Automatic Adjustment of Optical Power Output of a Plurality of Optical Transmitters

The present invention relates to the transmission of light in an optical fiber and, more particularly, to the adjustment of the optical power output of a plurality of optical transmitters interconnected to an optical bus.

In many optical local area networks (LANs) and optical backplanes having a bus-type architecture, an optical repeater receives and combines optical signals from optical transmitters in system nodes, amplifies, and individually retransmits back to optical receivers in the system nodes. One of the major problems is that an optical receiver in the optical repeater has difficulty in accurately receiving digital information from multiple transmitters which are transmitting at different optical power output levels. The optical power levels received from typical optical transmitters may differ by a few dB in optical level. The difference in optical power levels received at the optical repeater is different not only because the light emitting diodes (LEDs) or lasers, which are used as light sources differ in their outputs, but also because these light sources are connected to the optical repeater via connectors, optical couplers, and interconnecting optical fibers which can introduce optical power losses.

The problem created by received signals having varying optical power levels is the difficulty of distinguishing by the optical receiver between logical "1's" or "0's" from the various optical transmitters. Optical receivers are of two types: dc coupled and ac coupled. If a receiver is of the dc coupled type, it is very difficult to find a common threshold which allows adequate noise margins for different levels of transmitted signals. If the receiver is of the ac coupled type using edge differentiation, adjacent bits corresponding to the "1" state from different transmitters can cause a problem. If two adjacent bits are both a "1" logic signal but at two different optical power levels, there is a significant "edge" or transition in amplitude between the two adjacent "1" logic levels; and the receiver's edge detection mechanism incorrectly interprets that as a transition between logical values.

A departure in the art is achieved by an apparatus and method for automatically adjusting the optical power output of multiple optical transmitters. The optical transmitters are optically interconnected to a common optical repeater. In response to optical signals received from optical transmitters which exceed a predefined difference from a predefined output level, the optical repeater transmits adjustment signals back to the optical transmitters to adjust the optical output levels of those optical transmitters to the predefined level.

The optical repeater is interconnected to system nodes via optical fibers. Each system node contains one optical transmitter and one optical receiver for receiving optical signals from the optical repeater. Communication between system nodes is done via the optical repeater and optical fibers. During communication between system nodes, the repeater continuously samples the output signals of the optical transmitters and compares those samples against the predefined optical output level. If the difference between the output signal of an optical transmitter and the predefined output level exceeds the predefined difference, the optical repeater calculates and transmits adjustment signals to that optical transmitter.

In one specific embodiment of the invention, communication between system nodes is done on the basis of an information frame which is transmitted via the optical repeater and optical fibers. Each system node is assigned a particular time slot in the frame, and there are two types of frames. Data frames are used to communicate data between system nodes, and adjustment frames are used to communicate adjustment information to the optical transmitters by the optical repeater. The optical repeater continuously samples each time slot of each data frame to determine when an optical transmitter has exceeded the prefined difference. When an optical transmitter exceeds the predefined difference, the optical repeater sends adjustment information to that optical transmitter in its assigned time slot using an adjustment frame.

Other and further aspects of the present invention will become apparent during the course of the following description and by reference to the accompanying drawing.

Referring now to the drawing:

FIG. 1 illustrates an optical transmission system in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates the unadjusted signals of the nodes of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates the signals received from the nodes of FIG. 1 after adjustment;

FIG. 4 illustrates the format of the frames communicated between the nodes and an optical repeater; and

FIG. 5 illustrates, in flow chart form, a program for controlling the operation of an adjustment formatter.

In the optical transmission system illustrated in FIG. 1, nodes 106 through 110 transmit and receive optical signals via optical repeater 100 and optical fibers 130 through 139. Optical repeater 100 receives and combines optical signals from optical fibers 135 through 139 and redistributes these optical signals via optical fibers 130 through 134. In accordance with the invention, optical repeater 100 monitors the optical levels received from each of the nodes and as required transmits to the nodes adjustment information to adjust these levels. Also, optical repeater 100 performs these adjustments at system initialization time.

