Wavelength cross connect device and cross connect connection method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11750317-B2
Application number	US-202017437095-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 9, 2020
Priority date	Mar 20, 2019
Publication date	Sep 5, 2023
Grant date	Sep 5, 2023

Abstract

The present invention is to provide a wavelength cross-connect device that reduces device costs.
A wavelength cross-connect device 10 B performs relaying for changing, using WSSs, routes of optical signals transmitted from M routes 1 h to Mh, in which K optical fibers 1 f to Kf are grouped for each of the routes, on an input side to output the optical signals to respective optical fibers 1 f to Kf of M routes 1 h to Mh on an output side. Input ports of each of the optical couplers 25 a to 26 d are connected to output ports of each of first WSSs 21 a to 22 k . Further, the input ports of each of the optical couplers 25 a to 26 d are connected to the output ports of the first WSSs 21 a to 22 k and output ports of each of the optical couplers 25 a to 26 d are connected to input ports of second WSSs 23 a to 24 k such that the optical signals input from the optical fibers 1 f to Kf in each of the routes 1 h to Mh on the input side are capable of being output to the optical fibers 1 f to Kf in each of the routes 1 h to Mh on the output side, respectively.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A wavelength cross-connect device configured to perform relaying for changing, using WSSs (Wavelength Selective Switches), routes of optical signals transmitted from M routes, in which K optical fibers are grouped for each of the routes, on an input side to output the optical signals to respective optical fibers of M routes on an output side, the wavelength cross-connect device comprising:
M×K first WSSs each including a 1 input port connected to each of the optical fibers of each of the routes on the input side and M×L output ports, wherein L is a positive integer L≤K;
M×K second WSSs each including a 1 output port connected to each of the optical fibers of each of the routes on the output side and M×L input ports; and
2×M×L optical couplers each including K input ports connected to output ports of each of the first WSSs and K output ports connected to input ports of each of the second WSSs, wherein
the input ports of each of the optical couplers are connected to the output ports of respective first WSSs of the first WSSs,
the input ports of each of the optical couplers are connected to the output ports of the first WSSs and the output ports of each of the optical couplers are connected to the input ports of the second WSSs such that the optical signals input from the optical fibers in each of the routes on the input side are capable of being output to the optical fibers in each of the routes on the output side, respectively, and
when the optical signal input from the optical fiber of the route is an optical signal subjected to wavelength division multiplexing with a wavelength division multiplexing number T, each of the first WSSs includes a demultiplexer configured to demultiplex and output an optical signal obtained by wavelength division multiplexing of the optical signal, which is input from the optical fiber of the route, with a wavelength division multiplexing number T, T switches configured to selectively output demultiplexed optical signals having respective wavelengths and including a 1 input port and ML output ports, and T multiplexers configured to multiplex and output the optical signals output from the respective switches and ML input ports and a 1 output port.

2. The wavelength cross-connect device according to claim 1 , wherein each of the second WSSs includes 2×M×L demultiplexers configured to demultiplex and output optical signals output from each of the optical couplers, switches including ML input ports, to which the optical signals demultiplexed by each of the demultiplexers are input, and a 1 output port, and a multiplexer configured to multiplex the optical signals output from the switches and output the multiplexed optical signal to the optical fiber on the output side from a 1 output port.

3. The wavelength cross-connect device according to claim 1 , wherein when the optical signal input from the optical fiber of the route is an optical signal subjected to wavelength division multiplexing, each of the first WSS includes an input collimator to which the optical signal is input from the optical fiber, a grating configured to diffract and reflect the optical signal incident from the input collimator at different angles depending on a wavelength to perform demultiplexing on the optical signal, an optical switching element that is incident with the demultiplexed optical signals and configured to reflect the optical signals by changing reflection angles for each wavelength of the demultiplexed optical signals such that the demultiplexed optical signals go toward the output ports of each of the first WSSs connected to the input ports of the optical coupler, and output collimators that are incident with the reflected optical signals via the grating and are connected to the input ports of the optical coupler.

4. The wavelength cross-connect device according to claim 1 , wherein each of the second WSSs includes input collimators to which the optical signals output from each of the optical couplers are input, a grating configured to diffract and reflect the optical signals incident from the input collimators at different angles depending on a wavelength to perform demultiplexing on the optical signals, an optical switching element that is incident with the demultiplexed optical signals and configured to reflect the optical signals by changing reflection angles for each wavelength of the demultiplexed optical signals such that the demultiplexed optical signals go toward the output ports of each of the second WSSs connected to the optical fiber of the route, and an output collimator that is incident with the reflected optical signals via the grating and are connected to the optical fiber of the route.

5. A cross-connect connection method of a wavelength cross-connect device for performing relaying for changing, using WSSs, routes of optical signals transmitted from M routes, in which K optical fibers are grouped for each of the routes, on an input side to output the optical signals to respective optical fibers of M routes on an output side, the cross-connect connection method comprising steps, which are executed by the wavelength cross-connect device, of:
detecting the number M of the routes on the input side and the number K of the optical fibers in each of the routes;
detecting the number M of the routes on the output side and the number K of the optical fibers in each of the routes;
detecting, based on the detected number K of the optical fibers on the input side, the number of first WSSs each including a 1 input port connected to each of the K optical fibers and M×L output ports, wherein L is a positive integer L K;
detecting, based on the detected number K of the optical fibers on the output side, the number of second WSSs each including a 1 output port connected to each of the K optical fibers and M×L input ports;
connecting the input port of each of the first WSSs to each of the optical fibers in each of the routes on the input side;
connecting the output port of each of the second WSSs to each of the optical fibers in each of the routes on the output side;
detecting the number of optical couplers each including K input ports connected to the output ports of the first WSSs on the input side and K output ports connected to the input ports of the second WSSs on the output side;
connecting the K input ports of each of the optical couplers to the output ports of each of the first WSSs; and
connecting the input ports of each of the optical couplers to output ports of the M×K first WSSs on the input side and connecting the output ports of each of the optical couplers to input ports of the second M×K WSSs on the output side such that the optical signals input from the K optical fibers in each of the routes on the input side are capable of being output to the K optical fibers in each of the routes on the output side, respectively,
wherein each of the second WSSs includes 2×M×L demultiplexers configured to demultiplex and output optical signals output from each of the optical couplers, switches including ML input ports, to which the optical signals demultiplexed by each of the demultiplexers are input, and a 1 output port, and a multiplexer configured to multiplex the optical signals output from the switches and output the multiplexed optical signal to the optical fiber on the output side from a 1 output port.

6. The cross-connect connection method according to claim 5 , wherein when the optical signal input from the optical fiber of the route is an optical signal subjected to wavelength division multiplexing with a wavelength division multiplexing number T, each of the first WSSs includes a demultiplexer configured to demultiplex and output an optical signal obtained by wavelength division multiplexing of the optical signal, which is input from the optical fi

Assignees

• Nippon Telegraph & Telephone

Inventors

• Kawahara Hiroki
• Seki Takeshi

Classifications

• H04J14/0212 Primary

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

• H04Q11/0003

  Details · CPC title

• H04B10/27

  Arrangements for networking · CPC title

• H04Q3/52

  using static devices in switching stages, e.g. electronic switching arrangements · CPC title

• H04B10/291

  in which processing or amplification is carried out without conversion of the main signal from optical form · CPC title