Optical module, optical communication system, and communication method

Abstract

The embodiments of the present application relate to the technical field of optical communications and reduce the energy consumption of an optical communication system. Provided are an optical module, an optical communication system, and a communication method. The specific solution is: a first optical module comprising: a laser drive unit, a light emission assembly and a control unit, wherein the laser drive unit and the light emission assembly form a high-speed channel, and the laser drive unit, the light emission assembly and the control unit form a low-speed channel, the high-speed channel being used for transmitting a service signal; and the control unit is used for controlling the laser drive unit to generate a low-speed modulation signal, and the light emission assembly is used for obtaining a first low-speed optical signal on the basis of the low-speed modulation signal, and sending the first low-speed optical signal to a light-receiving assembly of a second optical module, the first low-speed optical signal being a non-service signal between the first optical module and the second optical module. The embodiments of the present application are applied to an optical communication process between a first network device and a second network device.

Description

Optical module, optical communication system and communication method

[0001] The present application claims priority to the Chinese patent application No. 202410783249.8, filed on June 17, 2024, entitled “Optical module, optical communication system and communication method”, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] Embodiments of the present application relate to the field of optical communication, and in particular to an optical module, an optical communication system and a communication method. BACKGROUND

[0003] At present, in order to improve the transmission rate of service signals, more and more communication devices use optical fiber to transmit signals. Compared with cable transmission, optical fiber transmission has the advantages of large capacity, small loss and strong anti-electromagnetic interference ability.

[0004] The communication system using optical fiber to transmit signals can be referred to as an optical communication system, which can include a network device and an optical module connected to the network device, and the optical module is further connected to an optical fiber. The optical receiving assembly included in the optical module is used to perform photoelectric conversion on the optical signal transmitted by the optical fiber to send the converted electrical signal to the network device, and the optical transmitting assembly included in the optical module is used to perform electro-optical conversion on the electrical signal from the network device to transmit the converted optical signal through the optical fiber.

[0005] With the increase of transmission rate, the energy consumption of the optical module in the optical communication system is getting higher and higher, and the energy consumption of the optical module for transmitting and receiving high-speed signals accounts for a large proportion in the total energy consumption of the optical communication system. In order to save the energy consumption of the optical communication system, the local device in the optical communication system informs the opposite device in the optical communication system to enter the energy-saving state through the switching of service signals for a period of time. However, the opposite device often cannot be connected to the network management, and the local device needs to continuously wait for the service signal when it needs to exit the energy-saving state, and the power consumption is still high. Therefore, how to reduce the energy consumption of the optical communication system has become a problem to be solved. SUMMARY

[0006] Embodiments of the present application provide an optical module, an optical communication system and a communication method, which reduce the energy consumption of the optical communication system.

[0007] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the embodiments of the present application adopt the following technical solutions.

[0008] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a first optical module. The first optical module comprises: a laser driver unit, an optical transmitting component, and a control unit. The laser driver unit and the optical transmitting component form a high-speed channel, the laser driver unit, the optical transmitting component, and the control unit form a low-speed channel, and the high-speed channel is used to transmit a service signal. The control unit is configured to control the laser driver unit to generate a low-speed modulation signal, and the optical transmitting component is configured to obtain a first low-speed optical signal based on the low-speed modulation signal and transmit the first low-speed optical signal to an optical receiving component of a second optical module. The first low-speed optical signal is a non-service signal between the first optical module and the second optical module.

[0009] Thus, in the first optical module provided by the embodiment of the present application, the high-speed channel and the low-speed channel are independently transmitted, the service signal is transmitted through the high-speed channel, and the non-service signal is transmitted through the low-speed channel. In addition, the content, the transmission rate, and the transmission frame format of the first low-speed optical signal can be self-defined in the first optical module, and a plurality of non-service signals can be transmitted through the low-speed channel to control the second optical module when the second optical module is in a disconnection state. The low-speed channel has a low rate, a low bit error rate, and a reliable transmission channel, and thus the energy consumption of the first optical module and the optical communication system can be reduced.

[0010] In a possible design, the first optical module further comprises an optical receiving component, and the optical receiving component is configured to receive a second low-speed optical signal from the second optical module through a current pin. Thus, the first optical module can further receive the second low-speed optical signal from the second optical module through the low-speed channel. The second low-speed optical signal can be response information of the second optical module to the first low-speed optical signal, or the second low-speed optical signal can be control information of the second optical module to the first optical module. The low-speed channel communication is reliable.

[0011] In a possible design, the second optical module is coupled to a second network device, and the second low-speed optical signal comprises device information of the second optical module and device information of the second network device. Thus, the second optical module can report the device information of the second optical module and the device information of the second network device through the low-speed channel, and the first optical module can still control the second optical module and the second network device when the second optical module and the second network device are in a disconnection state.

[0012] In a possible design, the control unit further comprises a low-speed interface, and the control unit is coupled to a first network device through the low-speed interface. The control unit is further configured to receive a first electrical signal through the low-speed interface, and the first electrical signal is used to instruct the first optical module to switch from the high-speed channel to the low-speed channel. Thus, when the control unit in the first optical module receives the first electrical signal, the control unit can switch from the high-speed channel to the low-speed channel. The low-speed channel and the high-speed channel can be independently transmitted, the low-speed channel has a low rate and a low bit error rate, the transmission channel is reliable, and thus the energy consumption of the first optical module can be reduced.

[0013] In a possible design, the first low-speed optical signal includes at least one of power saving information, rate information, wavelength information, upgrade information, and optical time domain reflectometry (OTDR) information. In this way, the content, transmission rate, and transmission frame format of the first low-speed optical signal can be self-defined in the first optical module, and various non-service signals can be transmitted over the low-speed channel to control the second optical module when the second optical module is in a disengaged state.

