U.S. patent application number 09/883260 was filed with the patent office on 2001-10-25 for optical cross-connect system and optical transmission system.
Invention is credited to Hanatani, Shoichi, Kanetake, Tatsuo, Kitajima, Shigeki, Sano, Hirohisa.
Application Number | 20010033403 09/883260 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 27290082 |
Filed Date | 2001-10-25 |
United States Patent
Application |
20010033403 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Kitajima, Shigeki ; et
al. |
October 25, 2001 |
Optical cross-connect system and optical transmission system
Abstract
Input/output fibers for the optical cross-connect system are
classified into working fibers and protecting fibers. In a normal
time (a state in which there occurs no failure), there turns out to
be a one-to-one correspondence between a line terminal and a
working fiber. Namely, connection property required for the switch
matrix in the optical cross-connect system is not necessarily
strictly non-blocking connections among all of the fibers. The
connection property is a one-to-one connection relationship with
the working fibers, and is a predetermined connection relationship
with the protecting fibers at the time of a failure occurrence.
Utilization thereof makes it possible to extremely downsize scale
of the switch.
Inventors: |
Kitajima, Shigeki;
(Kawasaki-shi, JP) ; Hanatani, Shoichi;
(Richardson, TX) ; Sano, Hirohisa; (Dallas,
TX) ; Kanetake, Tatsuo; (Kawasaki-shi, JP) |
Correspondence
Address: |
ANTONELLI TERRY STOUT AND KRAUS
SUITE 1800
1300 NORTH SEVENTEENTH STREET
ARLINGTON
VA
22209
|
Family ID: |
27290082 |
Appl. No.: |
09/883260 |
Filed: |
June 19, 2001 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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09883260 |
Jun 19, 2001 |
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09114855 |
Jul 14, 1998 |
|
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09114855 |
Jul 14, 1998 |
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09025854 |
Feb 19, 1998 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
398/56 ;
398/50 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04Q 2011/0043 20130101;
H04Q 2011/0024 20130101; H04B 10/032 20130101; H04Q 2011/0058
20130101; H04Q 2011/0081 20130101; H04Q 11/0005 20130101; H04Q
11/0062 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
359/110 ;
359/117 |
International
Class: |
H04B 010/08; H04J
014/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jul 15, 1997 |
JP |
09-189459 |
Feb 24, 1997 |
JP |
09-039238 |
Claims
We claim:
1. An optical cross-connect system provided among line terminals,
working fibers and protecting fibers, and switching a fiber
connected-with, said line terminals, comprising: an input switching
optical switch provided between an output port to the line
terminals and a working input fiber port; an output switching
optical switch provided between an input port from the line
terminals and a working output fiber port; and a protecting path
setting optical switch unit, the input of which are a 1-output from
said output switching optical switch and an input from a protecting
input fiber port, and the output of which are a 1-input to said
input switching optical switch and an output to a protecting output
fiber port.
2. The optical cross-connect system as claimed in claim 1, wherein
a rearrangable non-blocking optical switch matrix configuration is
employed as a configuration of said protecting path setting optical
switch unit.
3. The optical cross-connect system as claimed in claim 1, wherein
a blocking configuration or an incomplete matrix configuration
which satisfies a predetermined protecting connection is employed
as a configuration of said protecting path setting optical switch
unit.
4. The optical cross-connect system as claimed in claim 1, wherein
a means for switching a destination for each connected
transmission-path between each working line terminal and each
protecting line terminal corresponding to each other is added.
5. The optical cross-connect system as claimed in claim 2, wherein
a means for switching a destination for each connected transmission
path between each working line terminal and each protecting line
terminal corresponding to each other is added.
6. The optical cross-connect system as claimed in claim 3, wherein
a means for switching a destination for each connected transmission
path between each working line terminal and each protecting line
terminal corresponding to each other is added.
7. The optical cross-connect system as claimed in claim 4, wherein
the means for switching between the working line terminals and the
protecting line terminals comprises an optical selection switch for
selecting a working line terminal to be switched and a switching
optical switch connected on the selection output side of said
optical selection switch.
8. The optical cross-connect system as claimed in claim 5, wherein
the means for switching between the working line terminals and the
protecting line terminals comprises: an optical selection switch
for selecting a working line terminal to be switched; and a
switching optical switch connected on the selection output side of
said optical selection switch.
