Photoelectric conversion, method light receiving circuit, and optical communication system

• US 6,359,715 B1
• Filed: 11/25/1998
• Issued: 03/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kokusai Electric Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Kokusai Electric Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Imajo, Yoshihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): NEGASH, KINFE MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US09/199,416
• Time in Patent Office: 1,210 Days
• Field of Search: 359/189, 359/194, 250/214.A, 330/308, 330/254
• US Class Current: 398/210
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/6911 Photodiode bias control, e.g. for compensating temperature variations
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/6931 Automatic gain control of the preamplifier

Abstract

There is disclosed a photoelectric conversion method, a light receiving circuit, and an optical communication system, in which even if an average received light level varies, a constant output level of demodulated signal can always be obtained. In the photoelectric conversion method, the light receiving circuit and the optical communication system of the present invention, a light signal is received by a light receiving diode and converted to an electric signal. An alternating component is removed and a direct current component is taken out by a low-pass filter to detect an average received light level of the light, a difference of the average received light level and a preset reference voltage is amplified by a differential amplifier to output a control voltage of a variable gain amplifier, and the electric signal is amplified with a gain corresponding to the control voltage by the variable gain amplifier to obtain a demodulated signal.

Claims

1. A light receiving circuit comprising a light receiving element to which a voltage is applied, a capacitor connected to one end of said light receiving element for removing a direct current component of an electric signal generated in response to a light received by said light receiving element and outputting an alternating component, a low-pass filter connected to the other end of said light receiving element for removing the alternating current component of the electric signal generated in response to the light received by said light receiving element and outputting the direct current component as an average received light level, a differential amplifier for amplifying a difference of the average received light level outputted from said low-pass filter and a preset reference voltage, and a variable gain amplifier for receiving a voltage of said amplified difference as a control voltage and amplifying or attenuating the electric signal of the alternating component outputted from said capacitor with a gain corresponding to said control voltage.

2. The light receiving circuit according to claim 1 wherein an electronic attenuator is used instead of the variable gain amplifier.

3. The light receiving circuit according to claim 1, wherein an IC filter is used instead of the low-pass filter.

4. The light receiving circuit according to claim 3 wherein the differential amplifier for amplifying the electric signal generated in the light receiving element is provided between the other end of the light receiving element and the IC filter.

5. The light receiving circuit according to claim 1, wherein the differential amplifier for amplifying the electric signal generated in the light receiving element is provided between the other end of the light receiving element and the low-pass filter.

6. An optical communication system comprising a high-frequency source for generating a high-frequency signal, an electric/optical conversion circuit for analog-optical modulating said high-frequency signal and outputting a light signal, a star photocoupler for distributing said light signal, an optical fiber for transmitting said distributed light signal, and the light receiving circuit according to claim 1 for demodulating the transmitted light signal to obtain a demodulated signal.