IP Library Granted Patent US 12,689,441
Granted Patent B2
US 12,689,441 · App. 18/682,358 · Granted Jul 21, 2026

Monitoring of relay node in optical transmission system

Inventors: Takeo Sasai (Musashino, JP); Masanori Nakamura (Musashino, JP)
Assignee: NTT, Inc.
H04B10/294H04B10/07955H04J14/02216
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,689,441
App. No.
18/682,358
Filed
Feb 8, 2024
Granted
Jul 21, 2026
Kind
B2
Art Unit
2635
USPC
398/79
Abstract

An aspect of the present invention is an optical transmission system in which one or more optical transmitters and one or more optical receivers perform communication via an optical transmission path, the optical transmission path including a plurality of relay nodes including optical amplifiers that amplify optical signals, the one or more optical transmitters transmitting optical signals at a plurality of channel frequencies, the one or more optical receivers estimating variations in intensities of the optical systems on the optical transmission path for each of the plurality of channel frequencies, the optical transmission system including: a network controller that acquires estimation information indicating a result of estimating the variations from the one or more optical receivers and acquires gain spectra of the optical amplifiers in the optical transmission path on the basis of the acquired plurality of pieces of estimation information.

Claims (23)

1 . An optical transmission system in which one or more optical transmitters and one or more optical receivers perform communication via an optical transmission path,

wherein the optical transmission path includes a plurality of relay nodes including optical amplifiers that amplify optical signals,

the one or more optical transmitters transmit optical signals at a plurality of channel frequencies,

the one or more optical receivers estimate variations in intensities of the optical signals on the optical transmission path for each of the plurality of channel frequencies, and

the optical transmission system comprises:

a network controller that acquires estimation information indicating a result of estimating the variations from the one or more optical receivers and acquires gain spectra of the optical amplifiers in the optical transmission path on the basis of the acquired estimation information.

2 . The optical transmission system according to claim 1 ,

wherein the one or more optical transmitters are a plurality of optical transmitters configured to transmit optical signals at mutually different channel frequencies, and

the one or more optical receivers are a plurality of optical receivers which receive a respective optical signal transmitted by an optical transmitter associated with the optical receiver itself and estimate the variations in intensity of the received respective optical signal on the optical transmission path.

3 . The optical transmission system according to claim 1 ,

wherein the one or more optical transmitters are a plurality of optical transmitters configured to transmit optical signals while sweeping a frequency band that is different from the other optical transmitters, and

the one or more optical receivers are a plurality of optical receivers which receive a respective optical signal transmitted by an optical transmitter associated with the optical receiver itself and estimate variations in intensity of the received respective optical signal on the optical transmission path for each channel frequency swept in the frequency band.

4 . The optical transmission system according to claim 1 ,

wherein the network controller acquires the gain spectra at positions in accordance with positions of the relay nodes on the optical transmission path on the basis of the estimation information acquired from the one or more optical receivers.

5 . The optical transmission system according to claim 1 ,

wherein the network controller compensates for a gain tilt of each relay node through feedback control based on the acquired gain spectra.

6 . The optical transmission system according to claim 5 ,

wherein the network controller adjusts pump wavelengths or pump powers of the optical amplifiers of the relay nodes such that the gain spectra of the relay nodes have a predetermined shape through the feedback control or levels the intensities of the optical signal at each channel frequency by causing inverse functions of the gain spectra to act on wavelength selection functions of the relay nodes.

7 . An optical transmission method comprising, in an optical transmission system in which one or more optical transmitters and one or more optical receivers perform communication via an optical transmission path:

by the optical transmission path, amplifying optical signals by optical amplifiers in a plurality of relay nodes and relaying the optical signals;

by the one or more optical transmitters, transmitting optical signals at a plurality of channel frequencies;

by the one or more optical receivers, estimating variations in intensities of the optical signals on the optical transmission path for each of the plurality of channel frequencies; and

by a network controller, acquiring estimation information indicating a result of estimating the variations from the one or more optical receivers and acquiring gain spectra of the optical amplifiers in the optical transmission path on the basis of the acquired estimation information.

