Patents by Inventor Alex W. MACKAY
Alex W. MACKAY has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
-
Patent number: 11967986Abstract: Systems and methods include causing perturbations across optical spectrum; probing responses across some or all of the optical spectrum after the perturbations; and determining a nonlinear transfer function based on the responses. The nonlinear transfer function can include a representation of any of end-to-end channel powers, Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR), Noise-to-Signal Ratio (NSR), Bit Error Rate (BER), Q, and Mean Squared Error (MSE).Type: GrantFiled: October 25, 2022Date of Patent: April 23, 2024Assignee: Ciena CorporationInventors: Alex W. MacKay, Priyanth Mehta, Andrew Kam, David W. Boertjes
-
Publication number: 20240031022Abstract: Systems and methods for optical fiber characterization using a nonlinear measurement of shaped Amplified Spontaneous Emission (ASE) transmitted over the optical fiber are provided. A method includes receiving an ASE signal on an optical fiber, wherein the ASE signal is transmitted from an ASE source connected to the optical fiber and the ASE signal includes a spectral shape at an input of the optical fiber; measuring a broadened spectral shape of the received ASE signal where the broadened spectral shape is different from the spectral shape at the input and broadened due to propagation of the ASE signal over the optical fiber; and determining one or more parameters of the optical fiber based on the broadened spectral shape of the received ASE signal.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 3, 2023Publication date: January 25, 2024Applicant: Ciena CorporationInventors: Yinqing Pei, David W. Boertjes, Alex W. MacKay
-
Publication number: 20240031023Abstract: Systems and methods of optimizing launch power for each span in an optical system with a plurality of spans are provided. In an embodiment, a method includes varying power on a span under test of the plurality of spans; observing performance measurements related to of one or more channels, at corresponding optical receivers; and one of setting launch power for the span under test and repeating the varying and observing, responsive to the observed measurements.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 19, 2022Publication date: January 25, 2024Inventors: Alex W. MacKay, Andrew D. Shiner, Yinqing Pei, David W. Boertjes, Fangyuan Zhang
-
Patent number: 11855851Abstract: A lazy graph construction with compression includes receiving a query related to a network; one of generating a site graph for the network and accessing the site graph already in memory; performing a search on the site graph based on the query; accessing data in a database and generating, in the memory, a plurality of sub-graphs using the data, for the query; and providing a solution to the query based on the search and a search of the plurality of sub-graphs. The site graph can be at a site level and includes network elements and associated connections in the network, and the plurality of sub-graphs can be at an intra-site level including any of component-to-component connections and intra-component connections.Type: GrantFiled: March 9, 2022Date of Patent: December 26, 2023Assignee: Ciena CorporationInventors: Andrew D. Shiner, Frederic Poulin, Alex W. MacKay
-
Patent number: 11811459Abstract: System and methods of measuring nonlinear interference (NLI) on a per-span basis in an optical system with a plurality of spans are provided. The method includes steps of varying power based on phase sensitive detection method on a span under test of the plurality of spans; observing total noise, at an optical receiver, from all of the plurality of spans; and isolating noise for the span under test from the total noise based on the varying power. The optical system can be in-service with one or more traffic-carrying channels, and the varying power is small enough on the span under test which does not impact the one or more traffic-carrying channels.Type: GrantFiled: July 19, 2022Date of Patent: November 7, 2023Assignee: Ciena CorporationInventors: Yinqing Pei, Andrew D. Shiner, Alex W. MacKay, David W. Boertjes, Fangyuan Zhang
-
Publication number: 20230291653Abstract: A lazy graph construction with compression includes receiving a query related to a network; one of generating a site graph for the network and accessing the site graph already in memory; performing a search on the site graph based on the query; accessing data in a database and generating, in the memory, a plurality of sub-graphs using the data, for the query; and providing a solution to the query based on the search and a search of the plurality of sub-graphs. The site graph can be at a site level and includes network elements and associated connections in the network, and the plurality of sub-graphs can be at an intra-site level including any of component-to-component connections and intra-component connections.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 9, 2022Publication date: September 14, 2023Inventors: Andrew D. Shiner, Frederic Poulin, Alex W. MacKay
-
