Apparatus and method for controlling a wavelength-multiplex optical amplifier
AssigneeFujitsu Limited
InventorFutoshi Izumi
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In an wavelength-multiplex optical amplifier control apparatus and method which executes an automatic level control on an optical amplifier to maintain an output optical power of the amplifier at a constant level, first and second power levels are photoelectrically detected from an input optical signal carrying wavelength-division multiplexed data, by using first and second quantization characteristics. Based on the detected first and second power levels, it is detected whether an optical power of at least one channel in the multiplexed data is partly turned off or partly changes. The execution of the automatic level control is inhibited when it is detected that the optical power of at least one channel in the multiplexed data is partly turned off or partly changes.
Claims16
A wavelength-multiplex optical amplifier control apparatus in which an automatic level control is executed on an optical amplifier to maintain an output optical power of the amplifier at a constant level, comprising:
- first and second photodetecting units, having different quantization characteristics, which respectively detect first and second power levels from an input optical signal carrying wavelength-division multiplexed data;
- a power change detecting unit which detects whether an optical power of at least one channel in the multiplexed data is partly turned off or partly changes, based on the first and second power levels detected by the first and second photodetecting units;
- and
- an observing unit which inhibits the execution of the automatic level control when the power change detecting unit detects that the optical power of at least one channel in the multiplexed data is partly turned off or partly changes.
A wavelength-multiplex optical amplifier control method which executes an automatic level control on an optical amplifier to maintain an output optical power of the amplifier at a constant level, comprising:
- photoelectrically detecting a first power level and a second power level from an input optical signal carrying wavelength-division multiplexed data, by using first and second photo detecting units having different quantization characteristics;
- detecting whether an optical power of at least one channel in the multiplexed data is partly turned off or partly changes, based on the detected first and second power levels;
- and
- inhibiting the execution of the automatic level control when it is detected that the optical power of at least one channel in the multiplexed data is partly turned off or partly changes.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.