JPH10262052A - Header processor for optical packet signal and optical packet-switching device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To simplify the constitution and to reduce the cost of header processor by preparing a photoelectric conversion means for an electric control part, which converts the header part information into the electric signals to perform the analysis processing for plural optical packet signals that are wrongly inputted. SOLUTION: The header part signals of optical packet signals, which are inputted from plural input ports 201-1 to 20-N, are inputted to a photoelectric converter 106 as a series of signals. The optical delay lines 205-1 to 205-N are set so as to cause a delay in the length of each delay line by a degree equivalent to the time obtained by setting the guard time to the header part of each optical packet signal. Thus, collision is prevented among the header parts of the optical packet signals, which are inputted in the same timing when they are inputted to a photoelectric converter 206. Then an electric control part 207 analyzes the header part signals which are inputted serially and photoelectrically converted, so that the routing information on each optical packet signal is obtained. Since one photoelectric converter is sufficient, the constitution of a header processor for optical packet signals can be simplified, together with the reduction in cost.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical packet signal header processing apparatus and an optical packet switching apparatus, and more particularly to an ATM (Asynchronous Transfer).
r Mode) An optical switching technology is introduced into a switching device used in a packet switching network such as switching, and is characterized by an optical packet signal header extracting device and a header rewriting device installed inside a so-called optical packet switching device. is there.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The document "Rack-Mounted"
2.5Gbit / s ATM Photonic Sw
itch Demomonstrator ”, ECOC'9
3, september 12-16, 1993, Pr
Oceedings, Volume 3 "A switching device used in an ATM switching network or the like is a fixed-length packet switching device for exchanging high-speed fixed-length packets (cells). In recent years, optical switching technology has been used to further increase the speed. Optical packet switching devices have been proposed.

[0003] Such an optical packet switching apparatus includes:
For example, a configuration as shown on pages 77 to 80 of the above document is considered.

[0004] The configuration and operation of the optical packet switching apparatus according to the prior art will be described with reference to FIG.

In FIG. 2, an optical packet signal input from each input port (optical fiber) 101-1,..., 101-N is converted into a 1 × 2 optical demultiplexer 102-1,.
N branches into two.

Each of the optical packet signals is input to optical-to-electrical converters 104-1,..., 104-N for analyzing header information of the optical packet signal. The optical packet signal input to each of the optical-to-electrical converters 104-1,..., 104-N is converted from an optical signal to an electrical signal and input to the electrical control unit 105. The header information is extracted, and the header information is analyzed. This header section information includes routing information indicating from which output port the input packet signal is output. The electric control unit 105 generates a wavelength conversion control signal from the header section information and supplies the wavelength conversion control signal to the wavelength converters 103-1,..., 103-N, and generates an optical gate switch control signal to generate the optical gate switch 107-11. , ..., 107-QQ (Q ≦
N).

The 1 × 2 optical splitters 102-1,..., 102-
The other branched optical packet signal output from N is input to the subsequent wavelength converters 103-1,..., 103-N as main signals. Each wavelength converter 103-1,..., 103-N
Then, the wavelength of the input optical packet signal is converted by the above-described wavelength conversion control signal.

Each wavelength converter 103-1,..., 103-N
Are split into Q signals by the corresponding 1.times.Q optical splitters 106-1,..., 106-Q, and are opened and controlled by the optical gate switch control signal described above. Optical gate switch 107-11,
, 107-1Q, 107-21,..., 107-QQ, and then the Q × 1 optical multiplexers 108-1,.
The optical delay lines 109-1,...
09-Q.

Each of the optical delay lines 109-1,..., 109-Q
The optical delay line 109-1 causes a delay time of 0, and the optical delay line 109-2 causes a delay time of one cell by adjusting the length of the optical fiber. Similarly, the optical delay line 109-Q makes it possible to generate a delay time corresponding to Q-1 packets. As described above, the optical packet signal is guided to the optical delay line according to the delay time required by the optical gate switch control signal.

The optical packet signals from all the optical delay lines 109-1 to 109-Q are multiplexed by a Q × 1 optical multiplexer 110, and then N optical signals are transmitted by a 1 × N optical demultiplexer 111. And each of the branched optical signals is divided into fixed filters 112-
, 112-N, only the predetermined wavelength component is selected and output to each output port 113-1,..., 113-N.

For example, the optical packet signal A from the input port 101-1 is sent to the output port 113-2 and the input port 10-1.
Output the optical packet signal B from the output port 113-1
In the case of switching to the wavelength converter 103-1, the wavelength converter 103-1 converts the wavelength of the optical packet signal A into λ2,
Converts the wavelength of the optical packet B into λ1.

