IP Library › Granted Patent US 8,983,293
Granted Patent B2
US 8,983,293 · App. 13/455,284 · Granted Mar 17, 2015

Electro-optical switching fabric systems and methods

Inventors: Michael Y. Frankel (Baltimore, MD); Michael Gazier (Ottawa, CA); Joseph Berthold (Fallston, MD)
Assignee: Ciena Corporation
H04B10/271G02B6/26H04Q11/0001H04J14/0212H04J14/0213H04Q11/0005H04J14/0257H04Q2011/003H04Q2011/0032
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,983,293
App. No.
13/455,284
Granted
Mar 17, 2015
Kind
B2
Abstract

An optical switch fabric, including: a first set of horizontal optical waveguides receiving a plurality of wavelengths; a plurality of wavelength-selective drop optical switches associated with the first set of horizontal optical waveguides, wherein the plurality of wavelength-selective drop optical switches are each configured to drop a selected wavelength from a horizontal optical waveguide of the first set of horizontal optical waveguides to an associated vertical optical waveguide of a plurality of vertical optical waveguides; and a plurality of controllable optical switches associated with the plurality of vertical optical waveguides, wherein the plurality of controllable optical switches are each configured to direct a selected wavelength from a vertical optical waveguide of the plurality of vertical optical waveguides to a horizontal optical waveguide of a second set of horizontal optical waveguides, and wherein the second set of horizontal optical waveguides output a plurality of wavelengths.

Claims (37)

1. An optical switch fabric, comprising:

a centralized optical cross-connect switch comprising a dual cross-linked matrix of controllable switching elements; and

a plurality of edge switches, wherein each of the plurality of edge switches comprises a multi-wavelength transceiver coupled to the centralized optical cross-connect switch;

wherein the plurality of edge switches are each communicatively coupled directly there between and communicatively coupled there between via the optical cross-connect switch.

2. The optical switch fabric of claim 1 , wherein an optical switch state of the centralized optical cross-connect switch is coordinated with edge wavelength assignment of the multi-wavelength transceiver at each of the plurality of edge switches.

3. The optical switch fabric of claim 2 , wherein the edge wavelength assignment comprises one of a fixed wavelength assignment for each of the multi-wavelength transceivers and a dynamic wavelength assignment for each of the multi-wavelength transceivers.

4. The optical switch fabric of claim 1 , wherein the dual cross-linked matrix of controllable switching elements comprises:

a first set of horizontal optical waveguides receiving a plurality of wavelengths;

a plurality of wavelength-selective drop optical switches associated with the first set of horizontal optical waveguides, wherein the plurality of wavelength-selective drop optical switches are each configured to drop a selected wavelength or group of wavelengths from a horizontal optical waveguide of the first set of horizontal optical waveguides to an associated vertical optical waveguide of a plurality of vertical optical waveguides; and

a plurality of controllable optical switches associated with the plurality of vertical optical waveguides, wherein the plurality of controllable optical switches are each configured to direct a selected wavelength or group of wavelengths from a vertical optical waveguide of the plurality of vertical optical waveguides to a horizontal optical waveguide of a second set of horizontal optical waveguides, and wherein the second set of horizontal optical waveguides output a plurality of wavelengths.

5. The optical switch fabric of claim 4 , wherein one or more of the plurality of wavelength-selective drop optical switches and the plurality of controllable optical switches are dynamically reconfigurable.

6. The optical switch fabric of claim 4 , wherein the optical switch fabric is rearrangeably non-blocking via a centralized controller coupled to the optical switch fabric.

7. The optical switch fabric of claim 4 , wherein the plurality of horizontal optical waveguides and the plurality of vertical optical waveguides are coupled by a plurality of ring resonators comprising the plurality of wavelength-selective drop optical switches.

8. A data center network, comprising:

a local-area network, comprising:

a centralized optical cross-connect switch comprising a dual cross-linked matrix of controllable switching elements; and

one or more edge switches coupled to the centralized optical cross-connect switch; and

a wide-area network coupling the data center of the local-area network to other integrated data centers.

9. The data center network of claim 8 , wherein an optical switch state of the centralized optical cross-connect switch is coordinated with edge wavelength assignment of the one or more edge switches.