9. The optical cross-connect system as claimed in claim 6, wherein
the means for switching between the working line terminals and the
protecting line terminals comprises an optical selection switch for
selecting a working line terminal to be switched and a switching
optical switch connected on the selection output side of said
optical selection switch.
10. The optical cross-connect system as claimed in claim 4, wherein
the means for switching between the working line terminals and the
protecting line terminals comprises an optical selection switch for
selecting a working line terminal to be switched and an optical
coupler connected on the selection output side of said optical
selection switch.
11. The optical cross-connect system as claimed in claim 5, wherein
the means for switching between the working line terminals and the
protecting line terminals comprises: an optical selection switch
for selecting a working line terminal to be switched and an optical
coupler connected on the selection output side of said optical
selection switch.
12. The optical cross-connect system as claimed in claim 6, wherein
the means for switching between the working line terminals and the
protecting line terminals comprises: an optical selection switch
for selecting a working line terminal to be switched and an optical
coupler connected on the selection output side of said optical
selection switch.
13. The optical cross-connect system as claimed in claim 4, wherein
there is provided a means for connecting to a protecting
transmission line an optical output which is derived from a
protecting line terminal and branched by an optical selection
switch.
14. The optical cross-connect system as claimed in claim 5, wherein
there is provided a means for connecting to a protecting
transmission line an optical output which is derived from a
protecting line terminal and branched by an optical selection
switch.
15. The optical cross-connect system as claimed in claim 6, wherein
there is provided a means for connecting to a protecting
transmission line an optical output which is derived from a
protecting line terminal and branched by an optical selection
switch.
16. An optical transmission system, wherein the optical
cross-connect system as claimed in claim 1 is employed, and when a
failure occurs on a line or a line terminal is troubled, an
automatic switching to the protecting path or a protecting line
terminal is performed.
17. An optical transmission system, wherein the optical
cross-connect system as claimed in claim 4 is employed, and when a
failure occurs on a line or a line terminal is troubled, an
automatic switching to the protecting path or a protecting line
terminal is performed.
18. An optical cross-connect system wherein a switching optical
switch is provided between an input/output port connected with line
terminals and an input/output port connected with transmission
paths corresponding to said line terminals, and a protecting path
setting optical switch unit, through said switching optical switch,
connects said line terminals with connection ports to protecting
transmission paths.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] The present application is a Continuation-In-Part of U.S.
patent application Ser. No. 09/025854 filed on Feb. 19, 1998
(priority: Japanese Patent Application No. 09-039238 filed on Feb.
24, 1997) and assigned to the present assignee. The content of that
application is incorporated herein by reference.
[0002] The present application also relates to U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 09/022004 filed on Feb. 11, 1998 (priority:
Japanese Patent Application No. 09-033779 filed on Feb. 18, 1997)
and assigned to Hitachi, Ltd., and U.S. patent application Ser. No.
09/106,903, filed on Jun. 30, 1998 (priority: Japanese Patent
Application No. 09-187966 filed on Jul. 14, 1997, Japanese Patent
Application No. 09-178340 filed on Jul. 3, 1997) and assigned to
Hitachi, Ltd. The contents of those applications are incorporated
herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The present invention relates to an optical cross-connect
system and an optical transmission system, and more particularly to
an optical cross-connect system and an optical transmission system
which allow a line or a path for a high-speed optical signal to be
switched with the signal light itself unconverted.
[0004] Recent advances in optical transmission technology are
rapidly making it possible to increase capacity on a network up to
a high-capacity level. This also means, however, that when a
failure occurs, the damage cannot help being expanded accordingly.
This situation makes it urgent to construct a network with a high
reliability. In prior arts, a cross-connect system played a role of
specifying a by-pass route around a portion at which the failure
occurs. However, the cross-connect system, which necessitated an
electro/optical conversion and a multiplexing division into
low-speed signals, found it difficult to process such a
high-capacity optical signal. In view of the circumstances,
developed at many places is an optical cross-connect system which
allows the high-speed optical signal to be switched with the signal
light itself unconverted, i.e., without performing the
electro/optical conversion thereof. FIG. 1 shows a configuration
embodiment of a network which introduced into is an optical
cross-connect system and has a function of automatically avoiding a
failure. In FIG. 1A, which indicates a normal state, line terminals
1 are connected with each other through a working optical fiber 3.
