Patent ID: 8103174
Filing Date: 2012-01-24
Classification: H04B

Abstract:
1. A transmitter circuit, comprising: a transmitter comprising a light emitting diode (LED); and an input pin coupled to the LED and configured to receive a digitally programmed output from a driver and/or an output from the driver that depends on a control signal sent from a receiver that is coupled to the driver; wherein the control signal is sent from a downstream receiver coupled to receive an optical signal sent from the transmitter upstream from the downstream receiver; and wherein a comparator within the downstream receiver compares an incoming signal corresponding to the optical signal to a predetermined value, a downstream network interface computes if the comparison results yields a power up or a power down value, a downstream transmitter coupled to the downstream network interface sends the power up or power down value optically to the receiver as the control signal, and the receiver forwards the control signal to the driver.