Patent ID: 7576846

Claim:
A non-sampling-based Q-factor measuring apparatus comprising: an optical power conversion module for converting an input optical signal having first and second signal power levels both with variation in time domain into an output optical signal having first and second output optical components, said first output optical component having variation in a non-time domain corresponding to the variation of said first signal power level in said time domain, and said second output optical component having variation in said non-time domain corresponding to the variation of said second signal power level in said time domain; a non-time domain variation analyzing mechanism for receiving said output optical signal and determining a first mean and a first standard deviation for the variation of said first output optical component in said non-time domain, and a second mean and a second standard deviation for the variation of said second output optical component in said non-time domain; wherein said measuring apparatus computes said Q-factor for said input optical signal according to said first and second means and said first and second deviations.