A self-calibrating optical beam splitter for real-time correction of two-path optical power difference

Abstract

The present application provides a self-calibrating optical beam splitter for real-time correction of the difference in optical power between two paths, comprising: two adjustable optical fiber beam splitters, two optical power detectors, and an optical power comparison control module, wherein the first optical power detector detects the optical power of the first light beam output from the first adjustable optical fiber beam splitter; the second optical power detector detects the optical power of the second light beam output from the second adjustable optical fiber beam splitter; the optical power comparison control module compares the optical power of the first light beam with the optical power of the second light beam, and calculates the required attenuation of the light beam with higher optical power when the optical power of the first light beam and the second light beam are the same, so that the adjustable optical fiber beam splitter adjusts the splitting ratio according to the attenuation. This solution can adjust the output optical power of the main optical path of the adjustable optical fiber beam splitter in real time, so that the optical power of the two main optical paths remains consistent in real time, and the self-calibrating optical beam splitter has the characteristics of high precision, continuously adjustable attenuation, small size, easy to carry, and simple and convenient to use.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of optical communication technology, and in particular to a self-calibrating optical beam splitter for real-time correction of the power difference between two optical paths. Background Art

[0002] Currently, some adjustable optical attenuators can be combined with optical components such as wavelength division multiplexers (WDMs), tapped optical detectors (TAP PDs), and erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFAs) to form modules such as reconfigurable optical add / drop multiplexers (ROADMs), variable power wavelength division multiplexers (VMUXs), and gain-flattened EDFAs. They can also be used directly for overload protection in optical receivers. Furthermore, adjustable optical attenuators are also required for measurement and calibration of instruments such as optical power meters.

[0003] As adjustable optical attenuators are increasingly used in optical communications, the requirements for their functionality are becoming increasingly higher. For example, adjustable optical attenuators should be able to precisely control the power of optical signals and provide stable attenuation for each channel wavelength.

[0004] However, in actual working systems, the impact of optical power crosstalk changes instantaneously. When using existing adjustable attenuators, it is necessary to first measure the optical power of the two channels separately, calculate the optical power difference, and then manually adjust the adjustable attenuator to keep the optical power consistent with the other channel. This has a lag and cannot meet the current needs of instantaneity, effectiveness, and convenience. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of the present application is to provide a self-calibrating optical beam splitter for real-time correction of the power difference between two optical paths, so as to at least solve one of the above-mentioned defects of the existing adjustable optical attenuator.

[0006] The present invention provides a self-calibrating optical beam splitter for real-time correction of the power difference between two optical paths, comprising:

[0007] Two adjustable fiber beam splitters, two optical power detectors and an optical power comparison control module;

[0008] The first adjustable fiber beam splitter includes a first input end, a first output end, a first small-ratio branch output end, and a first adjustment input end; the second adjustable fiber beam splitter includes a second input end, a second output end, a second small-ratio branch output end, and a second adjustment input end;

[0009] The input end of the first optical power detector is connected to the first small-ratio branch output end of the first adjustable optical fiber beam splitter; the output end of the first optical power detector is connected to the first input end of the optical power comparison control module;

[0010] The input end of the second optical power detector is connected to the second small-ratio branch output end of the second adjustable optical fiber beam splitter; the output end of the second optical power detector is connected to the second input end of the optical power comparison control module;

[0011] The first output end of the optical power comparison control module is connected to the first adjustment input end of the first adjustable optical fiber beam splitter, and the second output end of the optical power comparison control module is connected to the second adjustment input end of the second adjustable optical fiber beam splitter; wherein,

[0012] The first optical power detector is used to detect the optical power of the first light beam output from the first adjustable optical fiber beam splitter, and input the optical power of the first light beam into the optical power comparison control module;

[0013] The second optical power detector is used to detect the optical power of the second light beam output from the second adjustable optical fiber beam splitter, and input the optical power of the second light beam into the optical power comparison control module;

[0014] The optical power comparison control module is used to compare the optical power of the first light beam and the optical power of the second light beam, determine the light beam with higher optical power, and calculate the attenuation required for the light beam with higher optical power when the optical powers of the first light beam and the second light beam are equal, and input the attenuation into the adjustable optical fiber splitter corresponding to the light beam with higher optical power, so that the adjustable optical fiber splitter adjusts the splitting ratio according to the attenuation.

[0015] In a possible implementation, both the first adjustable fiber optic beam splitter and the second adjustable fiber optic beam splitter are continuously adjustable one-to-two beam splitters.

[0016] In a possible implementation, the first adjustable fiber beam splitter and the second adjustable fiber beam splitter have the same light splitting ratio.

