Monitoring and/or controlling device and process

Details Monitoring and/or controlling device and process Monitoring and/or controlling device and process

1998-04-07

2001-08-14

Negash, Kinfe-Michael (Department: 2633)

Optical: systems and elements

Deflection using a moving element

Using a periodically moving element

C359S199200, C359S199200

Reexamination Certificate

active

06275316

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The term “multichannel systems” is understood to mean communications systems for common transmission of a plurality of message signals via a common medium, utilizing common devices. As a rule, they are intended for long distances, for which they are especially attractive from both a technical and an economic standpoint. In these cases, depending on the nature of the signals transmitted, a greater or lesser number of intermediate regenerators or intermediate amplifiers (hereinafter referred to by the more general term repeater stations) is needed between the source and the sink of the message signals. Multichannel systems are known from electrical communications technology, in the form of frequency-division multiplexing or carrier frequency systems, and in optical communications they are known in the form of wavelength multiplexing systems.
It is usual in multichannel systems to attach signals of particular frequencies or wavelengths to message blocks (in electrical frequency-division multiplexing technology, these attached signals are often called a pilot tone or pilot frequency; in optical communications they are called a monitoring signal), and these signals take on various auxiliary tasks, such as that of representing the level state of the total band; in this case, the level of these signals is evaluated and used to regulate the level of the total bandwidth, and/or to ascertain the exceeding of certain impermissible level states, such as a drop in the level below a predetermined value. However, they can also be used as a carrier signal, for carrying monitoring information onward or for delivering control instructions to repeater stations. It will readily be appreciated that the two task areas can also be combined; in addition, still other special tasks (such as being utilized as a reference frequency signal) are also common. All of these monitoring or control signals will hereinafter be referred to as secondary signals, in which (temporarily, or on a long-term basis) only one message channel is provided.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved method and an improved device for monitoring and/or control of a transmission route for messages over optical wave guides.
This object, and others which will be made more apparent hereinafter, are attained in a method for controlling and/or monitoring a transmission route for message transmission over optical waveguides, wherein the transmission route includes at least one repeater station that receives optical secondary signals, serving as monitoring and/or control signals, within an optical transmission channel from a preceding or upstream portion of the transmission route in a transmission direction and generates further optical secondary signals to be transmitted over a portion of the transmission route following the at least one repeater station in the transmission direction within the optical transmission channel.
According to the invention, the further optical secondary signals to be transmitted over the portion of the transmission route following the at least one repeater station are formed by optical modulation of the received optical secondary signals in a device provided in the at least one repeater station.
According to the invention the monitoring and/or control device in a repeater station in the transmission route for message transmission over the optical waveguides comprises means for connection to a portion of the transmission route on an input side thereof for receiving optical secondary signals acting as monitoring and/or control signals, means for connection to a following portion of the transmission route on an output side thereof for transmitting further optical secondary signals acting as further monitoring and/or control signals, and an optical modulator including means for modulating the optical secondary signals received on the input side to form the further optical secondary signals for further transmission.
The invention makes it possible to implement a monitoring and/or control channel for optical multichannel systems with amplifying repeater stations in an especially simple, economical way. All the essential, usual and known tasks of such monitoring and/or control channels can be performed. By means of the invention, the generation of stable optical carrier signals (which is considerably more complicated and expensive than the corresponding generation of stable electrical carrier signals) in repeater stations can be dispensed with.


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Patent Abstract of Japan, JP 5292037, Published Nov. 5, 1993.

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