A multi-channel long distance optical module

Abstract

The embodiment of the specification relates to the technical field of optical modules, and provides a multi-channel long-distance optical module, which comprises a shell, at least two groups of signal input / output interfaces arranged in the shell, and a multi-channel module; the signal input / output interfaces are used for receiving and initially amplifying optical signals from the outside; the multi-channel module comprises at least two multi-way selection switch units connected with output ends of the signal input / output interfaces, and is used for selecting optical signals and routing the selected optical signals to designated signal transmission channels. Through the multi-channel long-distance optical module provided by the embodiment of the specification, multi-channel long-distance signal transmission can be realized in a low-cost and simple manner.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] Embodiments of the present specification relate to the technical field of optical modules, and in particular to a multi-channel long-distance optical module. BACKGROUND

[0002] At present, in the field of optical fiber communication, the point-to-point communication mode is generally used. With the large-scale construction of 5G base stations, the demand for front-haul, middle-haul and back-haul optical modules is increasing. In order to meet the large-capacity transmission and improve the bandwidth, two single channels need to be combined into a double channel for signal transmission, so the demand for double channels is proposed in the 5G application market. The existing double-channel optical module directly integrates two single-channel optical modules into an integrated optical module, which has large volume, high cost, high price, low reliability, and higher requirements for wiring. SUMMARY

[0003] With the increasing demand for transmission data in the 5G market, and considering the limitations of space and cost, there is an urgent need for a multi-channel long-distance optical module that can combine multiple channels in one optical device for use, while ensuring its transmission performance and reducing its manufacturing cost and volume. In view of the above problems of the prior art, the purpose of the embodiments of the present specification is to provide a multi-channel long-distance optical module to solve the problem that the existing multi-channel optical module cannot realize long-distance signal transmission at low cost and simply.

[0004] In order to solve the above technical problems, the specific technical scheme of the embodiments of the present specification is as follows:

[0005] On the one hand, the embodiments of the present specification provide a multi-channel long-distance optical module, which comprises an outer shell and at least two groups of signal input and output interfaces arranged in the outer shell, a multi-channel module;

[0006] The signal input and output interface is used for receiving and initially amplifying the optical signal from the outside;

[0007] The multi-channel module comprises at least two multiplexing switch units, the multiplexing switch units are connected to the output end of the signal input and output interface, and are used for selecting the optical signal and routing the selected optical signal to a designated signal transmission channel.

[0008] Preferably, the multi-channel module further comprises a TIA chip, a VGA chip, two laser units, an attenuator unit and a control unit.

[0009] The input end of the TIA chip is connected with a group of signal input and output interfaces, the output end of the TIA chip is connected with the input end of the VGA chip through a first multi-path selection switch unit, for amplifying and converting the optical signal received by the group of signal input and output interfaces into a voltage signal; the VGA chip is used for variable gain amplification processing of the voltage signal selected by the multi-path selection switch unit;

[0010] The input end of the two laser units is connected with the output end of the VGA chip and another group of signal input and output interfaces, the output end of one of the laser units is connected with the input end of the VGA chip through a first multi-path selection switch unit, the other laser unit is connected with the input end of the attenuator unit through a second multi-path selection switch unit, for converting the processed voltage signal into an optical signal;

[0011] The output end of the attenuator unit is connected with the laser output end of the two laser units, for attenuating the optical signal;

[0012] The control unit is connected with the TIA chip, the two multi-path selection switch units, the VGA chip, the laser unit and the attenuator unit, for collecting the power of each unit, and adjusting and controlling the working parameters and states of each unit in real time according to the power.

[0013] Preferably, the multi-channel module further comprises an optical power monitoring unit.

[0014] The input end of the optical power monitoring unit is connected with the output end of the attenuator unit, the output end of the optical power monitoring unit is connected with the control unit, for monitoring the optical signal output power of each signal transmission channel in real time according to the output of the attenuator unit, and transmitting an abnormal signal to the control unit when an abnormal power is monitored.

[0015] Preferably, the multi-channel module further comprises an indication circuit, the indication circuit comprises a power indication circuit and two signal indication circuits.

[0016] The input end of the power indication circuit is connected with the output end of the optical power monitoring unit, for indicating the power value of the optical power monitoring unit.

[0017] The input end of one of the signal indication circuits is connected with the output end of the two multi-path selection units, for indicating the signal state in the signal transmission channel designated by each multi-path selection switch unit.

[0018] The other signal indication circuit is connected with the laser output end of the laser unit, for indicating the optical signal transmission state of the laser unit.