[0017] In a possible implementation, the optical power detector includes a photoelectric detection unit, an amplification unit, an analog-to-digital conversion unit, and a data processing unit;

[0018] The photoelectric signal output by the photoelectric detection unit is amplified by the amplification unit and converted by the analog-to-digital conversion unit before entering the data processing unit. The digital signal processed by the data processing unit is transmitted to the optical power comparison control module in the form of corresponding power level.

[0019] In a possible implementation, the optical power comparison control module is a single chip microcomputer.

[0020] The present application provides a self-calibrating optical beam splitter for real-time correction of the difference in optical power between two paths, comprising: two adjustable optical fiber beam splitters, two optical power detectors and an optical power comparison control module, wherein the first optical power detector detects the optical power of a first light beam output from the first adjustable optical fiber beam splitter, and inputs the optical power of the first light beam into the optical power comparison control module; the second optical power detector detects the optical power of a second light beam output from the second adjustable optical fiber beam splitter, and inputs the optical power of the second light beam into the optical power comparison control module; the optical power comparison control module compares the optical power of the first light beam and the optical power of the second light beam, determines the path with higher optical power, calculates the attenuation required for the path with higher optical power to make the optical power of the first light beam and the second light beam the same, and inputs the attenuation into the adjustable optical fiber beam splitter corresponding to the path with higher optical power, so that the adjustable optical fiber beam splitter adjusts the splitting ratio according to the attenuation. The self-calibrating optical beam splitter of the present application can combine the two optical systems in the actual working system through the optical power comparison module, track in real time and convert the required adjustment signal into a real-time adjustment electrical signal and output it to the adjustable optical fiber beam splitter to change the magnitude of the output optical power of the main optical path, so that the optical power of the two main optical paths remains consistent in real time. This self-calibrating optical beam splitter is not only compact and coherent in structure, can be adjusted in real time, has high precision, and continuously adjustable optical power, is small in size, easy to carry, and simple and convenient to use, but can also solve a series of problems caused by the optical power difference between the two light paths. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Various other advantages and benefits will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the detailed description of the preferred embodiment below. The accompanying drawings are for illustration purposes only and are not to be considered as limiting the present application. The same reference symbols are used throughout the drawings to represent the same components. In the drawings:

[0022] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of a self-calibrating optical beam splitter for real-time correction of the power difference between two optical paths provided by the present application is shown;

[0023] Figure 2 The schematic diagram of the structure of the optical power detector provided by the present application is shown;

[0024] Figure 3 The flowchart of the specific comparison process of the optical power comparison control module provided by the present application is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present application will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it should be understood that these descriptions are merely illustrative and are not intended to limit the scope of the present application. In addition, in the following description, descriptions of well-known structures and technologies are omitted to avoid unnecessary confusion in the concepts of the present application.

[0026] The accompanying drawings illustrate various schematic diagrams of structures according to embodiments of the present application. These figures are not drawn to scale, and for the purpose of clarity, some details are exaggerated and some details may be omitted. The shapes of the various regions and layers shown in the figures, as well as their relative sizes and positional relationships, are merely exemplary and may deviate in practice due to manufacturing tolerances or technical limitations. Those skilled in the art may design regions / layers with different shapes, sizes, and relative positions as needed.

[0027] In the context of the present disclosure, when transmitting along the main light path, the device that the light path passes through first is called the front device, and the device that the light path passes through later is called the back device.

[0028] Figure 1 FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a self-calibrating optical beam splitter for real-time correction of the power difference between two optical paths provided by the present application. Figure 1 As shown, the self-calibrating optical beam splitter provided in the present application for real-time correction of the difference in optical power between two paths includes: two adjustable optical fiber splitters (a first adjustable optical fiber splitter 11 and an adjustable optical fiber splitter 12), two optical power detectors (a first optical power detector 21 and a second optical power detector 22) and an optical power comparison control module 30.

[0029] like Figure 1 As shown, the first adjustable fiber optic beam splitter 11 and the second adjustable fiber optic beam splitter 12 are both continuously adjustable one-to-two beam splitters, wherein branches b and d are main optical paths for transmitting light, and branches a and c are reference optical paths, mainly used by an optical power detector to detect the optical power. Preferably, the first adjustable fiber optic beam splitter 11 and the second adjustable fiber optic beam splitter 12 have the same splitting ratio.

[0030] The first adjustable fiber optic splitter 11 includes a first input end, a first output end, a first small-ratio branch output end and a first adjustment input end; the second adjustable fiber optic splitter 12 includes a second input end, a second output end, a second small-ratio branch output end and a second adjustment input end.

[0031] The first light beam is input into the first adjustable fiber optic splitter 11 from the input end thereof, branch b is output from the output end out1, branch a is output from the small-proportion branch output end to the first optical power detector 21, and the adjustment input end of the first adjustable fiber optic splitter 11 is connected to the optical power comparison control module 30.

