Polatis Photonics, Inc.

Polatis Limited

Richard Andrew Jensen

David Owen Lewis

An example embodiment of the present invention is a non-blocking wavelength switching architecture that enables graceful scaling of a network wavelength switching node from small to large fiber counts using fixed size bidirectional 1&#xd7;N Wavelength Selective Switches (WSS). The architecture uses an intermediate broadcast and select layer implemented using optical splitters and WSSs to eliminate wavelength blocking.

Method and apparatus for switching optical wavelengths

A network protection switching mechanism comprises a plurality of optical switches located at a plurality of nodes; a plurality of optical communication paths between said switches; switch based fault detectors located as part of at least two switches which generate detection results representative of the identification of a fault; switch based controllers located as part of said at least two switches; and internal switch-communication means between said fault detectors and said controllers which facilitate the transmission of detection results from said fault detectors to said controllers; wherein said controllers directly cause switching to an alternative optical communication path dependent upon the receipt of said detection results; whereby autonomous switch based protection without dependence on either inter-switch control communication or higher level network control communication is achieved.

Network protection switching mechanisms and methods of network protection

Current network switching architectures require communication with a higher level network control plane, which can be slow to reroute communications, resulting in unacceptable losses of communications for customers. Examples embodiments of the present invention reroute communications faster detecting optical power of an optical signal at optical switches coupled via optical communication paths, and causing at least one optical communication path between a first optical switch and second optical switch to switch to an alternative optical communication path, in part, through physical layer triggering in an event optical power at at least one of the first or second optical switches falls below a threshold level. Switching in response to physical layer triggering may result in reduced switching times and, consequently, faster restoration of communications to customers after a network fault interruption.

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Lexington, MA, United States of America

Richard Andrew Jensen