Optical communications apparatus and wavelength selection method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11728919-B2
Application number	US-202117514557-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 29, 2021
Priority date	Apr 30, 2019
Publication date	Aug 15, 2023
Grant date	Aug 15, 2023

Abstract

An optical communications apparatus, including a reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer, in which an optical deflection component may perform angle deflection on a plurality of first sub-wavelength light beams to obtain a plurality of second sub-wavelength light beams and a plurality of third sub-wavelength light beams, and propagate the plurality of second sub-wavelength light beams to a second optical switch array. A third wavelength dispersion component combines the plurality of second sub-wavelength light beams into a second light beam. A first output component outputs the second light beam from a dimension. A second wavelength dispersion component combines the plurality of third sub-wavelength light beams into a third light beam, and makes the third light beam incident to a third optical switch array. A second output component outputs the third light beam to drop a signal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An optical communications apparatus, comprising:
a first input component configured to input a first light beam and propagate the first light beam;
a first wavelength dispersion component coupled to the first input component and configured to decompose the first light beam incident from the first input component into a plurality of first sub-wavelength light beams, and propagate the plurality of first sub-wavelength light beams;
an optical deflection component coupled to the first wavelength dispersion component and configured to perform angle deflection on the plurality of first sub-wavelength light beams to obtain a plurality of second sub-wavelength light beams and a plurality of third sub-wavelength light beams, wherein the optical deflection component is further configured to propagate the plurality of second sub-wavelength light beams and the plurality of third sub-wavelength light beams, and wherein a second light beam propagation direction of one of the second sub-wavelength light beams is different from that of a third light beam propagation direction of one of the third sub-wavelength light beams;
a second optical switch array coupled to the optical deflection component and configured to propagate the plurality of second sub-wavelength light beams;
a third wavelength dispersion component coupled to the second optical switch array and configured to combine the plurality of second sub-wavelength light beams into a second light beam, and propagate the second light beam;
a first output component coupled to the third wavelength dispersion component and configured to output the second light beam from a dimension;
a second wavelength dispersion component coupled to the optical deflection component and configured to combine the plurality of third sub-wavelength light beams into a third light beam, and propagate the third light beam;
a third optical switch array coupled to the second wavelength dispersion component and configured to propagate the third light beam; and
a second output component coupled to the third optical switch array and configured to output the third light beam to drop a signal.

2. The optical communications apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the optical deflection component comprises a first optical switch array and a redirection component, wherein the first optical switch array is configured to
perform angle deflection on the plurality of first sub-wavelength light beams to obtain the plurality of second sub-wavelength light beams and the plurality of third sub-wavelength light beams;
propagate the plurality of second sub-wavelength light beams to the second optical switch array through the redirection component; and
propagate the plurality of third sub-wavelength light beams to the second wavelength dispersion component through the redirection component.

3. The optical communications apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the first wavelength dispersion component is configured to decompose, on a first plane, the first light beam from the first input component into the plurality of first sub-wavelength light beams.

4. The optical communications apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the first optical switch array is further configured to:
perform angle deflection on the plurality of first sub-wavelength light beams on at least one of the first plane or a second plane to obtain the plurality of second sub-wavelength light beams, wherein the first plane and the second plane are orthogonal to each other;
propagate the plurality of second sub-wavelength light beams to the second optical switch array through the redirection component;
perform angle deflection on the plurality of first sub-wavelength light beams on at least one of the first plane or the second plane to obtain the plurality of third sub-wavelength light beams; and
propagate the plurality of third sub-wavelength light beams to the second wavelength dispersion component through the redirection component.

5. The optical communications apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the redirection component comprises a first lens, a second lens, and a third lens, wherein the second lens is located on a first back focal plane of the first lens and on a third front focal plane of the third lens, wherein the second optical switch array is located on a second back focal plane of the second lens, wherein the first optical switch array is located on a second front focal plane of the second lens, and wherein the first lens, the second lens, and the third lens are configured to propagate the plurality of second sub-wavelength light beams to the second optical switch array.

6. The optical communications apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the second wavelength dispersion component is located on the first back focal plane of the first lens, and wherein the first lens is further configured to propagate the plurality of third sub-wavelength light beams to the second wavelength dispersion component.

7. The optical communications apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the second wavelength dispersion component is located on the second back focal plane of the second lens, and wherein the second lens is configured to propagate the plurality of third sub-wavelength light beams to the second wavelength dispersion component.

8. The optical communications apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a second input component configured to input a fourth light beam;
a fourth optical switch array coupled to the second input component and configured to perform angle deflection on the fourth light beam to obtain a fifth light beam, and propagate the fifth light beam; and
a fourth wavelength dispersion component coupled to the fourth optical switch array and configured to decompose the fifth light beam into a plurality of fourth sub-wavelength light beams, and propagate the plurality of fourth sub-wavelength light beams to the second optical switch array, wherein the second optical switch array is further configured to perform angle deflection on the plurality of fourth sub-wavelength light beams to obtain a plurality of fifth sub-wavelength light beams, and propagate the plurality of fifth sub-wavelength light beams to the third wavelength dispersion component.

9. The optical communications apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a redirection component;
a first optical switch array is coupled to the redirection component and component and configured to perform angle deflection on the plurality of first sub-wavelength light beams, and propagate the plurality of first sub-wavelength light beams through the redirection component;
a first polarization control element coupled to the redirection component and configured to change a polarization state of the plurality of first sub-wavelength light beams, and output the plurality of second sub-wavelength light beams or the plurality of third sub-wavelength light beams, wherein a second polarization state of the plurality of second sub-wavelength light beams and a third polarization state of the plurality of third sub-wavelength light beams are orthogonal to each other; and
a polarization beam splitting element coupled to the first polarization control element and configured to:
receive at least one of the plurality of second sub-wavelength light beams or the plurality of third sub-wavelength light beams from the first polarization control element;
control the second light beam propagation direction so that the plurality of second sub-wavelength light beams are incident to the second optical switch array when the polarization beam splitting element receives the plurality of second sub-wavelength light beams from the first polarization control element; and
control the

Assignees

• Huawei Tech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Jia Wei
• Zou Bing

Classifications

• H04J14/0204 Primary

  Broadcast and select arrangements, e.g. with an optical splitter at the input before adding or dropping · CPC title

• H04J14/0212 Primary

  using optical switches or wavelength selective switches [WSS] · CPC title

• H04J14/0217

  Multi-degree architectures, e.g. having a connection degree greater than two · CPC title

• G02B6/354 Primary

  Switching arrangements, i.e. number of input/output ports and interconnection types · CPC title

• G02B6/356 Primary

  in an optical cross-connect device, e.g. routing and switching aspects of interconnecting different paths propagating different wavelengths to (re)configure the various input and output links (switching polarized beams G02B6/3594; power equalizers G02B6/356 and G02B6/3594; path selecting means H04Q11/0001) · CPC title