On the other hand, FIG. 1B indicates a state in which there takes
place a failure in the working optical fiber 3 between a terminal
station A and a terminal station B. More concretely, illustrated
schematically in FIG. 1B is a situation in which an optical
cross-connect system 2, through a protecting optical fiber 4, forms
a by-pass route by way of a terminal station C, thus making it
possible to restore the transmission path.
[0005] Mentioned as a literature of an optical cross-connect system
having such a failure-restoring function is "A Novel Optical
Cross-connect System for Hitless Optical Network Reconfiguration",
a presentation No. SB-8-1 at an autumn general conference held in
1993 under Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication
Engineers. Proposed and studied in the report are a 64.times.64
switch matrix and an optical cross-connect system using it. The
64.times.64 switch matrix is constituted by employing a 8.times.8
switch matrix as the building block thereof and connecting the
8.times.8 switch matrices in a three-stage link connection manner.
As shown in this embodiment, in related-art optical cross-connect
systems, a general method for embodying the high-capacity was as
follows: A strictly non-blocking switch matrix is employed as the
fundamental building block and then performing a link connection of
the matrices, thereby embodying the high-capacity. Here, the switch
matrix means a switch configuration in such a broader meaning as to
make it possible to switch and connect a plurality of inputs and a
plurality of outputs, and includes configurations such as a tree
type switch configuration.
[0006] As shown in FIG. 1, the optical cross-connect system 2 is
provided at each node on a network and has a function of changing a
connection between a line terminal 1 and a transmission path, i.e.,
the optical fiber 3 or the optical fiber 4. Illustrated in FIG. 2
is a basic system configuration of an optical cross-connect system
in the case where M units of line terminals within a node are
connected with an optical switch unit 11 through 2M units of
optical fibers 13, and the number of working optical fibers 14 and
that of protecting optical fibers 15 are set to be 2M and 2R,
respectively. A monitor unit 12 detects failures in the fibers, and
the optical switch unit 11, which a control unit 10 controls,
performs switching of connections. Optical signals are launched
into or out of the optical switch unit 11, i.e., a main unit in the
optical cross-connect system, from both the line terminal side and
the transmission path side. When organizing the optical signals in
accordance with the directions thereof, it has been found that the
result is summarized as an optical switch matrix 18. The optical
switch matrix 18, as shown in FIG. 2B, is a square matrix having
2M+R units of input ports and 2M+R units of output ports, i.e., a
switch matrix in which the number of inputs is equal to that of
outputs.
[0007] Generally speaking, the optical fibers 14 or the optical
fibers 15 are installed as a cable produced by bundling about 24 to
47 units of the optical fibers in total, and connected with each
node are cables originating from a plurality of neighboring nodes.
Accordingly, the number of the optical fibers for each node extends
to a scale of 200 to 300. This requires that the optical
cross-connect system, which operates with these optical fibers,
also have a high capacity corresponding thereto. The biggest
problem in embodying such a high-capacity optical cross-connect
system lies in making the optical switch unit 11, i.e. the main
unit in the optical cross-connect system, into a large scale switch
matrix.
[0008] Combination of a plurality of optical switch devices makes
it possible to embody such a large scale switch matrix. It is
desirable that scale of each optical switch device itself is large,
i.e., the degree of integration thereof is high. The degree of
integration of an optical device, however, is generally so much
lower compared with that of an electronic device. For example, as
described in the related art, it is close to a limit of the
present-day technology to integrate the 8.times.8 switch matrices
on a single chip. Also, structures of optical switch devices
employed in currently embodied integrated type switch devices (such
as 4.times.4, and 8.times.8) are generally inferior to those of
single-type switch devices (such as 1.times.2, and 2.times.2) in
the fundamental characteristics such as isolation at the time of
switching and the insertion loss. This inevitably gives rise to a
deterioration in the optical signal quality at the time of
switching, thus making it difficult to apply to the high-speed
signal the large scale switch matrix which is embodied using the
integrated-type switch devices.
[0009] Meanwhile, when constituting the switch matrix with the use
of the single-type switch devices of excellent fundamental
performance, in order to make the capacity of the matrix higher,
there are needed conditions such as an increase in the number of
the members and a processing of optical wiring among the devices.
