Modular Fiber-Interconnect Device for ROADM Scalability
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Solution Overview
Problem
The rapid growth of fiber interconnections in reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexers (ROADMs) poses a challenge for effective and practical fiber-management solutions, particularly as the number of degrees increases, leading to complex and costly network configurations.
Innovation Solution
A modular fiber-interconnect device with a standardized Multi-fiber Push On (MPO) connector system is introduced, allowing for flexible and scalable optical connections between wavelength-selective switches and optical add/drop blocks, enabling color-independent, direction-independent, contention-free, and gridless capabilities through software control without physical rewiring or re-cabling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the number of fiber interconnections is increased to support higher-degree ROADMs, then the network switching capability is improved, but the device complexity and cost increase rapidly
Solution Approach 1:
The fiber-interconnect device is divided into multiple modules, each module handling a subset of the total fiber interconnections. This segmentation allows the complex interconnection task to be distributed across manageable units, reducing the complexity at each individual module while maintaining the overall high-degree switching capability of the ROADM system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs multiple identical types of fiber-interconnect modules that can be universally applied regardless of the specific ROADM degree. Each module provides the same set of functions and interfaces, allowing scalable deployment from degree-4 to degree-32 ROADMs without requiring different module types, thereby simplifying inventory management and deployment complexity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple types of fiber-optic connectors and modules are used to accommodate different connection requirements, then the adaptability is improved, but the device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adopts a universal connector approach where all fiber-interconnect modules use the same MPO connector type. This single connector design serves multiple functions across different module types and ROADM configurations, eliminating the need for multiple specialized connector types while maintaining full adaptability for color-independent, direction-independent, contention-free, and gridless operations.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the number of fiber interconnections is increased, then the network degree is improved, but the ease of operation deteriorates due to management complexity
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the fiber interconnections into standardized modules with consistent interfaces and configurations, the patent makes fiber management more tractable. Each module can be independently managed, tested, and replaced, significantly easing operational tasks compared to managing a monolithic complex interconnection system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent standardizes key parameters across all modules including connector types, fiber counts, and interface configurations. This parameter standardization transforms the management of high-degree ROADMs from a customized complex task into a repeatable standardized process, improving ease of operation while maintaining high network degree.
Data Source
AI summary
We disclose a modular fiber-interconnect device that can be used in a ROADM to optically interconnect wavelength-selective switches and optical add/drop blocks thereof. An example module of the modular fiber-interconnect device has seventeen optical ports, each implemented using an MPO connector of the same type. The number of (nominally identical) modules in the modular fiber-interconnect device depends on the degree N of the ROADM and can vary, e.g., from two for N=4 to fourteen or more for N≥20. A proper set of duplex optical connections within the ROADM can be created in a relatively straightforward manner, e.g., by running MPO cables of the same type from the wavelength-selective switches and the optical add/drop blocks of the ROADM to appropriate optical ports of the various modules of the modular fiber-interconnect device.