System, method, and apparatus for daisy chain network protection from node malfunction or power outage

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9641245-B2
Application number	US-201514709984-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 12, 2015
Priority date	May 12, 2015
Publication date	May 2, 2017
Grant date	May 2, 2017

Abstract

Systems, methods, and apparatuses for protecting daisy chain networks from node malfunction or power outage are disclosed. One or more communication nodes in a daisy chain network can be bypass-capable communication nodes. Bypass-capable communication nodes can include a sensing and switching subsystem, embedded in the node or external to the node in a fiber optic cable running along the daisy chain network. In embodiments, the sensing and switching subsystem can responsively switch the bypass-capable communication node from communication node primary circuitry to primary circuitry responsive to node malfunction or node power outage. The sensing and switching subsystem also can switch back from bypass circuitry to primary circuitry responsive to restoration of node function or node power. In embodiments, switching occurs responsive to excitation or de-excitation of the node itself.

First claim

That claimed is:

1. A system for protecting against points of failure in a daisy-chain network, the daisy-chain network deployed along a linear facility between a proximal site and a distal site, the system comprising:
a daisy-chain network comprising a plurality of communication nodes operably connected to one another in a daisy-chain linear topology via a fiber optic cable, the plurality of communication nodes including:
a main site communication node being positioned at the proximal site,
a remote site communication node being positioned at the distal site,
one or more intermediary communication nodes being positioned in the daisy-chain network in a series between the main site communication node and the remote site communication node, the one or more intermediary communication nodes configured to relay a transmission between the main site communication node and the remote site communication node, an intermediary communication node of the one or more intermediary communication nodes positioned between a reference communication node and the remote site communication node being characterized as upstream from the reference communication node and an intermediary communication node of the one or more intermediary communication nodes positioned between the reference communication node and the main site communication node being characterized as downstream from the reference communication node, the one or more intermediary communication nodes including a bypass-capable communication node, the bypass-capable communication node including:
a first transceiver in communication with an adjacent downstream communication node, the adjacent downstream communication node including one of (i) the main site communication node, or (ii) an intermediary communication node downstream from the bypass-capable communication node,
a second transceiver in communication with an adjacent upstream communication node, the adjacent upstream communication node including one of (i) the remote site communication node, or (ii) an intermediary communication node upstream from the bypass capable communication node,
communication node primary circuitry configured to execute a node function, the communication node primary circuitry further configured to provide a primary communication path for a transmission segment of the transmission being relayed between the main site communication node and the remote site communication node, the transmission segment including an internodal transmission between the adjacent downstream communication node and the adjacent upstream communication node, and
optical-electrical circuitry configured to transform an optical signal received by one or more of (i) the first transceiver, and (ii) the second transceiver, into an electrical signal and to transmit the electrical signal to the communication node primary circuitry, the optical-electrical circuitry further configured to transform an electrical signal received from the communication node primary circuitry into an optical signal for transmission by one or more of (i) the first transceiver, and (ii) the second transceiver;

communication node bypass circuitry configured to provide a bypass communication path around the bypass-capable communication node for the transmission segment between the adjacent downstream communication node and the adjacent upstream communication node;
an optical switch configured to switch the bypass-capable communication node from the communication node primary circuitry to the communication node bypass circuitry;
one or more processors; and
tangible computer readable medium in communication with the one or more processors, the tangible computer readable medium having stored therein a plurality of operational modules, each of the operational modules comprising a set of instructions that when executed cause the one or more processors to perform operations, the plurality of operational modules including:
a bypass-capable communication node monitoring module configured to:
monitor the bypass-capable communication node to determine whether a quality of the primary communication path is below a predefined threshold quality level; and
generate, in response to determining that the quality of the primary communication path is below the predefined threshold quality level, a first trigger event signal;

an optical switching module configured to, in response to receipt of the first trigger event signal from the bypass-capable communication node monitoring module, control the optical switch to switch the bypass-capable communication node from use of the communication node primary circuitry to use of the communication node bypass circuitry, and
a control bypass module configured to, during use of the communication node bypass circuitry, adaptively control internodal transmissions between the adjacent downstream communication node and the adjacent upstream communication node to account for attenuation and dispersion caused by bypassing the bypass-capable communication node.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the transmission includes one or more of (i) a power transmission, and (ii) a data transmission.

3. The system of claim 2 ,
wherein the optical switch is further configured to switch from the communication node bypass circuitry to the communication node primary circuitry,
wherein the bypass-capable communication node monitoring module further is configured to generate, in response to determining that the quality of the primary communication path is at or above the predefined threshold quality level, a second trigger event signal,
wherein the optical switching module further is configured to, in response to receipt of the second trigger event signal from the bypass-capable communication node monitoring module, control the optical switch to switch the bypass-capable communication node from use of the communication node bypass circuitry to use of the communication node primary circuitry, and
wherein the control bypass module further is configured to, during use of the communication node primary circuitry, adaptively control internodal transmissions to account for amplification caused by restoring communication via the primary communication path.

4. The system of claim 3 ,
wherein determining that the quality of the primary communication path is below the predefined threshold quality level comprises determining one or both of (i) a communication node primary circuitry function below a predefined functional threshold, and (ii) a bypass-capable communication node power below a predefined power threshold; and
wherein determining that the quality of the primary communication path is at or above the predefined threshold quality level comprises determining (i) the communication node primary circuitry function at or above the predefined functional threshold, and (ii) the bypass-capable communication node power at or above the predefined power threshold.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the communication node bypass circuitry and the optical switch are disposed within the bypass-capable communication node.

6. The system of claim 4 , wherein the communication node bypass circuitry and the optical switch are external to the bypass-capable communication node.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the communication node bypass circuitry and the optical switch are disposed within the fiber optic cable.

8. The system of claim 4 , wherein a plurality of intermediary communication nodes comprise bypass-capable communication nodes.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the adaptively controlling internodal transmissions between the adjacent downstream communication node and the adjacent upstream communication node to account for attenuation and dispersion caused by bypassing the bypass

Assignees

• Saudi Arabian Oil Co

Inventors

• Al-Walaie Soliman A
• Aljuaid Muhammad S

Classifications

• H04Q11/0062

  Network aspects · CPC title

• H04B10/0771 Primary

  Fault location on the transmission path · CPC title

• H04Q2011/0081

  Fault tolerance; Redundancy; Recovery; Reconfigurability · CPC title

• H04L41/0672

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04B10/032

  using working and protection systems {(H04J14/0287 takes precedence)} · CPC title