This inevitably brings about a rapid increase in the system scale,
thus making it difficult to embody a switch matrix on a scale of
practical use. Moreover, even when employing the high-performance
single-type switch devices, optical amplifiers 16 and 17 in FIG. 2
become essential owing to compensation for the insertion loss. This
results in problems such as a deterioration in the optical S/N
ratio of the signal due to an occurrence of optical noise at the
time of amplifying the signal light, or an increase in the system
cost due to an increase in the number of the amplifiers.
[0010] As described above, in trying to embody an optical
cross-connect system of practical use, it has become the most
important problem to develop a large scale switch matrix which when
applied to a high-speed optical signal, gives rise to a less
deterioration in the signal quality.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] When considering an optical transmission system from a
practical point of view, a fiber can basically be divided into a
working part, which is ordinarily used, and a protecting part,
which is used when a failure occurs. Consequently, input/output
fibers for the optical cross-connect system are similarly
classified into working fibers and protecting fibers. Thus, it
turns out that in a normal time (a state in which there occurs no
failure), there exists a one-to-one correspondence between a line
terminal and a working fiber. Namely, connection property required
for the switch matrix in the optical cross-connect system is not
necessarily strictly non-blocking connections among all of the
fibers. The connection property is a one-to-one connection
relationship with the working fibers at the time of using the
working system, and is a predetermined connection relationship with
the protecting fibers at the time of a failure occurrence.
Utilization thereof makes it possible to extremely downsize scale
of the switch.
[0012] Downsizing scale of the switch makes it possible to suppress
a deterioration in optical signal quality to a minimum as well as
to bring about an enhancement in the reliability and a reduction in
the cost due to a decrease in the number of the members.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be
described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in
which;
[0014] FIGS. 1A and 1B are diagrams for explaining a network
configuration in which optical cross-connect systems are employed,
FIG. 1A shows a normal time, and FIG. 1B shows a time when a
failure occurs in a fiber;
[0015] FIG. 2A is a diagram for explaining a system configuration
of a related optical cross-connect system, and FIG. 2B is a diagram
for explaining a configuration of the optical switch unit
therein;
[0016] FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a configuration of an
optical switch unit in an optical cross-connect system as an
embodiment according to the present invention;
[0017] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a configuration of an
optical switch unit in an optical cross-connect system as another
embodiment according to the present invention;
[0018] FIGS. 5A and 5B are diagrams for comparing and explaining
the two cases, i.e., the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 and a related
art, concerning the number of optical switch devices needed and the
number of optical amplifiers needed, FIG. 5A shows comparison in
the number of optical switch devices needed, and FIG. 5B shows
comparison in the number of optical amplifiers needed;
[0019] FIGS. 6A, 6B and 6C are diagrams for explaining a
configuration of an optical switch unit in an optical cross-connect
system as still another embodiment according to the present
invention, FIG. 6A is a diagram for explaining a configuration of
the optical switch unit, and FIGS. 6B and 6C are diagrams for
explaining a configuration of a perfect tree type optical switch
and that of a partial tree type optical switch, respectively;
[0020] FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a configuration of an
optical switch unit in an optical cross-connect system as a further
embodiment according to the present invention;
[0021] FIGS. 8A, 8B and 8C are diagrams for explaining a
configuration of an optical switch unit in an optical cross-connect
system as a still further embodiment according to the present
invention, FIG. 8A is a diagram for explaining a configuration of
the optical switch unit, and FIGS. 8B and 8C show configuration
embodiments of a switching switch unit for working
system/protecting system;
[0022] FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a configuration of an
optical switch unit in an optical cross-connect system as an even
further embodiment according to the present invention; and
[0023] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a configuration of an
optical switch unit in an optical cross-connect system as an
additional embodiment according to the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0024] Described below, using FIG. 3 or FIG. 10, are embodiments
according to the present invention.
[0025] FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3
represents a configuration of an optical switch unit 11, i.e., a
main unit in an optical cross-connect system. As is the case with
the system configuration in the related art shown in FIG. 2,
illustrated in FIG. 3 is the configuration in the case where 2M
units of optical fibers 13, with which M units of line terminals
are connected, are connected with 2M units of working optical
fibers 14 and 2R units of protecting optical fibers 15.
