Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application relate to the technical field of optical communications, and provide a communication method and apparatus. The method comprises: inputting a first signal to a laser drive unit or an optical emission unit, the rate of the first signal being lower than the rate of a second signal, the first signal being a non-service signal transmitted by means of a hardware interface, and the second signal being a service signal transmitted by means of a high-speed interface; on the basis of the first signal, performing modulation and generating an optical signal; and sending the optical signal by means of the optical emission unit. The first signal is loaded onto the laser drive unit or the optical emission unit by means of the hardware interface between a first device and a first optical module, so that low-speed communication can be achieved between devices at two ends without relying on the capability of the optical module and without being limited by application scenarios. In addition, the content, transmission rate, and transmission frame format of the first signal can be customized, thereby reducing the power consumption of the optical module and the optical communication system, enabling rate negotiation, or enabling performance monitoring and fault localization of optical communication equipment.

Description

Communication method and device

[0001] The present application claims priority to the Chinese patent application No. 202411091906.9, filed on August 9, 2024, with the State Intellectual Property Office of China, and the Chinese patent application No. 202411091906.9 has the title of "A communication method and device", 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, in particular to a communication method and device. BACKGROUND

[0003] Optical modules and optical communication systems can realize high-speed information transmission. As the transmission rate increases, the energy consumption of optical modules and devices also increases. Therefore, according to the current network situation, the optical communication system has no traffic or low traffic at some moments, and it is required that the optical communication system can realize dynamic energy saving according to the size of network traffic. The energy consumption of high-speed information transmission and reception part in the device and optical module accounts for a major part of the entire device and optical module, and the energy consumption of the optical communication system cannot change with the change of traffic demand. Moreover, with the development of wireless front-haul, the front-haul rate is getting higher and higher. In order to meet the demand of different air interface bandwidth, the front-haul optical module needs to support various different rates. Therefore, in order to realize dynamic energy saving or rate adjustment, low-speed information needs to be transmitted between optical modules.

[0004] However, since there is no low-speed channel between devices, low-speed information transmission cannot be performed. Even if a tuning channel is established between devices to realize low-speed information transmission by using the tuning channel, the low-speed communication between devices depends on the capability of optical modules, and the application scenarios are limited. SUMMARY

[0005] Embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and device, which enable low-speed communication between two devices without depending on the capability of optical modules, are not limited by application scenarios, and reduce the energy consumption of optical communication systems.

[0006] In a first aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, which is applied to a first optical module, the first optical module includes a laser driver unit and an optical transmitting unit, and the method includes:

[0007] inputting a first signal to the laser driver unit or the optical transmitting unit, the rate of the first signal being lower than the rate of a second signal, the first signal being a non-service signal transmitted through a hardware interface, and the second signal being a service signal transmitted through a high-speed interface; generating the optical signal based on the first signal; and sending the optical signal through the optical transmitting unit.

[0008] The first signal is loaded on the laser driver unit or the light emitting unit through the hardware interface, so that the first signal and the second signal can be transmitted in time division or simultaneously, enabling low-speed communication between the devices at both ends without relying on the capability of the optical module, being compatible with optical modules of different manufacturers and types, and not being limited by application scenarios. In addition, the content, transmission rate and transmission frame format of the first signal can be customized, reducing the energy consumption of the optical module and the optical communication system, enabling rate negotiation, or enabling performance monitoring and fault positioning of the optical communication device.

[0009] In a possible design, the first signal is input to the laser driver unit or the light emitting unit through the hardware interface between the first device and the first optical module. The first signal is loaded on the laser driver unit or the light emitting unit through the hardware interface between the first device and the first optical module, so that the first signal and the second signal can be transmitted in time division or simultaneously, enabling low-speed communication between the devices at both ends without relying on the capability of the optical module, being compatible with optical modules of different manufacturers and types, and not being limited by application scenarios.