Then, the optical packet signal A is branched by the 1 × Q optical branching device 106-1.
Passes through one optical gate switch (herein, 107-11) that is controlled to open under the control of, and is output to the optical delay line 109-1 via the Q × 1 optical multiplexer 108-1. . Similarly, for the optical packet signal B, for example, by opening only the optical gate switch 107-21, the optical delay line 109 is opened.
-1 is output.

In this way, the two optical packet signals A and B are wavelength-multiplexed and applied to the Q × 1 optical multiplexer 110, where they are multiplexed with the signal from another optical delay line, and then the 1 × N optical signal is transmitted. The signal is sent to the demultiplexer 111, branched into N signals, and sent to the fixed filters 112-1, 112-2,..., 112-N.

Here, the fixed filter 112-1 has a wavelength λ.
1, the fixed filter 112-2 passes only the wavelength λ2, and the other fixed filters pass other wavelengths. Therefore, the optical packet signal A is output to the output port 113-2, and the optical packet signal B is output to the output port 113-. 1 respectively.

[0015]

However, in order to analyze the header information of the optical packet signal in the optical packet switching apparatus described above, at present, optical-to-electric conversion is performed and the header information is electrically analyzed. There is no other way but to do it.

In the prior art, in order to perform such an optical-electrical conversion, optical-electrical converters are required for the number of input ports. Therefore, when the number of input ports increases,
An optical-to-electrical converter for header analysis is required by the increased amount, and the cost and the hardware become very large.

At the present stage, an optical-electrical converter for a high-speed line of several Gb / s class has a large size and is difficult to integrate.

Incidentally, some optical packet switching devices include:
Virtual path (VP; Virtual) in ATM exchange
In some cases, it is necessary to rewrite the header section information at the end of the pass. Conventionally, an optical packet signal is converted into an electric signal for each input port, and the header portion is rewritten.
Further, the header portion after rewriting is subjected to electro-optical conversion and added to the optical packet signal again. For this reason, an electric-optical converter for performing electric-optical conversion is also provided for each port.

Therefore, even in such an optical packet switching apparatus, although there is a difference between the optical-electrical converter and the electrical-optical converter, almost the same as the optical packet switching apparatus described in the section of the prior art, A problem arises because the number of the electro-optical converters has to be provided for the number of ports.

[0020]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a header information of one or a plurality of optical packet signals input simultaneously is electrically analyzed. In the header processing apparatus for an optical packet signal provided to the electric control means, (1) a plurality of optical header information extracting means for optically extracting header information of an input optical packet signal; and (2) a plurality of optical header information extracting means. Optical parallel / serial conversion means for converting the header information output in parallel from the optical header information extraction means to serial, and (3) converting the optical signal output from the optical parallel / serial conversion means into an electric signal. Light-electric conversion means for converting the signal into a signal and supplying the signal to the electric control means.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an optical packet switching apparatus, wherein (1) 1 × the number of processing ports provided for dividing one or a plurality of simultaneously inputted optical packet signals into two. (2) these 1 ×
An optical switching means for exchanging one of the branched optical packet signals output simultaneously from the two-branching means; and (3) 1 × 2 each.
Optical header information extracting means for the number of processing ports for optically extracting header information of the other branched optical packet signal output simultaneously from the branching means; and (4) parallel output from these optical header information extracting means. An optical parallel / serial conversion means for converting the header section information output to the CPU into a serial signal; and (5) an optical-electrical conversion means for converting the optical signal output from the optical parallel / serial conversion means into an electric signal. (6) an electric control means for receiving an output signal from the optical-electrical conversion means and forming a switching control signal to be supplied to the optical switching means.

In the optical packet signal header processing apparatus of the first invention and the optical packet switching apparatus of the second invention, the header information of one or a plurality of input optical packet signals is converted into an electric signal. In order to provide the electric control means for performing the analysis processing by using a significantly smaller number of light-to-electric conversion means than in the past, the configuration and cost of the apparatus can be greatly reduced.