[0014] In a possible design, when the power saving information in the first low-speed optical signal is a first value, the first low-speed optical signal is used to instruct the second optical module to enter a power saving state; and when the power saving information in the first low-speed optical signal is a second value, the first low-speed optical signal is used to instruct the second optical module to exit the power saving state. In this way, the first optical module can quickly instruct the second optical module to enter the power saving state through the low-speed channel, and the first optical module can also quickly wake up the second optical module through the low-speed channel, thereby reducing the energy consumption of the optical communication system.

[0015] In a possible design, the rate information is used to indicate the working rate of the first optical module, and the wavelength information is used to indicate the working wavelength of the first optical module. In this way, the first optical module can transmit the working rate and the working wavelength of the first network device optical module to the second optical module through the low-speed channel, thereby reducing the time for rate negotiation and wavelength negotiation of the optical communication system, and achieving fast and accurate determination of the rate and the wavelength.

[0016] In a possible design, the optical transmitting component includes a laser and a modulator. The control unit is further configured to send a second electrical signal to the modulator, the laser is configured to transmit a third low-speed optical signal based on the low-speed modulation signal, and the modulator is configured to modulate the third low-speed optical signal based on the second electrical signal to obtain the first low-speed optical signal.

[0017] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an optical communication system, including the first optical module, the second optical module, the first network device, and the second network device of the first aspect. The first optical module includes a first low-speed interface, and the first optical module is coupled to the first network device through the first low-speed interface. The second optical module includes a second low-speed interface, and the second optical module is coupled to the second network device through the second low-speed interface. The first optical module and the second optical module are coupled through an optical fiber.

[0018] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which is applied to a first optical module, the first optical module comprising a laser driver unit, an optical transmitting component, and a control unit, the laser driver unit and the optical transmitting component forming a high-speed channel, the laser driver unit, the optical transmitting component, and the control unit forming a low-speed channel, and the method comprising: transmitting a service signal by the high-speed channel; controlling, by the control unit, the laser driver unit to generate a low-speed modulation signal; obtaining, by the optical transmitting component, a first low-speed optical signal based on the low-speed modulation signal, and transmitting the first low-speed optical signal to an optical receiving component of a second optical module, the first low-speed optical signal being a non-service signal between the first optical module and the second optical module.

[0019] In a possible design, the first optical module further comprises an optical receiving component, and the method further comprises: receiving, by the optical receiving component, a second low-speed optical signal from the second optical module through a current pin.

[0020] In a possible design, the second optical module is coupled to a second network device, and the second low-speed optical signal comprises device information of the second optical module and device information of the second network device.

[0021] In a possible design, the control unit further comprises a low-speed interface, the control unit is coupled to a first network device through the low-speed interface, and the method further comprises: receiving, by the control unit, a first electrical signal through the low-speed interface, the first electrical signal being used to instruct the first optical module to switch from the high-speed channel to the low-speed channel.

[0022] In a possible design, the first low-speed optical signal comprises at least one of power saving information, rate information, wavelength information, upgrade information, and OTDR information.

[0023] In a possible design, when the power saving information in the first low-speed optical signal is a first value, the first low-speed optical signal is used to instruct the second optical module to enter a power saving state; and when the power saving information in the first low-speed optical signal is a second value, the first low-speed optical signal is used to instruct the second optical module to exit the power saving state.

[0024] In a possible design, the rate information is used to instruct a working rate of the first optical module, and the wavelength information is used to instruct a working wavelength of the first optical module.

[0025] In a possible design, the optical transmitting component comprises a laser and a modulator, and the method further comprises: transmitting, by the control unit, a second electrical signal to the modulator; and obtaining, by the optical transmitting component, the first low-speed optical signal based on the low-speed modulation signal comprises: emitting, by the laser, a third low-speed optical signal based on the low-speed modulation signal; and modulating, by the modulator, the third low-speed optical signal based on the second electrical signal to obtain the first low-speed optical signal.

[0026] The beneficial effects of the third aspect can be referred to the description of the first aspect.

[0027] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer readable storage medium, including computer instructions, when the computer instructions are executed on an electronic device, causing the electronic device to perform the communication method in any of the above aspects and any possible implementation manner.

[0028] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product, when the computer program product is executed on a computer or a processor, causing the computer or the processor to perform the communication method in any of the above aspects and any possible implementation manner.

[0029] It can be understood that any of the first optical module, the optical communication system, the computer readable storage medium or the computer program product provided above can be applied to the corresponding method provided above, and the beneficial effects achieved thereby can refer to the beneficial effects in the corresponding method, which will not be repeated here.

[0030] These aspects or other aspects of the present application will be more apparent in the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0031] FIG. 1 is a structural schematic diagram of an optical communication system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0032] FIG. 2 is a structural schematic diagram of a first optical module according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0033] FIG. 3 is a structural schematic diagram of a low-speed channel according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0034] FIG. 4 is a structural schematic diagram of another low-speed channel according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0035] FIG. 5 is a structural schematic diagram of another low-speed channel according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0036] FIG. 6 is a structural schematic diagram of another first optical module according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0037] FIG. 7 is a structural schematic diagram of an optical communication system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0038] FIG. 8 is a structural schematic diagram of another optical communication system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0039] FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0040] FIG. 10 is a flowchart of another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0041] FIG. 11 is a flowchart of another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. In the description of the embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified, " / " represents the meaning of or, for example, A / B can represent A or B; "and / or" herein only describes the association relationship of the associated objects, which means that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B, which can represent the three cases of A alone, A and B together, and B alone. In addition, in the description of the embodiments of the present application, "multiple" means two or more than two.

