Patent ID: 8891967

Claim:
A method for improving an efficiency of transferring energy in an optical network including a plurality of source nodes, and a plurality of destination nodes, comprising the steps of: representing the network as a graph of nodes connected by edges, wherein each node represents an optical network element and each edge represents an optical link connecting two adjacent optical network elements; labeling each edge with an edge demand, wherein the edge demand is a demand for units of traffic in the optical network through the edge, the edge demand equals a sum of path demands for a number of paths in the graph through the edge according to D(i,j)=Σ 1 M PD(i,j,k), wherein D(i,j) is the edge demand of the edge between nodes i and j, M is the number of paths between the nodes i and j, PD(i,j,k) is a path demand of a path k, k=1, . . . M; identifying non-bridge edges; removing the non-bridge edge with a lowest edge demand from the graph, wherein the lowest edge demand is greater than zero; adding the lowest edge demand to the non-bridge edge with a highest edge demand, wherein the lowest edge demand corresponds to a highest marginal energy, and a highest edge demand corresponds to a lowest marginal energy; repeating the labeling, identifying, removing and adding steps until a termination condition is reached; and commanding to redistribute the units of traffic according a topology of the graph upon reaching the termination condition, wherein steps of the method are performed by a processor.