Further, the third invention provides an optical packet signal header processing apparatus for rewriting header information of one or a plurality of optical packet signals input simultaneously with other header information. 1 × 2 branching means provided as many as the number of processing ports for branching each of one or a plurality of optical packet signals input simultaneously at the same time,
(2) a plurality of header information removing means for removing the header information in one of the branched optical packet signals output from the corresponding 1 × 2 branching means and passing only the data part; A header information photoelectric conversion means for converting at least the header information of one or a plurality of other branch optical packet signals output from the branch means into an electric signal and outputting the electric signal; and (4) the header information photoelectric conversion means. (5) an electric control means for forming header section information to be replaced with the header section information based on the electric signal of (1) and outputting a header signal in which the formed one or a plurality of pieces of header section information are serially arranged; Electro-optical conversion means for converting a header signal composed of an electric signal output from the electric control means into an optical signal; and (6) included in the header signal composed of an optical signal from the electric-optical conversion means. Optical serial / parallel conversion means for decomposing one or a plurality of pieces of header part information in parallel, (7) header information from the optical serial / parallel conversion means, and corresponding header part information removing means. A plurality of optical multiplexing means for multiplexing the output data portion and re-forming an optical packet signal.

Furthermore, the fourth invention relates to an optical packet switching apparatus, and relates to the configuration of the optical packet signal header processing apparatus of the third invention and outputs from a plurality of multiplexing means in the header processing apparatus. Optical switching means for exchanging the optical packet signal, wherein the electrical control means in the header processing device supplies the optical switching means with a switching control signal formed on the basis of one or a plurality of pieces of input header information. It is characterized by having been done.

In the optical packet signal header processing apparatus according to the third aspect of the present invention and the optical packet switching apparatus according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the header information to be replaced with the header information in the input optical packet signal or a plurality of optical packet signals is provided. In order to output the data from the electric control means and reattach it to the data portion, it is sufficient to use a significantly smaller number of electro-optical conversion means than in the past, and the configuration and cost of the apparatus can be greatly reduced.

[0026]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

(A) First Embodiment Hereinafter, a first embodiment of an optical packet signal header processing apparatus and an optical packet switching apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(A-1) Configuration of the First Embodiment FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the optical packet switching device of the first embodiment.

In FIG. 1, the optical packet switching apparatus includes N 1 × 2 optical splitters 202-1 to 202-N,
An optical switching unit 208 and a header analysis unit 210 are provided. The header analysis unit 210 specifically includes N optical gate switches 203-1 to 203-N, N-1 2 ×
It is composed of one optical multiplexers 204-1 to 204- (N-1), N-1 optical delay lines 205-1 to 205- (N-1), an optical-electrical converter 206, and an electric control unit 207. ing.

Each 1 × 2 optical splitter 202-1,..., 202
-N are the corresponding input ports 201-1,.
The optical packet signal input from 201-N is branched into two,
One branch optical packet signal is provided to the optical switching unit 208, and the other branch optical packet signal is provided to the corresponding optical gate switches 203-1,..., 203-N.

The optical switching unit 208 includes the electric control unit 2
, Under the control of 07, each 1 × 2 optical splitter 202-1,.
., 209-N.

The detailed configuration of the optical switching unit 208 is not directly related to the features of the first embodiment, and may be any configuration. 2 wavelength converters 103-1 to 103-3
Components ranging from −N to the fixed filters 112-1 to 112-N can be applied.

The header analysis unit 210 analyzes the header of the optical packet signal input to the optical packet switching device and forms a control signal to be provided to the optical switching unit 208.

Although illustration is omitted in FIG. 1, 1
The × 2 optical splitters 202-1 to 202-N and the optical switching unit 208 are connected by an optical delay line giving the same delay time. This delay time is determined by the header analysis unit 2
Numeral 10 is selected as the time required to form the switching control signal by analyzing the header information of the input optical packet signal, and is selected as an integral multiple of one packet time.

Each component in the header analyzer 210 functions as follows.

Each of the optical gate switches 203-1,..., 20
3-N are the corresponding 1 × 2 optical splitters 202-
1,..., 202-N, extract only the header part (header information) from the other branched optical packet signal and output it to the subsequent stage. In the case of a fixed-length packet, since the position of the header portion in the packet is determined, only the header portion can be easily extracted.

Each of the 2 × 1 optical multiplexers 204-1,..., 204
-(N-1) respectively multiplexes the input two series of optical signals. Each optical delay line 205-1,..., 20
5- (N-1) delays the input optical signal by a predetermined time, and the delay times of all the optical delay lines are selected to be the same. This delay time is selected to be slightly longer than the time of the header section. That is, as described later, the delay time is selected such that a guard time occurs between adjacent header portions when each header portion is time-multiplexed.

