Patent ID: 8190023

Claim:
An optical communication device which transmits and receives optical signals via an optical fiber cable, comprising: a transmitting unit which transmits optical signals to another optical communication device; a receiving unit which receives optical signals from the other optical communication device; a command input unit which receives an input of either an optical output stop command or an optical output reduction command for the transmitting unit from the outside; a command transmitting unit which, when the optical output stop command is input, executes processing to transmit the optical output stop command to the other optical communication device via the transmitting unit, or when the optical output reduction command is input, executes processing to transmit the optical output reduction command to the other optical communication device via the transmitting unit; a command executing unit which, when the optical output stop command is input, executes processing to stop the output of optical signals from the transmitting unit, or when the optical output reduction command is input, executes processing to reduce the output level of optical signals from the transmitting unit to less than the output level used during normal operations; and a transition completion notification unit which, when an optical signal received by the receiving unit from the other optical communication device has stopped or when the input level of the optical signal has been reduced to less than the input level used during normal operations, outputs a maintenance state transition completion notification.