Optical transmission system, optical receiver, and its gain adjustment method

• US 7,751,715 B2
• Filed: 06/07/2007
• Issued: 07/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Takami, Masayuki, Kitajima, Mototaka, Namba, Yoshiki
• Primary Examiner(s): WANG, QUAN ZHEN
• Application Number:
  US11/808,214
• Publication Number:
  US 20070286601A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,125 Days
• Field of Search: 398/115, 398/202
• US Class Current: 398/115
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/3084 in receivers or transmitters for electromagnetic waves other than radiowaves, e.g. lightwaves H03G3/32, H03G3/34 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/6931 Automatic gain control of the preamplifier

Abstract

An optical transmission system comprises master unit and remote unit, the master unit includes optical transmitter transmits the optical signal to the optical fiber at a fixed averaged output level, the remote unit includes optical receiver receives optical signal via optical fiber, and optical receiver includes light receiving element converts optical signal into electric signal, variable gain amplifier amplifies the electric signal at a gain corresponding to a value of a given adjustment voltage, gain controller supplied power for, a defined control period, controls the adjustment voltage to stabilize an averaged level of the electric signal to a defined value, and feed-forward-controls a gain of variable gain amplifier, a shut off unit shuts off supply of power to the gain control circuit when the control period ends, and a keeping unit keeps a value of an adjustment voltage applied to the variable gain amplifier.

Claims

1. An optical transmission system which is provided with a master unit and a remote unit connected with each other via an optical fiber, and interactively transmits an optical signal modulated by a radio signal to be used for a radio area communication in a mobile communication system between the master unit and the remote unit, wherein

the master unit includes an optical transmitter which transmits the optical signal to the optical fiber at a fixed averaged optical output level,

the remote unit includes an optical receiver which light-receives the optical signal incoming via the optical fiber, and

the optical receiver includes:

an light receiving element which converts the optical signal into an electric signal to reproduce the radio signal;

a variable gain amplifier which amplifies the reproduced radio signal at a gain corresponding to a value of a given adjustment voltage;

a gain control circuit which is supplied power for a defined control period to be driven, controls the adjustment voltage so as to stabilize an averaged level of the reproduced radio signal to a defined value, and feed-forward-controls a gain of the variable gain amplifier;

a shut off unit which shuts off supply of power to the gain control circuit when the control period ends; and

a keeping unit which keeps a value of an adjustment voltage applied to the variable gain amplifier at the time when the supply of the power to the gain control circuit is shut off.

2. The optical transmission system according to claim 1, wherein

the control period is a period after the remote unit is started until the adjustment voltage becomes stable.

3. The optical transmission system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a monitor control device which issues a command to the remote unit, wherein

the control period is a period after the command is issued to the remote unit until the adjustment voltage becomes stable.

4. The optical transmission system according to claim 3, wherein the command is superposed on the optical signal to be transmitted to the remote unit.

5. The optical transmission system according to claim 3, wherein

the command is transmitted to the remote unit via an order wire of a channel different from that of the radio signal.

6. An optical receiver which is provided for an optical transmission system equipped with a master unit and a remote unit connected with each other via an optical fiber, and light-receives an optical signal to be transmitted from the master unit to the optical fiber at a fixed averaged output level by the remote unit, comprising:

an light receiving element which converts the optical signal into an electric signal to reproduce a radio signal;

a variable gain amplifier which amplifies the reproduced radio signal at a gain corresponding to a value of a given adjustment voltage;

a gain control circuit which is supplied power for a defined control period to be driven, controls the adjustment voltage so as to stabilize an averaged level of the reproduced radio signal to a defined value, and feed-forward-controls a gain of the variable gain amplifier;

a shut off unit which shuts off supply of power to the gain control circuit when the control period ends; and

a keeping unit which keeps a value of an adjustment voltage applied to the variable gain amplifier at the time when the supply of the power to the gain control circuit is shut off.

7. The optical receiver according to claim 6, wherein

the control period is a period after the remote unit is started unit until the adjustment voltage becomes stable.

8. The optical receiver according to claim 6, wherein

the optical transmission system further comprises:

a monitor control device which issues a command to the remote unit, and

the control period is a period after the command is issued to the remote unit until the adjustment voltage becomes stable.

9. The optical receiver according to claim 8, wherein

the command is superposed on the optical signal to be transmitted to the remote unit.

10. The optical receiver according to claim 8, wherein

the command is transmitted to the remote unit via an order wire of a channel different from that of the radio signal.

11. A gain adjustment method of an optical receiver which is provided for an optical transmission system equipped with a master unit and a remote unit connected with each other via an optical fiber, and light-receives an optical signal to be transmitted from the master unit to the optical fiber at a fixed averaged output level by the remote unit, comprising:

converting the optical signal into an electric signal to reproduce a radio signal;

amplifying the reproduced radio signal at a gain corresponding to a value of a given adjustment voltage by means of a variable gain amplifier;

controlling the adjustment voltage so as to stabilize an averaged level of the reproduced radio signal to a defined value by a gain control circuit which is supplied power for a defined control period to be driven, and feed-forward-controlling a gain of the variable gain amplifier;

shutting off supply of power to the gain control circuit when the control period ends; and

storing a value of an adjustment voltage applied to the variable gain amplifier at the time when the supply of the power to the gain control circuit is shut off.

12. The gain adjustment method according to claim 11, wherein

the control period is a period after the remote unit is started until the adjustment voltage becomes stable.

13. The gain adjustment method according to claim 11, wherein

the optical transmission system further comprises:

a monitor control device which issues a command to the remote unit, and

the control period is a period after the command is issued to the remote unit until the adjustment voltage becomes stable.

14. The gain adjustment method according to claim 13, wherein

the command is superposed on the optical signal to be transmitted to the remote unit.

15. The gain adjustment method according to claim 13, wherein

the command is transmitted to the remote unit via an order wire of a channel different from that of the radio signal.