The output of the optical gate switch 203-1 is input to one input terminal of the 2 × 1 optical multiplexer 204-1.
The output of the optical delay line 205-1 is input to the other input terminal, and the combined optical signal is output to the optical-electrical converter 206.
The output of the optical gate switch 203-2 is input to one input terminal of the one optical multiplexer 204-2, and the output of the optical delay line 205-2 is input to the other input terminal to optically delay the multiplexed optical signal. Output to the line 205-1 and output to the 2 × 1 optical multiplexer 204-
3 has one input terminal to which the output of the optical gate switch 203-3 is input, and the other input terminal having an optical delay line 205-.
3 is input and the multiplexed optical signal is converted to an optical delay line 205-2.
Similarly, other 2 × 1 optical multiplexers, optical delay lines, and optical gate switches are also connected. The output of the optical gate switch 203-N is provided not to the 2 × 1 optical multiplexer but to the optical delay line 205- (N-1).

With the above connection, the headers output from the optical gate switches 203-1,..., 203-N simultaneously and in parallel are output from the optical multiplexer 204-1 in series according to the input port order. (Time multiplexed) and output.

The optical-to-electrical converter 206 converts such an optical time series of the header section into an electric signal and converts it into an electric control section 207.
To give.

The electric control unit 207 recognizes the destination of the input nuclear optical packet signal and the like based on the time series of the header part converted into the electric signal, and forms a control signal to be given to the optical switching unit 208. This is given to the optical switching unit 208.

(A-2) Operation of First Embodiment Next, the operation of the optical packet switching device of the first embodiment will be described.

The optical packet signals input from the input ports 201-1,..., 201-N are split into two by the corresponding 1 × 2 optical splitters 202-1,. It is provided to the optical switching unit 208 and the header analysis unit 210.

In the header analysis section 210, the header section of each branch optical packet signal is
, 203-N, and the header part extracted in parallel is a 2 × 1 optical multiplexer 204-1.
To 204- (N-1) and optical delay lines 205-1 to 205
The signal is converted into a time-series serial signal by the function of (N-1) and supplied to the optical-electrical converter 206.

The time series of the header part converted into an electric signal by the optical-electrical converter 206 is given to the electric control unit 207 and analyzed by the electric control unit 207 to form a switching control signal. Given to.

In the optical switching section 208, the 1 × 2 optical splitter 202 is operated in accordance with the switching control signal.
-1, 209 are routed to output ports 209-1,..., 209.
Output to -N.

Next, the operation of the optical packet switching apparatus according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
The operation at 0 will be specifically described.

As shown in FIG. 3, three input ports 20
From 1-1, 201-2, and 201-N, the optical packet signals 211-1, 211-2, and 2 at the timing of time t1.
It is assumed that 11-3 has been input.

Input ports 201-1, 201-2, 20
2 × 1 optical splitters 202-1 and 202- corresponding to 1-N
One of the branched optical packet signals branched by the optical gate switch 203-N.
1, 203-2, 203-N.

Each optical gate switch 203-1 and 203-
In 2, 203-N, the header part of the optical packet signal is output to the subsequent stage, and the operation is performed so that the data part is not passed. The header portion of the optical packet signal output from the optical gate switch 203-1 is provided to the 2 × 1 optical multiplexer 204-1.
The header of the optical packet signal output from the optical gate switch 203-2 is supplied to the 2 × 1 optical multiplexer 204-2, and the header of the optical packet signal output from the optical gate switch 203-N is an optical packet. Delay line 205- (N-1).

Thus, the header of the optical packet signal output from the switch 203-1 is input to the optical-electrical converter 206 without delay, and
-2, the header portion of the optical packet signal output from the optical-to-electrical converter 2 is delayed by one time of the delay unit time.
06, and the header of the optical packet signal output from the switch 203-N is (N-1) of the delay unit time.
The input signal is delayed by a double time and input to the optical-electrical converter 206. That is, a plurality of input ports 201-1, 201
-2, the header signal of the optical packet signal input from 201-N is input to the optical-electrical converter 206 as a series of signals as shown in FIG.

Here, the optical delay lines 205-1,.
As described above, −N has been input at the same timing because the length of the delay line is set so as to cause a delay corresponding to a time obtained by adding the guard time to the header of the optical packet signal. It is possible to prevent the header portion of the optical packet signal from colliding when being input to the optical-electrical converter 206.

The electrical control unit 207 analyzes the optically-electrically converted header signal input in serial, so that routing information of each optical packet signal can be obtained. Then, the electric control unit 207 generates a switching control signal and outputs the switching control signal to the optical switching unit 208.
To send to.

Thus, in the optical switching unit 208, for example, the optical packet signal 211-1 is output to the output port 2
09-N, the optical packet signal 211-2 is output from the output port 20.
9-1, the optical packet signal 211-3 is output from the output port 209.
It is possible to switch to the desired output port, such as to-(N-1).

(A-3) Effect of First Embodiment As described above, according to the first embodiment, the header portions of a plurality of optical packet signals input simultaneously are converted into a serial signal sequence. Since the input is made to the light-to-electrical converter 206, the number of light-to-electrical converters can be significantly reduced as compared with the related art. That is, conventionally,
Optical-to-electrical converters for the number of input ports were required,
According to the first embodiment, only one optical-electrical converter is required. Therefore, the cost and the hardware scale can be reduced as compared with the conventional case.

Since the length of the header portion in the optical packet signal is sufficiently shorter than the entire length, the header portion is converted into a serial sequence and supplied to the electric control portion 207 to form a switching control signal. However, in practice, one packet period is sufficient as the time from the input of the optical packet signal to the formation of the switching control signal, and the processing delay time from the output port to the output port is about the same as the conventional one. It is.

Although the structure of the electric control unit is more complicated than before, when comparing the electric element and the optical element, the electric element is available at lower cost and is easy to integrate. The above effects can be obtained.

(B) Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment of an optical packet signal header processing apparatus and an optical packet switching apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(B-1) Configuration of Second Embodiment Among optical packet exchanges, in the case of optical ATM exchange, VP (Virtual Pascal) is used in the optical packet exchange apparatus.
th; virtual path), the routing table inside the header must be terminated and new header information must be added.

The optical packet switching apparatus according to the second embodiment terminates the VP of the optical packet signal input to the optical packet switching apparatus and inserts the header information with the new VP into the optical packet signal. Things.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the optical packet switching device according to the second embodiment.

In FIG. 4, an optical packet switching apparatus according to the second embodiment includes N 1 × 2 optical branching devices 402-1 to 402-1.
402-N and N optical gate switches 403-1 to 403-4
03-N, the optical-electrical converter 404, and the electric control unit 40
5, the electro-optical converter 406, N-1 1 × 2 optical splitters 407-1 to 407- (N-1), and N-1 optical delay lines 408-1 to 408- ( N-1), N optical gate switches 409-1 to 409-N, and N 2 × 1
It comprises optical multiplexers 410-1 to 410-N and an optical switching unit 411.

Each of the 1 × 2 optical splitters 402-1,..., 402
−N are the corresponding input ports 401-1,.
The optical packet signal input from 401-N is branched into two, one of which is supplied to the corresponding optical gate switch 403-1,..., 403-N, and the other is transmitted to the optical-electrical switch. This is given to the converter 404.

Each optical gate switch 403-1,..., 40
3-N pass only the data portion of the input optical packet signal and pass through the corresponding 2 × 1 optical multiplexer 410-N.
1, ..., 410-N.

Although not shown in FIG. 4,
, 403-N and the corresponding 2 × 1 optical multiplexers 410-1,..., 410-N
Are connected via an optical delay line that delays by a predetermined time. The predetermined delay time is determined by the optical-electrical converter 40.
4 to a time corresponding to the processing delay time of the processing system from the optical gate switches 409-1 to 409-N.

The optical-to-electrical converter 404 converts the other split optical packet signal output from the 1 × 2 optical splitters 402-1,..., 402-N into an electrical signal, and converts it into an electrical signal.
To give. Here, in the case of the second embodiment,
The optical-to-electrical converter 404 may have any detailed configuration. For example, the optical-to-electrical converters 404 may include optical gate switches 203-1 to 203-N in FIG. 1 according to the first embodiment.
The structure up to the electric converter 206 can be applied. That is, the optical-electrical converter 404 of the second embodiment transmits at least information of the header section to the electric control section 40.
7 as long as it is given.

The electric control unit 405 includes the optical-electrical converter 40
The packet signal (at least the information of the header part) converted into the electric signal from the optical switching unit 4 is analyzed to form a switching control signal to be given to the optical switching unit 411 and to be given to the optical switching unit 411, and the optical packet switching device , And 401-N are time-multiplexed in the reverse order of the input ports 401-1,..., 401-N to form an optical-to-optical converter.
To give.

The electro-optical converter 406 converts the header signal composed of an electric signal into an optical signal and converts it into a 1 × 2 optical splitter 407-1.
To give.

Each 1 × 2 optical splitter 407-1,..., 407
-(N-1) indicates that the input optical header signal is
It branches. Each of the optical delay lines 408-1,.
8- (N-1) delays the input optical header signal by a predetermined time allocated to the header section.

