Optical Device Copensator

The present invention relates to means for compensating for distortion, and more particularly to an optical device compensator for correcting distortions in an intensity modulated optical device.

Where wide bandwidth video signals are transmitted over a fiber optic link, intensity modulated (IM) systems are often used rather than square wave frequency modulated (FM) systems. While properly designed FM systems are essentially immune to amplitude nonlinearities of the optical transmitter and receiver devices, IM systems are directly affected by such nonlinearities. In addition to the simple nonlinear characteristics, optical devices also exhibit signal dependent nonlinearities. For example LED transmitters often have an optical efficiency which is a function of the average drive power, integrated over a time constant on the order of several hundred microseconds. As the average drive power increases, the efficiency, and therefore the optical power output, decreases. This produces dynamic gain variations as a function of the average picture level (APL) in video signals.

What is desired is an optical device compensator which reduces the dynamic gain variations caused by the variation of device output power as a function by the average drive power.

Accordingly the present invention provides an optical device compensator which derives from an input modulating signal an additive and a multiplicative component. The input signal is low pass filtered and a sample is added back into the input modulating signal for the additive component. The multiplicative component is derived by low pass filtering the input signal and adding a sample to a bias voltage, the resulting component being multiplied with the input modulating signal. The corrected modulating signal is applied to a driver for modulating the optical device.

The objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the appended claims and attached drawing.

FIG. 1 is a general block for an optical compensator according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram for a specific implementation of an optical compensator according to the present invention.

Referring now to FIG. 1 a video input modulating signal is input to a plurality of parallel filters 12, 14, 16. The filters 12, 14, 16 are usually simple, one or two pole, low pass filters. These filters may be either fixed or variable. Each filter output is buffered by a differential output amplifier 22, 24, 26 which allows for correction in either the positive or negative direction. Across the outputs of the amplifiers 22, 24, 25 are parallel potentiometers Rm, Ra by which desired samples of the respective filters 12, 14, 16 are obtained. Multiplicative correction samples are taken from the arms of the potentiometers Rm and Fed to a summation circuit 30 where they are combined with a bias voltage Vb obtained from the arm of a bias potentiometer Rb which can provide both positive and negative bias voltages. The output of the multiplication summing circuit 30 is input to a multiplier 32 to which is also input the video input signal. Additive correction samples are taken from the arms of the potentiometers Ra and fed to a summation circuit 40. The output of the addition summing circuit 40 is input to an adder 42 for combination with the video input signal. Since these correction signals are usually quite small, on the order of one dB or less, the order of addition and multiplication with the video input signal is unimportant, i.e., the order of addition and multiplication is interchangeable as indicated by the dotted elements 32', 42' of FIG. 1. The corrected video input signal is input to an optical device driver 50 which in turn intensity modulates an optical device 52.

For devices where the correction is unidirectional, such as optical devices whose efficiency decreases with increasing average power, FIG. 2 illustrates a simpler specific implementation. The video input signal is input to two low pass filter/potentiometer circuits 13, 15 having a capacitor Ca, Cm in parallel with the potentiometer Ra, Rm respectively. A sample of the input signal from potentiometer Ra provides the additive component which is added to the video input signal by the adder 42. A sample of the input signal from potentiometer Rm is combined with the bias voltage Vb in summer 34 to produce the multiplicative component which is multiplied with the video signal input by multiplier 32. The resulting compensated video input signal is input to the driver 50 to modulate the optical device 52. Time constant resistors Rta, Rtm are provided to make each low pass filter/potentiometercircuit 13, 15 adjustable to compensate for the long term distortion of the optical devices.

Thus the present invention provides means for compensating for nonlinearities in optical devices by providing an additive component and multiplicative component for combination with a video input modulating signal prior to input to a driver circuit which modulates the optical device.