Optical signal splitting and combining module and method and communication system based on optical signal splitting and combining module

Abstract

The invention discloses a branching and combining module for optical signals. The branching and combining module comprises an active branching assembly and an active combining assembly. Wherein the active shunt assembly comprises a first photoelectric converter, a signal replicator and a first electro-optical converter, the first photoelectric converter converts an optical signal into an electric signal, the signal replicator replicates the electric signal to generate at least one branch signal identical to the electric signal, and the first electro-optical converter converts the electric signal into the optical signal again. The active combining assembly comprises a second photoelectric converter, a signal superimposer and a second electro-optical converter, the second photoelectric converter converts the optical signal into an electric signal, the signal superimposer superimposes the electric signal and at least one branch signal to obtain a composite signal, and the second electro-optical converter converts the composite signal into the optical signal. The active device does not cause signal attenuation, so that when the module is adopted to construct the optical network, the number of nodes and the length of links are not limited, the scale of the optical network can be greatly improved, and the deployment of the optical network is simplified.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to an optical signal splitting and combining module, method and a communication system based thereon. Background Art

[0002] Optical fiber has the characteristics of large capacity, high speed and low interference, so it has been widely used in communication networks. Passive optical network (PON) is an access network that uses optical fiber. The devices it uses, such as optical fiber and optical splitters, are all passive devices, that is, there are no electronic devices with power between its optical line terminal (OLT) and optical network unit (ONU). Passive optical network is flexible in networking and can support a variety of different network topologies such as tree, star, bus, hybrid, redundant, etc. However, passive devices such as optical splitters have optical power attenuation. After the optical signal is transiently attenuated, it will be difficult to recover it into an electrical signal for subsequent processing, which greatly limits the number of nodes that can be connected to the passive optical network and the link length.

[0003] In addition, passive optical splitters are not suitable for communication systems using multimode optical fibers, because the transverse modes excited by the signal source in the multimode optical fiber communication system randomly change, resulting in a certain degree of random change in the splitting ratio of the splitter. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of some or all of the problems in the prior art, the present invention provides, in a first aspect, a splitter and combiner module for optical signals, which adopts an active design and comprises:

[0005] Active splitter components, including:

[0006] A first photoelectric converter, which is used to convert the optical signal into an electrical signal;

[0007] a signal duplicator, configured to duplicate the electrical signal to generate at least one branch signal identical to the electrical signal; and

[0008] A first electro-optical converter for converting an electrical signal into an optical signal; and

[0009] Active combiner components, including:

[0010] a second photoelectric converter, configured to convert the optical signal into an electrical signal;

[0011] a signal superimposer, which superimposes the electrical signal with at least one branch signal to obtain a composite signal; and

[0012] A second electro-optical converter is used to convert the composite signal into an optical signal.

[0013] Furthermore, the branching and combining module also includes an amplifier, which is communicatively connected to the output end of the first photoelectric converter and / or the second electro-optical converter.

[0014] Furthermore, the branching and combining module also includes a repeater, which is communicatively connected to the output end of the first photoelectric converter and / or the second electro-optical converter.

[0015] Furthermore, the first photoelectric converter and / or the second electro-optical converter comprises a photodetector.

[0016] Furthermore, the first electro-optical converter and / or the second electro-optical converter comprises a laser.

[0017] Furthermore, the optical signal branching and combining module is a chip on board (COB) structure.

[0018] Based on the above-mentioned branching and combining module, the second aspect of the present invention provides a branching and combining method of optical signals, comprising:

[0019] Converting input optical signals into electrical signals;

[0020] Replicating the electrical signal to generate at least one branch signal identical to the electrical signal, thereby achieving branching;

[0021] Convert the electrical signal into an optical signal for further transmission;

[0022] Converting the input optical signal into an electrical signal;

[0023] superimposing the electrical signal with at least one branch signal to obtain a composite signal, thereby achieving a combined signal; and

[0024] The composite signal is converted into an optical signal.

[0025] Furthermore, the duplication and superposition of signals are purely analog duplication and superposition.

[0026] Furthermore, when splitting, only a certain time slot in the input optical signal is intercepted for duplication and splitting, and when combining, a blank time slot is found in the incident optical signal to insert the split signal.

