations in electronic circuits, requiring a hybrid approach that struggles to identify and partition large and small data streams efficiently, leading to potential latency and overload issues.
Innovation Solution
The system employs an input module with fixed and tunable wavelength optical transmitters to manage data streams, a central control unit for dynamic bandwidth reallocation, and an optical routing subsystem to route fixed and tunable wavelength signals, allowing for efficient switching of data packets based on current traffic load and transmission capacity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a hybrid approach is used to handle both large and small data streams, then the processing capacity can be extended beyond electronic circuit limits, but the system complexity increases due to the need to identify and partition different data stream types
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the identification and partitioning function from the switching system by routing all data streams through optical transmission paths. The processing unit determines whether to use fixed or tunable wavelength paths based on data rate, eliminating the need to identify stream types while maintaining the hybrid optical-electrical capability. This resolves the contradiction by removing the complex identification mechanism while preserving extended processing capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the optical transmission path universal by designing it to handle both large and small data streams through a single interface. The processing unit dynamically selects between fixed wavelength and tunable wavelength optical paths based on real-time data rate requirements, allowing the same optical infrastructure to serve multiple data stream types without additional identification logic.
2Ease of operation
If data streams are identified and partitioned into large and small streams, then appropriate routing paths can be selected, but latency increases due to the identification and partitioning process
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-configuring both fixed wavelength and tunable wavelength optical transmission paths to be ready for immediate use. The processing unit makes routing decisions based on data rate thresholds without needing to identify stream types, allowing data packets to be switched directly to the appropriate optical path without identification latency.
3Stability of the object's composition
If fixed wavelength optical signals are used for transmission, then transmission stability is improved, but bandwidth flexibility is reduced when handling variable data rates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces dynamics by combining fixed wavelength optical transmitters (providing stable transmission paths) with tunable wavelength optical transmitters (providing flexible bandwidth adaptation). The processing unit dynamically selects between fixed and tunable wavelength paths based on real-time data rate requirements, allowing the system to maintain transmission stability for constant-rate streams while adapting to variable-rate streams using tunable wavelengths.
Data Source
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AI summary
The embodiments of the invention relate to an input module (IM-1, IM-2, IM-3, ..., IM-N) for a switching system (RSS). The input module (IM-1, IM-2, IM-3, ..., IM-N) contains at least one input port configured to receive at least one input data stream. The input module (IM-1, IM-2, IM-3, ..., IM-N) further contains a processing unit configured to determine, whether a data rate of the at least one input data stream to be transmitted from the input module (IM-1, IM-2, IM-3, ..., IM-N) to one of at least twooutput modules (OM-1, OM-2, OM-3, ..., OM-N) of the switching system (RSS) via an optical transmission path by a fixed wavelength optical signal having a fixed wavelength exceeds a maximum transmission capacity of the optical transmission path. The input module (IM-1, IM-2, IM-3, ..., IM-N) even further contains a packet switching module configured to switch at least first data packets of the at least one input data stream to the optical transmission path and to switch at least second data packets of the at least one input data stream to at least one further optical transmission path from the input module (IM-1, IM-2, IM-3, ..., IM-N) to the one of the at least two output modules (OM-1, OM-2, OM-3, ..., OM-N), when the data rate of the at least one input data stream exceeds the maximum transmission capacity. The input module (IM-1, IM-2, IM-3, ..., IM-N) even further contains at least one fixed wavelength optical transmitter module configured to transmit via the optical transmission path the fixed wavelength optical signal that carryies the at least first data packets and even further contains at least one tunable wavelength optical transmitter module reconfigurable to transmit via the at least one further optical transmission path a tunable wavelength optical signal having a tunable wavelength and carrying the at least second data packets. The embodiments further relate to a central control unit (CCU) for a switching system (RSS) and to a switching system (RSS).