Patent ID: 7489877

Claim:
An optical transmission module, comprising: an optical transmission element; a driver comprising a driver input configured to drive the optical transmission element in response to a transmission signal applied to the driver input to produce a drive signal for the optical transmission element a programmable control device configured to selectively drive the driver in a program mode of operation; and a multiplexing device connected between a signal input of the transmission module, the driver input and the programmable device, and configured to selectively pass an input signal at the signal input of the transmission module to the control device in the program mode or to the driver in a transmission mode of operation, wherein the multiplexing device is configured to determine whether the input signal applied to the signal input of the transmission module is a programming signal for the programmable control device or a transmission signal for the driver, and wherein the multiplexing device is configured to switch the input signal automatically to the programmable control device if the input signal is a programming signal, or switch the input signal to the driver if the input signal is a transmission signal, and wherein the multiplexing device comprises: a monitoring module comprising an input connected directly or indirectly to the signal input of the transmission module and configured to identify programming signals and transmission signals in each case; and a multiplexing unit coupled to and driven by the monitoring module via a control connection and comprising at least one input, two outputs and the control connection, wherein the multiplexing unit is connected directly or indirectly at the input to the signal input of the transmission module and at the output to the driver input of the driver and to the programmable control device, respectively, and wherein the multiplexing unit is configured to connect the signal input of the transmission module to the driver input of the driver or to the control device as a function of a control signal from the monitoring module; and a line terminating impedance arranged between the multiplexing unit and the signal input of the transmission module.