[0032] The second light beam is input into the first adjustable fiber optic splitter 11 from the input end of the second adjustable fiber optic splitter 12, the branch d is output from the output end out2, the branch c is output from the small-proportion branch output end to the second optical power detector 22, and the adjustment input end of the second adjustable fiber optic splitter 12 is connected to the optical power comparison control module 30.

[0033] The input end of the first optical power detector 21 is connected to the small-ratio branch output end of the first adjustable optical fiber beam splitter 11 ; the output end of the first optical power detector 21 is connected to the first input end of the optical power comparison control module 30 .

[0034] The input end of the second optical power detector 22 is connected to the small-ratio branch output end of the second adjustable optical fiber beam splitter 12 ; the output end of the second optical power detector 22 is connected to the second input end of the optical power comparison control module 30 .

[0035] Specifically, such as Figure 2 As shown, each of the above-mentioned optical power detectors includes a photoelectric detection unit 201, an amplifying unit 202, an analog-to-digital conversion unit 203 and a data processing unit 204. When the light to be measured is irradiated on the photoelectric detection unit 201 (current-voltage conversion), a corresponding photoelectric signal is generated. The photoelectric signal output by the photoelectric detection unit 201 is amplified by the amplifying unit 202 and converted by the analog-to-digital conversion unit 203, and then enters the data processing unit 204. The digital signal processed by the data processing unit 204 is transmitted to the optical power comparison control module 30 in the form of a corresponding power level.

[0036] The first output end of the optical power comparison control module 30 is connected to the adjustment input end of the first adjustable fiber optic beam splitter 11, and the second output end of the optical power comparison control module is connected to the adjustment input end of the second adjustable fiber optic beam splitter. Preferably, the optical power comparison control module 30 can be a single chip microcomputer.

[0037] The working principle of the self-calibrating optical beam splitter for real-time correction of the power difference between two optical paths is as follows:

[0038] The first optical power detector 21 is used to detect the optical power of the first light beam output from the first adjustable optical fiber beam splitter 11 and input the optical power of the first light beam into the optical power comparison control module 30;

[0039] The second optical power detector 22 is used to detect the optical power of the second light beam output from the second adjustable optical fiber beam splitter 12 and input the optical power of the second light beam into the optical power comparison control module 30;

[0040] The optical power comparison control module 30 is used to compare the optical power of the first light beam and the optical power of the second light beam, determine the light beam with higher optical power, and calculate the attenuation required for the light beam with higher optical power to make the optical power of the first light beam and the second light beam the same, and input the attenuation into the adjustable optical fiber splitter corresponding to the light beam with higher optical power, so that the adjustable optical fiber splitter adjusts the splitting ratio according to the attenuation.

[0041] Figure 3FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of a specific comparison process of the optical power comparison control module, as shown in FIG. Figure 3 As shown, after the optical power comparison control module receives the power levels transmitted by the two optical power detectors, it first converts the optical power of the reference optical path respectively. The optical power of optical path a is P a , the optical power of optical path c is P c , calculate the optical power P of the two transmission paths according to the real-time splitting ratio b and P d , the optical power of optical path b is P b , the optical power of optical path d is P d , then calculate the optical power difference P b -P d , judge whether it is greater than zero. If it is greater than zero, it means that the optical power in optical path b is large, and the splitting ratio of the first adjustable optical fiber beam splitter needs to be adjusted to make the optical power P b =P d The adjustment amount is the original splitting ratio of the first adjustable optical fiber beam splitter minus the required ratio, which is b / (a+b)-P d / (P a +P b ), and then convert it into an electrical signal that can be recognized by the adjustable fiber optic splitter and transmit it to the first adjustable fiber optic splitter. If it is less than zero, it means that the optical power in the optical path d is large, and the splitting ratio of the second adjustable fiber optic splitter needs to be adjusted to make the optical power P d =P b The adjustment amount is the original splitting ratio of the second adjustable fiber beam splitter minus the required ratio, which is d / (c+d)-P b / (P c +P d ), and then converts it into an electrical signal that can be recognized by the adjustable fiber optic splitter and transmits it to the second adjustable fiber optic splitter.

[0042] In the present application, the two adjustable fiber optic splitters can be adjustable fiber optic splitters of the same model. The adjustable fiber optic splitter can split the input light in the optical fiber into two beams with a certain optical power ratio according to the real-time demand signal sent by the optical power comparison control module. The optical power comparison control module can receive the optical power values ​​of the two input modules, calculate the optical power of the transmission optical path in real time according to the branch ratio multiple of the adjustable fiber optic splitter, and obtain the ratio of the two branches of the higher adjustable fiber optic splitter after comparison, and convert it into an electrical signal and send it to the adjustable fiber optic splitter.

