What is claimed is:
1. A switching method for an optical ring, comprising the steps of:
establishing a non-interruption path along a currently working line, the non-interruption path extending from an add node from which a signal is inserted into the ring to a drop node from which the signal is extracted from the ring;
establishing a fault bypass backup path along a protection line running in the opposite direction from the currently working line, the fault bypass backup path extending from the add node to the drop node;
inserting the signal from the add node into both the currently working line and the protection line;
determining whether a failure occurs on the currently working line; and
selecting the fault bypass backup path and extracting the signal having propagating through the protection line at the drop node if a failure occurs on the currently working line.
2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of giving a phase identifier to the signals inserted into the currently working line and the protection line at the add node.
3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:
switching a signal path back to the currently working line if the failure is restored; and
extracting the signal having propagated through the currently working line at the drop node.
4. The method according to claim 1, wherein only a single non-interruption path is established for each time slot, and the method further comprising the step of:
controlling establishment of the non-interruption path using a path connection management table.
5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:
determining whether a manual switching command is received in the ring;
determining whether the manual switching command is addressed to the non-interruption path if the manual switching command is received; and
switching a signal path from the currently working line to the protection line if the manual command is addressed to the non-interruption path.
6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:
determining if path switching of the non-interruption path is available; and
providing a notification of unavailability of path switching of the non-interruption path if the path switching is not available.
7. A switching method for an optical ring, comprising the steps of:
establishing a non-interruption path along a currently working line, the non-interruption path extending from an add node from which a signal is inserted into the ring to a drop node from which the signal is extracted from the ring;
establishing a fault bypass backup path along a protection line running in the opposite direction from the currently working line, the fault bypass backup path extending from the add node to the drop node;
inserting the signal from the add node into both the currently working line and the protection line;
determining whether a failure detected in the ring is relevant to the non-interruption path; and
continuously inserting the signal from the add node into the protection line if the failure is relevant to the non-interruption path.
8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising the step of:
switching a signal path from the non-interruption path to the fault bypass backup path at the drop node if the failure is relevant to the non-interruption path.
9. A switching method for an optical ring, comprising the steps of:
establishing a non-interruption path along a currently working line, the non-interruption path extending from an add node from which a signal is inserted into the ring to a drop node from which the signal is extracted from the ring;
establishing a fault bypass backup path along a protection line running in the opposite direction from the currently working line, the fault bypass backup path extending from the add node to the drop node;
inserting the signal from the add node into both the currently working line and the protection line;
determining whether a failure detected in the ring is relevant to the non-interruption path; and
allowing a return path entering the add node along the protection line to pass through the add node, instead of adding the signal to the protection line if the failure is irrelevant to the non-interruption path.
10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising the steps of:
continuing to select the non-interruption path at the drop node if the failure is irrelevant to the non-interruption path, and returning other signal paths to produce the return path along the protection line.
11. The method according to claim 9, further comprising the step of:
resuming adding the signal to the protection line, instead of allowing the return path to pass through the add node, if the failure is restored.
12. A bidirectional line switched ring comprising:
an add node from which a signal is added to the ring;
a drop node from which the signal is extracted from the ring;
a non-interruption path extending from the add node to the drop node along a currently working line; and
a fault bypass backup path extending from the add node to the drop node along a protection line running in the opposite direction from the currently working line,
the add node being configured to add the signal to both the currently working line and the protection line, the add node having an addthrough determination unit configured to determined whether or not a failure occurs on the non-interruption path and to continuously add the signal to the protection line if the failure has occurred on the non-interruption path.
13. The bidirectional line switched ring according to claim 12, wherein the drop node has a path selector configured to select the fault bypass backup path if the failure has occurred on the non-interruption path.
14. The bidirectional line switched ring according to claim 12, wherein the addthrough determination unit allows a return path entering the add node along the protection line to pass through the add node if the failure is irrelevant to the non-interruption path.
15. An add node used in an optical ring having a currently working line and a protection line running in the opposite direction from the currently working line, the add node being configured to add a signal to the optical ring and comprising:
a first time slot assignment unit provided for the currently working line and configured to assign a first time slot to the signal so as to allow the signal to be added to the currently working line;
a second time slot assignment unit provided for the protection line and configured to assign a second time slot corresponding to the first time slot to the signal so as to allow the signal to be added to the protection line; and
an addthrough determination unit configured to determined whether or not a failure occurs on the currently working line extending from the add node to a drop node and to continuously add the signal to the protection line if the failure occurs on the currently working line from the add node to the drop node.
16. The add node according to claim 15, wherein the second time slot assignment unit allows a return path entering the add node along the protection line to pass through the add node if the determination result of the addthrough determination unit is negative.
17. The add node according to claim 15, further comprising a phase ID assigner configured to assign a phase ID to the signal to be added to the currently running line and the signal to be added to the protection line.