In the transmission system illustrated in FIG. 1, each node has a preassigned time slot for receiving information. Nodes 107 through 110 are identical to node 106 in internal construction. Nodes 106 through 110 are interconnected individually to terminals 101 through 105, respectively, and are assigned time slots 1 through 5 of FIG. 4, respectively. As illustrated in FIG. 4, there are two types of frames used to communicate information in the optical transmission system of FIG. 1. Normal (also referred to as data) frames are used for the interexchange of information between nodes, and adjustment frames are used by optical repeater 100 to transmit adjustment information to nodes. During the normal operation of the transmission system illustrated in FIG. 1, nodes 106 through 110 interexchange information by a node inserting information for another node into the other node's time slot of the frame illustrated in FIG. 4. For example, if nodes 110 and 106 are to interexchange information from their terminals, node 110 inserts information into time slot 1 and reads time slot 5. Similarly, node 106 inserts information into time slot 5 and reads time slot 1. Nodes 106 and 110 transmit information on optical fibers 135 and 139, respectively; and read information from optical fibers 130 and 134, respectively.

Optical repeater 100 receives the optical signals on optical fibers 135 through 139 and combines these signals together using optical combiner 115. The output of optical combiner 115 is then converted to an electrical signal by optical detector 116. The converted electrical signal is transmitted to preamp 117 via conductor 149 and from there to digital receiver 118 which performs digital processing on the signal. A digital signal from digital receiver 118 then is transferred to optical unit 123 via conductor 153, multiplexer 122, and conductor 156. Optical unit 123 is responsive to this digital signal to generate an optical signal and transfer that signal via optical fiber 140 to optical splitter 124. Optical splitter 124 then transmits the received optical signal to nodes 106 through 110 via optical fibers 130 through 134, respectively. During normal/data operation, the frame type bit is equal to "0" as illustrated in FIG. 4 signify the communication of data between nodes.

FIG. 2 illustrates the optical signals received by combiner 115 when the transmitters in nodes 106 through 110 are operating at different optical power output levels. By continuously sampling signals in data frames using sample-and-hold 119 and analog-to-digital converter 120, adjustment formatter 121 detects when an unacceptable difference between the received power levels and predefined power level has occurred. Upon occurrence of an unacceptable difference, formatter 120 initiates the following steps to buffer the next data frame and to transmit an adjustment frame containing adjustment information to the nodes. Formatter 120 transmits a signal via conductor 155 to multiplexer 122. In response to that signal, multiplexer 122 selects signals from formatter 121 via conductor 154 at the end of the current frame. Formatter 121 will transmit the adjustment frame via conductor 154. Formatter 121 next enables frame buffer 160 via cable 158 to store the next frame received from nodes 106 through 110. Frame buffer 160 prevents the next frame from being lost due to the transmission of an adjustment frame. Formatter 121 then transmits the adjustment frame which contains a "1" in the frame type bit as illustrated in FIG. 4.

The manner in which all nodes respond to each adjustment frame is described with respect to node 106. Normally, controller 114 takes information from terminal 101 and transfers it to transmitter 112. However, after the adjustment frame is received and processed by receiver 111, the information in time slot 1 is transferred via conductor 145 to controller 114. Controller 114 is responsive to this frame to transmit alternate logical "1's" and "0's" data to transmitter 112. The latter transmitter inserts this data into time slot 1 under control of controller 114. In addition, controller 114 signals terminal 101 that data transmission has temporarily halted. No data being communicated to or from terminal 101 is lost by transmission of the adjustment frame.

Before the return adjustment frame is received at repeater 100 via optical fiber 135, formatter 121 enables AND gate 161 via conductor 157. When preamp 117 generates a signal on conductor 152 within the range of a "1", the output of optical detector 116 is stored by sample-and-hold 119 under control of AND gate 161 responding to the signal on conductor 152. Analog-to-digital converter 120 then converts the stored output. Formatter 121 is responsive to the output of converter 120 to calculate adjustment information.

In the next frame, adjustment formatter 121 transmits back to controller 114 adjustment information in time slot 1 to adjust the output of transmitter 112 to the predefined level. Controller 114 is responsive to this adjustment information to transmit via conductor 147 the required adjustments to power unit 113 which controls the power level of transmitter 112 via conductor 148. Formatter 121 continues to transmit adjustment frames until the output level of transmitter 112 reaches the predefined level. This process is repeated until all of the nodes are transmitting at the predefined level.