[0026] The characteristic of the present embodiment is that the 2M
units of optical fibers 13 corresponding to the line terminals are
connected with the optical fibers 14 by way of a one-stage optical
switch 20 only. The one-stage optical switch 20 performs a
switching between the working system and the protecting system, and
the structure thereof is a 1.times.2 switch structure. Connected on
the side of port I are the optical fibers 13, and connected on the
side of port 2 are the optical fiber 14 and an optical switch
matrix 19. In the normal time, the optical fibers 13 (line
terminals) and the optical fibers 14 (transmission paths), between
which there exists a one-to-one correspondence, are connected with
each other. Only when there occurs a failure in the optical fibers
14, the optical fibers 13 are connected with the optical switch
matrix 19. At the time of a failure occurrence, the optical fibers
13 are connected with the protecting optical fibers 15 by way of
the optical switch 20 and the optical switch matrix 19.
[0027] In the related system configuration in FIGS. 2A and 2B,
connected with the optical switch matrix 18 are all the
inputs/outputs, and allotted thereto is a function of changing
connections among all the inputs/outputs. In the present
embodiment, however, connected with the optical switch matrix 19
are only the following: inputs/outputs by way of the optical switch
20 and the protecting optical fibers 15 by way of optical
amplifiers 17. The working optical fibers 14 are not connected with
the optical switch matrix 19. The total number 2R of the protecting
optical fibers 15 are smaller compared with the total number 2M of
the working optical fibers 14. This allows the present invention to
considerably decrease the total number of input/output fibers for
the matrix switch down to (M+R).times.2, thus making it easy to
construct the switch matrix.
[0028] Also, in the optical cross-connect system in the related
art, the optical amplifiers for loss compensation are needed for
all the inputs/outputs. On the other hand, in the configuration
according to the present invention, it has turned out that the
optical amplifiers 17 for loss compensation are needed only for the
protecting optical fibers 15 and at the same time the gain needed
is small. These advantages result from the following two
reasons:
[0029] 1) In the normal time, the line terminals are connected with
the transmission paths by way of the one stage optical switch 20
only, and thus the insertion loss thereof is small enough. This
makes unnecessary the optical amplifiers for loss compensation.
[0030] 2) Downsizing scale of the matrix decreases insertion loss
of the switch unit in the protecting system, 20 too.
[0031] These make it possible to reduce the system cost and at the
same time allow the system to have an excellent effect of
suppressing to a small extent a deterioration in optical signal
quality within the optical amplifiers.
[0032] Also, in the present invention, the optical switch matrix 19
are not directly connected with the working optical fibers 14. This
prevents a switching in the switch from exerting an influence on a
working transmission system (paths in the optical fibers 13, the
optical switch 20, and the optical fibers 14) in which a failure
has not occurred, thus making it possible to employ a configuration
of a rearrangable non-blocking matrix switch. In the configuration
in FIG. 2, however, the working optical fibers 14 are not
separated-from the optical switch matrix 18. Accordingly, in order
to switch a connection into a path in the protecting optical fibers
15 while completely maintaining connections to a working
transmission system, it can not be helped to employ a strictly
non-blocking matrix switch.
[0033] In many cases, the number of switch devices constituting the
strictly non-blocking matrix switch is proportional to a square of
the number of the input/output ports. Meanwhile, in the case of the
rearrangable non-blocking matrix switch, it is known that the
switch can be constituted using switch devices the number of which
is proportional to N log N. This allows the present invention to
have an effect of extremely reducing the number of members of the
switch matrix, and what is more, the effect becomes more
outstanding when fabricating a high-capacity optical cross-connect
system.
[0034] FIG. 4 shows another embodiment of the present invention.
Considering a case of a real network, no connection is made with
respect to the kind of connections that result in a loop-back of
the transmission path within each node. Accordingly, even if such
connections are removed, functions as the optical cross-connect
system should not be degraded.
[0035] The present embodiment is based on this concept. In the
embodiment in FIG. 4, the optical switch matrix is resolved into a
plurality of small scale optical switch matrices by removing
connections within a node. Comparing FIG. 3 with FIG. 4, it is
found that a (M+R).times.(M+R) optical switch matrix 19 has been
resolved into a unit of R.times.R optical switch 22, two units of
M.times.R optical switches 21, 23, and 2R units of 1.times.2
optical switches 24.
