Optical transmitter, active optical cable, and optical transmission method
AssigneeFujikura Ltd.
InventorsTatsuo Kubo, Osamu Kikuchi, Takayuki Tanaka
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A connector which serves as an optical transmitter in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention includes: a transmitting circuit configured to convert a data signal into an electric current signal, the data signal being a three-valued; and an LD configured to convert the electric current signal into an optical signal. The transmitting circuit detects, as an IDLE interval, an interval during which the data signal falls within a predetermined range that is between a high level and a low level. The transmitting circuit controls, during the IDLE interval, the electric current signal to be not greater than a threshold electric current of the LD.
Claims21
An optical transmitter, comprising:
- a transmitting circuit configured to convert a data signal into an electric current signal, the data signal being a three-valued signal;
- and
- a light emitting element configured to convert the electric current signal into an optical signal,
- the transmitting circuit including an IDLE detection circuit which is configured to detect, as an IDLE interval, an interval during which the data signal falls within a predetermined range that is between a first level and a second level which is lower than the first level, the IDLE interval being detected with reference to the data signal,
- the transmitting circuit being configured to control, during the IDLE interval, the electric current signal to be not greater than a threshold electric current of the light emitting element.
A method of transmitting light, comprising the steps of:
- (a) converting a data signal into an electric current signal, the data signal being a three-valued signal;
- and
- (b) converting the electric current signal into an optical signal with use of a light emitting element,
- the step (a) including the steps of:
- detecting, as an IDLE interval, an interval during which the data signal falls within a predetermined range that is between a first level and a second level which is lower than the first level, the IDLE interval being detected with reference to the data signal;
- and
- controlling, during the IDLE interval, the electric current signal to be not greater than a threshold electric current of the light emitting element.
An optical transmitter, comprising:
- a transmitting circuit configured to convert a data signal into an electric current signal, the data signal being a three-valued signal;
- and
- a light emitting element configured to convert the electric current signal into an optical signal,
- the transmitting circuit including an IDLE detection circuit which is configured to detect, as an IDLE interval, an interval during which the data signal falls within a predetermined range that is between a first level and a second level which is lower than the first level,
- the transmitting circuit being configured to control, during the IDLE interval, the electric current signal to be not greater than a threshold electric current of the light emitting element,
- the IDLE detection circuit including (i) a first comparator configured to identify a first interval during which the data signal is not smaller than a lower limit value of the predetermined range and (ii) a second comparator configured to identify a second interval during which the data signal is not greater than an upper limit value of the predetermined range;
- and
- the IDLE detection circuit detecting, as the IDLE interval, an interval during which the first interval and the second interval overlap each other.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.