18. A bidirectional line switched ring comprising:
an add node from which a signal is added to the ring;
a drop node from which the signal is extracted from the ring;
a currently working line extending from the add node to the drop node; and
a protection line extending from the add node to the drop node running in the opposite direction from the currently working line, the add node being configured to add the signal to both the currently working line and the protection line, and
the drop node having:
a first error detector configured to detect an error on the currently working line;
a second error detector configured to detect an error on the protection line;
a path selector configured to receive the signal having propagating through the currently working line and the signal having propagating through the protection line and select one of the signals based on the error detection results of the first and second error detectors.
19. The bidirectional line switched ring according to claim 18, wherein the path selector selects the signal having propagating through the protection line if the first error detector detects the error on the currently working line.
20. A bidirectional line switched ring comprising:
an add node from which a signal is added to the ring;
a drop node from which the signal is extracted from the ring;
a non-interruption path extending from the add node to the drop node along a currently working line; and
a fault bypass backup path extending from the add node to the drop node along a protection line running in the opposite direction from the currently working line,
the add node being configured to add the signal to both the currently working line and the protection line, and
the drop node having:
a central controller configured to receive a manual switching command from an external higher-level apparatus and to generate a switching instruction;
a path selector configured to receive the signal from the non-interruption path and the signal from the fault bypass backup path and to select one of the signals; and
a switching controller configured to control a switching operation of the path selector based on the switching instruction.
21. A bidirectional line switched ring comprising:
an add node from which a signal is added to the ring;
a drop node from which the signal is extracted from the ring;
a non-interruption path extending from the add node to the drop node along a currently working line; and
a fault bypass backup path extending from the add node to the drop node along a protection line running in the opposite direction from the currently working line,
the add node being configured to add the signal to both the currently working line and the protection line, and
the drop node having:
a central controller configured to receive a manual switching command from an external higher-level apparatus and to generate a switching instruction;
a path selector configured to receive the signal from the non-interruption path and the signal from the fault bypass backup path and to select one of the signals; and
a switching availability determination unit configured to receive the switching instruction, determine if a switching operation of the path selector is available for the non-interruption path, and supply a switching negative signal to the central controller if the switching operation is unavailable.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. An ice maker comprising:
a tray accommodating water to make ice;
a first control box installed at a side of the tray, the first control box accommodating a predetermined part of a mechanism unit driving the ice maker; and
a second control box accommodating the other part of the mechanism unit which is electrically connected with the part of the mechanism unit accommodated in the first control part.
2. The ice maker as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second control box is installed outside an ice-making chamber accommodating the ice maker.
3. The ice maker as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second control box is provided above or below the tray.
4. The ice maker as claimed in claim 3, wherein the second control box is detachably coupled to an upper portion of the first control box.
5. The ice maker as claimed in claim 4, wherein the mechanism unit comprises,
a driving assembly relating to operations of an ejector ejecting ice out of the tray and an ice amount sensing lever sensing the ice amount;
a first circuit board on which electric parts controlling an operation of the driving assembly are mounted; and
a second circuit board on which electric parts controlling an overall operation of the ice maker except the operation of the driving assembly are mounted.
6. The ice maker as claimed in claim 5, wherein the driving assembly and the first circuit board are accommodated in the first control box.
7. The ice maker as claimed in claim 5, wherein the second circuit board is accommodated in the second control box.
8. The ice maker as claimed in claim 5, wherein a wire communication hole is formed at the first control box and the second control box for a wire electrically connecting the mechanism unit of the first control box with the mechanism unit of the second control box to pass through.
9. The ice maker as claimed in claim 4, further comprising:
an ejecting guide preventing the ice from being stuck at the second control box, when the ice is ejected from the tray.
10. The ice maker as claimed in claim 9, wherein the try comprises a vertical extension preventing the water from overflowing the tray.
11. The ice maker as claimed in claim 10, wherein the ejecting guide is coupled to an upper portion of the vertical extension.
12. The ice maker as claimed in claim 9, further comprising a water supply part installed adjacent to the ejecting guide to supply water to the tray.
13. The ice maker as claimed in claim 12, wherein the water supplied from the water supply part is drawn into the tray via a path formed at the ejecting guide.
14. The ice maker as claimed in claim 9, wherein an inner surface of the ejecting guide has a gentle curvature.
15. A refrigerator comprising:
a body comprising a refrigerating compartment and a freezing compartment;
an least one ice-making chamber provided in at least one of the refrigerating compartment, the freezing compartment and doors opening and closing the refrigerating and freezing compartments; and
an ice maker provided in the ice-making chamber, the ice maker comprising:
a tray accommodating water to make ice;
a first control box installed at a side of the tray, the first control box accommodating a predetermined part of a mechanism unit driving the ice maker; and
a second control box accommodating the other part of the mechanism unit which is electrically connected with the part of the mechanism unit accommodated in the first control part.
16. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 15, wherein the refrigerating compartment is provided in a lower portion of the body and the ice-making chamber is provided in an inner side surface of the door selectively opening and closing the refrigerating compartment.
17. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 16, wherein the second control box is coupled to an upper portion of the first control box.
18. The refrigerator as claimed in claim 17, further comprising an ejecting guide provided beyond the tray to guide the ice ejected out of the tray, an inner surface of the ejecting guide having a gentle curvature.