[0043] Hereinafter, the terms "first" and "second" are only used for description purposes, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined with "first" and "second" can explicitly or implicitly include one or more features. In the description of the embodiments, unless otherwise specified, the meaning of "multiple" is two or more than two.

[0044] According to the current network situation, the local device in the optical communication system has no service traffic or low service traffic at some time or some site, at which time the local device and the opposite device can enter the energy saving state to save the energy consumption of the optical communication system. In order to save the energy consumption of the optical communication system, the local device can notify the opposite device to enter the energy saving state through the service signal. However, the opposite device often cannot connect to the network management, and the local device cannot timely notify the opposite device when it needs to be woken up, at which time the opposite device is still in the working state and waits for the service signal, and the power consumption of the optical communication system is still high. In addition, although this method can control the optical communication system to enter the energy saving state, the transmission quality is poor, the optical communication system takes a long time to recover from the energy saving state to the normal working state, and it is difficult to realize real-time dynamic energy saving.

[0045] In addition, with the improvement of network rate, the optical communication device supports more and more rates, and it is important for the optical communication devices on both sides to work at the same rate for network building, fault diagnosis and energy saving. For example, in the wireless front-haul scene, the active antenna processing unit (AAU) (or remote radio unit (RRU)) cannot connect to the network management, so the active antenna processing unit (or remote radio unit) and the baseband unit (BBU) make the optical communication devices on both sides work at the same rate through rate negotiation.

[0046] Specifically, the optical communication devices on both sides can switch the rate in turn to achieve rate consistency. When the rates of the optical communication devices on both sides are consistent, the service link of the optical communication device is turned on, and at this time, the optical communication devices on both sides are fixed at the rate. When the rates of the optical communication devices on both sides are inconsistent, the service link of the optical communication device is not turned on, and then the optical communication device switches to the next rate. Thus, the method needs to set a certain switching time and holding time for the optical communication devices on both sides when switching the rate. The size of the switching time and the holding time affects the accuracy and the required time length of the rate negotiation, and therefore, the rate negotiation time and the negotiation accuracy need to be balanced. When the rate of the optical communication device is large and the clock and data recovery (CDR) locking time is long, the rate negotiation time of the method is long. In addition, the method communicates through a high-speed channel, which is easily affected by factors such as the performance of the optical module and the quality of the optical fiber link, and the failure rate of the rate negotiation is high.

[0047] In addition, in addition to rate negotiation, the optical communication devices on both sides also perform wavelength negotiation, which usually adopts a round-robin wavelength switching method or a tuning method. The round-robin wavelength switching method has a long time and a low accuracy. The tuning method needs to synchronously transmit the service signal, and the quality of the tuning signal and the quality of the service signal are mutually restricted, and the tuning sensitivity and reliability are poor. In addition, in the wavelength division multiplexing scene, wavelength negotiation is often needed, and at this time, the tuning method of frequency adjustment is needed, and the tuning method of frequency adjustment is complex to implement.

[0048] Therefore, the embodiment of the present application provides a first optical module, which includes a high-speed channel and a low-speed channel, and the high-speed channel and the low-speed channel are independently transmitted. The high-speed channel can transmit a service signal, and the low-speed channel can transmit a non-service signal. The content, the transmission rate, and the transmission frame format of the first low-speed optical signal can be customized in the first optical module, and a plurality of non-service signals can be transmitted through the low-speed channel to control the second optical module when the second optical module is in a disconnection state. The rate of the low-speed channel is low, the error rate is low, the transmission channel is reliable, and the energy consumption of the first optical module and the optical communication system can be reduced.

[0049] In the scenario, the optical communication device provided by the embodiment of the present application can be a router, a switch, a server or an optical transport network (OTN) and the like. The structure of the optical communication system including the optical communication device provided by the embodiment of the present application is described in combination with FIG. 1. The optical communication device can include a network device and an optical module fixedly inserted into a panel of the network device. The network device shown in the embodiment of the present application can be an AAU, an RRU or a BBU. The optical module shown in the embodiment of the present application can also be referred to as a high-speed pluggable optical module. The optical communication system can include a network device 1, a network device 2, an optical module 1 and an optical module 2. The network device 1 can be understood as a local device, and the network device 2 can be understood as a remote device. The optical module 1 is coupled with the network device 1, the optical module 2 is coupled with the network device 2, and the optical module 1 and the optical module 2 are coupled through an optical fiber. It can be understood that the number of network devices and optical modules is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0050] Specifically, taking the network device 1 and the network device 2 as an example, the network device 1 generates downstream service electrical signals and sends the downstream service electrical signals to the optical module 1. The optical module 1 converts the downstream service electrical signals into downstream service optical signals through electro-optical conversion. The optical module 1 also sends the downstream service optical signals to the optical module 2 through an optical fiber. In addition, the optical module 2 receives upstream service optical signals through the optical fiber and converts the upstream service optical signals into upstream service electrical signals through optical-electrical conversion. The optical module 2 also sends the upstream service electrical signals to the network device 2, and the network device 2 processes the upstream service electrical signals.

[0051] The first optical module provided by the embodiment of the present application is described in detail below.

[0052] The embodiment of the present application provides a first optical module, as shown in FIG. 2, which includes a laser driver unit, an optical transmitting assembly and a control unit. The laser driver unit and the optical transmitting assembly form a high-speed channel, and the laser driver unit, the optical transmitting assembly and the control unit form a low-speed channel.

[0053] For example, the first optical module can include multiple high-speed channels, for example, the multiple high-speed channels can include a wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) multi-channel or a parallel single-mode fiber (PSM) multi-channel. Only one high-speed channel is shown in FIG. 2. The first optical module also includes a low-speed channel. The low-speed channel can multiplex one of the multiple high-speed channels of the first optical module. Therefore, the low-speed channel is simple to implement and has very low power consumption.