[0027] A third aspect of the present invention provides a communication system based on the aforementioned branching and combining module, comprising:

[0028] A bus control module, used to generate bus downlink signals and analyze bus uplink signals; and

[0029] At least one branching and combining module as described above forms a link topology with the bus control module, and each branching and combining module is communicatively connected to a terminal device respectively to branch the bus downlink signal and transmit it to the terminal device, and to synthesize the uplink signal returned by the terminal device into a bus uplink signal and transmit it to the bus control module.

[0030] Further, transmitting the downlink signal to the terminal device includes:

[0031] The terminal device downloads a specified time slot from the branch signal generated by the branch and combiner module.

[0032] Further, transmitting the downlink signal to the terminal device includes:

[0033] The terminal device downloads the designated signal according to the MAC address.

[0034] Further, transmitting the downlink signal to the terminal device includes:

[0035] The terminal device downloads the designated signal according to the system protocol.

[0036] Furthermore, the branching and combining module combines the uplink signal returned by the terminal device and the signal from its bus downstream module into a bus uplink signal according to a preset timing.

[0037] The present invention provides an optical signal splitting and combining module, method and communication system based thereon, which realizes the splitting and combining of optical signals through active devices. Specifically, split signals are formed by relaying and copying the downlink signal of the bus and transmitted to each terminal device, thereby realizing splitting, and forming the uplink signal of the bus by relaying and superimposing the return signal of the terminal device to complete the combining function. The splitting and combining process is transparent to the protocol, so the splitting and combining module has a wide range of applications. In addition, since the active device does not cause signal attenuation, there is no restriction on the number of nodes and link length in the link topology formed by it, which can greatly increase the scale of the optical network and simplify the deployment of the optical network. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0038] To further illustrate the above and other advantages and features of various embodiments of the present invention, a more specific description of various embodiments of the present invention will be presented with reference to the accompanying drawings. It will be understood that these drawings only depict typical embodiments of the present invention and are therefore not to be considered as limiting the scope thereof. In the accompanying drawings, for clarity, identical or corresponding parts will be represented by identical or similar reference numerals.

[0039] Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing the structure of an optical signal splitting and combining module according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 2 A schematic diagram showing the structure of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

[0041] Figure 3 A timing diagram of the branching and combining of an optical signal according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] In the following description, the present invention is described with reference to various embodiments. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that various embodiments can be implemented without one or more specific details or with other replacement and / or additional methods, materials or components. In other cases, well-known structures, materials or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid blurring the inventive point of the present invention. Similarly, for the purpose of explanation, specific quantities, materials and configurations are set forth to provide a comprehensive understanding of embodiments of the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to these specific details. In addition, it should be understood that the various embodiments shown in the drawings are illustrative representations and are not necessarily drawn in correct proportions.

[0043] In this specification, reference to "one embodiment" or "the embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in conjunction with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. The phrase "in one embodiment" appearing in various places in this specification does not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment.

[0044] In the present invention, unless otherwise specified, the quantifiers "a", "an" and "an" do not exclude the presence of a plurality of elements.

[0045] It should also be pointed out that in the embodiments of the present invention, for the sake of clarity and simplicity, only a portion of the parts or components may be shown, but a person of ordinary skill in the art will understand that under the teachings of the present invention, required parts or components may be added as needed in specific scenarios.

[0046] Since it is difficult to achieve stable and reliable optical splitting with lasers of certain specific signals in existing optical transmission, such as 850nm VCSEL, it is difficult to use such lasers to realize the construction of passive optical networks. To solve this problem, the present invention proposes an optical signal splitting and combining module, which realizes the splitting and combining of optical signals through active devices. Specifically, it forms split signals by relaying and copying the downlink signals of the bus and transmits them to each terminal device, thereby realizing splitting, and forms the uplink signals of the bus by relaying and superimposing the return signals of the terminal devices, thereby completing the combining function.

[0047] The scheme of the present invention is further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of the embodiments.