10. The data center network of claim 8 , wherein the dual cross-linked matrix of controllable switching elements comprises:

a first set of horizontal optical waveguides receiving a plurality of wavelengths;

a plurality of wavelength-selective drop optical switches associated with the first set of horizontal optical waveguides, wherein the plurality of wavelength-selective drop optical switches are each configured to drop a selected wavelength or group of wavelengths from a horizontal optical waveguide of the first set of horizontal optical waveguides to an associated vertical optical waveguide of a plurality of vertical optical waveguides; and

a plurality of controllable optical switches associated with the plurality of vertical optical waveguides, wherein the plurality of controllable optical switches are each configured to direct a selected wavelength or group of wavelengths from a vertical optical waveguide of the plurality of vertical optical waveguides to a horizontal optical waveguide of a second set of horizontal optical waveguides, and wherein the second set of horizontal optical waveguides output a plurality of wavelengths.

11. The data center network of claim 10 , wherein one or more of the plurality of wavelength-selective drop optical switches and the plurality of controllable optical switches are dynamically reconfigurable.

12. The data center network of claim 10 , wherein the optical switch fabric is rearrangeably non-blocking via a centralized controller coupled to the optical switch fabric.

13. The data center network of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of horizontal optical waveguides and the plurality of vertical optical waveguides are coupled by a plurality of ring resonators comprising the plurality of wavelength-selective drop optical switches.

14. The data center network of claim 8 , further comprising a zonal aggregator switching element for electrically and optically distributing wavelengths to data center end elements associated with a plurality of zones.

15. An optical system, comprising:

a controller coupled to a centralized optical cross-connect switch comprising a dual cross-linked matrix of controllable switching elements, wherein the controller is operable for coordinating an optical switch state of the centralized optical cross-connect switch with edge wavelength assignments of one or more edge switches, wherein each of the one or more edge switches comprises a multi-wavelength transceiver coupled to the centralized optical cross-connect switch, and wherein the controller is operable for dynamically reconfiguring the centralized optical cross-connect switch such that the centralized optical cross-connect switch is rearrangeably non-blocking

16. The optical system of claim 15 , wherein the optical switch state of the centralized optical cross-connect switch is coordinated with an edge wavelength assignment of the multi-wavelength transceiver at each of the plurality of edge switches.

17. The optical system of claim 16 , wherein the edge wavelength assignment comprises one of a fixed wavelength assignment for each of the multi-wavelength transceivers and a dynamic wavelength assignment for each of the multi-wavelength transceivers.

18. The optical system of claim 15 , wherein the dual cross-linked matrix of controllable switching elements comprises:

a first set of horizontal optical waveguides receiving a plurality of wavelengths;

a plurality of wavelength-selective drop optical switches associated with the first set of horizontal optical waveguides, wherein the plurality of wavelength-selective drop optical switches are each configured to drop a selected wavelength or group of wavelengths from a horizontal optical waveguide of the first set of horizontal optical waveguides to an associated vertical optical waveguide of a plurality of vertical optical waveguides; and

a plurality of controllable optical switches associated with the plurality of vertical optical waveguides, wherein the plurality of controllable optical switches are each configured to direct a selected wavelength or group of wavelengths from a vertical optical waveguide of the plurality of vertical optical waveguides to a horizontal optical waveguide of a second set of horizontal optical waveguides, and wherein the second set of horizontal optical waveguides output a plurality of wavelengths.

19. The optical system of claim 18 , wherein one or more of the plurality of wavelength-selective drop optical switches and the plurality of controllable optical switches are dynamically reconfigurable.

20. The optical system of claim 18 , wherein the plurality of horizontal optical waveguides and the plurality of vertical optical waveguides are coupled by a plurality of ring resonators comprising the plurality of wavelength-selective drop optical switches.

Assignments (6)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Nov 20, 2023
From: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A.
To: CIENA CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 065630/0232 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Nov 8, 2019
From: CIENA CORPORATION
To: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 050969/0001 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Oct 30, 2019
From: DEUTSCHE BANK AG NEW YORK BRANCH
To: CIENA CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 050938/0389 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Jul 16, 2014
From: CIENA CORPORATION
To: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
Reel/Frame 033347/0260 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jul 15, 2014
From: CIENA CORPORATION
To: DEUTSCHE BANK AG NEW YORK BRANCH
Reel/Frame 033329/0417 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 25, 2012
From: FRANKEL, MICHAEL Y.; GAZIER, MICHAEL; BERTHOLD, JOSEPH
To: CIENA CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 028102/0665 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20130287397A1 · Oct 31, 2013