[0043] The present application provides a self-calibrating optical beam splitter for real-time correction of the difference in optical power between two paths, comprising: two adjustable optical fiber beam splitters, two optical power detectors and an optical power comparison control module, wherein the first optical power detector detects the optical power of a first light beam input into the first adjustable optical fiber beam splitter, and inputs the optical power of the first light beam into the optical power comparison control module; the second optical power detector detects the optical power of a second light beam input into the second adjustable optical fiber beam splitter, and inputs the optical power of the second light beam into the optical power comparison control module; the optical power comparison control module compares the optical power of the first light beam and the optical power of the second light beam, determines the path with higher optical power, calculates the attenuation required for the path with higher optical power to make the optical power of the first light beam and the second light beam the same, and inputs the attenuation into the adjustable optical fiber beam splitter corresponding to the path with higher optical power, so that the adjustable optical fiber beam splitter adjusts the splitting ratio according to the attenuation. The self-calibrating optical beam splitter of the present application can combine the two optical systems in the actual working system through the optical power comparison module, track in real time and convert the required adjustment signal into a real-time adjustment electrical signal and output it to the adjustable optical fiber beam splitter to change the magnitude of the output optical power of the main optical path, so that the optical power of the two main optical paths remains consistent in real time. This self-calibrating optical beam splitter is not only compact and coherent in structure, can be adjusted in real time, has high precision, and continuously adjustable optical power, is small in size, easy to carry, and simple and convenient to use, but can also solve a series of problems caused by the optical power difference between the two light paths.

[0044] In order to form the same structure, those skilled in the art can also design a method that is not completely the same as the method described above. In addition, although each embodiment is described above respectively, this does not mean that the measures in each embodiment cannot be used in combination advantageously.

[0045] The above describes the embodiments of the present application. However, these embodiments are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of this application. The scope of this application is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents. Without departing from the scope of this application, those skilled in the art may make various substitutions and modifications, which should all fall within the scope of this application.

Claims

1. A self-calibrating optical beam splitter for real-time correction of the power difference between two optical paths, characterized in that: include: Two adjustable fiber beam splitters, two optical power detectors and an optical power comparison control module; The first adjustable fiber beam splitter includes a first input end, a first output end, a first small-ratio branch output end, and a first adjustment input end; the second adjustable fiber beam splitter includes a second input end, a second output end, a second small-ratio branch output end, and a second adjustment input end; The input end of the first optical power detector is connected to the first small-ratio branch output end of the first adjustable optical fiber beam splitter; the output end of the first optical power detector is connected to the first input end of the optical power comparison control module; The input end of the second optical power detector is connected to the second small-ratio branch output end of the second adjustable optical fiber beam splitter; the output end of the second optical power detector is connected to the second input end of the optical power comparison control module; The first output end of the optical power comparison control module is connected to the first adjustment input end of the adjustable optical fiber beam splitter, and the second output end of the optical power comparison control module is connected to the second adjustment input end of the second adjustable optical fiber beam splitter; wherein, The first optical power detector is used to detect the optical power of the first light beam output from the first adjustable optical fiber beam splitter, and input the optical power of the first light beam into the optical power comparison control module; The second optical power detector is used to detect the optical power of the second light beam output from the second adjustable optical fiber beam splitter, and input the optical power of the second light beam into the optical power comparison control module; The optical power comparison control module is used to compare the optical power of the first light beam and the optical power of the second light beam, determine the light beam with higher optical power, and calculate the attenuation required for the light beam with higher optical power when the optical powers of the first light beam and the second light beam are equal, and input the attenuation into the adjustable optical fiber splitter corresponding to the light beam with higher optical power, so that the adjustable optical fiber splitter adjusts the splitting ratio according to the attenuation.

2. The self-calibrating optical beam splitter for real-time correction of two-path optical power difference according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first adjustable optical fiber beam splitter and the second adjustable optical fiber beam splitter are both continuously adjustable one-to-two beam splitters.

3. The self-calibrating optical beam splitter for real-time correction of two-path optical power difference according to claim 2, characterized in that: The first adjustable fiber beam splitter and the second adjustable fiber beam splitter have the same light splitting ratio.

4. The self-calibrating optical beam splitter for real-time correction of two-path optical power difference according to claim 1, characterized in that: The optical power detector includes a photoelectric detection unit, an amplification unit, an analog-to-digital conversion unit and a data processing unit; The photoelectric signal output by the photoelectric detection unit is amplified by the amplification unit and converted by the analog-to-digital conversion unit before entering the data processing unit. The digital signal processed by the data processing unit is transmitted to the optical power comparison control module in the form of corresponding power level.

5. The self-calibrating optical beam splitter for real-time correction of two-path optical power difference according to claim 1, characterized in that: The optical power comparison control module is a single chip microcomputer.

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