Fast Electrical Squelch for Optical Transceiver Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Optical pluggable transceivers, such as QSFP and CFP, lack a transmitter disable pin due to size constraints, leading to slow transmitter on/off processes, which is inadequate for fast protection switching in optical networking.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a fast electrical squelch mechanism that turns off or on optical transmitters in less than 10 milliseconds, allowing for per-lane control without a transmitter disable pin, compatible with QSFP and CFP variants.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If a transmitter disable pin is added to optical pluggable transceivers, then fast transmitter on/off control is achieved, but the transceiver size increases and pin availability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism - an optical squelch signal - to achieve fast transmitter control without adding a physical disable pin. The squelch signal is injected into the optical receiver input, causing the receiver to detect a loss of signal condition and consequently disable the transmitter through existing control logic, achieving fast control through an indirect signaling path
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/electrical pin-based control system with an optical signaling system. Instead of using an electrical pin to directly control the transmitter, the system uses optical squelch signals that are detected by the receiver and converted into transmitter control actions, substituting a physical electrical connection with an optical field-based control mechanism
2Adaptability or versatility
If individual lane control is implemented, then flexibility for N×M transceivers is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the optical signal into individual lane squelch signals. Each lane can be independently controlled by injecting squelch signals on specific lanes while leaving others unaffected, enabling per-lane transmitter control through separate optical paths without requiring a complex centralized control system
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal control mechanism that can handle both single-lane and multi-lane scenarios, as well as various N×M configurations, through a single squelch injection approach. The same basic mechanism - injecting optical squelch signals - works universally across different transceiver types and lane configurations without requiring different control architectures
Data Source
AI summary
A pluggable optical transceiver includes one or more optical receivers; one or more optical transmitters; and a host interface communicatively coupled electrically to the one or more optical receivers and the one or more optical transmitters and communicatively coupled electrically via a plurality of pins to a host device, wherein, to disable one or more lanes of the one or more transmitters, a fast electrical squelch implemented in less than about 10 ms is utilized to turn off or turn on associated pins for the one or more optical transmitters. The pluggable optical transceiver can be a Quad Small Form-factor Pluggable (QSFP) type module.