Patent ID: 6271962
Filing Date: 2001-08-07
Classification: H01S,H04B,H04J

Abstract:
A wavelength division multiplexed optical amplifier control system, comprising:first and second optical exchange systems, each optical exchange system for generating and interpreting a supervision channel optical signal, multiplexing the supervision channel optical signal and a data channel optical signal, comprising a plurality of optical signals having different wavelengths, to produce a multiplexed signal, and transmitting and receiving the multiplexed signal, each optical exchange system comprising:a multiplexer for multiplexing the supervision channel optical signal and the data channel optical signal to produce the multiplexed signal,a demultiplexer for demultiplexing the multiplexed signal into the data channel optical signal having different wavelengths and the supervision channel optical signal, anda supervision controller for generating the supervision channel optical signal and interpreting the supervision channel optical signal demultiplexed by the demultiplexer; anda plurality of optical amplifying stages, arranged in pairs connected to each other, one of each of the pairs of the optical amplifying stages being arranged in a first transmission path from the first optical exchange system to the second optical exchange system and the other of each pair of optical amplifying stages being arranged in a second transmission path from the second optical exchange system to the first optical exchange system for amplifying with uniform gain, with respect to a wavelength range of the data channel optical signal, according to information in the supervision channel optical signal, and inserting state information into the supervision channel when the optical exchange system requests the state information, the first and second transmission paths providing a bidirectional optical transmission line and connections of the pairs of the optical amplifying stages shortening signal paths whereby a single one of the first and second optical exchange systems can bidirectionally supervise and control all of the amplifying stages.