[0048] Figure 1FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of an optical signal splitting and combining module according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 As shown, a branching and combining module 001 for optical signals includes an active branching component and an active combining component. The active branching component is used to realize the branching of optical signals, and the active combining component is used to realize the combining of optical signals. In one embodiment of the present invention, the branching and combining module is packaged using a high-density chip on board (COB) optical engine packaging technology. The COB optical engine packaging technology refers to adhering the chip to a mirror metal substrate with a high reflectivity with a conductive or non-conductive adhesive, and then performing wire bonding to realize its electrical connection, which can effectively solve the problem of heat dissipation of the light source, reduce processing procedures, and save processing costs.

[0049] like Figure 1 As shown, the active branching component includes a first photoelectric converter 111, a signal replicator 112, and a first electro-optical converter 113. The first photoelectric converter 111 is used to convert the downstream optical signal 011 from the upstream before branching into an electrical signal, the signal replicator 112 is used to replicate the signal to generate at least one branch signal 013 that is the same as the input signal, and will continue to transmit the electrical signal 014 downward, wherein the electrical signal 014 that continues to be transmitted downward is the same as the input signal, and the first electro-optical converter 113 is used to convert the electrical signal 014 into an optical signal 012, and the optical signal 012 is a downstream signal after branching to the downstream.

[0050] In one embodiment of the present invention, the first photoelectric converter 111 includes a photodetector, which is used to detect the light power incident on its surface and convert the change of the light power into a corresponding electrical signal. It should be understood that in other embodiments of the present invention, other forms of photoelectric converters can also be used to convert optical signals into electrical signals.

[0051] In one embodiment of the present invention, the first electro-optical converter 113 includes a laser, such as a laser diode. The laser diode is a device that uses a certain semiconductor material as a working substance to produce stimulated emission, for example, it can be a semiconductor junction diode made of materials such as gallium arsenide (GaAs), cadmium sulfide (CdS), indium phosphide (InP), zinc sulfide (ZnS), etc., and can generate stimulated emission in the junction plane area by injecting current along the forward bias. It should be understood that in other embodiments of the present invention, other forms of electro-optical converters can also be used to convert electrical signals into optical signals, such as a combination of a continuous light laser and an electro-optical modulator, so that it can be transmitted through an optical cable.

[0052] In order to avoid attenuation during transmission and further increase the number of link nodes and the transmission length, in one embodiment of the present invention, a first signal amplification module 114 is further provided at the output end of the first photoelectric converter 111. The first signal amplification module may include a repeater, which can regenerate the original signal and transmit it, and has the function of amplifying and regenerating the signal. In another embodiment of the present invention, an amplifier may be added to the repeater or provided separately to increase the signal amplitude.

[0053] like Figure 1 As shown, the active combining component includes a second photoelectric converter 121, a signal superimposer 122 and a second electro-optical converter 123. The second photoelectric converter 121 is used to convert the upstream optical signal 022 from the downstream before combining into an electrical signal 024, the signal superimposer 122 is used to superimpose the electrical signal 024 with at least one branch signal 023 to obtain a composite signal 025, and the second electro-optical converter 123 is used to convert the composite signal 025 into an optical signal 021, and the optical signal 021 is an upstream signal after combining to the upstream.

[0054] Similarly, in one embodiment of the present invention, the second photoelectric converter 121 includes a photodetector, which is used to detect the light power incident on its surface and convert the change of the light power into a corresponding electrical signal. It should be understood that in other embodiments of the present invention, other forms of photoelectric converters can also be used to convert optical signals into electrical signals.

[0055] Similarly, in one embodiment of the present invention, the second electro-optical converter 123 includes a laser, such as a laser diode. The laser diode is a device that uses a certain semiconductor material as a working substance to produce stimulated emission, for example, it can be a semiconductor junction diode made of materials such as gallium arsenide (GaAs), cadmium sulfide (CdS), indium phosphide (InP), zinc sulfide (ZnS), etc., and can generate stimulated emission in the junction plane area by injecting current along the forward bias. It should be understood that in other embodiments of the present invention, other forms of electro-optical converters can also be used to convert electrical signals into optical signals so that they can be transmitted through optical cables.

[0056] Similarly, in one embodiment of the present invention, a second signal amplification module 124 may also be provided at the output end of the second photoelectric converter 121. The second signal amplification module may include, for example, a repeater, which may regenerate the original signal and transmit it, and has the function of amplifying and regenerating the signal. In another embodiment of the present invention, an amplifier may be added to the repeater or provided separately to increase the signal amplitude.

