Patent ID: 8515287

Claim:
Optical transmission equipment comprising: a wavelength demultiplexer for demultiplexing a transmitted wavelength-multiplexed signal at least to a first optical signal of a first wavelength and to a second optical signal of a second wavelength; a first variable dispersion compensation unit for compensating transmission line dispersion of the first optical signal; a second variable dispersion compensation unit for compensating transmission line dispersion of the second optical signal; a first optical-electrical converter for converting compensated first optical signal into a first electrical signal; a second optical-electrical converter for converting compensated second optical signal into a second electrical signal; a first error detector for detecting a signal error of the first electrical signal; a second error detector for detecting a signal error of the second electrical signal; and a dispersion compensation control unit connected to the first variable dispersion compensation unit, the second variable dispersion compensation unit, the first error detector, and the second error detector, the dispersion compensation control unit controlling dispersion compensation amounts of the first and second variable dispersion compensation units, based on the detection result of the first or second error detector, wherein, upon detection of a signal error in the first electrical signal by the first error detector, said dispersion compensation control unit controls the first variable dispersion compensation unit to change from a first compensation amount which is a first predetermined amount, to a third compensation amount to which the dispersion amount of one-half of the wavelength dispersion tolerance range for the first optical-electrical converter differs from the first compensation amount, and wherein, upon detection of a signal error recovery in the first electrical signal by the first error detector, said dispersion compensation control unit calculates a change in the dispersion control amount from the occurrence of error to the recovery from error, and controls the second variable dispersion compensation unit other than that in which the error occurred to change from a second compensation amount which is a second predetermined amount, to a fourth compensation amount to which the dispersion mount of the change differs from the second compensation amount.