Optical Signal Impairment Evaluation Using Integer Aggregation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current communication networks face challenges in efficiently and resiliently routing optical wavelengths due to the complexity of evaluating and aggregating link-specific signal impairments, such as chromatic dispersion, polarization mode dispersion, and optical signal-to-noise ratio, which affects the integrity of optical wavelengths.
Innovation Solution
A method that uses a traffic engineering database to store and advertise integer values representing link-specific signal impairments, allowing for the evaluation and aggregation of these impairments to determine a path that meets acceptable integrity criteria for optical wavelengths, employing techniques like scaling and conversion of impairments into 32-bit integer values for efficient routing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If detailed evaluation of link-specific signal impairments is performed to ensure optical wavelength integrity, then routing accuracy and reliability improve, but computational complexity and processing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms continuous impairment parameters (OSNR, chromatic dispersion, polarization mode dispersion) into discrete integer values through scaling and thresholding operations. This parameter transformation enables the use of efficient integer-based aggregation algorithms while preserving the essential characteristics of signal impairments, thereby reducing computational complexity without significantly compromising routing reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides the optical network into individual link segments, each characterized by specific impairment parameters. By evaluating and aggregating impairments link-by-link along candidate paths, the system can efficiently compute overall path quality without performing exhaustive full-path simulations, thus balancing computational efficiency with accurate integrity assessment
2Measurement precision
If multiple signal impairment parameters are evaluated and aggregated, then routing precision improves, but processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex continuous mathematical operations with discrete integer arithmetic operations. By converting impairment evaluations into integer comparisons and aggregations, the system achieves faster processing speeds while maintaining sufficient routing precision for practical optical network operations
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a hierarchical evaluation approach where impairment parameters are aggregated in stages - first evaluating individual link impairments, then combining them along paths, and finally comparing candidate paths. This partial action approach processes only the necessary impairment data for each routing decision, reducing overall processing time while maintaining routing precision
Data Source
AI summary
Having a fast method to perform impairment evaluation is useful for many networks. A method or corresponding apparatus according to an example embodiment of the present invention maintains a traffic engineering database of values representing characteristics of links in the network through storage of integer values representing advertised optical signal capabilities of links between the multiple optical nodes. The example embodiment determines a path through the network for optical wavelengths to be supported by the links represented in the database as a function of evaluating optical signal characteristics at each link along a possible path using the advertised optical signal capabilities and provides a selected path meeting an acceptable integrity of the optical wavelengths to a path establishment module to establish the path through the optical network. Example embodiments significantly reduce computational complexity associated with impairment evaluation and path selection in an optical network.