[0057] In one embodiment of the present invention, the first and second signal amplification modules, the signal copier, and the signal superimposer can be integrated into a chip such as an active branching and combining chip 002, and then the chip is packaged together with the first and second photoelectric converters, and the first and second electro-optical converters through COB packaging technology to obtain the branching and combining module.

[0058] Using the branching and combining module to perform branching and combining of optical signals includes:

[0059] First, the input optical signal is converted into an electrical signal;

[0060] Next, the electrical signal is copied to generate at least one branch signal identical to the electrical signal, so as to be sent to the terminal device to realize branching;

[0061] Next, the electrical signal is converted back into an optical signal for further transmission, thus completing the branching;

[0062] When combining, the input optical signal is first converted into an electrical signal;

[0063] Superimposing the electrical signal with at least one branch signal to obtain a composite signal, thereby achieving a combined signal, wherein the branch signal is uploaded by a terminal device, for example; and

[0064] Finally, the synthesized signal is converted into an optical signal for further transmission.

[0065] Based on the above-mentioned branching and combining modules and methods, an optical communication network can be constructed based on communication protocols such as passive optical network (PON). Figure 2 FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 As shown, a communication system of the aforementioned splitter and combiner module includes a bus control module 201 and at least one splitter and combiner module 001 as described above.

[0066] like Figure 2 As shown, the bus control module 201 is used as an optical line terminal (OLT) to generate a bus downlink signal and analyze the uplink signal returned by each terminal device bus. Figure 2 As shown, in one embodiment of the present invention, the communication system adopts an optimized daisy chain topology, that is, each device terminal 2021, 2022, ..., 202N is connected to a bus. Specifically, each terminal device 2021, 2022, ..., 202N is connected through the above-mentioned branching and combining modules, that is, Figure 2The active branching and combining modules 1021, 1022, ... 102N in the branching and combining module are connected to the bus. In practical applications, the branching components in the branching and combining modules branch the bus downlink signal and transmit it to the terminal device, and the combining components in the branching and combining modules synthesize the uplink signal returned by the terminal device into the bus uplink signal and transmit it to the bus control module 201.

[0067] Since the branching and combining module is transparent to the protocol, the downlink sub-signal 013 is completely identical to the original input downlink signal 011, and the terminal device connected to 013 can select the relayed and copied sub-signal according to its MAC address.

[0068] In the upstream direction, the terminal device can transmit a signal containing its own MAC address, which is relayed and superimposed by the branching and combining modules to form a new bus upstream signal and complete the combining function.

[0069] In other embodiments of the present invention, the terminal device may also select a signal according to the conventions in any other bus communication protocol, such as distinguishing the address or identification of the terminal device.

[0070] In one embodiment of the present invention, the communication system performs splitting and combining based on the PON protocol, that is, realizes signal splitting and combining according to time slots. Specifically, the terminal device can download a specified time slot (time-slot) from the split signal generated by the splitting and combining module, and the splitting and combining module can synthesize the uplink signal returned by the terminal device into a bus uplink signal according to a preset timing.

[0071] In order to further illustrate the process of splitting and combining in this application, Figure 3 FIG. 1 is a timing diagram showing the splitting and combining of an optical signal according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 As shown, the downlink signal 011 is completely copied to generate a sub-signal 013, which contains all time slots 01, 02, ... 03. In the uplink signal 022, before entering the splitter and combiner module ( Figure 3 The example is the second terminal device 2022 on the bus, the time slot 02 of the uplink signal 022 is empty (the equilibrium state in binary data, or any DC level specified by the protocol), and in the uplink sub-signal 023 transmitted by the terminal device 2022, there is a valid signal only in the time slot 02, and the other time slots should be empty signals (equilibrium level or other DC levels agreed upon in the aforementioned protocol).

[0072] In one embodiment of the present invention, the duplication and superposition of signals are purely analog duplication and superposition:

[0073] Vout(t)=Vin1(t)+Vin2(t); here Vin1(t) may be the sub-signal 023, and Vin2(t) may be the uplink signal 022;

[0074] Therefore, the above timing relationship is given by Figure 2 The bus control module 201 determines and notifies and controls the terminal devices 2021, 2022...202N through a synchronization link and / or a signaling link.

