TWIN OPTICAL AMPLIFIER WITH DUAL PUMP POWER CONTROL
First Claim
1. An apparatus for amplifying optical communication signals, comprising:
- one or more amplifier modules, each amplifier module comprising an optical amplifier and at least two pump lasers; and
, at least two separate control modules, each control module adapted to control the output of one pump laser in one or more amplifier modules.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus for amplifying optical communications systems is provided in which one or more amplifier modules, each containing an optical amplifier and at least two pump lasers, are optically isolated from a plurality of control modules. Each control module controls a single pump laser in one or more of the amplifier modules. A control module can thus be removed without disabling any amplifier module, while the plurality of pump lasers in each amplifier module allow for effective operation even if one of the pump lasers should fail. The pump lasers in each module are controlled by a master-slave relationship, whereby the master pump laser is adjusted to optimise overall output, while the slave laser(s) are adjusted to equalize the power output of the lasers.
10 Citations
15 Claims
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1. An apparatus for amplifying optical communication signals, comprising:
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one or more amplifier modules, each amplifier module comprising an optical amplifier and at least two pump lasers; and
,at least two separate control modules, each control module adapted to control the output of one pump laser in one or more amplifier modules. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method of adjusting the gain of an optical amplifier using a plurality of pump lasers controlled by a plurality of respective control modules, comprising the steps of:
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electing which of the control modules is a master control module;
adjusting an operational parameter of the pump laser associated with the master control module towards the point at which the gain of the optical amplifier is equal to a predetermined ideal value; and
,adjusting the operational parameter of each of the remaining pump lasers towards the point at which the operational parameters of all the pump lasers are equal. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15)
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Specification