Patent ID: 8244140
Filing Date: 2012-08-14
Classification: H04B

Abstract:
1. A method for communicating with a component in an optical communication system, the method comprising: modulating a voltage level across the component to provide at least one voltage signal representing information associated with the component; acquiring voltage data from power feed equipment (PFE) in the optical communications system; processing the voltage data to detect the at least one voltage signal in the voltage data and to analyze the at least one detected voltage signal to determine at least one best match between the at least one detected voltage signal and at least one of a plurality of predetermined voltage signal signatures, the plurality of predetermined voltage signal signatures being associated with indicators for providing the information associated with the at least one component in the optical communications system; and recording the indicator associated with the at least one best match of the predetermined voltage signal signatures, wherein the indicator is indicative of the information communicated from the component, wherein the optical communication system includes a plurality of stations, each of the stations including an element management system (EMS) and at least one of the stations including a network management system (NMS), and wherein the voltage data is acquired by sampling PFE voltage data in at least one of said plurality of stations using the EMS in said at least one of said plurality of stations, and wherein the PFE voltage data is logged by the NMS in at least one of the stations for said processing.