Patent ID: 7756416
Filing Date: 2010-07-13
Classification: H04J

Abstract:
1. An optical communication node that is inserted in each relay position of an optical network having a work side all-optical line route and a protection side all-optical line route, said optical communication node comprising: an external network that is accommodated therein; interruption means for interrupting an all-optical connection between said optical network and said external network; a control section controlling the interruption means based on a switching control signal through an optical supervisory channel (OSC) from an upstream supervisory control section; and dummy signal means for generating and outputting a dummy signal, wherein said dummy signal means sends the dummy signal to said optical network and/or said external network to which signal transmission is stopped by said interruption means, wherein said interruption means interrupts the all-optical connection until a sequence of changing said all-optical line routes of a plurality of optical communication nodes inserted in said optical network is completed when the all-optical line route setting of said all-optical line routes is changed, and the interruption of said interruption means in a downstream optical communication node is maintained until (i) an all-optical line route in the downstream optical communication node is first optically switched through said OSC, while transferring a switching signal through said OSC for the all-optical line route from said downstream optical communication node to each other upstream optical communication node inserted in said optical network and (ii) the switching of the all-optical line route by the OSC in each of said other upstream optical communication nodes is completed.