After the adjustment has been accomplished, formatter 121 signals multiplexer 122 via conductor 155 to select the output of frame buffer 160. This allows the last data frame received before the adjustment procedure was initiated to be transmitted to nodes 106 through 110. After transmission of the contents of buffer 160, formatter 121 signals multiplexer 122 to select the output of digital receiver 118 via conductor 153, and data operations resume.

Adjustment formatter 121 is implemented utilizing a microprocessor with appropriate peripheral circuits. FIG. 5 illustrates the program executed by formatter 121 in adjusting the output power of the transmitters in nodes 106 through 110. Block 502 monitors each data frame to detect a transmitter that is transmitting at an improper level. To detect such a level, formatter 121 monitors the returning data frame received via optical fibers 135 through 139 of FIG. 1. Digital receiver 118 signals the start of each frame and the start of each time slot within a frame via cable 158. When formatter 121 receives information from digital receiver 118 indicating the start of a time slot, formatter 121 enables AND gate 161 via conductor 157 so that when preamp 117 outputs a "1", the output of optical detector 116 is stored by sample-and-hold circuit 119 under control of AND gate 161. The output of sample-and-hold circuit 119 is communicated to analog-to-digital converter 120 via conductor 150. Converter 120 converts the analog signal to a digital word which is communicated to formatter 121 via bus 151. Formatter 121 compares the digital word to the predefined level. Formatter 121 performs these operations for each of the time slots. Upon detection of an improper level by formatter 121, control is transferred to block 504.

Upon receiving control, block 504 transmits the adjustment frame illustrated in FIG. 4. For each time slot, formatter 121 enables elements 116 through 120 and element 161 to convert the analog signal from optical detector 116, corresponding to a digital "1", to a digital word. Formatter 121 uses each of the resulting digital words to determine if the transmitter of that word needs adjustment. For example, formatter 121 is responsive to the digital word for time slot 1 from analog-to-digital converter 120 to determine by execution of decision block 505 whether the output of transmitter 112 is operating at the correct power level. If the output is not operating at the correct power level, control is passed to block 510 which calculates an adjustment value. Formatter 121 then inserts the adjustment value into time slot 1 of the next frame by controlling multiplexer 122 via conductor 155.

After the next adjustment frame is received by receiver 111, controller 114 is responsive to the adjustment value in time slot 1 to control power unit 113 to adjust the output of transmitter 112. Formatter 121 performs the same type of operations for nodes 107 through 110 utilizing the pairs of blocks 505 through 509 and 510 through 514, respectively.

Decision block 515 determines when all of the transmitters in nodes 106 through 110 are transmitting at substantially the same power level. If decision block 515 determines that one or more of the transmitters are not fully adjusted, control is transferred back to block 504 via path 522. Once all of the transmitters are transmitting at substantially the same power level as illustrated in FIG. 3, decision block 515 transfers control to decision block 502 via path 521.

In another embodiment of the invention, the program executed by formatter 121 is modified in the following manner. For each frame, block 502 calculates an average for all time slots of the sampled "1" levels. As previously described, formatter 121 uses elements 119, 120, and 161 to sample the output of optical detector 116 to acquire those sampled "1" levels. For each time slot of the next frame, formatter 121 compares the digital representation of the analog signal from optical detector 116 with the average from the previous frame. If the difference between the average and the sample exceed a predefined difference, control is transferred to block 504. Blocks 505 through 514 then determine which transmitters need adjustment by comparing samples to the average and calculate adjustment values for each transmitter whose output differs from the average by an amount greater than the predefined difference. Block 504 then transmits those values in an adjustment frame to the transmitters.

It is to be understood that the above-described embodiment is merely illustrative of the principles of the invention and that other arrangements may be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. In particular, it would be obvious to those skilled in the art to apply the invention to packet type transmission on a bus whereby adjustment values would be transmitted in a packet. In addition, the adjustment information has been disclosed as being an adjustment value; however one skilled in the art could readily devise a system where the adjustment information indicated that an optical transmitter's output should be increased or decreased by a predetermined amount. In such a system, repeated adjustment frames would be transmitted until a transmitter's output was within a predetermined range.