Publication number: 20230146640Abstract: Systems and methods include receiving (S11) data for a plurality of elements associated with an optical network; determining (S12) an incremental noise penalty for each element of the plurality of elements based on the received data; and storing (S13) the incremental noise penalty for each element of the plurality of elements. The steps can further include determining (S14) Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) across an optical path in the optical network by concatenating associated incremental noise penalties for each element in the optical path along with corrections. The present disclosure includes a fast, nonlinear estimation process with improved accuracy for low loss spans compared to traditional closed-form GN models, as well as a method to determine the coherent nonlinear penalty in an arbitrary concatenation of mixed heterogeneous fibers which is not considered by existing fast nonlinear interference calculation methods.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 1, 2021Publication date: May 11, 2023Inventors: Alex W. MacKay, Fangyuan Zhang, David W. Boertjes, Andrew D. Shiner
-
Publication number: 20230044243Abstract: Systems and methods include causing perturbations across optical spectrum; probing responses across some or all of the optical spectrum after the perturbations; and determining a nonlinear transfer function based on the responses. The nonlinear transfer function can include a representation of any of end-to-end channel powers, Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR), Noise-to-Signal Ratio (NSR), Bit Error Rate (BER), Q, and Mean Squared Error (MSE).Type: ApplicationFiled: October 25, 2022Publication date: February 9, 2023Inventors: Alex W. MacKay, Priyanth Mehta, Andrew Kam, David W. Boertjes
-
Patent number: 11502746Abstract: Systems and methods include responsive to transmission of a power spectral density input into an optical system with one or more probe signals, obtaining first measurements of a performance metric of each of the one or more probe signals at an output of the optical system while the one or more probe signals are moved across a band of optical spectrum; responsive to causing power perturbations across the band, obtaining second measurements of the performance metric of each of the one or more probe signals at the output of the optical system while the one or more probe signals are moved across the band; analyzing the performance metric as a function of power utilizing the first measurements and the second measurements; and utilizing results from the analyzing to optimize the performance metric in the optical system.Type: GrantFiled: December 28, 2020Date of Patent: November 15, 2022Assignee: Ciena CorporationInventors: Alex W. MacKay, Priyanth Mehta, Andrew Kam, David W. Boertjes
-
Proactively detecting failures on restoration paths in an optical network and visualizations thereof
Patent number: 11496817Abstract: Systems and methods include, responsive to obtaining measurement data from an optical network and determining viability of a plurality of paths based on Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) and availability of the plurality of paths, providing a User Interface (UI) that displays one or more photonic services and a path viability visualization for each of the one or more photonic services, wherein the path viability visualization, for each photonic service, includes visual elements for available paths of the plurality of paths and an indicator associated with each visual element indicative of path viability; and updating the UI responsive to a change in any of the viability and the availability of the plurality of paths. The steps can further include periodically obtaining the measurement data from the optical network and determining the viability of the plurality of paths.Type: GrantFiled: July 1, 2021Date of Patent: November 8, 2022Assignee: Ciena CorporationInventors: Alex W. MacKay, Christiane Louise Campbell, David W. Boertjes, John K. Oltman, Tommaso D'Ippolito -
Publication number: 20220209863Abstract: Systems and methods include responsive to transmission of a power spectral density input into an optical system with one or more probe signals, obtaining first measurements of a performance metric of each of the one or more probe signals at an output of the optical system while the one or more probe signals are moved across a band of optical spectrum; responsive to causing power perturbations across the band, obtaining second measurements of the performance metric of each of the one or more probe signals at the output of the optical system while the one or more probe signals are moved across the band; analyzing the performance metric as a function of power utilizing the first measurements and the second measurements; and utilizing results from the analyzing to optimize the performance metric in the optical system.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 28, 2020Publication date: June 30, 2022Inventors: Alex W. MacKay, Priyanth Mehta, Andrew Kam, David W. Boertjes
-
Proactively detecting failures on restoration paths in an optical network and visualizations thereof
