Measuring system of transmission characteristics

• US 6,594,003 B1
• Filed: 04/20/2000
• Issued: 07/15/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: KDD Corporation (KDDI Corporation), KDD Submarine Cable Systems Inc.
• Original Assignee: KDD Corporation (KDDI Corporation), KDD Submarine Cable Systems Inc.
• Inventors: Kawazawa, Toshio, Horiuchi, Yukio
• Primary Examiner(s): Font, Frank G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEE, HWA S
• Application Number:
  US09/553,066
• Time in Patent Office: 1,181 Days
• Field of Search: 356/73.1
• US Class Current: 356/73.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 11/333 using modulated input signals
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 11/335 using two or more input wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 11/338 by measuring dispersion other than PMD, e.g. chromatic dispersion

Abstract

A measuring system of transmission characteristics comprises a reference signal light generator for generating reference signal light of a reference wavelength optically intensity-modulated at a reference frequency, a measuring signal light generator for generating measuring signal light of a measuring wavelength optically intensity-modulated at a measuring frequency synchronizing with the reference frequency, a multiplexer for multiplexing the reference signal light and measuring signal light respectively generated by the reference signal light generator and measuring signal light generator and outputting them onto a to-be-measured optical line, a photodetector for converting the lights propagated on the to-be-measured line into electric signals, a reference frequency extractor for extracting the component of the reference frequency from the output of the photodetector, and a phase detector for detecting a phase of a frequency component corresponding to the measuring frequency contained in the output of the photodetector according to the output of the reference frequency extractor.

Claims

1. A measuring system of transmission characteristics, comprising:

a reference signal light generator to generate reference signal light having a reference wavelength optically intensity-modulated at a reference frequency;

a measuring signal light generator to generate measuring signal light having a measuring wavelength optically intensity-modulated at a measuring frequency and synchronized with the reference frequency;

a multiplexer to multiplex the reference signal light and the measuring signal light and to output the multiplexed lights onto an optical line;

a photodetector to convert the multiplexed lights propagating on the optical line into electric signals;

a reference frequency extractor to extract the reference frequency from the electric signals output from the photodetector; and

a phase detector to detect a phase of the measuring frequency contained in the electric signals output from the photodetector according to the extracted reference frequency.

2. The measuring system of transmission characteristics of claim 1 wherein the phase detector comprises a phase-locked oscillator to generate a signal synchronized to the extracted reference frequency and having a frequency corresponding to the measuring frequency, and a detector to detect the phase of the measuring frequency contained in the electric signals output from the photodetector according to the synchronized signal output from the phase-locked oscillator.

3. The measuring system of transmission characteristics of claim 2 wherein the detector comprises a synchronous detector.

4. The measuring system of transmission characteristics of claim 1 wherein in the measuring signal light generator comprises a wavelength variable light source having a variable oscillating wavelength.

5. The measuring system of transmission characteristics of claim 1 wherein the measuring signal light generator comprises a phase-locked oscillator to generate a signal having the measuring frequency from the reference frequency, a wavelength variable light source having a variable oscillating wavelength, and an optical intensity modulator to optically modulate an intensity of the signal generated by the phase-locked oscillator.

6. The measuring system of transmission characteristics of claim 1 wherein the reference signal light generator comprises a reference oscillator oscillating at the reference frequency, a reference light source laser-oscillating at the reference wavelength, and an optical intensity modulator to optically modulate an intensity of output light of the reference light source with an output of the reference oscillator.

7. The measuring system of transmission characteristics of claim 1 further comprising a signal superimposer to superimpose at least one of a signal having information relating to the measuring wavelength and a trigger signal having information related to timing of its wavelength change of either the reference frequency or measuring frequency, a demodulator to demodulate the superimposed signal from the electric signals output from the photodetector, and an arithmetic unit to calculate chromatic dispersion characteristics from outputs of the demodulator and the detector.

8. The measuring system of transmission characteristics of claim 1 further comprising a wavelength meter to measure at least one of wavelengths of the reference signal light and measuring signal light.

9. A measuring system of transmission characteristics, comprising:

an oscillator having an output with a measuring frequency;

a first signal light generator to generate a first signal light having a first wavelength optically intensity-modulated at the measuring frequency and to output it onto a first optical line;

a first photodetector to receive the first signal light propagated on the first optical line and to output a signal at a frequency corresponding to the measuring frequency;

a second signal light generator to generate a second signal light having a second wavelength optically intensity-modulated with the signal from the photodetector and to output it onto a second optical line;

a second photodetector for receiving the second signal light propagated on the second optical line; and

a phase detector to detect a phase of the measuring frequency component contained in an output of the second photodetector according to the output of the oscillator.

10. The measuring system of transmission characteristics of claim 9 wherein the phase detector comprises a synchronous detector.

11. The measuring system of transmission characteristics of claim 9 wherein at least one of the first wavelength and second wavelength is variable.

12. The measuring system of transmission characteristics of claim 9 further comprising a first controller to control the first wavelength and a second controller to control the second wavelength.

13. The measuring system of transmission characteristics of claim 12 further comprising a signal superimposer to superimpose a wavelength control signal assigning the second wavelength λ

b on the output of the oscillator and to supply it to the first signal light generators and a demodulator to demodulate the wavelength control signal from the signal from the first photodetector and supply it to the second controller.