Out-of-band data communication between network transceivers

• US 20050232643A1
• Filed: 04/14/2004
• Published: 10/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: II-VI Delaware, Inc. (Coherent Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Finisar Corporation (II-VI Incorporated)
• Inventors: Hosking, Lucy, Aronson, Lew, Matuszkiewicz, Marcin, Mason, Beck
• Granted Patent: US 7,630,631 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 398/183
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/40 Transceivers

Abstract

Out-of-band data communication of diagnostic or other data is performed using transceivers in a data or communication network. A light beam or other carrier is modulated with high-speed data and out-of-band data to create a double modulated data signal. A physical layer signal is created that includes modulations of the double modulated signal. The physical layer signal is transmitted onto a physical link. The diagnostic or other data can be transmitted in the out-of-band signal without substantially reducing or otherwise interfering with the transmission rate of the high-speed data.

Claims

1. A transceiver comprising:

a signal power source adapted to produce a physical layer signal for transmission across a physical link a high-speed data modulator that is coupled to the signal power source wherein the signal power source is configured to modulate a physical layer signal with a high-speed data signal received from the high-speed data modulator; and

an out-of-band data modulator that is coupled to the signal power source wherein the signal power source is configured to modulate the physical layer signal in response to out-of-band data received from the out-of-band data modulator wherein modulation by the high-speed data modulator and out-of-band data modulator produces an outgoing double modulated signal including high-speed data and out-of-band data.

2. The transceiver of claim 1, wherein:

the transceiver is an optical transceiver;

the signal power source comprises a laser driver and laser; and

the transceiver further comprises an average power bias circuit configured to control the average power output by the laser, wherein the out-of-band data modulator is coupled to the average power bias circuit.

3. The transceiver of claim 1, wherein:

the transceiver is an optical transceiver;

the signal power source comprises a laser driver and laser; and

the laser driver further comprises an extinction ratio command input configured to control the extinction ratio of a signal output by the laser, wherein the out-of-band data modulator is coupled to the extinction ratio command input.

4. The transceiver of claim 1, wherein:

the transceiver is an optical transceiver;

the signal power source comprises a laser driver and laser;

the transceiver further comprises an average power bias circuit configured to control the average power output by the laser, wherein the out-of-band data modulator is coupled to the average power bias circuit; and

the laser driver further comprises an extinction ratio command input configured to control the extinction ratio of a signal output by the laser, wherein the out-of-band data modulator is coupled to the extinction ratio command input.

5. The transceiver of claim 1, wherein:

the transceiver is an optical transceiver;

the signal power source comprises a laser driver and laser; and

the laser driver further comprises high-speed data 1 level command that defines the power output by the laser when a high-speed data 1 is output, wherein the out-of-band data modulator is coupled to the high-speed data 1 level command.

6. The transceiver of claim 1, wherein the out-of-band modulator is configured to modulate using at least one of phase shift keying, binary phase shift keying, quadrature phase shift keying, and Manchester encoding.

7. The transceiver of claim 1, wherein the out-of-band data modulator is configured to modulate identification and authentication information.

8. The transceiver of claim 1, wherein the out-of-band data modulator is configured to modulate diagnostic information including the health of the transceiver.

9. The transceiver of claim 1, wherein the out-of-band data modulator is configured to modulate configuration data.

10. The transceiver of claim 1 further comprising:

a signal reception element configured to receive physical layer signals from a physical link and to produce an incoming double modulated signal from the physical layer signal;

an out-of-band detector that is coupled to the signal reception element and is configured to extract out-of-band data from the incoming double modulated signal;

a high-speed data amplifier that is coupled to the signal reception element and is configured to extract high-speed data from the incoming double modulated signal.

11. The transceiver of claim 10, wherein the out-of-band detector comprises an IR receiver.

12. A method of transmitting data on a physical link comprising:

modulating a data signal with high-speed data;

modulating the data signal with out-of-band data wherein modulating the data signal with high-speed data and out-of-band data creates an outgoing double modulated signal that is a physical layer signal for transmission on a physical link;

transmitting the double modulated signal onto the physical link.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein modulating the modulated data signal comprises varying the average power the physical layer signal.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein modulating the modulated data signal comprises varying the peak power of the physical layer signal.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein modulating the modulated data signal comprises varying the extinction ratio of the physical layer signal.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving an incoming double modulated signal that includes high-speed and out-of-band data;

extracting high-speed data from the incoming double modulated signal; and

extracting out-of-band data from the incoming double modulated signal.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein extracting out-of-band data from the incoming double modulated signal comprises measuring average power of the incoming double modulated signal.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein extracting out-of-band data from the incoming double modulated signal comprises measuring peak power of the incoming double modulated signal.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein extracting out-of-band data from the incoming double modulated signal comprises measuring the extinction ratio of the incoming double modulated signal.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein modulating the modulated data signal comprises modulating the modulated data signal according to at least one of phase shift keying, binary phase shift keying, quadrature phase shift keying, and Manchester encoding.

21. A repeater for receiving and retransmitting digital data, the repeater comprising:

a receiver adapted to receive a data signal;

a signal processor coupled to the receiver, the signal processor being adapted to perform processing tasks on the data signal;

a transmitter coupled to the signal processor, the transmitter adapted to receive the data signal from the processor and to transmit the data signal; and

out-of-band logic coupled to the signal processor, the out-of-band logic configured to extract and insert out-of-band data onto the data signal.

22. The repeater of claim 21, wherein the out-of-band logic is configured to:

extract out-of-band data from the data signal;

concatenate data corresponding to digital diagnostic data for the repeater to the out-of-band data; and

insert the out-of-band data including the data corresponding to digital diagnostic data for the repeater onto the data signal.

23. The repeater of claim 21, wherein the out-of-band logic is a microprocessor.