Bandwidth optimization and hitless transport in dynamic free space optical communications networks

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9780878-B2
Application number	US-201514656099-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 12, 2015
Priority date	Mar 21, 2014
Publication date	Oct 3, 2017
Grant date	Oct 3, 2017

Abstract

A system for optical communications may include a multiplicity of optical communications relay platforms that each move above a surface of the earth. Each relay platform may include a relay link for communications between adjacent relay platforms. The system may also include a plurality of ground stations. Each ground station may be configured to communicate with another of the ground stations through at least one of the relay platforms. Each ground station may include an optical communications link for optical communications with successive relay platforms. The optical link of each ground station may be configured for handover connections between the successive relay platforms as the relay platforms move relative to the earth. The system may additionally include a network operations center having a link controller. The link controller may be configured to control switching of the communications links for hitless transmission between the ground stations.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for optical communications, comprising:
a multiplicity of optical communications relay platforms that each move relative to earth and above a surface of the earth, each optical communications relay platform comprising a relay link for communications between adjacent optical communications relay platforms;
a plurality of ground stations at different locations on the surface of the earth, wherein each ground station is configured to communicate with another of the ground stations through at least one of the multiplicity of optical communications relay platforms, each ground station comprising an optical communications link for optical communications with successive optical communications relay platforms, the optical communications link of each ground station being configured for handover connections between the successive optical communications relay platforms as the optical communications relay platforms move relative to the earth; and
a network operations center comprising a link controller, the link controller being configured to control switching of the optical communications links and the relay links for hitless transmission of optical communications signals, the link controller switching between a first optical communications link and a second optical communications link in response to at least degradation of the first optical communications link and the link controller switching between the relay links of successive optical communications relay platforms in response to at least movement of the optical communications relay platforms relative to the earth.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the handover connection from the ground stations between successive optical communications relay platforms comprises a make before break connection.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein each of the multiplicity of optical communications relay platforms comprises a laser communications relay platform.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein each of the multiplicity of optical communications relay platforms comprises one of a low earth orbit satellite, a medium earth orbit satellite and an unmanned aerial vehicle.

5. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a variable speed lambda network comprising a plurality of variable speed wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) lambdas, wherein the link controller is further configured to control functions comprising:
admission of a variable speed WDM lambda to the variable speed lambda network, each variable speed WDM lambda having a tunable speed;
modification of a speed of a particular variable speed WDM lambda; and
optimization of bandwidth of the variable speed WDM lambdas.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the variable speed lambda network further comprises:
a provider optical add-drop multiplexer (ADM);
a customer optical ADM, wherein the plurality of variable speed WDM lambdas provide communications between the provider optical ADM and the customer optical ADM; and
a customer optical ring coupled to the customer optical ADM.

7. The system of claim 5 , wherein the link controller comprises an algorithm configured to perform a method comprising:
receiving a new request from a customer, the new request comprising one of a request for a new variable speed WDM lambda or a speed change request for an existing variable speed WDM lambda;
retrieving an active topology map of the variable speed lambda network from a database;
executing a multi-commodity network flow optimization based on the active topology map of the variable speed lambda network;
configuring network elements to support the new request in response to the new request being admitted based on the multi-commodity network flow optimization, the network elements comprising a provider optical ADM and the plurality of variable WDM lambdas;
updating bandwidth parameters of a link of the network topology graph associated with the customer; and
notifying the customer that the new request has been granted and provisioned.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the optical communications link comprises a laser communications uplink and each ground station further comprises:
an optical switch for sending and receiving optical signals from the laser communications uplink;
a router for sending and receiving the optical signals from the optical switch; and
a sensor for detecting an environmental change, wherein the optical communications link is handed over to a next optical communications relay platform in response to the environmental change degrading communications between the ground station and a current optical communications relay platform below a predetermined link quality threshold.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the network operations center further comprises:
a network performance manager polling at least the plurality of ground stations for a change in quality of the optical communications link, and to poll at least one external sensor associated with each ground station for an environmental change, and the network performance manager further generating a threshold notification in response to at least one of the change in quality of the optical communications link exceeding a link quality threshold and the environmental change exceeding an environmental threshold;
a database configured to receive an environmental change notification from the at least one external sensor in response to the environmental change, and to receive a link quality change notification from a particular ground station in response to the change in link quality of the optical communications link associated with the particular ground station, and to receive a notification in response to the network performance manager generating the threshold notification; and
a correlation engine associated with the database, the correlation engine transmitting a signal to the link controller to initiate a link decision process for switching at least one of the optical communications links and the relay links in response to a correlation policy match based on at least one of the change in quality of the communications link, the environmental change and the threshold notification.

10. The system of claim 9 , further comprising an out-of-band management network for communications between the network operations center and the ground stations.

11. A system for optical communications, comprising:
a variable speed lambda network, the variable speed lambda network comprising:
a provider optical add-drop multiplexer (ADM);
a customer optical ADM;
a plurality of variable speed wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) lambdas, each variable speed WDM lambda having tunable speed, wherein the plurality of variable speed WDM lambdas provide communications between the provider optical ADM and the customer optical ADM; and
a link controller, wherein the link controller is configured to control functions comprising:
admission of a variable speed WDM lambda to the variable speed lambda network;
modification of a speed of a particular variable speed WDM lambda; and
optimization of bandwidth of the variable speed WDM lambdas.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the link controller comprises an algorithm configured to perform a method comprising:
receiving a new request from a customer, the new request comprising one of a request for a new variable speed WDM lambda or a speed change request for an existing variable speed WDM lambda;
retrieving an active topology map of the variable speed lambda network from a database;
executing a multi-commodity network flow optimization based on the active topology map of the variable speed lambda network;
configuring network elements to support the new

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Sackman Ronald Ward
• Sullivan Scott Charles
• Meier John

Classifications

• H04J14/0271

  Impairment aware routing · CPC title

• H04J14/022

  For interconnection of WDM optical networks · CPC title

• H04J14/0282

  WDM tree architectures · CPC title

• H04B10/118 Primary

  specially adapted for satellite communication · CPC title