Here, the 1 × 2 optical splitter 407-1 receives the output from the electro-optical converter 406, supplies one branch signal to the optical gate switch 409-1, and outputs the other branch signal to the optical gate switch 409-1. Provided to the delay line 408-1, the 1 × 2 optical splitter 407
-2, the output from the optical delay line 408-1 is input, one branch signal is supplied to the optical gate switch 409-2, and the other branch signal is supplied to the optical delay line 408-2. The device 407-3 receives the output from the optical delay line 408-2, supplies one branch signal to the optical gate switch 409-3, and provides the other branch signal to the optical delay line 408-3. Another 1 × 2 optical splitter is also connected. The output from the optical delay line 408- (N-1) is supplied to the optical gate switch 409-N.

As described above, the electro-optical converter 406, N-1
, 407- (N-
1), N-1 optical delay lines 408-1,..., 408-
(N-1) and N optical gate switches 409-
, 409-N, the electric-optical converter 40
6, the information of the plurality of time-multiplexed header sections is converted into N header gates 409- as parallel header sections.
, 409-N are input simultaneously.

Each optical gate switch 409-1,..., 40
9-N perform the passing operation at the same time, and perform the passing operation only when the header signal to be passed by the own port is input. 1 optical multiplexer 410-1,..., 4
10-N.

Each of the 2 × 1 optical multiplexers 410-1,..., 410
-N are the corresponding optical gate switches 409-
, 409-N and the corresponding data gate signals from the optical gate switches 403-1,..., 403-N are combined and provided to the optical switching unit 411. . That is, each 2 × 1 optical multiplexer 410 −
The outputs from 1,..., 410-N are optical packet signals in which the information in the header part of the optical packet signal input to the optical packet switching apparatus is rewritten.

The optical switching unit 411 includes the electric control unit 4
Under the control of the optical multiplexers 05, each of the 2 × 1 optical multiplexers 410-1,.
10-N exchange optical packet signals and output port 4
12-1,..., 412-N.

The detailed configuration inside the optical switching unit 411 is not directly related to the features of the second embodiment, and may be any configuration. 2 except for the header analysis unit 114 can be applied.

(B-2) Operation of Second Embodiment Next, the operation of the optical packet switching apparatus of the second embodiment will be described.
The following description focuses on the operation of rewriting information in the header section.

The optical packet signals input from the input ports 401-1,..., 401-N are split into two by the corresponding 1.times.2 optical splitters 402-1,.

One of the branched optical packet signals is supplied to the corresponding optical gate switch 403-1,..., 403-N, and only the data portion is taken out and the corresponding 2 × 1 optical multiplexer 410-1,. 410-N.

All the other branched optical packet signals are supplied to the optical-electrical converter 404. Thus, at least the header part of the branched optical packet signal is converted into an electric signal by the optical-electrical converter 404 and provided to the electric control unit 405.

As a result, the information of the header of one or a plurality of optical packet signals input simultaneously to the optical packet switching apparatus is analyzed by the electric control unit 405, and the switching control signal to be given to the optical switching unit 411 is obtained. It is provided to the optical switching unit 411, and the electrical control unit 405 forms a header signal which is a time multiplexed signal in which the information of the header part inserted by rewriting is arranged in the reverse order of the input port. It is provided to the electro-optical converter 406. The header signal is converted into an electric signal by the electric-optical converter 406 and supplied to the 1 × 2 optical multiplexer 407-1.

The time-multiplexed header signal output from the electro-optical converter 406 is a 1 × 2 optical splitter 407-
, 407- (N-1) and the optical delay line 408-1,
, 408- (N-1) are demultiplexed and the information of the replaced header section corresponding to each input port is synchronized and in parallel with the optical gate switches 409-1,.
9-N and passes through only the period in which the information of the replaced header portion corresponding to each input port is provided, and the corresponding 2 × 1 optical multiplexers 410-1,.
N.

Each of the 2 × 1 optical multiplexers 410-1,..., 410
-N, the corresponding optical gate switch 409-1,
, 409-N and the corresponding data gate signals from the optical gate switches 403-1,..., 403-N are combined and provided to the optical switching unit 411. That is, each 2 × 1 optical multiplexer 410-1,.
From 410-N, an optical packet signal in which the information of the header portion of the optical packet signal input to the optical packet switching device is rewritten is output. These optical packet signals are converted by the optical switching unit 411 into the electric control unit 405. Are exchanged based on the switching control signal from the output ports 412-1,..., And 412-N.

Next, the operation of the optical packet switching apparatus according to the second embodiment, in particular, the rewriting operation of the header section will be specifically described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 5, the input port 401-
The optical packet signals 413-1, 413-2, and 41 at the timing of time t1 from 1, 401-2, and 401-N.
It is assumed that 3-3 has been input. These optical packet signals 413-1, 413-2 and 413-3 correspond to the corresponding 1
It is split into two by the × 2 optical splitters 402-1, 402-2, and 402-N.

