Amplified Optical Link Fault Protection via Selective Powering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Subsea network operators face challenges in optimizing the capacity and performance of fiber-optic cable plants to handle increasing bandwidth demands, requiring systems that ensure fast fault detection and mitigation, maintainability, and upgradable capacity while being cost-effective and efficient.
Innovation Solution
An amplified optical link system with fault-protection capabilities, utilizing an optical fiber cable with an electrical power line and arrays of optical amplifiers to form disjoint groups of parallel optical paths, allowing selective powering of amplifiers for efficient fault management and maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional undersea cable systems are used, then system simplicity is maintained, but reliability and fault protection capability are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The optical amplifier array is divided into multiple independently controllable groups (first group, second group, third group). Each group can be selectively powered on or off based on operational needs. This segmentation enables fault isolation and protection capabilities while maintaining overall system reliability without requiring complete system redundancy.
2Reliability
If all optical amplifiers are continuously powered to maintain readiness, then fault protection is available, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically controls the power state of different optical amplifier groups based on operational requirements. The electrical power line can selectively power specific groups (e.g., first and second groups during normal operation, third group as standby). This dynamic power management ensures fault protection capability while minimizing energy consumption by powering down unused amplifier groups.
3Reliability
If multiple disjoint groups of parallel optical paths are implemented, then fault tolerance is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The multiple disjoint groups of parallel optical paths serve multiple functions: they provide primary transmission paths, standby protection paths, and can be dynamically activated based on fault conditions. This multi-functionality approach improves fault tolerance without proportionally increasing device complexity, as the same physical infrastructure serves both normal operation and fault protection roles.
Data Source
AI summary
An amplified optical link having a fault-protection capability that is based, at least in part, on the ability to selectively and independently power up and down different groups of optical amplifiers within the link. In an example embodiment, the optical link is implemented using an optical fiber cable having an electrical power line and arrays of optical amplifiers connected between successive optical fiber segments to form a plurality of disjoint groups of parallel optical paths between the ends of the optical fiber cable. The electrical power line is operable to selectively power, as a group, the optical amplifiers of at least some of the disjoint groups. In various embodiments, different optical paths can be implemented using different respective strands of a single-core optical fiber, different respective cores of a multi-core optical fiber, and/or different respective sets of spatial modes of a multimode optical fiber.