Software-Defined Optical Transceivers for Heterogeneous Service Convergence
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current optical networks face challenges in managing heterogeneity and cost-efficiency due to service-specific hardware and management systems, making it difficult to converge residential, business, and mobile backhaul services onto a single optical infrastructure.
Innovation Solution
A software-defined optical network architecture that centralizes control and management while distributing physical-layer intelligence, allowing a single set of smart, software-defined optical transceivers to support multiple services by activating appropriate hardware blocks on-demand, using a global software-defined controller and local software-defined controllers to manage and configure underlying hardware components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If service-specific hardware and management systems are used for each optical network service, then service performance and reliability are improved, but device complexity and network complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal optical transceiver platform that can perform multiple service-specific functions through software configuration. The OLT and ONU are designed with reconfigurable hardware blocks that can be dynamically activated or deactivated based on service requirements, allowing a single device to replace multiple service-specific devices while maintaining service performance through software-defined functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts service-specific functionality from fixed hardware and relocates it to software-based control planes. The hardware is designed with generic, reconfigurable blocks that can be programmed to perform different service functions, separating the service logic from the physical hardware and enabling a single hardware platform to support multiple services.
2Reliability
If multiple service-specific optical transceiver platforms are deployed, then service-specific performance requirements are met, but cost-efficiency deteriorates due to hardware redundancy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal optical transceiver architecture where a single OLT and ONU platform can be reconfigured to support multiple services including residential access, business services, and mobile backhaul. The hardware includes reconfigurable blocks that can be activated based on service type, eliminating the need for separate service-specific hardware platforms and reducing overall system cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic reconfigurability in the optical transceivers, allowing the hardware to adapt its functionality based on service requirements. The OLT and ONU can dynamically activate or deactivate specific hardware blocks through software control, enabling the same physical infrastructure to serve multiple services with different performance requirements without requiring dedicated hardware for each service.
3Ease of operation
If centralized control is implemented for all optical network functions, then management simplicity is improved, but processing speed and response time deteriorate due to distributed control requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the control architecture into two levels: a centralized control plane that handles high-level service management, provisioning, and coordination, and a distributed data plane that handles real-time signal processing and transmission. This segmentation allows centralized management simplicity while maintaining fast local processing through the distributed hardware blocks that can operate autonomously within their local context.
Data Source
AI summary
A software-defined (SD) optical network is disclosed. An SD optical line terminal (OLT) includes a global SD controller, one or more SD OLT drivers connected to the global SD controller, and an underlying hardware component connected to each of said one or more SD OLT drivers. An SD optical network unit (ONU) includes a local SD controller, one or more SD optical network unit (ONU) drivers connected to the local SD controller, and an underlying hardware component connected to each of said one or more SD ONU drivers, wherein the local SD controller manages said one or more SD ONU drivers by issuing commands communicated to said one or more SD ONU drivers, and wherein each of said one or more SD ONU drivers implements a required function on the underlying hardware component. Other apparatuses, systems, and methods also are disclosed.