[0036] In order to quantitatively comparing merits derived from the
introduction of this kind of configuration, concerning the system
configuration in FIG. 4 in the present invention and that in FIG. 2
in the related art, the following two values have been determined
and compared with each other, i.e., the number of unit optical
switch devices and the number of optical amplifiers which are,
needed in the optical switch matrices 19 and 20. FIG. 5 illustrates
the result obtained. This calculation has been made on the
following assumptions: 2 is a ratio in the number of the fibers
between the working system and the protecting system (50% of the
protecting fibers are prepared with reference to the number of the
working fibers), employed as the strictly non-blocking matrix
switch is a tree type matrix switch comprising 1.times.2 switches,
and employed as the rearrangable non-blocking matrix-switch is a
Benes type matrix switch comprising 2.times.2 switches.
[0037] The present embodiment has made it possible to decrease the
number of the needed optical switch devices and that of the needed
optical amplifiers down to about 1/5th and 1/3rd of those in the
related art configuration, respectively. This shows that the
present embodiment is successful in simplifying the system
configuration extremely. Since the optical switches and the optical
amplifiers constitute the main part in the optical cross-connect
system, the considerable decrease in the numbers needed makes a
great contribution to a reduction in the system cost.
[0038] When performing switching of transmission paths with the use
of an optical cross-connect system, all the destined transmission
paths to be switched are required to satisfy predetermined switched
destination transmission characteristic conditions (conditions such
as wavelength dispersion values, propagation losses, and SIN
ratios). Actually, however, many of the destined transmission paths
to be switched do not satisfy the conditions. Paying attention to
this point, an embodiment shown in FIG. 6 has been devised. Namely,
the configuration in FIG. 6 is an imperfect matrix configuration
which is capable of at least ensuring a path connection in which
there is a possibility of actually using or in future using a
matrix switch for switching a connection to a protecting
system.
[0039] In the present embodiment, a basic structure of the switch
matrix is a tree type structure. FIG. 6B shows an ordinary tree
type 3.times.3 matrix switch. An optical branching switch 25-2 is
located at each of input/output ports. The optical branching switch
25-2 has three ports, and the three ports are each connected
completely with ports which are different from each other.
Accordingly, it is possible to connect an arbitrary input with an
arbitrary output., The optical branching switch 25-2 comprises 2
units of 1.times.2 optical switches 27-2. Meanwhile, FIG. 6C shows
a partially-unconnectable tree type 3.times.3 matrix switch
employed in the present embodiment. Each of optical branching
switches 25-3 comprises 1 unit of 1.times.2 optical switch 27-3,
and turns out to be a two-branching switch. In this case, the
configuration is that although, for each of the two ports, there
exists one port unable to be connected therewith, the number of
needed optical switches has been decreased. In this way, in the
present embodiment, the partially-unconnectable matrix switch which
selects the connection by removing the switch devices corresponding
to connections with no possibility of being used. This kind of
configuration, of course, makes it possible to decrease the number
of the needed switch devices in the matrix unit and at the same
time to decrease the number of connected stages of the switch
devices.
[0040] In the configuration in FIG. 6B, of 9 ways of connections,
the connection for which the number of connected stages of the
switch devices is 2 stages is 1 way, the connection for which the
number is 3 stages is 4 ways, and the connection for which the
number is 4 stages is 4 ways. However, in the configuration in FIG.
6C, of 6 ways of connections, the connection for which the number
is 2 stages is 6 ways and there is no other connection. This means
that the number of connected stages of the switch devices is
decreased. A decrease in the number of connected stages of the
switch devices are effective in improving insertion loss of the
whole system and in reducing crosstalk between the channels. It
becomes possible to decrease the number of the optical switches and
the crosstalk by employing the optical switch unit which has a
function of blocking necessary connections.
[0041] FIG. 7 shows a further embodiment of the present invention.
In order to make an optical transmission network highly reliable,
there occurs a necessity of automatically and at high speed
recovery from a trouble of a line terminal itself as well as a
failure in a transmission path. For this purpose, it is general to
locate protecting line terminals in advance and introduce a
mechanism in which when a line terminal is troubled, a protecting
line terminal is operated instead of the troubled line terminal. By
the way, in the above-described transmission system in the related
art, transmission paths (optical fibers) were specifically allotted
to the protecting line terminals, too. However, in the transmission
system in which the optical cross-connect system is introduced and
correspondence between the transmission paths and the line
terminals is dynamically varied, there is not necessarily need of
exclusively allotting the fibers to the protecting line terminals.
