Patent ID: 7027730
Filing Date: 2006-04-11
Classification: H04B,H04L

Abstract:
1. A method for measuring a transmission loss in an optical communication system in which a master station is connected to an optical repeater and a plurality of slave stations are connected in a star network to the optical repeater so that the master station transmits optical signals to the plurality of slave stations through the optical repeater, and so that the plurality of slave stations transmit optical signals to the master station through the optical repeater, the method comprising: measuring power of an optical signal transmitted from a respective slave station to the master station, or from the master station to a respective slave station, the power being measured at the optical repeater; incorporating, at said master station, information indicating the measured power into a downstream optical signal to be transmitted to the respective slave station; measuring power of said optical signal transmitted from the respective slave station to the master station, or from the master station to the respective slave station, at the respective slave station; extracting said information from said downstream optical signal at the respective slave station; and obtaining a transmission loss between the optical repeater and the respective slave station, based on the extracted information and the power of said optical signal measured at the respective slave station.