[0075] In other embodiments of the present invention, the splitter / combiner chip 002 can automatically receive the timing instruction from the corresponding terminal device to intercept a time slot in the signal 011 for duplication and splitting, and find a blank time slot in the incident uplink signal 022 to insert the split signal 023:

[0076]

[0077] In the above formula, Vin1(t) is the incident uplink signal 022.

[0078] The communication system uses the active splitter and combiner module to make the signal almost attenuated, so the number of device nodes on the bus can be extended almost unlimitedly. The communication network is applied to a series of intelligent systems such as intelligent robots, intelligent driving, industrial control, and intelligent manufacturing, which can meet the requirements of low test and high bandwidth of the intelligent system.

[0079] Although various embodiments of the present invention are described above, it should be understood that they are presented as examples only and not as limitations. It is obvious to those skilled in the relevant art that various combinations, modifications and changes can be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the breadth and scope of the present invention disclosed herein should not be limited by the exemplary embodiments disclosed above, but should only be defined according to the attached claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An optical signal splitting and combining module, characterized in that: include: Active splitter components, including: a first photoelectric converter configured to convert an optical signal into an electrical signal; a signal duplicator configured to duplicate the electrical signal to generate at least one branch signal identical to the electrical signal; and A first electro-optical converter configured to convert an electrical signal into an optical signal; and an active combining component, comprising: a second photoelectric converter configured to convert the optical signal into an electrical signal; a signal superimposer configured to superimpose the electrical signal with at least one branch signal to obtain a composite signal; and A second electro-optical converter is configured to convert the composite signal into an optical signal.

2. The branching and combining module according to claim 1, characterized in that: An amplifier is also included, which is communicatively connected to the output end of the first photoelectric converter and / or the second photoelectric converter.

3. The branching and combining module according to claim 1, characterized in that: A repeater is also included, which is communicatively connected to the output end of the first photoelectric converter and / or the second photoelectric converter.

4. The branching and combining module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first photoelectric converter and / or the second photoelectric converter comprises a photodetector.

5. The branching and combining module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first electro-optical converter and / or the second electro-optical converter comprises a laser.

6. The branching and combining module according to claim 1, characterized in that: It is a chip-on-board packaging structure.

7. A communication system, characterized in that: include: A bus control module configured to generate a bus downlink signal and analyze a bus uplink signal; as well as At least one branching and combining module as described in any one of claims 1 to 6 forms a link topology with the bus control module, and each branching and combining module is communicatively connected to a terminal device respectively, so as to branch the bus downlink signal and transmit it to the terminal device, and synthesize the uplink signal returned by the terminal device into a bus uplink signal and transmit it to the bus control module.

8. The communication system according to claim 7, characterized in that Transmitting the downlink signal to the terminal device comprises the steps of: The terminal device downloads the designated time slot from the branched signals generated by the branching and combining module.

9. The communication system according to claim 7, characterized in that Transmitting the downlink signal to the terminal device comprises the steps of: The terminal device downloads the designated signal according to the MAC address.

10. The communication system according to claim 7, characterized in that Transmitting the downlink signal to the terminal device comprises the steps of: The terminal device downloads the designated signal according to the system protocol.

11. The communication system according to claim 7, characterized in that The branching and combining module combines the uplink signal returned by the terminal device and the signal from its bus downstream module into a bus uplink signal according to a preset timing.

12. A method for splitting and combining optical signals, characterized in that: Includes steps: Converting input optical signals into electrical signals; Replicating the electrical signal to generate at least one branch signal identical to the electrical signal, thereby achieving branching; Convert the electrical signal into an optical signal for further transmission; Converting input optical signals into electrical signals; Superimposing the electrical signal with at least one branch signal to obtain a composite signal, thereby achieving a combined signal; as well as The composite signal is converted into an optical signal.

13. The method for combining and dividing paths according to claim 12, characterized in that: The duplication and superposition of signals is purely analog duplication and superposition.

14. The method for combining and dividing paths according to claim 12, characterized in that: When splitting, only a certain time slot in the input optical signal is intercepted for duplication and splitting. When combining, a blank time slot is found in the incident optical signal to insert the split signal.

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