Publication number: 20220007093Abstract: Systems and methods include, responsive to obtaining measurement data from an optical network and determining viability of a plurality of paths based on Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) and availability of the plurality of paths, providing a User Interface (UI) that displays one or more photonic services and a path viability visualization for each of the one or more photonic services, wherein the path viability visualization, for each photonic service, includes visual elements for available paths of the plurality of paths and an indicator associated with each visual element indicative of path viability; and updating the UI responsive to a change in any of the viability and the availability of the plurality of paths. The steps can further include periodically obtaining the measurement data from the optical network and determining the viability of the plurality of paths.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 1, 2021Publication date: January 6, 2022Inventors: Alex W. MacKay, Christiane Louise Campbell, David W. Boertjes, John K. Oltman, Tommaso D'Ippolito -
Publication number: 20190253361Abstract: Systems and methods for preconditioning an optical spectrum through predicting optical spectral profiles in advance of capacity changes in an optical section include obtaining data associated with the optical section to model a current state of spectral loading in the optical section; responsive to a proposed capacity change in the current state of spectral loading, estimating a future state of spectral loading which includes the capacity change; and causing changes to one or more settings in the optical section to achieve an optimized spectral loading for the future state of spectral loading.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 9, 2018Publication date: August 15, 2019Inventors: Alex W. MacKay, Choudhury A. Al Sayeed, David C. Bownass
-
Patent number: 10361957Abstract: Systems and methods for preconditioning an optical spectrum through predicting optical spectral profiles in advance of capacity changes in an optical section include obtaining data associated with the optical section to model a current state of spectral loading in the optical section; responsive to a proposed capacity change in the current state of spectral loading, estimating a future state of spectral loading which includes the capacity change; and causing changes to one or more settings in the optical section to achieve an optimized spectral loading for the future state of spectral loading.Type: GrantFiled: February 9, 2018Date of Patent: July 23, 2019Assignee: Ciena CorporationInventors: Alex W. MacKay, Choudhury A. Al Sayeed, David C. Bownass
-
Publication number: 20180359029Abstract: Systems and methods for distributed measurement in a network implemented by an orchestrator include directing one or more modules associated with one or more network elements to each perform a subset of the distributed measurement; receiving results from at least one network element of the one or more network elements based on the directing; and detecting an event or property based on the results. The subset of the distributed measurement can be based on performance monitoring data.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 21, 2018Publication date: December 13, 2018Inventors: Andrew D. Shiner, Andrzej Borowiec, Alex W. MacKay, Maurice O'Sullivan
-
Patent number: 9806803Abstract: A frequency offset detection method in an optical spectrum measurement device, implemented by a controller, includes determining a reference optical spectrum based on expected channels and their associated spectral occupancy without extracting any information from actual received optical spectrum; obtaining a measured optical spectrum from the optical spectrum measurement device; and performing a frequency offset control loop using the reference optical spectrum and the measured optical spectrum to correct frequency offset in the optical spectrum measurement device. The optical spectrum measurement device can be an Optical Channel Monitor and the measured optical spectrum can include optical channels partially overlapping one another in Nyquist or in super-Nyquist spacing.Type: GrantFiled: March 25, 2016Date of Patent: October 31, 2017Assignee: Ciena CorporationInventors: David C. Bownass, Bing Liu, Alex W. Mackay, Choudhury A. Al Sayeed
-
Publication number: 20170279526Abstract: A frequency offset detection method in an optical spectrum measurement device, implemented by a controller, includes determining a reference optical spectrum based on expected channels and their associated spectral occupancy without extracting any information from actual received optical spectrum; obtaining a measured optical spectrum from the optical spectrum measurement device; and performing a frequency offset control loop using the reference optical spectrum and the measured optical spectrum to correct frequency offset in the optical spectrum measurement device. The optical spectrum measurement device can be an Optical Channel Monitor and the measured optical spectrum can include optical channels partially overlapping one another in Nyquist or in super-Nyquist spacing.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 25, 2016Publication date: September 28, 2017Inventors: David C. BOWNASS, Bing LIU, Alex W. MACKAY, Choudhury A. AL SAYEED