摘要 |
Power control for a laser used for bust mode communication as well as end-of-life detection for the laser are performed in a combined manner, resulting in a savings in both cost and power consumption. This is achieved by employing a peak comparator which is supplied with an indication of the magnitude of a the laser signal, and supplying to the peak comparator in a time multiplexed manner with different thresholds, such as a first threshold which is used for performing power control and a second threshold which is used for performing end of life detection, on an alternative packet-by-packet basis. Thus, the first threshold is supplied for the duration of a first packet and the second threshold is used for the duration of a second packet. Additional thresholds and packets may be employed for other functions as desired by an implementor. |