Optical Transient Suppressor Using ASE Light for WDM Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Optical networks face challenges in maintaining operational media channels and suppressing power transients due to signal loss, particularly in C and L band spectra, which can lead to traffic outages and signal degradation, requiring rapid recovery mechanisms to ensure minimal downtime.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus with a downstream wavelength selective switch, optical source providing ASE light, and photodiode monitoring to detect signal loss, automatically replacing failed channels with ASE light to maintain spectral loading and suppress stimulated Raman scattering tilt changes, ensuring rapid recovery and minimal disruption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If optical amplifiers and WDM are used to enable high-bandwidth communication, then communication capacity is improved, but the system becomes susceptible to power transients and signal degradation when channels fail
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-calculates and stores amplifier tilt and gain settings that account for potential traffic loss scenarios. When a channel failure occurs, the system rapidly reconfigures to these pre-determined settings, enabling recovery in less than 50 milliseconds without requiring complex real-time calculations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors optical signal power and detects channel failures. Upon detecting a power transient or OLOS condition, the feedback mechanism triggers rapid reconfiguration of amplifier settings to compensate for the lost channel, maintaining signal stability across remaining channels.
2Reliability
If rapid recovery mechanisms are implemented to limit traffic outages to less than 50 msec, then service reliability is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-calculates and stores amplifier tilt and gain settings that account for potential traffic loss scenarios. When a channel failure occurs, the system rapidly reconfigures to these pre-determined settings, enabling recovery in less than 50 milliseconds without requiring complex real-time calculations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system automatically detects channel failures and reconfigures amplifier settings without requiring external intervention or complex control algorithms. The self-service mechanism maintains service continuity by autonomously compensating for power transients and maintaining optimal signal levels across all channels.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables rapid replacement of lost signals and suppression of SRS tilt changes, maintaining optimal spectral loading and minimizing downtime to less than 50 milliseconds, thus ensuring reliable data transmission and channel stability.
Implementation Method 1
an optical source providing amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) light
Implementation Method 2
a photodiode operable to monitor the optical signal, detect an optical loss of signal
Implementation Method 3
an optical switch having a first input coupled to the optical path, a second input coupled to the optical source and receiving the ASE light
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus is described. The apparatus comprises a downstream wavelength selective switch having an input port, an optical path operable to carry an optical signal, an optical source providing amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) light, an optical switch having a first input coupled to the optical path, a second input coupled to the optical source and receiving the ASE light, and an output coupled to the input port of the downstream wavelength selective switch. The optical switch couples either the first input or the second input to the output. Further included is a photodiode operable to monitor the optical signal, detect an optical loss of signal of the optical signal, and output a switch signal to the optical switch such that the optical switch couples the second input receiving the ASE light to the output whereby the ASE light is directed to the input port of the downstream wavelength selective switch.