[0019] Preferably, the multi-channel long-distance optical module further comprises a circuit board, and the multi-channel module and the signal input / output interface are welded to the surface of the circuit board by a welding material.

[0020] Preferably, the control unit is an external control unit or a patch-type digital processing module.

[0021] Preferably, the TIA chip is a multi-channel micro package.

[0022] Preferably, the control unit integrates a microprocessor MCU, a TIA chip driving circuit, a multi-way selection switch unit control circuit and a laser driving circuit.

[0023] Preferably, the VGA chip is a pair of single-channel voltage gain amplification units.

[0024] Preferably, the signal input / output interface is an SFP connector, and the multi-channel module is an SFP+ golden finger interface.

[0025] The multi-channel long-distance optical module provided by the embodiments of the present specification integrates the functions of multiple single-channel optical modules into one optical device, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost. The signal input / output interface serves as a connection bridge between the optical module and external equipment, and is responsible for not only receiving optical signals from the outside, but also performing preliminary amplification processing on the signals. By amplifying the optical signals, the attenuation of the optical signals during long-distance transmission can be compensated for, thereby ensuring that the signals still have sufficient strength and quality when reaching the receiving end. By using a multi-way selection switch, the multi-channel can be output individually or simultaneously, thereby improving the functional flexibility of the optical module and ensuring that the signal quality is well guaranteed when the two-channel signals are transmitted individually or simultaneously, and the reliability is high, and the module design difficulty is low.

[0026] The above description is only a summary of some technical solutions of the embodiments of the present specification. In order to more clearly understand the technical means of some embodiments of the present specification, the content of the specification can be implemented, and in order to make the above and other purposes, features and advantages of the embodiments of the present specification more obvious and easy to understand, the following preferred embodiments are specifically described in detail below, and the accompanying drawings are described as follows. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0027] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present specification or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings needed to be used in the embodiment or prior art description. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present specification, and those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings according to these drawings without creating any creative labor.

[0028] Figure 1Fig. 1 shows a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a multi-channel long-distance optical module according to some embodiments of the present specification;

[0029] Figure 2 Fig. 2 shows a schematic diagram of the internal structure of a multi-channel long-distance optical module according to some embodiments of the present specification in a split state;

[0030] Figure 3 Fig. 3 shows a schematic diagram of the internal structure of a dual-channel module according to some embodiments of the present specification.

[0031] Explanation of Symbols:

[0032] 1, housing; 2, circuit board; 3, signal input / output interface; 301, first signal input / output interface; 302, second signal input / output interface; 4, multi-channel module; 401, TIA chip; 402, VGA chip; 403, first laser unit; 404, second laser unit; 405, first multiplexing switch unit; 406, second multiplexing switch unit; 407, attenuator unit; 408, control unit; 409, optical power monitoring unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present specification will be described clearly and completely below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present specification. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some of the embodiments of the present specification, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present specification, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present specification.

[0034] It should be noted that the terms "first", "second", and the like in the present specification and claims and the above drawings are used to distinguish similar objects, and do not necessarily indicate a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the data thus used can be interchanged under appropriate circumstances, so that the embodiments of the present specification described herein can be implemented in an order other than those illustrated or described herein. In addition, the terms "include" and "have" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, for example, a process, method, device, product, or apparatus that includes a series of steps or units does not necessarily have to be limited to those steps or units clearly listed, but can include other steps or units that are not clearly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products, or apparatuses. In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise specified, the meaning of "a plurality of" is two or more.

[0035] In the description of the present specification, it should be understood that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by the terms "center", "longitudinal", "transverse", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "axial", "radial", "circumferential" and the like are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the devices or elements referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present specification.

[0036] In the description of the present specification, it should be noted that unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "mounting", "connection", "connection" should be understood broadly, for example, it can be fixed connection, or detachable connection, or integral connection; it can be directly connected, or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or the internal communication of two elements. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present specification can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0037] In order to solve the above problems, the embodiment of the present specification provides a kind of multi-channel long-distance optical module, Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of a multi-channel long-distance optical module provided by the embodiment of the present specification, specifically as Figure 1 As shown in the figure, the multi-channel long-distance optical module comprises: a shell 1 and at least two groups of signal input and output interfaces 3, a multi-channel module 4 arranged in the shell 1.

[0038] The shell 1 serves as the protective layer of the multi-channel long-distance optical module, not only provides physical support, but also ensures the stability and safety of the internal components. In some embodiments, the shell 1 material should have good heat dissipation performance to meet the heat dissipation needs of the multi-channel long-distance optical module when running at high power. At the same time, it should also have sufficient mechanical strength to resist external physical impact and vibration.

[0039] The signal input and output interface 3 serves as the connection bridge between the multi-channel long-distance optical module and external equipment, used to receive optical signals from the outside and perform preliminary amplification processing on the optical signals. Optical signals will experience attenuation during long-distance transmission, and amplifying optical signals can compensate for this attenuation to some extent, ensuring that the signal still has sufficient strength and quality when it reaches the receiving end.

[0040] The multi-channel module 4 includes at least two multi-selection switch units connected to the output end of the signal input-output interface 3, for selecting an optical signal from multiple input optical signals and routing the selected optical signal to a designated signal transmission channel. This selective and routing function enables the multi-channel long-distance optical module to flexibly process multiple optical signals to meet the needs of different application scenarios. At the same time, it also helps to optimize the signal transmission path and reduce signal loss.

[0041] In some embodiments of the present specification, the signal input-output interface 3 and the multi-selection switch unit can be set to multiple according to actual needs.

[0042] Preferably, in some embodiments of the present specification, the signal transmission process of the multi-channel long-distance optical module and the internal unit connection of the multi-channel module 4 are described by taking two groups of signal input-output interfaces and two multi-selection switch units as an example. As shown in Figure 3 The multi-channel long-distance optical module includes a first signal input-output interface 301 and a second signal input-output interface 302, and the multi-channel module 4 includes a TIA chip 401, a VGA chip 402, a first laser unit 403, a second laser unit 404, a first multi-selection switch unit 405, a second multi-selection switch unit 406, an attenuator unit 407, and a control unit 408.

[0043] As shown in Figure 3 The input end of the TIA chip 401 is connected to the first signal input-output interface 301, and the output end of the TIA chip 401 is connected to the input end of the VGA chip 402 through the first multi-selection switch unit 405, for amplifying and converting the optical signal received by the signal input-output interface into a voltage signal. The VGA chip 402 is used for variable gain amplification processing of the voltage signal selected by the first multi-selection switch unit 405. As described above, the output end of the TIA chip 401, after further amplification and arrangement of the signal, does not directly lead to the next stage, but passes through the first multi-selection switch chip for path selection. This design allows the signal output by the TIA chip 401 to be flexibly distributed to different VGA (Video Graphics Array) chip 402 input ends according to actual needs, to achieve diversified processing and optimization of the signal.

[0044] As shown in Figure 3 The VGA chip 402, as one of the cores of signal processing, has its output end connected to the input end of the first laser unit 403 and the second laser unit 404 again, forming a feedback and adjustment closed loop, so that the optical module can dynamically adjust the working state of the laser unit according to the signal quality processed by the VGA chip 402, to achieve the best output effect.

[0045] As shown in Figure 3 the input ends of the first laser unit 403 and the second laser unit 404 are also connected with the second signal input-output interface 302, which provides necessary electrical signals for the excitation of the laser units, so as to control the emission of laser. The output end of the first laser unit 403 is connected with the input end of the VGA chip 402 through the first multiplexing switch unit 405, and the output end of the second laser unit 404 is connected with the input end of the attenuator unit 407 through the second multiplexing switch unit 406, which are used for converting the processed voltage signal into an optical signal.

[0046] As shown in Figure 3 the output end of the attenuator unit 407 is connected with the laser output ends of the first laser unit 403 and the second laser unit 404, which are used for attenuating the optical signal. The laser output ends of the laser units are responsible for sending the laser signal after precise attenuation processing to an external device or a transmission medium.

[0047] As shown in Figure 3 the control unit 408, as the "brain" of the entire optical module, is connected with the TIA chip 401, the two multiplexing switch units, the VGA chip 402, the laser units and the attenuator unit 407, which is used for collecting the power of each unit in the multi-channel module, and adjusting and controlling the working parameters and states of each unit in real time according to the power. Specifically, the control unit 408 collects the power of each input channel in the multi-channel module, and after AD sampling and sampling processing of the control unit 408, outputs to the first multiplexing switch unit 405 and the second multiplexing switch unit 406 in the multi-channel module for channel switch, so as to control the selection output of the first channel switch or the second channel switch or the output of the first channel signal and the second channel signal together. In some other embodiments, the control unit 408 can control the preamplifier in the optical receiver to work normally through a program, and can also be used for collecting the parameters of each unit in the multi-channel module, including temperature, voltage and other parameters, and outputting after analog-digital conversion and processing. When the collected parameters exceed the threshold range set by the chip, the control unit 408 drives the switches of the optical devices between channels and within channels to adjust the output power and the receiving power of the optical transceiver device, so as to make it in the best state.

[0048] The multi-channel long-distance optical module provided by the embodiments of the present specification integrates the functions of multiple single-channel optical modules into one optical device, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost. The signal input / output interface serves as a connection bridge between the optical module and external equipment, and is responsible for receiving optical signals from the outside and performing preliminary amplification processing on the signals. By amplifying the optical signals, the attenuation of the optical signals during long-distance transmission can be compensated for, thereby ensuring that the signals still have sufficient strength and quality when reaching the receiving end. The multi-channel single or simultaneous output is realized through a multi-way selection switch, thereby improving the functional flexibility of the optical module and ensuring that the signal quality is well protected when the two-channel signals are transmitted separately or simultaneously, and the reliability is high and the module design difficulty is low.

[0049] In some embodiments of the present specification, the multi-channel module 4 further comprises an optical power monitoring unit 409. As shown in the figure, the input end of the optical power monitoring unit 409 is connected with the output end of the attenuator unit, the output end of the optical power monitoring unit 409 is connected with the control unit, and the optical power monitoring unit 409 is used for monitoring the optical signal output power of each signal transmission channel in real time according to the output of the attenuator unit, and transmitting an abnormal signal to the control unit 408 when an abnormal power is monitored, so that the control unit 408 can quickly take necessary adjustment measures to ensure that the multi-channel long-distance optical module operates in a safe and stable range. Figure 3

[0050] In some embodiments of the present specification, the multi-channel module 4 further comprises an indication circuit, which comprises a power indication circuit and two signal indication circuits. The input end of the power indication circuit is connected with the output end of the optical power monitoring unit, and is used for indicating the power value of the optical power monitoring unit. The input end of one of the signal indication circuits is connected with the output end of the two multi-way selection units, and is used for indicating the signal state in the signal transmission channel specified by each multi-way selection switch unit. The other signal indication circuit is connected with the laser output end of the laser unit, and is used for indicating the optical signal transmission state of the laser unit. The present specification can monitor the power and signal state by designing two signal indication circuits, which is beneficial to improve the use reliability of the optical module.

[0051] In some embodiments of the present specification, as shown in the figure, the multi-channel long-distance optical module further comprises a circuit board 2, and the multi-channel module 4 and the signal input / output interface are welded to the surface of the circuit board through welding material. Figure 2

[0052] ​​In some embodiments of the present specification, the control unit 408 is an external control unit of a small integrated circuit package or a patch type digital processing module. Alternatively, a programmable logic chip FPGA can be selected, which has flexible variability of functions, can realize specific functions through programming, is flexible in function, low in cost, small in size, and convenient to apply.

[0053] In some embodiments of the present specification, the TIA chip 401 is a multi-channel micro-miniature package. It can be understood that the TIA chip adopts a small size and compact pin pitch package form to adapt to the needs of multi-channel design and high-density integration, and the size is not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present specification. Through the micro-miniature package, the occupied area of the circuit board 2 can be reduced, which is beneficial to reducing the overall volume of the multi-channel long-distance optical module.

[0054] In some embodiments of the present specification, the control unit 408 is a small integrated circuit package integrating a microprocessor MCU, a TIA chip driving circuit, a multi-channel selection switch chip control circuit, and a laser driver circuit. The circuit and control chip for controlling the multi-channel selection switch unit, the TIA chip, and the laser unit are integrated, which can further reduce the volume of the multi-channel long-distance optical module and facilitate the implementation and popularization of application. Among them, the microprocessor MCU is the core of the control unit, responsible for processing various input signals, executing control algorithms, and outputting corresponding control signals. It integrates CPU, memory, I / O interface and other functions, and can realize the control and monitoring of the whole system. The MCU is connected with the TIA chip driving circuit, the multi-channel selection switch unit control circuit, and the laser driver circuit through a specific interface (such as SPI, I2C, etc.), sends control instructions to adjust / control the working parameters of each unit, such as TIA chip gain and bandwidth, laser light intensity, etc. The TIA chip driving circuit is used to drive the TIA chip to ensure that the TIA chip can work normally, receive optical signals and convert them into amplified electrical signals. The multi-channel selection switch unit control circuit is used to control the multi-channel selection switch unit to realize the selection and switching of input / output signals. In the multi-channel module, there may be multiple signals to be processed, and this control circuit is responsible for selecting the correct signal path according to the instructions of the MCU. The laser driver circuit is used to provide the necessary driving current and voltage for the laser unit, control the light intensity, frequency and other parameters of the laser.

[0055] In some embodiments of the present specification, the VGA chip 402 is a pair of single-channel voltage gain amplification units. The VGA chip is integrated into a pair of single-channel voltage gain amplification units in the multi-channel long-distance optical module to realize the optical power balance of the multi-channel and improve the working performance stability of the optical module.

[0056] In some embodiments of the present specification, the signal input and output interface 3 is an SFP connector, and the multi-channel module 4 is an SFP+ golden finger interface. As a kind of small form-factor pluggable package, the SFP+ golden finger interface is designed to facilitate the connection of optical modules with external devices, facilitating the implementation and application of promotion.

[0057] It should be noted that the user information (including but not limited to user equipment information, user personal information, etc.) and data (including but not limited to data for analysis, stored data, displayed data, etc.) involved in the present application are all information and data authorized by the user or authorized by all parties. The acquisition, storage, use, processing, etc. of data in the technical solutions described in the embodiments of the present application comply with relevant regulations.

[0058] In the present specification, specific embodiments are applied to describe the principles and implementation modes of the present specification. The above description of the embodiments is only used to help understand the method of the present specification and its core idea; at the same time, for those skilled in the art, according to the idea of the present specification, the specific implementation mode and application range will be changed, and the above description should not be understood as a limitation of the present specification.

Claims

1. A multi-channel long-distance optical module, characterized in that, Includes a housing and at least two sets of signal input / output interfaces and a multi-channel module disposed within the housing; The signal input / output interface is used to receive and initially amplify optical signals from the outside. The multi-channel module includes at least two multiplexer units, a TIA chip, a VGA chip, two laser units, an attenuator unit, and a control unit. The multiplexer units are connected to the output of the signal input / output interface and are used to select an optical signal and route the selected optical signal to a specified signal transmission channel. The input terminal of the TIA chip is connected to a set of signal input / output interfaces, and the output terminal of the TIA chip is connected to the input terminal of the VGA chip through a first multiplexer unit. This is used to amplify the optical signal received by the set of signal input / output interfaces and convert it into a voltage signal. The VGA chip is used to perform variable gain amplification processing on the voltage signal selected by the multiplexer unit. The input terminals of the two laser units are connected to the output terminal of the VGA chip and another set of signal input / output interfaces. The output terminal of one laser unit is connected to the input terminal of the VGA chip through a first multiplexer unit, and the other laser unit is connected to the input terminal of the attenuator unit through a second multiplexer unit, which is used to convert the processed voltage signal into an optical signal. The output terminal of the attenuator unit is connected to the laser output terminals of the two laser units, and is used to attenuate the optical signal; The control unit is connected to the TIA chip, two multiplexer units, a VGA chip, a laser unit, and an attenuator unit. It is used to collect the power of each unit and adjust and control the operating parameters and status of each unit in real time based on the power.

2. The multi-channel long-distance optical module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The multi-channel module also includes: an optical power monitoring unit; The input terminal of the optical power monitoring unit is connected to the output terminal of the attenuator unit, and the output terminal of the optical power monitoring unit is connected to the control unit. It is used to monitor the optical signal output power of each signal transmission channel in real time according to the output of the attenuator unit, and transmit the abnormal signal to the control unit when an abnormal power is detected.

3. The multi-channel long-distance optical module according to claim 2, characterized in that, The multi-channel module further includes an indicator circuit, which includes a power indicator circuit and two signal indicator circuits. The input terminal of the power indicator circuit is connected to the output terminal of the optical power monitoring unit, and is used to indicate the power value of the optical power monitoring unit. One of the signal indicator circuits is connected to the output of the two multiplexer units to indicate the signal status in the signal transmission channel specified by each multiplexer unit. Another signal indicator circuit is connected to the laser output terminal of the laser unit to indicate the optical signal transmission status of the laser unit.

4. The multi-channel long-distance optical module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The multi-channel long-distance optical module also includes a circuit board, wherein the multi-channel module and the signal input / output interface are soldered to the surface of the circuit board using soldering material.

5. The multi-channel long-distance optical module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control unit is an external control unit or a surface-mount digital processing module.

6. The multi-channel long-distance optical module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The TIA chip is a multi-channel micro-package.

7. The multi-channel long-distance optical module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control unit integrates a microprocessor (MCU), a TIA chip driver circuit, a multiplexer switch unit control circuit, and a laser driver circuit.

8. The multi-channel long-distance optical module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The VGA chip is a pair of single-channel voltage gain amplification units.

9. The multi-channel long-distance optical module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The signal input / output interface is an SFP connector, and the multi-channel module is an SFP+ gold finger interface.

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