Patent ID: 8526810

Claim:
In a first optoelectronic device, a method of actively maintaining eye safety while permitting operation of the first optoelectronic device above a nominal eye safety limit, the method comprising: initiating operation in a transmit power mode in which average transmit optical power is below a nominal eye safety limit, including transmitting primary data from the first optoelectronic device to a second optoelectronic device in the transmit power mode in which average transmit optical power is below the nominal eye safety limit; monitoring a status link established by the second optoelectronic device with the first optoelectronic device for first status data indicative that it is safe for the first optoelectronic device to transmit one or more optical signals to the second optoelectronic device at an aggregate optical transmit power that is greater than the nominal eye safety limit; in response to not detecting the first status data, maintaining operation in the transmit power mode in which average optical power is below the nominal eye safety limit; in response to detecting the first status data, transitioning to a transmit power mode in which the average transmit optical power is above the nominal eye safety limit; monitoring a first optical link comprising a first electro-optical transducer of the second optoelectronic device, a first opto-electrical transducer of the first optoelectronic device, and a first optical fiber coupled therebetween to determine whether one or more optical signals transmitted from the second optoelectronic device to the first optoelectronic device over the second optical link are potentially exposed to view; if the first optoelectronic device determines that one or more optical signals transmitted over the first optical link are not potentially exposed to view, transmitting to the second optoelectronic device second status data indicative that it is safe for the second optoelectronic device to transmit one or more optical signals to the first optoelectronic device at an aggregate optical transmit power that is greater than the nominal eye safety limit; and if the first optoelectronic device determines that one or more optical signals transmitted over the first optical link are potentially exposed to view, not transmitting the second status data to the second optoelectronic device.