Optical Network Reconfiguration for Low-Traffic Energy Savings
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing passive optical networks (PONs) face challenges in balancing power consumption and quality of service, particularly during low traffic demand periods, as existing power-saving modes introduce jitter and can only be used when all ONUs are inactive.
Innovation Solution
Implement a method to share exchange apparatuses between multiple PONs during low traffic demand periods by powering down one or more exchange apparatuses and rerouting traffic, ensuring minimal impact on quality of service through strategic pairing and reconfiguration of optical networks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If optical networks continue to expand capacity to meet growing data traffic demands, then network bandwidth and data transmission capability improve, but energy consumption increases proportionally
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the operational parameters of optical network components by dynamically adjusting the wake/sleep schedules of network elements based on traffic patterns. This allows the network to maintain high bandwidth capability when needed while reducing energy consumption during low-traffic periods by putting components into low-power states.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements dynamic power management where optical network components can transition between active and sleep states based on real-time traffic demands. This dynamic adjustment allows the network to optimize the balance between bandwidth availability and energy consumption, rather than operating at fixed capacity levels.
2Reliability
If optical network components operate continuously to ensure high availability and low latency, then service reliability improves, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic wake-sleep cycles for optical network components, where devices alternate between active and low-power states based on predicted traffic patterns. This periodic operation maintains network availability by ensuring components are awake during high-traffic periods while reducing energy consumption during low-activity intervals.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses traffic prediction and scheduling to preliminarily determine when network components should be awake or asleep. By anticipating traffic patterns, the network can proactively activate components before traffic arrives, ensuring low latency and high availability while minimizing the time components spend in high-power states.
3Ease of manufacture
If existing optical network infrastructure is utilized to its full capacity, then network deployment cost is reduced, but energy efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables existing optical network components to serve multiple functions by dynamically adjusting their operational states. The same infrastructure can operate at high capacity during peak traffic and low capacity during off-peak periods, allowing a single deployed network to adapt to varying demands without requiring separate infrastructure for different traffic conditions.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method of operating an optical network comprising a plurality of sets of ONUs and a commensurate plurality of exchange apparatuses, the optical network being reversibly switchable between: a first configuration in which each of the sets of ONUs is optically coupled to a respective first exchange apparatus; and a second configuration in which one or some of the sets of ONUs, hereafter 'the second configuration transfer ONU sets', are optically uncoupled from their respective first exchange apparatuses and optically coupled to a respective second exchange apparatus; the method comprising: obtaining an indication that a period of low traffic demand on the optical network has commenced; and responsive thereto: ceasing optical communication between each of the second configuration transfer ONU sets and their respective first exchange apparatuses; powering down those one or more first exchange apparatuses; and switching the optical network to the second configuration.