[0010] In a possible design, the light emitting unit includes a laser, and the first signal is input to the laser driver unit; the first electrical signal flowing into the laser is controlled based on the first signal by the laser driver unit; and the optical signal is generated by modulation according to the first electrical signal. In the direct modulation method, the first signal is loaded on the laser driver unit to control the first electrical signal flowing into the laser to be modulated, so that the first signal and the second signal can be transmitted in time division or simultaneously, enabling low-speed communication between the devices at both ends without relying on the capability of the optical module, being compatible with optical modules of different manufacturers and types, and not being limited by application scenarios.

[0011] In a possible design, the light emitting unit includes a laser, and the first signal is input to the laser; the second electrical signal flowing into the laser is controlled based on the first signal; and the optical signal is generated by modulation according to the second electrical signal. In the direct modulation method, the first signal is loaded on the laser to control the second electrical signal flowing into the laser to be modulated, so that the first signal and the second signal can be transmitted in time division or simultaneously, enabling low-speed communication between the devices at both ends without relying on the capability of the optical module, being compatible with optical modules of different manufacturers and types, and not being limited by application scenarios.

[0012] In a possible design, the optical transmitting unit includes a laser and a modulator, the first signal is input to the modulator, and the optical signal is generated by modulating according to the first signal. By loading the first signal to the modulator and modulating according to the first signal by using an external modulation method, the first signal and the second signal can be transmitted in time division mode or simultaneously, so that low-speed communication between devices at two ends can be implemented without depending on the capability of the optical module, different optical modules of different manufacturers and types are compatible, and the application scenarios are not limited.

[0013] In a possible design, the second signal is input to the laser driving unit, and the optical signal is generated by modulating based on the first signal and the second signal. The first signal is loaded to the laser driving unit or the optical transmitting unit by using a hardware interface, and the second signal is input to the laser driving unit by using a high-speed interface, so that the first signal and the second signal are transmitted simultaneously, so that low-speed communication between devices at two ends can be implemented without depending on the capability of the optical module, different optical modules of different manufacturers and types are compatible, and the application scenarios are not limited.

[0014] In a possible design, the second signal is input to the laser driving unit by using a high-speed interface between the first device and the first optical module. The first signal is loaded to the laser driving unit or the optical transmitting unit by using a hardware interface between the first device and the first optical module, and the second signal is input to the laser driving unit by using a high-speed interface between the first device and the first optical module, so that the first signal and the second signal are transmitted simultaneously, so that low-speed communication between devices at two ends can be implemented without depending on the capability of the optical module, different optical modules of different manufacturers and types are compatible, and the application scenarios are not limited.

[0015] In a possible design, the optical transmitting unit includes a laser, the first signal is input to the laser driving unit, a third electrical signal flowing into the laser is controlled based on the first signal and the second signal by using the laser driving unit, and the optical signal is generated by modulating according to the third electrical signal. By loading the first signal and the second signal to the laser driving unit simultaneously and controlling the third electrical signal flowing into the laser to modulate by using a direct modulation method, the first signal and the second signal can be transmitted simultaneously, so that low-speed communication between devices at two ends can be implemented without depending on the capability of the optical module, different optical modules of different manufacturers and types are compatible, and the application scenarios are not limited.

[0016] In a possible design, the optical transmitting unit includes a laser, the first signal is input to the laser, a fourth electrical signal is controlled based on the first signal, a fifth electrical signal is controlled based on the second signal and input to the laser by the laser driving unit, and the optical signal is generated based on the fourth electrical signal and the fifth electrical signal. In the direct modulation method, the first signal and the second signal can be transmitted simultaneously by loading the first signal to the laser and loading the second signal to the laser driving unit, so that low-speed communication can be implemented between devices at two ends without depending on the capability of the optical module, and different optical modules of different manufacturers and types are compatible and are not limited by application scenarios.

[0017] In a possible design, the optical transmitting unit includes a modulator, the first signal is input to the modulator, a modulation signal is controlled based on the second signal and input to the modulator by the laser driving unit, and the optical signal is generated based on the first signal and the modulation signal. In the external modulation method, the first signal and the second signal are input to the modulator simultaneously by inputting modulation signals corresponding to the first signal and the second signal to the modulator, so that low-speed communication can be implemented between devices at two ends without depending on the capability of the optical module, and different optical modules of different manufacturers and types are compatible and are not limited by application scenarios.