Assignments (2)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Oct 3, 2025
From: NIPPON TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE CORPORATION
To: NTT, INC.
Reel/Frame 072996/0465 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 9, 2024
From: SASAI, TAKEO; NAKAMURA, MASANORI
To: NIPPON TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 066430/0617 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20250233664A1 · Jul 17, 2025
References Cited (28)
US 6023366A · Kinoshita · 2000 [cited by applicant]
US 20020039226A1 · Murakami · 2002 [cited by examiner]
US 20120121259A1 · Kuwata · 2012 [cited by examiner]
US 20190074903A1 · Takamuku et al. · 2019 [cited by applicant]
US 20220416890A1 · Sasai et al. · 2022 [cited by applicant]
US 20230106338A1 · Sasai et al. · 2023 [cited by applicant]
JP H05292033A · 1993 [cited by applicant]
JP H09321701A · 1997 [cited by applicant]
JP 2014195149A · 2014 [cited by applicant]
WO WO2017217217A1 · 2017 [cited by applicant]
WO WO2021124415A1 · 2021 [cited by applicant]
WO WO2021199317A1 · 2021 [cited by applicant]
“Takeo Sasai et al., “Digital Backpropagation for Optical Path Monitoring: Loss Profile and Passband Narrowing Estimation”, ECOC2020, Paper Tu2D.1, 2020”. [cited by applicant]
“Takeo Sasai et al., Revealing Raman-amplified Power Profile and Raman Gain Spectra with Digital Backpropagation, in OFC2021, Paper M3I.5”. [cited by applicant]
Takeo Sasai et al., “Digital Longitudinal Monitoring of Optical Fiber Communication Link”, Journal of Lightwave Technology, Dec. 29, 2021. [cited by applicant]
Dietrich Marcuse et al., “Application of the Manakov-PMD Equation to Studies of Signal Propagation in Optical Fibers with Randomly Varying Birefringence”, Journal of Lightwave Technology, Sep. 1997, vol. 15, No. 9, pp. … [cited by applicant]
Multispan optical transmission line monitoring technology by learning nonlinear Schrödinger equation, Business Communication, 2021, vol. 58, No. 6, pp. 22-25. [cited by applicant]
Takeo Sasai et al., “Digital Backpropagation for Optical Path Monitoring—Loss and Dispersion Profile Estimation-”, IEICE Technical Report, Jan. 7, 2021, OCS2020-39, pp. 61-64. [cited by applicant]
International Search Report in Application No. PCT/JP2022/002185, Apr. 12, 2022. [cited by applicant]
T. Sasai et al., “Simultaneous Detection of Anomaly Points and Fiber types in Multi-span Transmission Links Only by Receiver-side Digital Signal Processing”, OFC2020, Paper Th1F.1, 2020. [cited by applicant]
T. Sasai et al., “Physics-oriented learning of nonlinear Schrodinger equation: optical fiber loss and dispersion profile identification”, arXiv:2104.05890, 2021. [cited by applicant]
T. Tanimura et al., “Fiber-Longitudinal Anomaly Position Identification Over Multi-Span Transmission Link Out of Receiver-end Signals”, J. Lightw. Technol., 38(9), 2020. [cited by applicant]
M. K. Barnoski et al., “Fiber waveguides: a novel technique for investigating attenuation characteristics”, Applied Optics, 15(9), pp. 2112-2115, 1976. [cited by applicant]
S. Furukawa et al., “Enhanced Coherent OTDR for Long Span Optical Transmission Lines Containing Optical Fiber Amplifiers”, IEEE Photon. Technol. Lett., 7(5), pp. 540-542, 1995. [cited by applicant]
A. Matsushita et al., “High-Spectral-Efficiency 600-Gbps/Carrier Transmission Using PDM-256QAM Format”, Journal of Lightwave Technology, 37(2), 2019. [cited by applicant]
T. Tanimura et al., “Experimental Demonstration of a Coherent Receiver that Visualizes Longitudinal Signal Power Profile over Multiple Spans out of Its Incoming Signal”, ECOC2019 PD.3.4, 2019. [cited by applicant]
IP E et al: “Compensation of Dispersion and Nonlinear Impairment Using Digital Backpropagation”, Journal of Lightwave Technology, IEEE, USA, vol. 26, No. 20, Oct. 15, 2008 (Oct. 15, 2008), pp. 3416-3425, XP011241197, IS… [cited by applicant]
Asif Rameez et al: “Optimized digital backward propagation for phase modulated signals in mixed-optical fiber transmission links”, Optics Express,, vol. 18, No. 22, Oct. 25, 2010 (Oct. 25, 2010), p. 22796, XP002715061, … [cited by applicant]