Rather, from the viewpoints such as an enhancement in utilization
efficiency of the transmission paths and a cost reduction by means
of a needed hard scale downsizing in the cross-connect system, it
is desirable that, quitting the specific allotment of the fibers to
the protecting line terminals, when a line terminal is troubled,
only the line terminals are switched to the protecting system, and,
concerning the transmission paths, the transmission path with which
the troubled line terminal has been connected should continue to be
used.
[0042] In FIG. 7, not only working line terminals 30 but also a
protecting line terminal 29 are connected with an optical switch
unit 33 through an optical fiber 31. For example, when a working
line terminal 30-1 is troubled, optical amplifiers 36 and optical
fibers 38, which have been connected with the troubled working line
terminal 30-1 through the optical switch unit 33, are made to be
connected with the protecting line terminal 29. This allows the
disconnected connection to be restored. Even if some other working
line terminal is troubled, the connection can be restored as long
as the protecting line terminal 29 is in no use then.
[0043] FIG. 8 shows an embodiment of inner configuration of an
optical cross-connect system for supporting the configuration shown
in FIG. 7. When an arbitrary line terminal is troubled, instead of
optical fibers 32 connected with the line terminal, operations of
optical selection switches 43 and switching optical switches 44
allow optical fibers 31 connected with the protecting line
terminals to output towards optical fibers 38 which output towards
the transmission paths. This makes it possible to remove
transmission paths (optical fibers) specifically allotted to the
protecting line terminal, thus allowing an enhancement in
utilization efficiency of the optical fibers. Moreover, the
reduction in the number of input/output fibers for an optical
switch unit 33 in the optical cross-connect system makes it
possible to downsize the hard scale needed.
[0044] Incidentally, illustrated by the configuration in FIG. 8 is
a switching from a state in which a protecting optical fiber 60 is
connected with a protecting optical fiber 63 to a state in which
they are replaced by an optical fiber 61 connected with the
protecting line terminals through an optical selection switch 43
and an optical fiber 62 to be connected with protecting optical
fibers 39 through an optical switch matrix 45. As shown in FIGS. 8B
and 8C, there are the following two methods for performing the
switching: one is a configuration embodiment 1 in which a 2.times.2
optical switch 46 carries out the switching integrally, and the
other is a configuration embodiment 2 in which two units of
1.times.2 optical switches 47 and 48 embody the switching in an
independent manner. The former allows the configuration to be
simplified, and the latter makes it possible to make the system
highly reliable due to separation of the functions (an effect based
on the relation that the optical switches 47 and 48 can compensate
for the troubles thereof with each other).
[0045] FIG. 9 shows another embodiment of an optical cross-connect
system for supporting the configuration in FIG. 7. The
characteristic in the present embodiment is that optical couplers
49 are employed as a working/protecting line terminal switching
unit, which is the optical switch 48 in the configuration in FIG.
8. The employment of the optical couplers 49, which are so-called
passive devices, makes it possible to expect a low trouble rate as
compared with the case of the optical switch 48.
[0046] In order to restore the transmission by switching to the
protecting system, it is necessary for the protecting transmission
paths to remain in a good condition. Consequently, it is desirable
that the optical cross-connect system has a mechanism of
ascertaining conditions of the protecting transmission paths.
Although a variety of methods can be considered so as to inspect
conditions of the transmission paths, the surest method is to
transmit a predetermined high-speed optical signal. FIG. 10 shows a
configuration of an optical cross-connect system which, for the
transmission of such a signal, is provided with a mechanism for
inputting an output from a protecting line terminal into a
protecting transmission path through optical fibers 31, optical
selection switches 43, an optical selection switch 53, and optical
switches 54. Similarly, a high-speed optical signal from the
protecting transmission path is transferred, so as to be inspected,
to the protecting line terminal through optical fibers 39, optical
switches 52, an optical selection switch 51, the optical selection
switches 43, and the optical fibers 31. The configuration makes it
possible not only to surely inspect conditions of the protecting
transmission paths but also to ascertain operations of the
protecting line terminal themselves.
[0047] According to the present invention, it becomes possible to
extremely decrease the number of members constituting the switch
matrix. This results in a considerable enhancement in the
reliability and a reduction in the cost, and at the same time makes
it easy to fabricate a high-capacity optical cross-connect system.
Also, the decrease in the number of the optical switches brings
about reductions in both the insertion losses and crosstalk between
the channels. This improves transmission quality of the optical
signal, thus making it possible to increase the transmission rate
for each channel.
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