Reconfigurable Transponder Cross-Switch Protocol Mapping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing transponder units can only map a single client interface to a single optical network channel interface, limiting their flexibility and requiring separate units for each protocol combination, which increases network costs and complexity.
Innovation Solution
A reconfigurable transponder unit with multiple ports and integrated circuits such as transceivers, cross-switches, serializer/deserializers, and forward error correction elements, allowing for independent operation of multiple client and network interfaces and enabling flexible protocol adaptation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a transponder unit maps a single client interface to a single optical network channel interface, then the device complexity is reduced and ease of manufacture is improved, but the adaptability and versatility are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The transponder unit is designed with multiple client interface ports (e.g., port 210, 212, 214, 216) and multiple network channel interface ports (e.g., port 202, 204, 206, 208) that can be reconfigured through cross-switches to support various protocol combinations. This multi-functionality allows a single transponder unit to replace multiple dedicated units, improving adaptability while managing complexity through standardized interface design.
Solution Approach 2:
The transponder unit incorporates reconfigurable cross-switches (e.g., cross-switch 220, 222, 224, 226) that dynamically route signals between different client and network interfaces based on protocol requirements. This dynamic reconfiguration capability enables the same hardware to adapt to different protocol mappings without physical reconfiguration, resolving the contradiction between versatility and complexity.
2Device complexity
If separate transponder units are used for each protocol combination, then the manufacturing precision and reliability of each unit is maintained, but the device complexity and network costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple transponder units with identical functions are merged into a single transponder unit with multiple ports and reconfigurable cross-switches. This consolidation reduces the total number of devices in the network, simplifying deployment and reducing costs while maintaining standardized manufacturing processes for the unified device design.
Solution Approach 2:
A single transponder unit is designed to perform multiple protocol adaptation functions through its reconfigurable architecture, eliminating the need for separate dedicated units for different protocol combinations. This universal design maintains ease of manufacture through standardized production while reducing overall device complexity in the network.
3Productivity
If a transponder unit provides mapping for multiple client and network channel interfaces, then the productivity and network efficiency are improved, but the device complexity and operation difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cross-switches within the transponder unit are designed to be reconfigurable through control signals that dynamically change the mapping between client and network interfaces. This dynamic control mechanism allows high interface mapping capacity while keeping operation simple through automated or signal-based reconfiguration rather than manual wiring changes.
Solution Approach 2:
The cross-switches act as intermediary components that manage the complex routing between multiple client and network interfaces. By introducing this intermediary switching layer, the system achieves high interface mapping capacity while shielding operators from the complexity of direct point-to-point connections, as reconfiguration is handled through the switching fabric rather than manual re-wiring.
Data Source
AI summary
A transponder unit which relays signals between a plurality of channels of an optical transport network and a plurality of clients. The interconnections within the transponder unit are reconfigurable for selective connections. A connection between a first client and a first network channel and a connection between a second client and a second network channel is independent of each other and may be selected so that the second client is connected to the first network channel and the first client is connected to the second network channel. Other selected connections are also possible.