[0054] The control unit may, for example, include a microcontroller unit (MCU), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), a digital signal processor (DSP), or the like. It should be understood that the control unit may also be another general-purpose processor or another programmable logic device, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit the control unit.

[0055] The light emitting component may, for example, include a laser, which may, for example, include a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL), a distributed feedback bragg grating (DFB), an externally modulated laser (EML), a continuous wave (CW) laser, or the like.

[0056] The laser driving unit may, for example, be an electrical chip, a circuit, or a modulator of the laser. The modulator may, for example, be a direct modulator or an external modulator, and the modulator may, for example, include one or more of indium phosphide (InP), gallium arsenide (GaAs), silicon (Si), or thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN).

[0057] The high-speed channel may, for example, be used to transmit a service signal.

[0058] The service signal may, for example, be an electrical signal including service information. The service signal may, for example, be a high-speed signal having a large amount of information, and may, for example, be transmitted through the high-speed channel in the first optical module. The service signal may, for example, be converted into an optical signal including service information by the laser driving unit and the light emitting component in the high-speed channel. The modulation may, for example, include signal amplitude, frequency, and phase.

[0059] The first optical module may, for example, further include a signal processing circuit. The signal processing circuit, the laser driving unit, and the light emitting component may, for example, collectively constitute the high-speed channel. The signal processing circuit may, for example, be used to perform equalization and conversion on the service signal. In one possible example, the signal processing circuit may, for example, be a CDR or a digital signal processor.

[0060] The low-speed channel can be used to transmit a non-service signal. Specifically, the control unit is configured to control the laser driver unit to generate a low-speed modulation signal, and the optical transmitting component is configured to obtain a first low-speed optical signal based on the low-speed modulation signal and transmit the first low-speed optical signal to the optical receiving component of the second optical module. The first low-speed optical signal is a non-service signal between the first optical module and the second optical module.

[0061] The non-service signal can be an electrical signal that does not include service information. The non-service signal has a small amount of information and can be a low-speed signal. The non-service signal is transmitted in the first optical module through a low-speed channel. In the low-speed channel, the control unit can control the laser and the optical transmitting component to perform electro-optical conversion on the non-service signal to obtain a first low-speed optical signal, and transmit the first low-speed optical signal to the optical receiving component of the second optical module through an optical fiber.

[0062] As shown in FIG. 3, the optical transmitting component can be a laser, which can be a directly modulated laser. Specifically, when the control unit receives the non-service signal, the control unit can control the laser driver unit to generate a low-speed modulation signal. The low-speed modulation signal can control the operating current or operating voltage of the laser to obtain the first low-speed signal. For example, in terms of the operating current, the laser driver unit loads a current to the laser according to the control requirement of the control unit to change the size of the current, thereby generating a “0” and “1” amplitude signal, i.e., the first low-speed signal. Generally, the control unit can achieve the “0” and “1” amplitude modulation of the laser by controlling the enable pin (e.g., TX Disable) of the optical module or setting the size of the driving current.

[0063] Alternatively, the optical transmitting component can include a laser and a modulator, and the laser can be an externally modulated laser. The control unit is further configured to transmit a second electrical signal to the modulator. The laser is configured to emit a third low-speed optical signal based on the low-speed modulation signal. The modulator is configured to modulate the third low-speed signal based on the second electrical signal to obtain the first low-speed optical signal.

[0064] As shown in FIG. 4, the control unit can control the laser driver unit to output a constant current, which is used to control the laser to emit light. In addition, the control unit controls the modulator to modulate the light emitted by the laser based on the second electrical signal to generate a “0” and “1” amplitude signal, i.e., the first low-speed signal.

[0065] As shown in FIG. 5, the second electrical signal can be a signal used to control the modulator to be always on, which can be understood as a constant-on signal. In addition, the control unit controls the laser driver unit to generate a low-speed modulation signal, which controls the laser to generate the first low-speed optical signal. The modulator transmits the first low-speed optical signal to the second optical module.

[0066] Optionally, as shown in FIG. 6, the first optical module can further include an optical receiving assembly, which is configured to receive the second low-speed optical signal from the second optical module through the current pin.

[0067] For example, the optical receiving assembly can include a light detection chip and an amplification chip. The light detection chip can include a P-type-intrinsic-N-type (PIN) photodiode or an avalanche photodiode (APD). The amplification chip is a light chip, an electrical chip or a circuit with amplification function, such as a trans impedance amplifier (TIA).

[0068] For example, the current pin of the optical receiving assembly can be a received signal strength indication (RSSI) pin or a mirror current source of the TIA.

[0069] For example, the second low-speed optical signal can be a response information of the second optical module to the first low-speed optical signal, or a control information of the second optical module to the first optical module. The optical receiving assembly and the control unit are coupled, the optical receiving assembly can perform photoelectric conversion on the second low-speed optical signal to obtain an electrical signal, and the control unit can process the electrical signal.

[0070] In addition, as shown in FIG. 6, the first optical module can further include a service signal receiving unit, which is configured to process the service signal received by the optical receiving assembly.

[0071] Optionally, the second optical module and the second network device are coupled, and the second low-speed optical signal includes device information of the second optical module and device information of the second network device.

[0072] For example, the first optical module and the second optical module can be coupled through an optical fiber. Assuming that the second network device is located far away from the first network device, the first network device and the second network device cannot realize wireless communication, i.e., the second network device is in a disengaged state.

