Abstract: Various example embodiments for supporting supervision in optical communication systems are presented. Various example embodiments for supporting supervision in optical communication systems may be configured to support supervision of an optical path including a remote optically pumped amplifier (ROPA) and, thus, supervision of the ROPA. Various example embodiments for supporting supervision of an optical path including a ROPA may be configured to support supervision of the optical path including the ROPA based on a pair of optical supervisory paths configured to extract a pair of optical supervisory signals from an optical path in a first direction and to insert the pair of optical supervisory signals into an optical path in a second direction. Various example embodiments for supporting supervision of an optical path including a ROPA may be configured to support supervision of the optical path including the ROPA based on a pair of optical time-domain reflectometer (OTDR) paths.

Abstract: A bidirectional optical repeater having two unidirectional optical amplifiers and a supervisory optical circuit connected to optically couple the optical ports thereof. In an example embodiment, the supervisory optical circuit provides one or more pathways therethrough for supervisory optical signals, each of these pathways having located therein a respective narrow band-pass optical filter. The supervisory optical circuit further provides one or more pathways therethrough configured to bypass the corresponding narrow band-pass optical filters in a manner that enables backscattered light of any wavelength to cross into the optical path that has therein the unidirectional optical amplifier directionally aligned with the propagation direction of the backscattered light.

Abstract: Various example embodiments for supporting supervision in optical communication systems are presented. Various example embodiments for supporting supervision in optical communication systems may be configured to support supervision of an optical path including a remote optically pumped amplifier (ROPA) and, thus, supervision of the ROPA. Various example embodiments for supporting supervision of an optical path including a ROPA may be configured to support supervision of the optical path including the ROPA based on a pair of optical supervisory paths configured to extract a pair of optical supervisory signals from an optical path in a first direction and to insert the pair of optical supervisory signals into an optical path in a second direction. Various example embodiments for supporting supervision of an optical path including a ROPA may be configured to support supervision of the optical path including the ROPA based on a pair of optical time-domain reflectometer (OTDR) paths.

Abstract: A bidirectional optical repeater having two unidirectional optical amplifiers and a supervisory optical circuit connected to optically couple the corresponding unidirectional optical paths. In an example embodiment, the supervisory optical circuit provides three pathways therethrough for supervisory optical signals, the first pathway being from the output of the first optical amplifier to the input of the second optical amplifier, the second pathway being between the input of the first optical amplifier and the input of the second optical amplifier, and the third pathway being from the output of the second optical amplifier to the input of the first optical amplifier. The pathways are arranged such that the remote monitoring equipment of the corresponding optical transport system can use optical time-domain reflectometry to determine and monitor, as a function of time, the individual gains of the first and second optical amplifiers.

Abstract: A landing station whose monitoring equipment employs a depolarized light source for generating the supervisory optical signals that are used to monitor certain performance characteristics of the corresponding submerged fiber-optic cable plant. In some embodiments, the depolarized light source operates to provide amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) within the bandwidths of the supervisory wavelength channels, with the supervisory optical signals being generated by modulating the provided ASE. In some other embodiments, the depolarized light source operates to generate a supervisory optical signal by modulating two carrier waves having (i) mutually orthogonal polarizations and (ii) different respective carrier wavelengths both of which are within the bandwidth of the corresponding supervisory wavelength channel.

Abstract: A bidirectional optical repeater having two unidirectional optical amplifiers and a supervisory optical circuit connected to optically couple the optical ports thereof. In an example embodiment, the supervisory optical circuit provides one or more pathways therethrough for supervisory optical signals, each of these pathways having located therein a respective narrow band-pass optical filter. The supervisory optical circuit further provides one or more pathways therethrough configured to bypass the corresponding narrow band-pass optical filters in a manner that enables backscattered light of any wavelength to cross into the optical path that has therein the unidirectional optical amplifier directionally aligned with the propagation direction of the backscattered light.

Abstract: A bidirectional optical repeater having two unidirectional optical amplifiers and a supervisory optical circuit connected to optically couple the corresponding unidirectional optical paths. In an example embodiment, the supervisory optical circuit provides three pathways therethrough for supervisory optical signals, the first pathway being from the output of the first optical amplifier to the input of the second optical amplifier, the second pathway being between the input of the first optical amplifier and the input of the second optical amplifier, and the third pathway being from the output of the second optical amplifier to the input of the first optical amplifier. The pathways are arranged such that the remote monitoring equipment of the corresponding optical transport system can use optical time-domain reflectometry to determine and monitor, as a function of time, the individual gains of the first and second optical amplifiers.

Abstract: A landing station whose monitoring equipment employs a depolarized light source for generating the supervisory optical signals that are used to monitor certain performance characteristics of the corresponding submerged fiber-optic cable plant. In some embodiments, the depolarized light source operates to provide amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) within the bandwidths of the supervisory wavelength channels, with the supervisory optical signals being generated by modulating the provided ASE. In some other embodiments, the depolarized light source operates to generate a supervisory optical signal by modulating two carrier waves having (i) mutually orthogonal polarizations and (ii) different respective carrier wavelengths both of which are within the bandwidth of the corresponding supervisory wavelength channel.

Abstract: The device includes a decision circuit (6a) for providing, by comparing the amplitude of a received modulated signal (Sr) to a decision threshold (Vth, Th), a binary signal (Sb) with two states respectively representing first and second binary values that respectively correspond to low and high values of the received signal. A counting module (12) activated during successive time periods calculates a differential numerical value (DN, SDN) representing the algebraic difference between the two numbers of bits of the binary signal that respectively have the second binary value and the first binary value. At the end of each time period, an adjustment module (15) increases or decreases the threshold value (Vth, Th) by an increment (Dth) according to whether the sign (SDN) of the difference is respectively positive or negative. Application in particular to systems for transmitting digital data at high bit rates over optical connections.

Abstract: The device includes a decision circuit (6a) for providing, by comparing the amplitude of a received modulated signal (Sr) to a decision threshold (Vth, Th), a binary signal (Sb) with two states respectively representing first and second binary values that respectively correspond to low and high values of the received signal. A counting module (12) activated during successive time periods calculates a differential numerical value (DN, SDN) representing the algebraic difference between the two numbers of bits of the binary signal that respectively have the second binary value and the first binary value. At the end of each time period, an adjustment module (15) increases or decreases the threshold value (Vth, Th) by an increment (Dth) according to whether the sign (SDN) of the difference is respectively positive or negative. Application in particular to systems for transmitting digital data at high bit rates over optical connections.

Abstract: A method is described for changing the order of bytes of digital signals transmitted in frames according to a cyclic rotation of the bytes and for changing the frame format. This method can advantageously be used in concatenated coding scheme to achieve the best trade off between coding gain and line bit rate.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of optical data transmission whereby digital information data and its associated error control data may be transmitted via an optical transmission line without requiring an increase in the transmission bit rate of the information data. It will be clear that this may be achieved, according to the present invention, by obviating the need to transmit information data and its associated error control data together via the same WDM transmission channel. That is to say, a subset of one or more WDM transmission channels is used in transmitting data of the first type, but not simultaneously used in transmitting data of the second type. The data of the second type is transmitted via a different subset of one or more other WDM transmission channels.