Contentionless Wavelength Selective Switch Using Spatial Beam Steering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wavelength-selective optical switches face challenges in scalability due to the need for a large number of physical rows on the LCOS array, making it impractical for devices with a large number of ports, and existing switches cannot simultaneously switch wavelength components from two different input fibers to the same output fiber.
Innovation Solution
An optical device with a wavelength dispersion arrangement that spatially separates optical beams into wavelength components and a beam steering arrangement that selectively directs subsets of these components to different output ports, ensuring that wavelength components from two input ports cannot be simultaneously directed to a common output port, thereby allowing for a scalable and flexible routing system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If physically separate rows are allocated on the LCOS array for each WDM signal, then wavelength selective switching functionality is achieved, but the device becomes impractical for large number of ports due to large space requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple WDM signal processing functions into a single shared LCOS array instead of allocating separate rows for each signal. The optical beam steering arrangement dynamically directs beams from multiple input ports to appropriate output ports on the same LCOS array, enabling multi-point switching without requiring proportionally increased array area.
Solution Approach 2:
The LCOS array is designed to serve multiple functions simultaneously - it processes WDM signals from multiple different input ports and routes them to multiple output ports. The single LCOS array acts as a universal switching surface that handles various wavelength channels from various sources, eliminating the need for dedicated rows for each input signal.
2Adaptability or versatility
If wavelength components from two different input fibers are simultaneously directed to the same output fiber, then routing flexibility is improved, but signal interference and loss occur
Solution Approach 1:
The control system monitors the switching state and dynamically adjusts the beam steering arrangement to prevent simultaneous routing of wavelength components from different input ports to the same output port. This feedback mechanism ensures that contentionless routing constraints are maintained while maximizing routing flexibility within those constraints.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically configures the optical paths in real-time based on current traffic demands and switching requirements. The beam steering arrangement can rapidly reconfigure which wavelength components from which input ports are directed to which output ports, adapting to changing conditions while maintaining the constraint that prevents signal interference.
3Productivity
If the number of input and output ports is increased, then switching capacity is improved, but device scalability is limited by the physical constraints of the LCOS array
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a two-dimensional row-based allocation approach to a three-dimensional spatial routing approach using the optical beam steering arrangement. By introducing the temporal and angular dimensions for beam control, the system can handle more ports without proportionally increasing the LCOS array area, as beams can be dynamically directed from any input port to any output port through angular steering rather than requiring dedicated physical rows.
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 a scalable and flexible wavelength-selective switching system that can efficiently manage multiple optical signals, preventing simultaneous routing of wavelength components from different input ports to the same output port, thus overcoming the limitations of existing technologies.
Implementation Method 1
a wavelength dispersion arrangement (504, 508) that spatially separates each of the optical beams into a plurality of wavelengths components
Data Source
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AI summary
An optical device includes a plurality of optical input ports. a plurality of optical output ports, a wavelength dispersion arrangement and at least one optical beam steering arrangement. The plurality of optical input ports is configured to receive optical beams each having a plurality of wavelength components. The wavelength dispersion arrangement receives the optical beams and spatially separates each of the optical beams into a plurality of wavelengths components. The optical beam steering arrangement has a first region onto which the spatially separated wavelength components are directed and a second region onto which any subset of the plurality of wavelength components of each of the optical beams is selectively directed after the wavelength components in each of the subsets are spatially recombined with one another. The optical beam steering arrangement selectively directs each of subset of the plurality of wavelength components to a different one of the optical output ports.