[0073] The first network device or the first optical module can transmit a service signal to the second optical module through a high-speed channel, for example, an Ethernet frame or a common public radio interface (CPRI) frame. However, the quality of the high-speed channel affects the transmission of the service signal, and can cause the second network device and the second optical module to be in a disconnection state. Therefore, the second optical module provided in the embodiment of the present application transmits device information of the second optical module and device information of the second network device to the first optical module through a low-speed channel. In one possible example, when the second optical module and the second network device are in a power saving state, the first network device or the first optical module can still manage the second optical module and the second network device.

[0074] Optionally, the control unit further includes a low-speed interface, and the control unit is coupled with the first network device through the low-speed interface. The control unit is further configured to receive a first electrical signal through the low-speed interface, and the first electrical signal is used to instruct the first optical module to switch from the high-speed channel to the low-speed channel.

[0075] For example, the low-speed interface includes, but is not limited to, an inter integrated circuit (IIC), a serial peripheral interface (SPI), or a universal asynchronous receiver transmitter (UART). It can be understood that the low-speed interface can also be other self-defined parallel or serial bus, and the embodiment of the present application does not limit this.

[0076] For example, the first electrical signal can also be understood as an instruction. When the control unit receives the first electrical signal, the first optical module performs electro-optical conversion on the first electrical signal through the low-speed channel to obtain a first low-speed optical signal, and transmits the first low-speed optical signal to the second optical module.

[0077] Optionally, the first low-speed optical signal includes at least one of power saving information, rate information, wavelength information, upgrade information, and optical time domain reflectometer (OTDR) information.

[0078] For example, the power saving information can be a signal indicating whether the first optical module or the second optical module enters a power saving state. The power saving state is a state in which the first optical module and the second optical module turn off internal part circuits and save configuration parameters of related circuits.

[0079] Optionally, when the energy saving information in the first low-speed optical signal is a first value, the first low-speed optical signal is used to instruct the second optical module to enter the energy saving state; when the energy saving information in the first low-speed optical signal is a second value, the first low-speed optical signal is used to instruct the second optical module to exit the energy saving state.

[0080] For example, the first value can be "1", and the second value can be "0". Alternatively, the first value can be "0", and the second value can be "1". It can be understood that the first value and the second value can also be represented by more bits, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0081] For example, the optical communication system can determine whether to enter the energy saving state. Specifically, when energy saving is needed, the first low-speed optical signal sent by the first optical module to the second optical module is the first value; when energy saving is not needed, the first low-speed optical signal sent by the first optical module to the second optical module is the second value. In one possible example, the optical communication system can determine whether to enter the energy saving state based on traffic flow. For example, when the traffic flow is large, the optical communication system determines that it is not necessary to enter the energy saving state to ensure normal transmission of large traffic flow and normal operation of the optical communication system. When the traffic flow is small, the optical communication system determines that it is necessary to enter the energy saving state to save the power consumption of the optical communication system. In addition, since the working current of the first optical module or the second optical module after entering the energy saving state is small and the working time is short, the life of the laser in the first optical module or the second optical module can be prolonged, the reliability requirement of the laser and other devices is reduced, and the cost of the first optical module or the second optical module is reduced.

[0082] For example, when the optical communication system needs to save energy, the first network device can send a first electrical signal to the first optical module through a low-speed interface, and at this time, the first electrical signal is a signal instructing to enter the energy saving state. When the first optical module receives the first electrical signal instructing to enter the energy saving state, the internal part of the circuit is turned off to enter the energy saving state, and the configuration parameters of the related circuit are also saved. In addition, the first optical module also obtains a first low-speed optical signal based on the first electrical signal through the low-speed channel, and transmits the first low-speed optical signal to the second optical module through an optical fiber, and at this time, the energy saving information in the first low-speed optical signal is the first value, and the first low-speed optical signal is used to instruct the second optical module to enter the energy saving state.

[0083] Exemplarily, when the optical communication system does not need to save power, the first network device sends a first electrical signal to the first optical module through the low-speed interface, the first electrical signal is a signal indicating exiting the power saving state at this time, and the first electrical signal can also be understood as a power saving wake-up signal. When the first optical module receives the first electrical signal indicating exiting the power saving state, the circuit in the off state is powered on quickly, and the saved configuration parameters are also called. In addition, the first optical module also obtains the first low-speed optical signal through the low-speed channel, and transmits the first low-speed optical signal to the second optical module through the optical fiber, at this time, the power saving signal in the first low-speed optical signal is the second value, and the first low-speed optical signal is used to instruct the second optical module to exit the power saving state.

[0084] Therefore, the first optical module provided by the embodiment of the application can inform the second optical module to quickly enter the power saving state through the low-speed channel, and the power consumption of the optical communication system can be reduced. At the same time, the first optical module can also quickly wake up the second optical module through the low-speed channel, and the wake-up time can be reduced to the millisecond level, and the response is fast.

[0085] Optionally, the rate information is used to indicate the working rate of the first optical module, and the wavelength information is used to indicate the working wavelength of the first optical module.

[0086] Exemplarily, as the network device can support more and more types of rates, the types of optical modules are also more and more. Therefore, the first optical module in the embodiment of the application transmits the working rate of the first optical module to the second network device through the low-speed channel, so as to quickly and accurately determine the rate.

[0087] Exemplarily, when the wavelength tunable optical module is arranged in the optical communication system, the wavelength tunable optical module needs to be adjusted. Therefore, the first optical module in the embodiment of the application transmits the working wavelength of the first optical module to the second network device through the low-speed channel, the channel is reliable, and the adjustment speed is fast.

[0088] In another possible implementation, the first low-speed optical signal can include upgrade information. Wherein, the firmware information in the second optical module cannot be upgraded after being upgraded, but as the software version is updated and compatible requirements, the software system is more and more complex. In order to solve the problem that the firmware information of the second optical module and the software of the network device are not compatible with the standard, the software of the network device can be upgraded, but the software upgrade cycle of the network device is long and the technical risk is high. Therefore, the first optical module provided by the embodiment of the application transmits the upgrade information to the second network device through the low-speed channel, the firmware information of the second optical module can be upgraded online, the online and timely upgrade without returning to the factory can be realized, and the disadvantages of the software upgrade of the network device are eliminated.

