Laser safety in data centers and other remote sites
First Claim
1. A method for ensuring eye safety in an optical network, the method comprising:
- detecting optical connectivity between an output of a transmit amplifier and a passive optical processing element, the transmit amplifier being located at a first network node and being configured to output optical power greater than a given level, and the passive optical processing element being located at a second network node and being configured to guarantee a reduction of a maximum optical power level at an output side of the passive optical processing element to the given level, and wherein the detecting occurs at the first network node and includes transmitting a signal from the first network node at which the transmit amplifier is located and receiving the signal at the first network node; and
enabling or disabling the transmit amplifier as a function of detection of the optical connectivity.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
The disclosed methods, apparatus, and systems allow safe and easy deployment of amplifier products that exceed laser safe limits without the need for fiber testing and characterization or OTDR techniques. One example embodiment is a method for ensuring eye safety in an optical network. The example method includes detecting optical connectivity between an output of a transmit amplifier and a passive optical processing element. The transmit amplifier is located at a first network node and is configured to output optical power greater than eye-safe level. The passive optical processing element is located at a second network node and is configured to guarantee a reduction of a maximum optical power level at an output side of the passive optical processing element to an eye-safe optical level. The detecting occurs at the first network node, and the transmit amplifier is enabled or disabled as a function of detection of the optical connectivity.
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Citations
50 Claims
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1. A method for ensuring eye safety in an optical network, the method comprising:
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detecting optical connectivity between an output of a transmit amplifier and a passive optical processing element, the transmit amplifier being located at a first network node and being configured to output optical power greater than a given level, and the passive optical processing element being located at a second network node and being configured to guarantee a reduction of a maximum optical power level at an output side of the passive optical processing element to the given level, and wherein the detecting occurs at the first network node and includes transmitting a signal from the first network node at which the transmit amplifier is located and receiving the signal at the first network node; and enabling or disabling the transmit amplifier as a function of detection of the optical connectivity. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 22)
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11. A method for ensuring eye safety in an optical network, the method comprising:
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detecting optical connectivity between an output of a transmit amplifier configured to output optical power greater than a given level and an input of a receiving element, the receiving element being configured to guarantee a reduction of a maximum optical power level of the transmit amplifier to the given level, wherein detecting the optical connectivity includes transmitting a signal from a network node at which the transmit amplifier is located and receiving the signal at the network node; and enabling the transmit amplifier to output the optical power based on a positive detection of the optical connectivity. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 23)
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21. A node in an optical network, comprising:
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a transmit amplifier configured to output optical power greater than a given level; and a detector configured to detect optical connectivity between an output of the transmit amplifier and a receiving element at another network node, the receiving element being configured to guarantee a reduction of a maximum optical power level of the transmit amplifier to the given level, and the node configured to detect the optical connectivity by transmitting a signal from the transmit amplifier and receiving the signal at the detector; the detector configured to enable the transmit amplifier to output the optical power based on a positive detection of the optical connectivity. - View Dependent Claims (24)
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25. A method for eye safety in an optical network, the method comprising:
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establishing an optical path that extends between at least a first node and a passive element of a second node, wherein the passive element is configured to output an optical power that does not exceed a given level, and wherein the second node does not have an optical interface that provides customer access to any optical power that exceeds the given level along any portion of the optical path within the second node; communicating a signal along the optical path from the first node to the second node; returning the signal back to the first node from the second node provided that the optical path is complete between at least the first node and an input to the second node; detecting at the first node a completeness of the optical path between at least the first node and an input to the second node, based at least on whether the signal returns to the first node; and controlling whether the first node outputs onto the optical path an optical power greater than the given level, based at least on the detection. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43)
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44. A node for an optical network, comprising:
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an output from which the node is configured to, in a first mode of operation, communicate an optical power greater than a given level onto an optical path of the optical network; a detector configured to detect completeness of the optical path, the detection being based at least on whether a signal the node is configured to communicate onto the optical path is received by the node; wherein the node is configured to, in a second mode of operation, not communicate from the output an optical power greater than the given level; and wherein the node is further configured to switch from one of the two modes of operation to the other mode of operation, based at least on the detection. - View Dependent Claims (45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50)
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Specification