Method and arrangement for detecting faults in a network

Patent 6160648 Issued on December 12, 2000. Estimated Expiration Date:

September 19, 2017. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.

Abstract Claims Description Full Text

Patent References

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Inventors

Assignee

Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson

Application

No. 934218 filed on 09/19/1997

US Classes:

398/4, Using a secondary ring or loop370/222, In a ring or loop network370/223, Using a secondary ring or loop370/224, Loopback of signals on the secondary ring or loop398/1, FAULT RECOVERY398/3, In a ring or loop398/7, WDM398/31, Different wavelengths for diagnostic and communication398/32Pilot signal

Examiners

Primary: Pascal, Leslie
Assistant: Lieu, Vu

Attorney, Agent or Firm

Burns, Doane, Swecker & Mathis, L.L.P.

Foreign Patent References

0 677 936 A1 EP. 10/19/1995
0677936A1 EP. 02/19/1996
2 292 495 A1 GB. 02/19/1996
2292495 GB. 02/19/1996

International Class

H04B 010/08

Foreign Application Priority Data

1996-09-23 SE

Abstract

The present invention relates to an arrangement and a method for detecting faults in an optical fiber network, comprising at least two nodes arranged with at least two optical fibers to a bus with the end nodes connected via two spare fibers. Every node comprising a central module (50), at least two protection switches (60,61) and optical amplifiers (21,22,23,24) and said central module comprising at least one central processor (51), at least one logical unit (52), at least one protection signal transmitter (53) and at least one protection signal monitor (54). The end nodes of the bus transmit a protection signal in at least one direction of the bus and said end nodes can detect the own protection signal and the protection signal transmitted from the other end node. All nodes in the bus can detect Optical Power Loss, OPL. The bus will reshape into new end nodes in case of a fault.