[0089] In yet another possible implementation, the first low-speed optical signal can include OTDR information. In this case, if the second optical module can implement the OTDR function, the second network device needs to control the second optical module to perform the transmission and reception of OTDR pulses, and also needs to read the OTDR data of the second optical module. That is, the second network device controls the OTDR function of the second optical module. However, when the second network device is located at a remote end, i.e., in an out-of-management state (also referred to as an unmanaged state), the second network device cannot control the second optical module to enable the OTDR function when the second network device is abnormal or the optical communication system is abnormal in service communication. Thus, the first optical module provided in the embodiments of the present application transmits OTDR information to the second optical module through the low-speed channel to enable the OTDR function of the second optical module.

[0090] The embodiments of the present application also provide an optical communication system, as shown in FIG. 7, which includes a first network device, a second network device, a first optical module, and a second optical module. The first network device and the second network device can be the same electronic device or different electronic devices. The first optical module and the second optical module can be the same optical module or different optical modules.

[0091] The first optical module can include a first laser driver unit, a first optical transmitting assembly, a first control unit, a first optical receiving assembly, and a first service signal receiving unit. The second optical module can include a second laser driver unit, a second optical transmitting assembly, a second control unit, a second optical receiving assembly, and a second service signal receiving unit. The first optical transmitting assembly and the second optical receiving assembly are coupled through an optical fiber, and the second optical transmitting assembly and the first optical receiving assembly are coupled through an optical fiber. The first control unit is coupled to the first network device through a first low-speed interface (not shown in FIG. 7), and the second control unit is coupled to the second network device through a second low-speed interface (not shown in FIG. 7).

[0092] Taking the energy saving required by an optical communication system as an example, the first network device sends a first electrical signal to the first optical module through a first low-speed interface, and the first electrical signal is a signal indicating entering an energy saving state. The first optical module shuts down internal circuits to enter the energy saving state when receiving the first electrical signal, and also saves configuration parameters of the related circuits. In addition, the first optical module also obtains a first low-speed optical signal based on the first electrical signal through a low-speed channel, and transmits the first low-speed optical signal to the second optical module through an optical fiber. The second optical module receives the first low-speed optical signal, and performs photoelectric conversion on the first low-speed optical signal through a second optical receiving assembly to obtain an energy saving electrical signal. Since the signal rate of the low-speed channel is low and the bandwidth is small, the energy saving electrical signal cannot be transmitted through a second service signal receiving unit, but can only enter a second control unit. The second control unit shuts down internal circuits to enter the energy saving state when receiving the energy saving electrical signal, and also saves configuration parameters of the related circuits. In addition, the second optical module also sends the energy saving electrical signal to the second network device through a second low-speed interface to control the second network device to enter the energy saving state. Thus, the transmission of high-speed service signals is suspended.

[0093] Taking the energy saving not required by an optical communication system as an example, the first network device sends a first electrical signal to the first optical module through a first low-speed interface, and the first electrical signal is a signal indicating exiting an energy saving state. The first optical module quickly powers on the circuits in the off state when receiving the first electrical signal, and also calls the saved configuration parameters. In addition, the first optical module also obtains a first low-speed optical signal through a low-speed channel, and transmits the first low-speed optical signal to the second optical module through an optical fiber. The second optical module receives the first low-speed optical signal, and performs photoelectric conversion on the first low-speed optical signal through a second optical receiving assembly to obtain an energy saving exit electrical signal, and transmits the energy saving exit electrical signal to a second control unit. The second control unit quickly powers on the circuits in the off state in the second optical module when receiving the energy saving exit electrical signal, and also calls the saved configuration parameters. In addition, the second optical module also sends the energy saving exit electrical signal to the second network device through a second low-speed interface to control the second network device to exit the energy saving state. Thus, the first optical module, the second optical module and the second network device are all powered on and work normally, and the transmission of high-speed service signals is restored to normal.

[0094] Taking the first low-speed optical signal as the OTDR information as an example, as shown in FIG. 8, the first optical module transmits the first low-speed optical signal to the second optical module through the optical fiber. The second receiving assembly in the second optical module performs photoelectric conversion on the first low-speed optical signal to obtain the OTDR information, and transmits the OTDR information to the second control unit. When the second control unit receives the OTDR information, the second laser driver unit is controlled to control the second optical transmitting assembly to emit the OTDR pulse and receive the OTDR data. In addition, the second optical transmitting assembly also sends the OTDR data to the first optical module through the optical fiber, and the first optical module processes the OTDR data after receiving the OTDR data and presents the OTDR result.

[0095] The embodiment of the present application also provides a communication method, which is applied to a first optical module, as shown in FIG. 9, and the communication method comprises the following steps.

[0096] S901, transmitting a service signal through a high-speed channel.

[0097] S902, controlling a control unit to control a laser driver unit to generate a low-speed modulation signal.

[0098] S903, an optical transmitting assembly obtains a first low-speed optical signal based on the low-speed modulation signal, and sends the first low-speed optical signal to an optical receiving assembly of a second optical module.

[0099] The first low-speed optical signal is a non-service signal between the first optical module and the second optical module.

[0100] For example, the high-speed channel and the low-speed channel in the first optical module are independently transmitted, the high-speed channel can transmit a service signal, and the low-speed channel can transmit a non-service signal. The control unit can customize the content, transmission rate and transmission frame format of the first low-speed optical signal through the low-speed modulation signal, and can transmit a plurality of non-service signals through the low-speed channel. The low-speed channel has low speed, low bit error rate and reliable transmission channel, and can reduce the energy consumption of the first optical module and the optical communication system.

