US 5,844,706 A · Fibre-optic communications-transmission method and intermediate repeater for use in the method

Abstract

The invention relates to an optical communication-transmitting system for transmitting at least one useful signal with a high bit rate, which has intermediate repeaters (ZV.sub.1 -ZV.sub.n) with optical fiber amplifiers (OV.sub.ss, OV.sub.1 -OV.sub.n, OV.sub.es) and which uses at least one additional signal of a low bit rate, for example for monitoring the intermediate repeater. For a transmission system requiring small outlay, the additional signal is transmitted on a wide band in comparison to the useful signal, for example by means of luminescence diodes (S.sub.ss, S.sub.1 -S.sub.n) and is amplified by the fiber amplifiers (OV.sub.ss, OV.sub.1 -OV.sub.n, OV.sub.es) in the same manner as the useful signal. For transmitting and receiving the additional signal, a transmitter (S.sub.1) is preferably disposed in an intermediate receiver (ZV.sub.1) upstream of the fiber amplifier (OV.sub.1) and a receiver preferably downstream thereof. The additional signal is transmitted in time-division multiplex in a frame, which assigns each intermediate repeater its own time slot. The narrow-band and the wide-band signals can be separated with simple means from each other in receivers (E.sub.1 -E.sub.n, E.sub.es, EA).

Claims15

Dependent claims

An intermediate repeater comprising

an optical line input for useful signals (NS) with a high bit rate and for additional signals (ZS) with a low bit rate in a time slot;
an optical line output for the useful signals (NS) with the high bit rate and for further additional signals with a low bit rate in another time slot;
an optical amplifier (OV.sub.1 to OV.sub.n) connected between the optical line input and optical line output to amplify said signals;
an optical receiver (E.sub.1 to E.sub.n) for the additional signals from the optical line input;
and
an optical transmitter (S.sub.1 to S.sub.n) cooperating with the optical receiver to transmit the further additional signals derived from the additional signals;
wherein the optical receiver (E.sub.1 to E.sub.n) is arranged downstream of the optical amplifier (OV.sub.1 to OV.sub.n) and the optical transmitter (S.sub.1 to S.sub.n) is disposed upstream of the optical amplifier (OV.sub.1 to OV.sub.n), so that the optical amplifier operates as a pre-amplifier for the additional signals and a post-amplifier for the further additional signals.

4 more elements

An optical communication-transmitting method for transmitting at least one useful signal (NS) at a high bit rate over an optical waveguide by means of an optical communication-transmitting system, wherein said optical communication-transmitting system includes at least one transmitting-station (SS) and a plurality of intermediate repeaters (ZV.sub.1 to ZV.sub.n), said at least one transmitting station comprising an optical transmitter (S.sub.ss) for transmitting at least one additional signal (ZS) at a low bit rate and each of said intermediate repeaters (ZV.sub.1 to ZV.sub.n) comprising an optical amplifier (OV.sub.1 to OV.sub.n) and an optical receiver (E.sub.1 to E.sub.n) for receiving the at least one additional signal (ZS) and an optical transmitter (S.sub.1 to S.sub.n) cooperating with the optical receiver (E.sub.1 to E.sub.n) to transmit at least one further additional signal (ZS) derived from the at least one additional signal,

wherein said method comprises transmitting the at least one additional signal (ZS) via an optical carrier signal by means of a time-division multiplex method so that information-bearing signals from individual ones of the intermediate repeaters (ZV.sub.1 to ZV.sub.n) are processed separately.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Fibre-optic communications-transmission method and intermediate repeater for use in the method

Life of this patent

Fibre-optic communications-transmission method and intermediate repeater for use in the method

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims15