Optical module and optical communication device

Abstract

The present application provides an optical module and an optical communication device. The optical module comprises a first light emitter, a second light emitter, a polarization beam combiner, and an interface. The first light emitter is used for emitting first signal light propagating in a first direction, and the polarization state of the first signal light is a first polarization state. The second light emitter is used for emitting second signal light propagating in a second direction, and the polarization state of the second signal light is a second polarization state. The polarization beam combiner is used for receiving the first signal light and the second signal light, combining the first signal light and the second signal light into mixed light, and emitting the mixed light to the interface. On the basis of an existing wavelength division multiplexing scheme for passive optical networks, a polarization coupling scheme is utilized to combine light from two light emitters into one beam, such that isolation between signal light in an existing multi-emitter scheme is ensured, and the complexity of an internal light path is reduced, thereby implementing a multi-emitter optical module scheme having high transmission quality, low crosstalk, and a high level of integration.

Description

Optical module and optical communication equipment

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on January 9, 2024, with application number 202410038237.2, and the priority of the Chinese patent application entitled "An optical module and optical communication equipment". Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of optical communications, and in particular to an optical module and optical communication equipment. Background Art

[0003] Under the background technology of FTTX, with the rapid development of high-bandwidth access services, the current mainstream PON is difficult to meet business needs. Gigabit passive optical network G-PON, asymmetric gigabit passive optical network XG-PON, and symmetric gigabit passive optical network XGS-PON, as the technological evolution of PON, have further improved the transmission rate of the business. In addition to the above-mentioned network solutions, hybrid passive optical network Combo PON is a passive optical network that supports multiple PON protocols. Combo PON can perform built-in multiplexing of solutions such as G-PON, XG-PON, and XGS-PON, and support the coexistence of multi-rate modes, thereby smoothly upgrading to a higher-speed optical network. However, in the current broadband optical access network system, most of them adopt wavelength division multiplexing and multiplexing solutions, which leads to the situation that in the optical line terminal, optical network unit and optical network terminal, if the built-in multiplexing signal light has similar wavelengths, problems such as focusing and signal crosstalk are prone to occur. In addition, when multiple optical transmitters and receivers are integrated together, in order to arrange the coupling optical paths of multiple signal lights, the optical devices have problems such as large size, high cost, and inconvenience in use.

[0004] Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present application provides an optical module and optical communication equipment, which adds a polarization coupling solution to the wavelength division multiplexing solution of a passive optical network, thereby realizing a multi-transmitter optical device solution with low crosstalk, high reliability and small size.

[0006] In a first aspect, an optical module is provided, including a first optical transmitter, a second optical transmitter, a polarization combiner, and an interface, wherein: the first optical transmitter is used to transmit a first signal light propagating in a first direction, and the polarization state of the first signal light is a first polarization state; the second optical transmitter is used to transmit a second signal light propagating in a second direction, and the polarization state of the second signal light is a second polarization state, and the first direction and the second direction are non-parallel; the polarization combiner is used to receive the first signal light and the second signal light, and combine the first signal light and the second signal light into a mixed light, and transmit the mixed light to the interface; the interface is used to connect an optical transmission medium.

[0007] By using the polarization coupling solution based on the wavelength division multiplexing solution of the current passive optical network to combine the two optical transmitters into one, the isolation between the signal lights of the current multi-transmit solution is guaranteed, the complexity of the internal optical path is reduced, and a multi-transmit optical module solution with high transmission quality, low crosstalk and high integration is realized.

[0008] In conjunction with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the first light signal and the second light signal have different wavelengths and / or rates. In some implementations, based on the different polarization states of the first light signal and the second light signal, the first light signal and the second light signal have different wavelengths, thereby ensuring compatibility with existing wavelength division multiplexing modes when the optical module is used in a passive optical network. In some implementations, based on the different polarization states of the first light signal and the second light signal, the first light signal and the second light signal have different rates. As a result, the optical module can be applied to multi-rate modal coexistence solutions and is compatible with more optical network solutions.

[0009] In conjunction with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the wavelength separation between the first signal light and the second signal light is less than 40 nm. With this wavelength separation, the signal light emitted by the first optical transmitter and the converged signal light emitted by the second optical transmitter will suffer loss after being combined, requiring a more complex optical path structure. However, by utilizing polarization multiplexing, the optical path can be simplified and the overall size of the optical module can be reduced.

[0010] In conjunction with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the polarization beam combiner includes a first light input surface, a second light input surface, and a light output surface, wherein the first light input surface is used to receive the first signal light, the second light input surface is used to receive the second signal light, and the light output surface is used to emit mixed light; the first light input surface and the light output surface are arranged in parallel or overlap, or the second light input surface and the light output surface are arranged in parallel or overlap. This reduces the optical loss caused by polarization combining and simplifies the complexity of the optical path in the optical module. In addition, the use of polarizers can reduce the overall cost of the optical module and facilitate the arrangement of the polarization beam combiner in the optical module.

[0011] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementations of the first aspect, the polarization beam combiner is a polarizer, and the polarizer is used to transmit the first signal light and also to reflect the second signal light.

[0012] In conjunction with the first aspect, certain implementations of the first aspect further include an optical receiver and a wavelength division multiplexer, wherein: the optical transmission medium is used to transmit a third signal light, and the interface is used to transmit the third signal light; the wavelength division multiplexer is used to receive the third signal light, perform wavelength division processing on the third signal light, and transmit a fourth signal light of the first wavelength within the third signal light; and the optical receiver is used to receive the fourth signal light and convert the fourth signal light into an electrical signal. By using a polarization coupling scheme for the signal light transmitted by the optical transmitter and a wavelength division multiplexing scheme for the signal light received by the optical receiver, the complexity of the internal optical path is reduced.

[0013] In conjunction with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the wavelength division multiplexer transmits a fourth signal light along a third direction, and any two of the first, second, and third directions are non-parallel. In other words, the ports for transmitting or receiving signal light are located in three different dimensions. Compared to optical modules with multiple ports located in the same two-dimensional plane, this reduces device size and fully utilizes device space.

[0014] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the optical receiver is a dual-receiving type.

[0015] In conjunction with the first aspect, certain implementations of the first aspect further include a housing, wherein the housing is a polyhedron formed by multiple planes, and the first light emitter, the second light emitter, and the light receiver are respectively located in different planes of the multiple planes. This fully utilizes the different dimensions of the housing and improves device integration.

[0016] In conjunction with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the housing is a cube or a rectangular parallelepiped. In current two-dimensional optical module solutions, components such as optical transmitters and optical receivers must be connected to a single board using flexible printed circuit connectors, which is detrimental to the installation and integration of the optical module. However, the three-dimensional optical module solution of the present application eliminates the need for connectors, facilitating on-board installation of the optical module.

[0017] In a second aspect, an optical communication device is provided, comprising N boards, wherein a board among the N boards comprises at least one optical module according to the first aspect and any possible implementation thereof. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of an optical module provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0019] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of another optical module provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0020] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of a dual-receiving optical receiver provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0021] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of an optical module provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0022] FIG5 is an optical communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0023] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of the networking structure of an optical network provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] The technical solution in this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0025] In the following, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood to indicate or imply relative importance or implicitly specify the quantity of the technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature specified as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features.

[0026] References to "one embodiment" or "some embodiments" in this specification mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in conjunction with that embodiment is included in one or more embodiments of the present application. Thus, phrases such as "in one embodiment," "in some embodiments," "in other embodiments," and "in yet other embodiments" appearing in various places in this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, but rather mean "one or more but not all embodiments," unless otherwise specifically emphasized. The terms "including," "comprising," "having," and variations thereof mean "including but not limited to," unless otherwise specifically emphasized.

[0027] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, the terms "upper", "lower", "vertical", "horizontal", etc. indicate orientations or positional relationships that are defined relative to the orientations or positions of the components schematically placed in the drawings. It should be understood that these directional terms are relative concepts. They are used for relative descriptions and clarifications, rather than indicating or implying that the device or component referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. They may change accordingly according to changes in the orientation of the components placed in the drawings, and therefore cannot be understood as limitations on the present application.

[0028] The terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof in the embodiments of the present application shown below are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process, method, system, product or apparatus that includes a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units that are not explicitly listed or are inherent to these processes, methods, products or apparatus.

[0029] In the embodiments of this application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or descriptions. An embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or designs. The use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present related concepts in a concrete manner to facilitate understanding.

[0030] Passive optical network (PON) is an access network technology, which usually includes an optical line terminal (OLT), an optical distribution network (ODN) and an optical network unit (ONU). The optical line terminal is connected to multiple optical network units in a point-to-multipoint manner through an optical distribution network. The passive optical network system does not require any active devices to realize the communication network of data distribution between the optical line terminal and the optical network unit. The data distribution between the optical line terminal and the optical network unit can be realized through passive optical devices (such as splitters) in the optical distribution network. For example, the optical line terminal and the optical network unit can communicate using a time division multiplexing (TDM) mechanism, a wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) mechanism or a TDM / WDM hybrid mechanism.

[0031] FTTX is a general term for various types of broadband optical access network applications. The "X" has many variations, including fiber to the building (FTTB), fiber to the curb (FTTC), fiber to the home (FTTH), and fiber to the room (FTTR). FTTX technology ranges from the central office equipment in the regional telecommunications room to the user terminal equipment, including optical line terminals, optical network units, and optical network terminals (ONTs).

[0032] FTTH technology has been developed for nearly two decades. Currently, with the exception of a few older residential communities, most households have access to FTTH broadband. In recent years, home broadband speeds have continued to increase, with 500 / 1000 Mbps broadband becoming widely available and 2000 Mbps broadband pilots also underway. Simultaneously, operators have begun promoting "FTTR broadband." FTTR builds on FTTH by extending fiber optic cables to every room through a primary optical modem. Optical routers are then installed in the rooms where needed, transforming a patchy indoor network with fiber optic coverage into a comprehensive, all-fiber network. FTTR offers significant advantages, the first of which is higher upload and download speeds. While most households use Category 5 Ethernet cables, which only support speeds up to 100 Mbps, fiber optic cables can support up to 10 Mbps. When combined with the latest WiFi 6 routers, this allows for a complete home LAN with "10 Mbps wired + 1 Mbps wireless" internet speeds, a significant improvement over the previous "100 Mbps wired + 100 Mbps wireless" model. This essentially provides every room with a high-speed wired network, which, when combined with an optical router, enables full coverage of both wired and wireless networks. At the same time, multiple optical routers can also improve the network access capability, providing a better user experience for smart homes.

[0033] Under the background technology of FTTX, with the rapid development of high-bandwidth access services, the current mainstream PON is difficult to meet business needs. Gigabit passive optical network G-PON, asymmetric gigabit passive optical network XG-PON, and symmetric gigabit passive optical network XGS-PON, as the technological evolution of PON, have further improved the transmission rate of the business. In addition to the above-mentioned network solutions, hybrid passive optical network Combo PON is a passive optical network that supports multiple PON protocols. Combo PON can perform built-in multiplexing of solutions such as G-PON, XG-PON, and XGS-PON, and support the coexistence of multi-rate modes, thereby smoothly upgrading to a higher-speed optical network. However, in the current broadband optical access network system, most of them adopt wavelength division multiplexing and multiplexing solutions, which leads to the situation that in the optical line terminal, optical network unit and optical network terminal, if the built-in multiplexing signal light has similar wavelengths, problems such as focusing and signal crosstalk are prone to occur. In addition, when multiple optical transmitters and receivers are integrated together, in order to arrange the coupling optical paths of multiple signal lights, the optical devices have problems such as large size, high cost, and inconvenience in use.

[0034] In view of this, the present application provides an optical module and optical communication equipment, which adds a polarization coupling scheme on the basis of the wavelength division multiplexing scheme of the passive optical network to realize a multi-transmitter optical device solution with low crosstalk, high reliability and small size.

[0035] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of an optical module provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG1 , the optical module includes a first optical transmitter 110 , a second optical transmitter 120 , a polarization combiner 130 , and an interface 140 .

[0036] The first optical transmitter 110 is configured to transmit a first signal light propagating in a first direction, wherein the polarization state of the first signal light is a first polarization state. The second optical transmitter 120 is configured to transmit a second signal light propagating in a second direction, wherein the polarization state of the second signal light is a second polarization state. The first polarization state and the second polarization state are different.

[0037] The optical transmitters in first optical transmitter 110 and second optical transmitter 120 may specifically include an optical chip, which is coupled to an electrical chip. The electrical chip is configured to generate an electrical signal based on the data, and the optical chip is configured to generate corresponding signal light based on the electrical signal. The optical chip is configured to emit signal light with a polarization state.

[0038] Any two of the first optical transmitter 110, the second optical transmitter 120, the polarization beam combiner 130, and the interface 140 may be spaced apart. The first optical transmitter 110 and the polarization beam combiner 130 are spaced apart along a first direction. The second optical transmitter 120 and the polarization beam combiner 130 are spaced apart along a second direction. The first direction and the second direction are non-parallel. In some implementations, as shown in FIG1(a) and FIG1(b), the first direction and the second direction are located in the same plane, that is, the direction of the signal light emitted by the first optical transmitter 110 and the direction of the signal light emitted by the second optical transmitter 120 are located in the same plane. In some implementations, as shown in FIG1(c), the first direction and the second direction are located in different planes. The signal light emitted by the first optical transmitter 110 is located in a first plane, and the signal light emitted by the second optical transmitter 120 is located in a second plane, and the first plane and the second plane intersect or are perpendicular.

[0039] In some implementations, the first and second light signals have different wavelengths, based on the different polarization states. This ensures compatibility with existing wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) schemes when the optical module is used in a passive optical network (PON). In some implementations, the wavelength separation between the first and second light signals is less than 40 nm. With this wavelength separation, the combined light signals emitted by the first optical transmitter 110 and the combined light signals emitted by the second optical transmitter 120 would experience losses after being combined, necessitating a more complex optical path. However, utilizing polarization multiplexing can simplify the optical path and reduce the overall size of the optical module.

[0040] In some implementations, the first and second optical signals have different rates based on their different polarization states. Thus, the optical module can be applied to multi-rate modal coexistence solutions and is compatible with more optical network solutions.

[0041] The polarization beam combiner 130 is configured to receive the first signal light and the second signal light, combine the first signal light and the second signal light into mixed light, and transmit the mixed light to the interface 140. The polarization beam combiner 130 may be made of optical glass, and the specific form of the polarization beam combiner 130 is determined based on actual conditions. Furthermore, depending on the specific scenario, the polarization beam combiner may also be understood as a polarization beam splitter, a polarization combiner / demultiplexer, a polarization filter, etc., and this application does not impose any limitations on this.

[0042] In some implementations, as shown in FIG1 (a), the polarization beam combiner 130 is in the form of a polarizer. For example, the polarizer can be specifically a dichroic polarizer, a thin film polarizer, a glass sheet coated with a dielectric coating, etc., which is determined according to actual conditions. The polarizer may include a first light incident surface 131, a second light incident surface 132, and a light exit surface 133. The first light incident surface 131 is used to receive the first signal light, the second light incident surface 132 is used to receive the second signal light, and the light exit surface 132 is used to emit mixed light. Among them, the first light incident surface 131 and the light exit surface 133 are parallel, and the second light incident surface 132 and the light exit surface 133 coincide with each other. The polarizer can be specifically used to transmit the first signal light, and the polarizer is also used to reflect the second signal light. That is, the incident direction of the first signal light on the polarization beam splitter 130 is the same as the exit direction of the mixed light on the light exit surface 133. This reduces the optical loss caused by polarization combining and simplifies the optical path complexity in the optical module. Furthermore, the use of a polarizer can reduce the overall cost of the optical module and facilitate the placement of the polarization combiner within the optical module. In some implementations, the angle of incidence of the first or second signal light entering the polarizer is less than 50 degrees, thereby achieving polarization combining of the first and second signal lights and outputting the mixed light to the interface. In some implementations, the angle of incidence is 45 degrees.

[0043] In some implementations, as shown in (b) or (c) of Figure 1, the polarization beam combiner 130 is in the form of a prism. For example, the polarization beam combiner 130 can be specifically a Wollaston prism, a Glan Thompson prism, a Glan-Foucault prism, a Glan Taylor prism, etc., determined according to actual conditions. In addition, the polarization beam combiner 130 can also be a combination of multiple prisms, and the prisms in the multiple prisms can be close to each other or have intervals, which is not limited by the present application. The prism may include a first light incident surface 131, a second light incident surface 132 and a light exit surface 133. The first light incident surface 131 is used to receive the first signal light, the second light incident surface 132 is used to receive the second signal light, and the light exit surface 132 is used to emit mixed light.

[0044] Among them, the first light incident surface 131 and the light exit surface 133 can be parallel. That is, the incident direction of the first signal light on the polarization beam splitter 130 is the same as the exit direction of the mixed light on the light exit surface 133. This reduces the light loss caused by polarization beam combining and simplifies the complexity of the optical path in the optical module. In some implementations, the angle of the polarization prism is less than 50 degrees, thereby achieving polarization beam combining of the first signal light and the second signal light, and outputting the mixed light to the interface. In some implementations, the angle of the polarization prism is 45 degrees.

[0045] The interface 140 is used to connect to an optical transmission medium. The optical transmission medium may be an optical fiber. Specifically, the interface 140 is connected to a single fiber pigtail.

[0046] In the optical module shown in Figure 1, based on the wavelength division multiplexing solution of the current passive optical network, the polarization coupling solution is used to combine the two optical transmitters into one. This ensures the isolation between the signal lights of the current multi-transmit solution, reduces the complexity of the internal optical path, and realizes a multi-transmit optical module solution with high transmission quality, low crosstalk, and high integration.

[0047] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of another optical module provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 2 (a) and Figure 2 (b) respectively show the three-dimensional light path in the optical module at two different angles. The optical module includes a first optical transmitter 210, a second optical transmitter 220, a polarization combiner 230, an interface 240, a wavelength division multiplexer 250, and an optical receiver 260. The first optical transmitter 210, the second optical transmitter 220, and the polarization combiner 230 are similar to those in Figure 1 and will not be repeated here.

[0048] The optical transmission medium connected to the interface 240 is used to transmit the third signal light, and the interface 240 is used to emit the third signal light.

[0049] The wavelength division multiplexer 250 is configured to receive the third signal light, perform wavelength division processing on the third signal light, and transmit the fourth signal light of the first wavelength contained in the third signal light. Depending on the specific scenario, the wavelength division multiplexer 250 can also be understood as a filter, a filter, a dichroic mirror, a dichroic prism, etc., and is determined based on actual conditions.

[0050] Optical receiver 260 is configured to receive the fourth light signal and convert the fourth light signal into an electrical signal. Specifically, optical receiver 260 may include an optical receiving chip and a signal processing chip. The optical receiving chip is configured to convert the fourth light signal into an electrical signal, and the signal processing chip is configured to process the data carried in the converted electrical signal.

[0051] The wavelength division multiplexer 250 can transmit a fourth signal light along a third direction, and any two of the first, second, and third directions are non-parallel. This means that the ports for transmitting or receiving signal light are located in three different dimensions. Compared to optical modules that place multiple ports on the same two-dimensional plane, this reduces device size and fully utilizes device space.

[0052] In some implementations, the optical receiver 260 is a dual-receiver, that is, the optical module has two receiving optical paths and two transmitting optical paths.

[0053] In the optical module shown in FIG2 , the complexity of the internal optical path is reduced by adopting a polarization coupling scheme for the signal light sent by the optical transmitter and a wavelength division multiplexing scheme for the signal light received by the optical receiver.

[0054] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of a dual-receive optical receiver provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 3, the optical receiver includes a first filter 310, a second filter 320, a third filter 330, a first optical receiving chip 340, and a second optical receiving chip 350.

[0055] The first optical filter 310 can be configured to, after receiving the fourth light signal, split the fourth light signal into a fifth light signal having a second wavelength and a sixth light signal having a third wavelength, and transmit the fifth light signal to the first optical receiver chip 340 and the sixth light signal to the second optical filter 320. After receiving the sixth light signal, the second optical filter reflects the sixth light signal to the third optical filter 330. The third filter 330 filters the sixth light signal to obtain a seventh light signal having a fourth wavelength within the sixth light signal, and transmits the seventh light signal to the second optical receiver chip 350. After receiving the fifth light signal, the first optical receiver chip 340 can convert the fifth light signal into a corresponding electrical signal. After receiving the seventh light signal, the second optical receiver chip 350 can convert the seventh light signal into a corresponding electrical signal.

[0056] In the case shown in Figure 3, the first optical filter 310 and the first light receiving chip 340 can be arranged at intervals along the first transmission path, and the second optical filter 320, the third filter 330, and the second light receiving chip can be arranged at intervals along the second transmission path. The first transmission path can be parallel to the second transmission path.

[0057] In addition, the first light receiving chip 340 and the second light receiving chip 350 may not be located on the same horizontal plane. For example, the heights of the first light receiving chip 340 and the second light receiving chip 350 may be adjusted using pillars, grooves, bumps, etc. In addition, the optical receiver may include a sub-package structure for accommodating the first light receiving chip 340 or the second light receiving chip 350.

[0058] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of an optical module provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG4 , the optical module includes a first optical transmitter 410, a second optical transmitter 420, a polarization beam combiner 430, an interface 440, a wavelength division multiplexer 450, an optical receiver 460, and a housing 470. The first optical transmitter 410, the second optical transmitter 420, the polarization beam combiner 430, the interface 440, the wavelength division multiplexer 450, and the optical receiver 460 are similar to those described in FIG1 or FIG2 and are not further described here.

[0059] The housing 470 is used to assemble components such as the first light emitter 410, the second light emitter 420, the interface 440, and the light receiver 460. The housing 470 is a polyhedron composed of multiple planes, and the first light emitter 410, the second light emitter 420, and the interface 440 are respectively located in different planes among the multiple planes. In the case where the light receiver 460 is included in the optical module, the light receiver 460 is also located in different planes among the multiple planes. This makes full use of the different dimensional spaces of the housing and improves the device integration. In some implementations, the housing 470 is a cube or a cuboid. In the current two-dimensional optical module solution, it is necessary to connect the light emitter, light receiver and other devices to the single board using a flexible printed circuit connector, which is not conducive to the installation and integration of the optical module. The three-dimensional optical module solution of the present application does not require the use of a connector, which facilitates the on-board installation of the optical module.

[0060] As a specific embodiment, as shown in Figure 4(a), the first light transmitter 410 is located in the YZ plane of the housing 470, and the first light signal emitted by the first light transmitter 410 is directed toward the X-axis. The second light transmitter 420 is located in the XY plane of the housing 470, and the second light signal emitted by the second light transmitter 420 is directed toward the Z-axis. The light receiver 460 is located in the XZ plane of the housing 470, and the third light signal received by the light receiver is directed toward the Y-axis. Figure 4(b) shows the internal component mounting of the housing 470 structure. Specifically, the polarization beam combiner 430 has an angle of 45 degrees with the X-axis, and the angle with the Z-axis is 45 degrees. The wavelength division multiplexer 450 has an angle of 45 degrees with the X-axis, and the angle with the Y-axis is 45 degrees. The specific position of the polarization beam combiner 430 and the wavelength division multiplexer 450 is determined according to actual conditions and is not limited in this application.

[0061] It should be understood that in the optical devices shown in Figures 1 to 4, the optical transmitter and optical receiver in the form of a coaxially packaged transistor outline (TO) are used as an illustration. In addition, the optical transmitter and optical receiver may also be specifically in other forms, and this application does not limit this. It should be understood that the above figures only show the key components in the optical module. In addition, the interior of the optical module may also be provided with a cooler, a heat sink, etc., which are determined according to the actual installation process of the optical module. The optical path inside the optical module, such as the central area of ​​the housing, or between multiple optical transmitters and optical receivers, may also be provided with a collimating lens, a reflector, an isolator, etc., which shall be subject to the actual optical path.

[0062] In addition, the optical devices shown in Figures 1 to 4 only illustrate the case where light emitters and light receivers are arranged in three planes of the optical module. When the housing specifically includes more than four planes, the polarization coupling solution provided by this application can also be used to arrange light emitters on other surfaces of the housing. In addition, the wavelength division multiplexing solution provided by this application can also be used to arrange light receivers on other surfaces of the housing. In addition, any one of the above-mentioned light emitters can be specifically single-transmitted or multi-transmitted, and any one of the above-mentioned light receivers can be specifically single-received or multi-received, depending on the actual design of the optical module.

[0063] In addition, an embodiment of the present application also provides an optical communication device. As shown in Figure 5, the optical communication device includes N single boards, such as single board 1, single board 2, ..., single board N shown in Figure 5 (a). Each of the N single boards includes one or more optical modules described in the above figures. For example, as shown in single board 1 in Figure 5 (b), the single board specifically includes optical module 1, optical module 2, ..., optical module M. Each optical module includes the optical modules described in the above figures. Among them, the specific form of the optical communication equipment can be optical transmission equipment, optical access equipment, optical switching equipment, fiber optic cat, etc., which is determined according to actual conditions. When applied to a passive optical network, the optical communication equipment can be an optical line terminal, an optical distribution network, an optical network unit, and an optical network terminal, etc.

[0064] In some implementations, the above-mentioned optical module is set in the optical network unit in the FTTR networking structure. The optical network unit can also be understood as the main optical modem or main router in the networking structure. In the FTTR networking structure, if GPON and 10GPON are combined at the optical line terminal, it is necessary to add supporting equipment such as OLT frames and racks, which takes up a lot of space in the computer room and is not conducive to management and maintenance. However, by adopting the Combo PON solution that combines optical modules in one in the optical network unit, the signal light of multiple rates and wavelengths can be combined in one optical module, and the original equipment frame can be reused, which makes the network upgrade simple and easy to maintain, and achieves a smooth upgrade to a higher-speed optical network.

[0065] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the networking structure of an optical network provided in an embodiment of the present application. The optical module and optical communication equipment provided in the embodiment of the present application can be applied to Combo PON.

[0066] As a networking structure, the electrical chip 610 is used to generate a first electrical signal based on data. The first electrical signal can have a rate of 10G or 2.5G. The optical chip in the first optical transmitter 620 is used to convert the first electrical signal into a first signal light. The wavelength of the first signal light is 1270±10nm. The electrical chip 610 is also used to generate a second electrical signal based on the data. The rate of the second electrical signal can be 1.25G. The optical chip in the second optical transmitter 630 is used to convert the second electrical signal into a second signal light. The wavelength of the second signal light is 1310±20nm. The polarization combiner 650 is used to combine the first signal light and the second signal light into a mixed light and send the mixed light to the interface 670. The interface 670 is also used to send the third signal light transmitted in the optical fiber to the wavelength division multiplexer 660. The wavelength division multiplexer 660 separates the fourth signal light from the third signal light and the other signal lights. The wavelengths of the fourth signal light are 1490nm and 1577nm. The fourth light signal is received by optical receiver 640. The first light receiving chip in optical receiver 640 is configured to process the fifth light signal having a wavelength of 1490 nm and convert the fifth light signal into a third electrical signal. The second light receiving chip in optical receiver 640 is configured to process the seventh light signal having a wavelength of 1577 nm and convert the seventh light signal into a fourth electrical signal. Electrical chip 610 is further configured to convert the third and fourth electrical signals into corresponding data.

[0067] As another networking structure, the electrical chip 610 is used to generate a first electrical signal based on the data. The first electrical signal can have a rate of 50G or 25G. The optical chip in the first optical transmitter 620 is used to convert the first electrical signal into a first signal light. The wavelength of the first signal light is 1284-1288nm. The electrical chip 610 is also used to generate a second electrical signal based on the data. The second electrical signal can have a rate of 10G. The optical chip in the second optical transmitter 630 is used to convert the second electrical signal into a second signal light. The wavelength of the second signal light is 1260-1280nm. The polarization combiner 650 is used to combine the first and second signal light into a mixed light and send the mixed light to the interface 670. The interface 670 is also used to send the third signal light transmitted in the optical fiber to the wavelength division multiplexer 660. The wavelength division multiplexer 660 separates the fourth signal light from the third signal light and the other signal lights. The wavelength of the fourth signal light is 1340-1344nm and 1575-1580nm. The fourth light signal is received by optical receiver 640. The first light receiving chip in optical receiver 640 is used to process the fifth light signal with a wavelength of 1340-1344 nm and convert it into a third electrical signal with a rate of 50 Gbps. The second light receiving chip in optical receiver 640 is used to process the seventh light signal with a wavelength of 1575-1580 nm and convert it into a fourth electrical signal with a rate of 25 Gbps. Electrical chip 610 is also used to convert the third and fourth electrical signals into corresponding data.

[0068] In addition, the optical module and optical communication equipment provided in the embodiments of the present application can also be applied to other passive optical networks, for example, next-generation PON (NG-PON), NG-PON1, NG-PON2, 10 gigabit per second PON (10 gigabit per second PON, XG-PON), symmetric 10 gigabit passive optical network (10-gigabit-capable symmetric passive optical network, XGS-PON), Ethernet PON (Ethernet PON, EPON), 10 gigabit per second EPON (10 gigabit per second EPON, 10G-EPON), next-generation EPON (NG-EPON), wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) PON, time-and wavelength-division multiplexing (TWDM) PON, point-to-point (P2P) WDM PON (P2P-WDM PON), asynchronous transfer mode PON (asynchronous transfer mode PON (APON), broadband PON (BPON), etc., as well as 25 gigabit per second PON (25G-PON), 50 gigabit per second PON (50G-PON), 100 gigabit per second PON (100 gigabit per second PON, 100G-PON), 25 gigabit per second EPON (25G-EPON), 50 gigabit per second EPON (50G-EPON), 100 gigabit per second EPON (100G-EPON), and GPON, EPON of other rates.

[0069] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included in the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. An optical module, characterized in that, Comprising a first optical transmitter, a second optical transmitter, a polarization beam combiner, and an interface, wherein: The first optical transmitter is configured to emit a first signal light propagating in a first direction, and the polarization state of the first signal light is a first polarization state; The second optical transmitter is configured to emit a second signal light propagating in a second direction, and the polarization state of the second signal light is a second polarization state, and the first direction and the second direction are non-parallel; The polarization beam combiner is configured to receive the first signal light and the second signal light, combine the first signal light and the second signal light into a mixed light, and emit the mixed light to the interface; The interface is configured to connect to an optical transmission medium.

2. The optical module according to claim 1, wherein The wavelengths and / or rates of the first signal light and the second signal light are different.

3. The optical module according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The wavelength interval between the first signal light and the second signal light is less than 40 nm.

4. The optical module according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that Wherein: The polarization beam combiner includes a first light incident surface, a second light incident surface, and a light output surface. The first light incident surface is configured to receive the first signal light, the second light incident surface is configured to receive the second signal light, and the light output surface is configured to emit the mixed light; The first light incident surface and the light output surface are arranged parallel or coincident, or the second light incident surface and the light output surface are arranged parallel or coincident.

5. The optical module according to claim 4, characterized in that, The polarization beam combiner is a polarizing plate, and the polarizing plate is configured to transmit the first signal light, and further, the polarizing plate is configured to reflect the second signal light.

6. The optical module according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, Further comprising an optical receiver and a wavelength division multiplexer, wherein: The optical transmission medium is configured to transmit a third signal light, and the interface is configured to emit the third signal light; The wavelength division multiplexer is configured to receive the third signal light, perform wavelength division processing on the third signal light, and emit a fourth signal light of a first wavelength in the third signal light; The optical receiver is configured to receive the fourth signal light and convert the fourth signal light into an electrical signal.

7. The optical module according to claim 6, wherein The wavelength division multiplexer emits the fourth signal light in a third direction, and any two of the first direction, the second direction, and the third direction are non-parallel.

8. The optical module according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that The optical receiver is in a dual-receiving form.

9. The optical module according to any one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that, Further comprising a housing, the housing being a polyhedron composed of a plurality of planes, and the first optical transmitter, the second optical transmitter, and the optical receiver are respectively located in different planes of the plurality of planes.

10. The optical module according to claim 9, wherein The housing is a cube or a cuboid.

11. An optical communication device, characterized in that, Comprising N single boards, and each single board among the N single boards includes at least one optical module as described in any one of claims 1 to 10.

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