US 6,590,644 B1Granted

Optical module calibration system

AssigneeCiena Corporation

InventorsBryan Coin, Michael J. Ransford, David A. Schwarten, Chao Jiang, Iqbal M. Dar, Andrei Csipkes

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Abstract

A system for calibrating a plurality of optical modules includes a plurality of optical signal sources and optical signal degradation elements optically communicating with input switches. The input switches supply optical test signals to optical modules (units under test) plugged into a common shelf. Calibration switches including variable optical attenuators may be used to adjust the input signal levels and alternately supply adjusted signals to an optical power meter and the units under test. A controller is used to control the adjustment and thereby provide defined, measured signal levels to the units under test. By reading data from the units under test and using these defined signal levels, the optical modules may be calibrated or diagnosed. Output optical switches are used in a similar fashion to calibrate or diagnose the outputs of the units under test. In addition to input/output power calibration, the invention may also perform wavelength calibrations.

Claims20

Dependent claims

An optical module calibration system for calibrating a plurality of optical modules, comprising:

a plurality of optical test signal generators each capable of outputting an optical test signal;
a plurality of input optical switches each optically communicating with said optical test signal generators and a corresponding one of the optical modules to be calibrated;
a plurality of optical signal measuring instruments;
a plurality of output optical switches each optically communicating with said optical signal measuring instruments and a corresponding one of the optical modules to be calibrated;
and
a controller operatively connected to the optical modules, said optical test signal generators, said input optical switches, said output optical switches, and said optical signal measuring instruments,
said controller controlling the optical modules, said optical test signal generators, said input optical switches, said output optical switches, and said optical signal measuring instruments to calibrate the plurality of the optical modules.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.