[0101] Optionally, the communication method further comprises: receiving, by the optical receiving assembly, a second low-speed optical signal from the second optical module through a current pin.

[0102] For example, the second low-speed optical signal can be the response information of the second optical module to the first low-speed optical signal, and the second low-speed optical signal can also be the control information of the second optical module to the first optical module. In one possible example, the second low-speed optical signal can include device information of the second optical module and device information of the second network device.

[0103] Optionally, the communication method further comprises: receiving, by the control unit, a first electrical signal through a low-speed interface, the first electrical signal being used to indicate that the first optical module switches from the high-speed channel to the low-speed channel.

[0104] Optionally, the communication method further comprises: the control unit sends the second electrical signal to the modulator. S903 can comprise: the laser emits a third low-speed optical signal based on the low-speed modulation signal, the modulator modulates the third low-speed optical signal based on the second electrical signal to obtain the first low-speed optical signal.

[0105] In one possible implementation, applied to the above optical communication system, as shown in FIG. 10, the communication method between the first network device and the second network device comprises the following flow.

[0106] S1001, the first network device normally works.

[0107] S1002, whether the first network device needs to switch the working mode. If the first network device needs to switch the working mode, S1003 is executed, and if the first network device does not need to switch the working mode, S1001 is executed.

[0108] S1003, the first network device switches to the low-speed working mode.

[0109] S1004, the first optical module switches from the high-speed channel to the low-speed channel and sends the first low-speed optical signal.

[0110] S1005, the second optical module receives the first low-speed optical signal.

[0111] S1006, the second optical module works based on the first low-speed optical signal.

[0112] S1007, the second network device enters the low-speed working mode.

[0113] S1008, the second optical module sends the action response information to the first optical module.

[0114] S1009, the first optical module receives the action response information.

[0115] S1010, the first network device reads the action response information of the first optical module.

[0116] S1011, the first network device determines whether the switching of the working mode is completed. If the first network device completes the switching of the working mode, S1001 is executed, and if the first network device does not complete the switching of the working mode, S1003 is executed.

[0117] In another possible implementation, taking the energy-saving mode as an example, as shown in FIG. 11, the communication method between the first network device and the second network device comprises the following flow.

[0118] S1101, the first network device normally works.

[0119] S1102, whether the first network device needs to perform energy saving. If the first network device needs to perform energy saving, S1103 is performed, and if the first network device does not need to perform energy saving, S1101 is performed.

[0120] S1103, the first network device enters an energy saving state.

[0121] S1104, the first optical module enters an energy saving state and transmits a first low-speed optical signal.

[0122] S1105, the second optical module receives the first low-speed optical signal.

[0123] S1106, the second optical module enters an energy saving state.

[0124] S1107, the second network device enters an energy saving state.

[0125] In addition, after S1103, the method further includes: S1108, whether the first network device needs to exit the energy saving state. If the first network device does not need to exit the energy saving state, S1103 is performed, and if the first network device does not need to exit the energy saving state, S1109 is performed.

[0126] S1109, the first network device exits the energy saving state.

[0127] S1110, the first optical module exits the energy saving state and transmits the first low-speed optical signal.

[0128] S1111, the second optical module receives the first low-speed optical signal.

[0129] S1112, the second optical module exits the energy saving state.

[0130] S1113, the second network device exits the energy saving state.

[0131] Thus, when the first network device closes the high-speed channel, the first network device can also transmit a non-service signal to the first control unit in the first optical module through the low-speed interface. When the second network device is in the out-of-management state, the first optical module can still quickly respond and transmit the non-service signal to the second optical module, so as to quickly wake up the second optical module and the second network device. In addition, the optical communication system can control the switching and signal quality of the service signal in real time according to the non-service signal received by the control unit, so as to dynamically adjust the energy consumption of the optical communication system.

[0132] Embodiments of the present application also provide a computer storage medium having computer instructions stored therein, when the computer instructions are run on an electronic device, the electronic device performs the above-mentioned related method steps to realize the communication method in the above-mentioned embodiments.

[0133] The embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product, which, when running on a computer, enables the computer to perform the above related steps to realize the communication method performed by the electronic device in the above embodiment.

[0134] In addition, the embodiment of the present application further provides a device, which can be a chip, a component or a module, and the device can include a processor and a memory connected to each other; the memory is used to store computer execution instructions; when the device is running, the processor can execute the computer execution instructions stored in the memory to enable the chip to perform the communication method performed by the electronic device in the above method embodiments.

[0135] The first optical module, the optical communication system, the computer storage medium, the computer program product or the chip provided by the embodiment can be used to perform the corresponding method provided above, and thus the beneficial effects achieved thereby can refer to the beneficial effects of the corresponding method provided above, which will not be described herein again.

[0136] Through the description of the above embodiments, those skilled in the art can understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, only the division of the above functional modules is taken as an example for illustration, and in actual application, the above functions can be completed by different functional modules according to needs, that is, the internal structure of the device is divided into different functional modules to complete all or part of the functions described above.

[0137] In the several embodiments provided by the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed device and method can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic, and the division of the modules or units is only a logical function division, and there can be another division way in actual implementation, for example, a plurality of units or components can be combined or integrated into another device, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection between the units shown or discussed can be indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices or units, and can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0138] The units described as separate components can or can not be physically separate, and the components shown as units can be one physical unit or multiple physical units, that is, can be located in one place, or can be distributed to multiple different places. According to actual needs, part or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of the embodiment scheme.

[0139] In addition, each function unit in each embodiment of the present application can be integrated in one processing unit, or each unit can be physically present separately, or two or more units can be integrated in one unit. The integrated unit can be realized in the form of hardware or in the form of a software function unit.

[0140] When the integrated unit is realized in the form of a software function unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a readable storage medium. Based on such understanding, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application essentially or the part that contributes to the prior art or the whole or part of the technical solutions can be embodied in the form of a software product. The software product is stored in a storage medium, including a plurality of instructions to make a device (which can be a single-chip microcomputer, a chip, etc.) or a processor execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The foregoing storage medium includes: a U disk, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk, and various storage medium that can store program codes.

[0141] The above is only a specific embodiment of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or replacements within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, which should be covered in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A first optical module, characterized in that, The first optical module includes: a laser driver unit, an optical emitting component, and a control unit; The laser driving unit and the optical emitting component form a high-speed channel; The laser driving unit, the optical emitting component, and the control unit constitute a low-speed channel; The high-speed channel is used to transmit service signals; The control unit is used to control the laser driving unit to generate a low-speed modulation signal; The optical transmitting component is used to obtain a first low-speed optical signal based on the low-speed modulation signal, and send the first low-speed optical signal to the optical receiving component of the second optical module. The first low-speed optical signal is a non-service signal between the first optical module and the second optical module.

2. The first optical module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first optical module also includes an optical receiving component; The optical receiving component is used to receive a second low-speed optical signal from the second optical module through a current pin.

3. The first optical module according to claim 2, characterized in that, The second optical module is coupled to the second network device; The second low-speed optical signal includes the device information of the second optical module and the device information of the second network device.

4. The first optical module according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The control unit also includes a low-speed interface, through which the control unit is coupled to the first network device; The control unit is further configured to receive a first electrical signal through the low-speed interface, the first electrical signal being used to instruct the first optical module to switch from the high-speed channel to the low-speed channel.

5. The first optical module according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The first low-speed optical signal includes at least one of energy-saving information, rate information, wavelength information, upgrade information, and optical time-domain transmitter (OTDR) information.

6. The first optical module according to claim 5, characterized in that, When the energy-saving information in the first low-speed optical signal is a first value, the first low-speed optical signal is used to indicate that the second optical module enters the energy-saving state. When the energy-saving information in the first low-speed optical signal is a second value, the first low-speed optical signal is used to indicate that the second optical module exits the energy-saving state.

7. The first optical module according to claim 5, characterized in that, The rate information is used to indicate the operating rate of the first optical module, and the wavelength information is used to indicate the operating wavelength of the first optical module.

8. The first optical module according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, The optical emitting component includes: a laser and a modulator; The control unit is also configured to send a second electrical signal to the modulator; The laser is used to emit a third low-speed optical signal based on the low-speed modulation signal. The modulator is used to modulate the third low-speed optical signal based on the second electrical signal to obtain the first low-speed optical signal.

9. An optical communication system, characterized in that, The optical communication system includes: a first optical module, a second optical module, a first network device, and a second network device as described in any one of claims 1-8; The first optical module includes a first low-speed interface, and the first optical module is coupled to the first network device through the first low-speed interface; The second optical module includes a second low-speed interface, and the second optical module is coupled to a second network device through the second low-speed interface; The first optical module and the second optical module are coupled by optical fiber.

10. A communication method, characterized in that, The method is applied to a first optical module, the first optical module comprising: a laser driving unit, an optical emitting component, and a control unit, wherein the laser driving unit and the optical emitting component form a high-speed channel, and the laser driving unit, the optical emitting component, and the control unit form a low-speed channel, the method comprising: The high-speed channel transmits service signals; The control unit controls the laser driving unit to generate a low-speed modulation signal; The optical transmitting component obtains a first low-speed optical signal based on the low-speed modulation signal and sends the first low-speed optical signal to the optical receiving component of the second optical module. The first low-speed optical signal is a non-service signal between the first optical module and the second optical module.

11. The communication method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The first optical module further includes an optical receiving component, and the method further includes: The optical receiving component receives a second low-speed optical signal from the second optical module via a current pin.

12. The communication method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The second optical module is coupled to the second network device; The second low-speed optical signal includes the device information of the second optical module and the device information of the second network device.

13. The communication method according to any one of claims 10-12, characterized in that, The control unit further includes a low-speed interface, and the control unit is coupled to the first network device through the low-speed interface. The method further includes: The control unit receives a first electrical signal through a low-speed interface, the first electrical signal being used to instruct the first optical module to switch from the high-speed channel to the low-speed channel.

14. The communication method according to any one of claims 10-13, characterized in that, The first low-speed optical signal includes at least one of energy-saving information, rate information, wavelength information, upgrade information, and OTDR information.

15. The communication method according to claim 14, characterized in that, When the energy-saving information in the first low-speed optical signal is a first value, the first low-speed optical signal is used to indicate that the second optical module enters the energy-saving state. When the energy-saving information in the first low-speed optical signal is a second value, the first low-speed optical signal is used to indicate that the second optical module exits the energy-saving state.

16. The communication method according to claim 14, characterized in that, The rate information is used to indicate the operating rate of the first optical module, and the wavelength information is used to indicate the operating wavelength of the first optical module.

17. The communication method according to any one of claims 10-16, characterized in that, The optical emitting component includes a laser and a modulator; the method further includes: The control unit sends a second electrical signal to the modulator; The optical emitting component obtains a first low-speed optical signal based on the low-speed modulation signal, including: The laser emits a third low-speed optical signal based on the low-speed modulation signal. The modulator modulates the third low-speed optical signal based on the second electrical signal to obtain the first low-speed optical signal.

18. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, Includes computer instructions that, when executed on an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform the method described in any one of claims 10-17.

Images