Each of the branched optical packet signals is supplied to a corresponding one of the optical gate switches 403-1, 403-2, and 403-.
N, only the data portion is extracted (the header portion is removed), and the corresponding 2 × 1 optical multiplexer 410-1,
410-2 and 410-N.

The other three optical packet signals are all supplied to the optical-electrical converter 404. Thus, the optical-to-electrical converter 404 converts at least the header part of the branched optical packet signal into an electric signal and provides the electric signal to the electric control unit 405, and the three optical packet signals 513 simultaneously input to the optical packet switching apparatus. -1, 513-2, 513
-3 is analyzed by the electric control unit 405, a switching control signal is formed and given to the optical switching unit 411, and the header information 514-1 and 514-2 inserted by rewriting. , 514-3 are arranged in correspondence with the reverse order of the input ports, and a header signal which is a time multiplexed signal is formed and supplied to the electro-optical converter 406. Note that, in the time-multiplexed header signal, a guard time, which is an idle time, is provided between the information of the headers related to adjacent input ports.

The time-multiplexed header signal output from the electro-optical converter 406 is a 1 × 2 optical splitter 407-
, 407- (N-1) and the optical delay line 408-1,
, 408- (N-1) demultiplexed and replaced header information 514-1, 514 corresponding to each of the input ports 401-1, 401-2, 401-N.
-2, 514-3 are synchronized and connected in parallel to the optical gate switch 4.
09-1, 409-2, 409-N, and the corresponding 2 × 1 optical multiplexers 410-1, 410-2, 410-N
Given to.

That is, in the case of the specific example of FIG. 5, the header section information 514-3 is delayed by the sum of N-1 times the header section time and N-1 times the guard time, and the optical gate switch 409-N, and the header section information 51
4-2, the optical gate switch 40 is delayed by the total time of one time of the header part time and one time of the guard time.
9-2, the header section information 514-1 is provided to the optical guard switch 509-1 without delay, whereby the header section information 514-1, 514-2, 514 is output.
-3 are synchronized and the optical gate switches 409-1 and 49-1 are connected in parallel.
09-2, 409-N.

The 2 × 1 optical multiplexers 410-1 and 410-1
The signals 514-1, 514-2, and 514-3 in the header section from the corresponding optical gate switches 409-1, 409-2, and 409-N and the corresponding optical gate switches 403 are determined by 0-2 and 410-N. -1,403-2,403-
The signal of the data section from N is multiplexed and provided to the optical switching section 411.

The 2 × 1 optical multiplexers 410-1, 410-2,
The optical packet signal in which the information of the header section output from 410-N is rewritten is exchanged by the optical switching section 411 based on the switching control signal from the electric control section 405, and is output from the corresponding output port.

In the case of FIG. 5, an optical packet signal obtained by rewriting the header of the optical packet signal 413-1 from the input port 401-1 is output to the output port 412-N, and the optical packet signal from the input port 401-2 is output. The optical packet signal in which the header portion of the signal 413-2 is rewritten is output from the output port 412.
-1 and an optical packet signal in which the header of the optical packet signal 413-3 from the input port 401-N is rewritten is output to the output port 412- (N-1).

(B-3) Effects of the Second Embodiment As described above, according to the second embodiment, at least the information of the header portion of the optical packet signal is converted from light to electricity and analyzed by the electric control unit. In response, one or more pieces of newly generated header section information are output in one series, and
Since the operation is performed by using one electro-optical converter, the number of electro-optical converters can be greatly reduced and the cost is reduced as compared with the conventional optical packet switching device which involves rewriting the header information. Wear can also be reduced.

Here, the configuration until the header information is input to the electrical control unit 405 (the optical-electrical converter 40 in FIG. 4).
4 applies), when the configuration described in the first embodiment is applied, only one optical-electrical converter is required, and the cost and hardware of the apparatus can be further reduced. it can.

(C) Other Embodiments The network to which the optical packet signal header processing device and optical packet switching device of the present invention can be applied is not limited to the optical ATM switching network, but is applicable to other high-speed optical networks. It is also effective.

In the above embodiment, the header information input to the electric control unit and / or the header information output from the electric control unit are unified. However, when the number of ports is considerably large, Alternatively, two or more wires may be used. Even in this case, one electrical-optical converter or optical-electrical converter may be provided for each of a predetermined number of ports.

Further, the processing component of the header information described in the above embodiment may be applied to an optical packet processing apparatus having no switching function.

[0096]

As described above, according to the optical packet signal header processing apparatus of the first aspect of the present invention and the optical packet switching apparatus of the second aspect of the present invention, the header of one or a plurality of input optical packet signals is provided. In order to convert the unit information into an electric signal and to give the electric control unit an electric control unit that performs an analysis process, it is only necessary to use a significantly smaller number of optical-electrical conversion units than in the past, and the configuration and cost of the apparatus are greatly reduced. be able to.

According to the optical packet signal header processing apparatus of the third aspect of the present invention and the optical packet switching apparatus of the fourth aspect of the present invention, the header replaced with the header part information in the input one or a plurality of optical packet signals. In order to output the unit information from the electric control unit and reattach it to the data portion, it is sufficient to use a significantly smaller number of electro-optical conversion units than in the past, and it is possible to greatly reduce the configuration and cost of the apparatus. it can.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a conventional configuration.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram for explaining the operation of the first embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a second embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram for explaining the operation of the second embodiment;

[Explanation of symbols]

 202-1 to 202-N: 1 × 2 optical branching device; 203-1 to 203-N: optical gate switch; 204-1 to 204- (N−1): 2 × 1 optical multiplexer; 205- (N-1) optical delay line 206 optical-electrical converter 207 electrical control unit 207 208 optical switching unit 210 header analysis unit 402-1 to 402-N 1 × 2 Optical branching devices, 403-1 to 403-N: optical gate switch, 404: optical-electrical converter, 405: electrical control unit, 406: electrical-optical converter, 407-1 to 407- (N-1) ... 1 × 2 optical splitter, 408-1 to 408- (N-1): optical delay line, 409-1 to 409-N: optical gate switch, 410-1 to 410-N: 2 × 1 optical multiplexer, 411: Optical switching unit.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An optical packet signal header processing device for providing header information of one or a plurality of optical packet signals input simultaneously to an electrical control means for electrically analyzing the header information. A plurality of optical header information extracting means for optically extracting header information of an optical packet signal; and an optical converter for serially converting header information output in parallel from the plurality of optical header information extracting means. An optical packet signal, comprising: a parallel / serial converter; and an optical-electric converter that converts an optical signal output from the optical parallel / serial converter into an electric signal and provides the electric signal to the electric controller. Header processing device. 2. The 1 × 2 branching means provided as many as the number of processing ports for branching one or a plurality of optical packet signals input simultaneously at the same time into two, and output from the 1 × 2 branching means simultaneously. An optical switching means for exchanging one of the branched optical packet signals; and an optical switch corresponding to the number of the processing ports for optically extracting header part information of the other branched optical packet signal output simultaneously from each of the 1 × 2 branching means. Header information extraction means, optical parallel / serial conversion means for converting the header information output in parallel from the optical header information extraction means to serial, and output from the optical parallel / serial conversion means An optical-electrical conversion means for converting an optical signal into an electric signal; and an output signal from the optical-electrical conversion means, which is input to the optical switching means. Optical packet switching device characterized by having an electrical control means for forming a obtain switching control signal. 3. An optical packet signal header processor for rewriting header information of one or a plurality of optical packet signals input simultaneously to another header information, wherein one or a plurality of optical signals input simultaneously. 1 × 2 branching means provided by the number of processing ports for branching each of the packet signals into two, and header section information in one of the branched optical packet signals output from the corresponding 1 × 2 branching means, A plurality of header information removing means for passing only the data portion; and at least header information of one or a plurality of other branched optical packet signals output from each of the 1 × 2 branch means are converted into electric signals and output. A header information photoelectric conversion means to be replaced, and a header replacing the header information based on the header information comprising an electric signal from the header information photoelectric conversion means. Electrical control means for forming header information, forming header information and serially arranging one or a plurality of formed header information, and converting the header signal comprising the electrical signal output from the electrical control means into an optical signal An optical-to-optical converter, an optical serial-to-parallel converter that decomposes in parallel one or a plurality of pieces of header information included in a header signal composed of an optical signal from the electrical-to-optical converter, And a plurality of optical multiplexing means for multiplexing the header information from the serial / parallel conversion means and the corresponding data portion output from the header information removing means to re-form an optical packet signal. Characteristic optical packet signal header processing device. 4. An optical packet signal header processing apparatus according to claim 3, and an optical switching means for exchanging optical packet signals output from said plurality of multiplexing means in said header processing apparatus, An optical packet switching apparatus, wherein an electrical control means in the header processing device supplies a switching control signal formed based on one or more pieces of input header section information to the optical switching means.