Optical amplifier control
OwnerTomas Askinger, Bengt Johansson +1inventors
InventorsTomas Askinger, Bengt Johansson, Nigel Robert Wood
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Abstract
A system and method for controlling the output power of an optical amplifier in a node in a network, wherein the output power of the amplifier is controlled via a pump laser in a control circuit. The node reads a supervisory channel comprising information on how to control the amplifier. The node then uses the information for the control of the amplifier.
Claims17
A method for controlling an output power of an optical amplifier in a node in a network, wherein the output power of the amplifier is controlled via a pump laser in a control circuit, comprising the steps of:
- said node reading a supervisory channel, said supervisory channel including information on a number of channels coming in to the node for control of the amplifier;
- said node using said number of channels coming in to the node for controlling the amplifier;
- monitoring an input power to the amplifier;
- and
- setting an input power change flag if the input power is changed more than a certain limit, wherein the set input power flag inhibits further change of the control of the amplifier until a reliable number of channels is received.
A node in a network comprising:
- a central processor;
- a supervisory unit;
- at least one optical amplifier;
- and
- a control circuit comprising a pump laser for controlling the output power of the at least one optical amplifier, the node being disposed to read a number of channels coming in to the node sent in a supervisory channel for controlling the amplifier and disposed to monitor input power to the amplifier and to set an input power change flag if the input power is changed more than a certain limit, wherein the set input power flag is disposed to inhibit further change of the control of the amplifier until a reliable number of channels is received.
A network, comprising:
- at least one communication path;
- at least two nodes each comprising at least one optical amplifier, each of the at least two nodes communicating over the at least one communication path;
- and
- a control circuit comprising a pump laser for controlling an output power of said at least one optical amplifier, so as to control the at least one optical amplifier by a number of channels coming in to the node sent in a separate channel and disposed to monitor input power to the amplifier and to set an input power change flag if the input power is changed more than a certain limit, wherein the set input power flag is disposed to inhibit further change of the control of the amplifier until a reliable number of channels is received.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.