[0018] In a possible design, the optical transmitting unit further includes a laser, and a direct current is input to the laser by the laser driving unit. The direct current input to the laser guarantees normal operation of the laser.

[0019] In a possible design, the first signal is used for at least one of energy-saving entry or exit, rate configuration, wavelength adjustment, information reporting, optical module or optical device parameter adjustment, and working state information. The energy-saving entry or exit, the rate configuration, the wavelength adjustment, the information reporting, the optical module or optical device parameter adjustment, and the working state information are indicated by the first signal by defining the content, the transmission rate, and the transmission frame format of the first signal. Therefore, the energy consumption of the optical module and the optical communication system is reduced, rate negotiation is implemented, or performance monitoring and fault positioning of the optical communication device are implemented.

[0020] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which is applied to a second optical module, the second optical module includes an optical receiving unit and a service signal receiving unit, and the method includes the following steps.

[0021] The optical signal is received by the optical receiving unit, the optical signal is processed to obtain a first signal, the rate of the first signal is lower than the rate of a second signal, the first signal is a non-service signal transmitted through a hardware interface, the second signal is a service signal transmitted through a high-speed interface, and the first signal is output.

[0022] The first signal is transmitted through the hardware interface, so that the first signal and the second signal are implemented in time-sharing transmission, or can be implemented in simultaneous transmission, so that low-speed communication between the two devices can be implemented without depending on the capability of the optical module, different manufacturers and types of optical modules are compatible, and the application scenarios are not limited. In addition, the content, transmission rate and transmission frame format of the first signal can be customized, the energy consumption of the optical module and the optical communication system is reduced, rate negotiation is implemented, or performance monitoring and fault positioning of the optical communication device are implemented.

[0023] In a possible design, the first signal is output to the second device through the hardware interface between the second optical module and the second device. The first signal is transmitted through the hardware interface between the second optical module and the second device, so that the first signal and the second signal are implemented in time-sharing transmission, or can be implemented in simultaneous transmission, so that low-speed communication between the two devices can be implemented without depending on the capability of the optical module, different manufacturers and types of optical modules are compatible, and the application scenarios are not limited.

[0024] In a possible design, the optical signal is optoelectronically converted by the optical receiving unit to obtain a first electrical signal, and the first electrical signal is processed by the service signal receiving unit to obtain the first signal. The first signal is output by the optical receiving unit and the service signal receiving unit, and is transmitted through the hardware interface between the second optical module and the second device, so that the first signal and the second signal can be implemented in time-sharing transmission, or can be implemented in simultaneous transmission, so that low-speed communication between the two devices can be implemented without depending on the capability of the optical module, different manufacturers and types of optical modules are compatible, and the application scenarios are not limited.

[0025] In a possible design, the optical signal is optoelectronically converted by the optical receiving unit to obtain a first electrical signal, and the first electrical signal is processed by the service signal receiving unit to obtain the first signal. The first signal is output by the optical receiving unit and the service signal receiving unit, and is transmitted through the hardware interface between the second optical module and the second device, so that the first signal and the second signal can be implemented in time-sharing transmission, or can be implemented in simultaneous transmission, so that low-speed communication between the two devices can be implemented without depending on the capability of the optical module, different manufacturers and types of optical modules are compatible, and the application scenarios are not limited.

[0026] In a possible design, the optical signal is processed to obtain the first signal and the second signal. The first signal and the second signal are obtained through processing of the optical signal, so that the first signal and the second signal are implemented in simultaneous transmission, so that low-speed communication between the two devices can be implemented without depending on the capability of the optical module, different manufacturers and types of optical modules are compatible, and the application scenarios are not limited. In addition, the content, transmission rate and transmission frame format of the first signal can be customized, the energy consumption of the optical module and the optical communication system is reduced, rate negotiation is implemented, or performance monitoring and fault positioning of the optical communication device are implemented.

