Method for tuning a tunable optical transmitter in an optical WDM transmission system and corresponding optical WDM transmission system

摘要

An optical WDM transmission system including a plurality of first optical transceivers at a first end of an optical WDM transmission link, each including a tunable optical transmitter being adapted to create a first digital optical channel signal within the bandwidths of a set of first optical channels of the system according to tuning control information. The first channels are multiplexed in to a first WDM signal and supplied at the first end of the WDM link. Second optical transceivers at a second end link each include a transmitter adapted to create a second digital optical channel signal within a channel bandwidth of a second set of optical channels of the system. The second channels are multiplexed into a second WDM signal for transmission to the first transceivers, and demultiplexing there. A central tuning device creates the tuning control information for the first optical transceivers by tapping off an optical WDM detection signal from the first signal, extracting tuning status information from the optical WDM detection signal and determining tuning control information for at least one of the first transceivers. The central tuning device also supplies the tuning control information to the at least one first transceiver by modulating the second signal according to the tuning control information applying an amplitude modulation of the second signal using a dedicated WDM tone frequency.

主权项

1. An optical WDM transmission system including:
(a) a plurality of first optical transceivers at a first end of an optical WDM transmission link, each of the first optical transceivers including a tunable optical transmitter being configured to create a first digital optical channel signal within the bandwidths of a set of first optical channels of the optical WDM transmission system according to tuning control information, (b) multiplexing means for multiplexing the first digital optical channel signals into a first optical WDM signal, which is supplied to the first end of the optical WDM transmission link, (c) a plurality of second optical transceivers at a second end of the optical WDM transmission link, each of the second optical transceivers including an optical transmitter being configured to create a second digital optical channel signal within the bandwidth of a predetermined optical channel of a second set of optical channels of the optical WDM transmission system, (d) multiplexing means for multiplexing the second digital optical channel signals into a second optical WDM signal, which is supplied to the second end of the optical WDM transmission link, (e) demultiplexing means for demultiplexing the second optical WDM signal into the second digital optical channel signals and providing each of the second digital optical channel signals to a dedicated first optical transceiver, and (f) a central tuning device connected in the optical path between the first optical transceivers and the second optical transceivers, and configured to create the tuning control information for one or more selected or all of the first optical transceivers by
(i) tapping off an optical WDM detection signal from the first optical WDM signal,(ii) extracting a tuning status information from the optical WDM detection signal and determining tuning control information for at least one of the first transceivers, (g) the central tuning device being further configured to supply the tuning control information to the at least one first transceiver by modulating the second optical WDM signal according to the tuning control information applying an amplitude modulation of the second optical WDM signal using a dedicated WDM tone frequency as a carrier frequency which is modulated according to the tuning control information.