Submarine Optical Switch Modules for Signal Recovery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Submarine optical communication systems face high costs and reliability issues due to the need for redundant amplifiers and optical switches, which increase the number of components that can fail, leading to signal attenuation and system downtime.
Innovation Solution
A submarine optical communication recovery device with optical switch modules that can reroute optical signals from failed fibers to spare paths, reducing the number of amplifiers and switches required, and incorporating an optical pump unit to provide redundant optical power, thereby enhancing system reliability without doubling the number of amplifiers or switches.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If redundant amplifiers are used to improve reliability, then system reliability improves, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
An optical switch module is introduced as an intermediary component between the amplifier and the optical fiber. When amplifier failure occurs, the optical switch module redirects the optical signal to a different amplifier, enabling failure recovery without requiring each amplifier to be fully redundant. This mediator approach resolves the contradiction by adding minimal complexity while achieving reliability improvement.
Solution Approach 2:
The optical switch module provides multi-functionality by serving both as a signal routing component during normal operation and as a failure recovery mechanism when amplifiers malfunction. This universal component enables the system to achieve reliability improvement without proportionally increasing the number of amplifiers, as the switch module handles multiple protective functions.
2Reliability
If optical switch modules are added for failure recovery, then system reliability improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of providing full redundancy for every component, the patent applies partial redundancy by using optical switch modules that can redirect signals to alternative amplifiers only when needed. This partial action approach achieves acceptable reliability improvement without the excessive complexity of complete system redundancy, resolving the contradiction between reliability and device complexity.
3Ease of manufacture
If terrestrial amplifiers (EDFAs, SOA) are used to reduce cost, then manufacturing cost decreases, but reliability worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The optical switch module acts as a protective intermediary that compensates for the lower reliability of terrestrial amplifiers. By enabling automatic failure recovery through signal redirection, the switch module allows the system to use cost-effective terrestrial amplifiers while maintaining acceptable overall reliability, thus resolving the contradiction between manufacturing cost and reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided are optical communication signal recovery techniques and a submarine optical communication recovery device may include a number of inputs, a number of outputs and a number of optical switch modules. Each input may be operable to connect to a respective optical fiber of a submarine fiber optic cable, and a number of the optical fibers carry optical signals and at least one optical fiber of the plurality of optical fibers is an unusable optical path that is unable to carry a usable optical signal. Each output may couple to another respective optical fiber, and a number of the outputs may be designated as impaired outputs. Each optical switch module of the number of optical switch modules may be operable to connect an input of the number of inputs coupled to the unusable optical path to an impaired output of the number of the impaired outputs.