[0027] In a possible design, the optical signal is photoelectrically converted by the optical receiving unit to obtain a second electrical signal; and the second electrical signal is processed by the service signal receiving unit to obtain the second signal. The second signal is output by the optical receiving unit and the service signal receiving unit, so that the first signal and the second signal are simultaneously transmitted, and low-speed communication between devices at two ends can be implemented without depending on the capability of the optical module, different optical modules of different manufacturers and types are compatible, and the application scenarios are not limited.

[0028] In a possible design, the first signal is used for at least one of energy-saving entry or exit, rate configuration, wavelength adjustment, information reporting, optical module or optical device parameter adjustment, and working state information. The energy-saving entry or exit, rate configuration, wavelength adjustment, information reporting, optical module or optical device parameter adjustment, and working state information are indicated by the first signal by defining the content, transmission rate, and transmission frame format of the first signal. Thus, the energy consumption of the optical module and the optical communication system is reduced, rate negotiation is implemented, or performance monitoring and fault positioning of the optical communication device are implemented.

[0029] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication apparatus, which includes a first device and a first optical module, the first device is coupled with the first optical module, and the first optical module includes a laser driver unit and an optical transmitting unit.

[0030] The first device is configured to input a first signal to the laser driver unit or the optical transmitting unit, the rate of the first signal is lower than the rate of a second signal, the first signal is a non-service signal transmitted through a hardware interface, and the second signal is a service signal transmitted through a high-speed interface.

[0031] The optical transmitting unit is configured to generate the optical signal based on the first signal and transmit the optical signal.

[0032] In a possible design, the first device is further configured to input the first signal to the laser driver unit or the optical transmitting unit through a hardware interface between the first device and the first optical module.

[0033] In a possible design, the first device is further configured to input the second signal to the laser driver unit, and the optical transmitting unit is further configured to generate the optical signal based on the first signal and the second signal.

[0034] In a possible design, the first device is further configured to input the second signal to the laser driver unit through a high-speed interface between the first device and the first optical module. In a possible design, the first device is further configured to input the second signal to the laser driver unit through a high-speed interface between the first device and the first optical module.

[0035] The operations and beneficial effects of the communication device can refer to the method and beneficial effects of the first aspect, and the repeated parts will not be described again.

[0036] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, the device comprising a second optical module and a second device, the second optical module being coupled with the second device, the second optical module comprising an optical receiving unit and a service signal receiving unit;

[0037] The optical receiving unit is configured to receive an optical signal, and the optical receiving unit or the service signal receiving unit is configured to process the optical signal to obtain a first signal and output the first signal to the second device, the first signal having a lower rate than a second signal, the first signal being a non-service signal transmitted through a hardware interface, and the second signal being a service signal transmitted through a high-speed interface.

[0038] In a possible design, the second optical module is configured to output the first signal to the second device through a hardware interface between the second optical module and the second device.

[0039] In a possible design, the optical receiving unit or the service signal receiving unit is further configured to process the optical signal to obtain the first signal and the second signal.

[0040] The operations and beneficial effects of the communication device can refer to the method and beneficial effects of the second aspect, and the repeated parts will not be described again.

[0041] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an optical communication system, comprising a first optical module and a second optical module, the first optical module being configured to perform the steps in the first aspect, and the second optical module being configured to perform the steps in the second aspect.

[0042] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, comprising computer instructions, when the computer instructions run on an electronic device, the electronic device performs the communication method in any one of the aspects and any one of the possible implementation manners.

[0043] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product, when the computer program product runs on a computer or a processor, the computer or the processor performs the communication method in any one of the aspects and any one of the possible implementation manners. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0044] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an optical communication system;

[0045] FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0046] FIG. 3 is a structural schematic diagram of a communication device;

[0047] FIG. 4 is a structural schematic diagram of another communication device;

[0048] FIG. 5 is a flow schematic diagram of another communication method provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0049] FIG. 6 is a structural schematic diagram of another communication device;

[0050] FIG. 7 is a structural schematic diagram of another communication device;

[0051] FIG. 8 is a flow schematic diagram of another communication method provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0052] FIG. 9 is a flow schematic diagram of another communication method provided by the embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0053] In the following, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description of the embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified, " / " means or, for example, A / B can mean A or B; in the present text, "and / or" merely describes the association relationship of the associated objects, which means that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B, which means that there are 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.

