Optical Transmission System Metro Access Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing optical transmission systems in access networks have limited range and require active maintenance, complex active components, and high operational costs due to the need for optical regenerators and active splitter devices, which restrict their scalability and reliability.
Innovation Solution
The system distinguishes between a metro area with active regenerators and wavelength converters and a purely passive access area, using wavelength multiplex mode in the metro area for increased range and simplifying maintenance by confining active components to the metro area, while using a single thread for bi-directional transmission in the access area to avoid signal disruptions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of repair
If optical regenerators and active splitter devices are deployed in the access area to provide sufficient optical capacity, then the transmission range is limited and maintenance complexity increases, but removing active components from the access area eliminates maintenance needs and reduces operational costs
Solution Approach 1:
The network is divided into two distinct areas: a metro area containing active components (regenerators, wavelength converters) and a passive access area containing only passive components (splitters, optical fibers). This segmentation allows the patent to resolve the contradiction by placing maintenance-sensitive active components in the metro area while maintaining operational security in the passive access area through wavelength division multiplexing and time-division broadcast mode.
Solution Approach 2:
Metro connection devices act as intermediaries between the active metro area and passive access area. These devices regenerate and wavelength-convert signals before distributing them to optical network terminals, thereby isolating active maintenance requirements from the access area while ensuring continuous operation through the intermediary layer.
2Productivity
If wavelength multiplex mode is used in the metro area to transport large data volumes, then transmission capacity increases, but device complexity and energy consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The metro connection devices perform multiple functions: signal regeneration, wavelength conversion, and signal distribution. By consolidating these functions into universal devices located in the metro area, the patent achieves high data transfer capacity through wavelength multiplexing without proportionally increasing overall system complexity, as the same device types are reused across different locations.
3Reliability
If a single thread is used for bi-directional transmission in the access area, then operational security improves by avoiding signal disruptions, but transmission capacity is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses time-division broadcast mode where multiple wavelengths are transmitted sequentially in time slots. This periodic transmission of different wavelengths allows the single physical thread to carry multiple data streams without simultaneous signal conflicts, thereby maintaining operational security while preserving transmission capacity through temporal multiplexing.
Data Source
AI summary
An optical transmission system comprises a metropolitan core network operated in a wavelength division multiplexing mode and connected via metro connection devices to access connections to optical network terminals connected by means of a passive optical splitter. The metro connection devices contain regenerators and wavelength converters, so that data regeneration takes place between the network terminals and the central management and switching unit. This makes it possible to cover distances around 100 km.