Optical Channel Holder Bundling for Fast Capacity Changes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional power control techniques for optical networks are slow, leading to inefficient capacity changes in optical links, particularly when swapping channel holders with traffic channels, which can take several minutes for even a small number of channels, and cause significant power transitions and noise ratio penalties.
Innovation Solution
An adaptive bundling method is employed to divide the optical spectrum into logical slots and perform capacity changes in an interleaved manner, minimizing the impact of amplifier tilt, ripple, and hole burning effects by swapping channel holders in multiple bundles, allowing each OADM node to operate independently without coordination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If conventional power control techniques are used to swap channel holders with traffic channels, then capacity changes can be achieved, but the process is slow (taking several minutes) and causes significant power transitions and noise ratio penalties
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the capacity change process into multiple smaller bundles of channel swaps. Instead of swapping all channels at once (which causes large power transitions), the system divides channels into bundles and performs swaps in sequential steps. Each bundle contains a limited number of channels (e.g., 1-10 channels per bundle), and the swapping process is repeated across multiple bundles until all capacity changes are completed. This segmentation reduces the power transition impact of each individual swap operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements periodic action by repeatedly performing bundle swap operations in a structured sequence. The system periodically executes swap operations for each bundle, with intermediate pauses between bundles to allow power stabilization. This periodic approach maintains signal-to-noise ratio by preventing continuous large-scale power transitions, while still achieving the overall capacity change goal through multiple periodic swap cycles.
2Loss of time
If channel holders are used to maintain full-fill loading condition, then optimization time is reduced, but capacity changes require swapping operations that cause power transitions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the capacity change operation into multiple small bundles when swapping channel holders with traffic channels. Each bundle contains a limited number of channels (e.g., 1-10 channels), and swaps are performed sequentially across bundles. This segmentation minimizes the optical power transition in each swap operation while maintaining the efficient channel holder mechanism, achieving both fast capacity changes and low power transition loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial action by performing only a portion of the total capacity change in each swap operation. Instead of completing all channel swaps at once, the system performs partial swaps (one bundle at a time) with intermediate stabilization periods. This partial approach reduces the energy loss from power transitions while still achieving the complete capacity change goal through multiple partial operations.
3Productivity
If multiple channels are swapped simultaneously to increase capacity change speed, then productivity improves, but the impact of amplifier tilt, ripple, and hole burning effects increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the channel swapping process into multiple bundles, where each bundle contains a controlled number of channels (e.g., 1-10 channels per bundle). By swapping channels in segmented bundles rather than all at once, the system maintains high productivity through parallel bundle processing while minimizing the harmful effects of amplifier tilt, ripple, and hole burning. Each bundle swap creates limited spectral changes that reduce these harmful effects compared to simultaneous multi-channel swapping.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamics by adaptively adjusting the bundle size and swap sequence based on the optical section's channel loading conditions. The controller dynamically determines the optimal number of channels per bundle and the order of bundle execution to minimize amplifier effects. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to maintain high productivity while responding to changing network conditions and minimizing harmful amplifier effects in real-time.
Data Source
AI summary
Adaptive bundling of capacity changes in an optical section includes, responsive to a request for a capacity change for a plurality of channels on an optical section, determining spectral loading of the optical section; determining a bundling of changes for the capacity change based on the spectral loading of the optical section; and performing the capacity change based on the bundling. The bundling includes a number of steps to achieve all of the capacity change and a maximum allowable amount of optical spectrum that can be changed in each step. The maximum allowable amount of optical spectrum that can be changed in each step can be adaptively determined based on the channel loading.