[0054] In the following, the terms "first" and "second" are only used for descriptive purposes, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the 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.

[0055] 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.

[0056] In addition, as network rates increase, optical communication devices support more and more rates, and it is important for both sides of the optical communication devices to work at the same rate for network building, fault diagnosis, and energy saving. For example, in a wireless front-haul scenario, an active antenna processing unit (AAU) (or a remote radio unit (RRU)) cannot connect to a network management system, so the active antenna processing unit (or the remote radio unit) and a baseband unit (BBU) make both sides of the optical communication devices work at the same rate through rate negotiation.

[0057] Specifically, both sides of the optical communication devices can switch rates in a round-robin manner to achieve rate consistency. When the rates of both sides of the optical communication devices are consistent, the service link of the optical communication device is on, and at this time, both sides of the optical communication devices are fixed at the rate. When the rates of both sides of the optical communication devices are inconsistent, the service link of the optical communication device is off, and then the optical communication device switches to the next rate. Thus, this manner requires both sides of the optical communication devices to set a certain switching time and a holding time when switching rates, and the size of the switching time and the holding time affects the accuracy and the required time length of rate negotiation, so it is necessary to balance the rate negotiation time and the negotiation accuracy. When the rate of the optical communication device is large and the clock and data recovery (CDR) lock time is long, the rate negotiation time of this manner is long. In addition, this manner communicates through a high-speed channel, which is easily affected by factors such as optical module performance and optical fiber link quality, and the failure rate of rate negotiation is high.

[0058] In addition, in addition to rate negotiation, both sides of the optical communication device also perform wavelength negotiation, and the wavelength negotiation often adopts a round-robin wavelength switching manner or a tune-over manner. The round-robin wavelength switching manner has a long time and a low accuracy. The tune-over manner requires synchronous transmission of service signals, and the quality of the tune-over signal and the quality of the service signal are mutually restricted, and the tune-over sensitivity and reliability are poor. In addition, in a wavelength division multiplexing scenario, wavelength negotiation is often required, and at this time, a frequency-tuned tune-over manner is required, and the frequency-tuned tune-over manner is complex to implement.

[0059] As shown in FIG. 1, which is a schematic diagram of an optical communication system. The optical communication system includes a device 1 and an optical module 1, a device 2 and an optical module 2. The device 1 is coupled with the optical module 1, the device 2 is coupled with the optical module 2, and the optical module 1 and the optical module 2 are coupled through an optical fiber. The device 1 and the device 2 are optical communication devices, which can be routers, switches, servers, optical transport networks (OTN), etc. The optical communication devices can include network devices and optical modules plugged and fixed on the panels of the network devices. The network devices shown in the embodiments of the present application can be active antenna units (AAU), remote radio units (RRU), or building baseband units (BBU), and the optical modules shown in the embodiments of the present application can also be referred to as high-speed pluggable optical modules. The device 1 can be understood as a local device, and the device 2 can be understood as a remote device. It can be understood that the number of network devices and optical modules is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0060] The device 1 transmits or receives optical signals through the optical module 1, and the optical module 1 includes a laser driver unit, an optical transmitting unit, an optical receiving unit, and a service signal receiving unit. The device 1 can input a first signal to the laser driver unit or the optical transmitting unit in the optical module 1 through a hardware interface between the device 1 and the optical module 1. The device 1 can also input a second signal to the laser driver unit in the optical module 1 and input the first signal to the laser driver unit or the optical transmitting unit in the optical module 1 at the same time.

[0061] The device 2 transmits or receives optical signals through the optical module 2, and the optical module 2 includes a laser driver unit, an optical transmitting unit, an optical receiving unit, and a service signal receiving unit. The optical module 2 can output a first signal to the device 2 through a hardware interface between the optical module 2 and the second device, and the optical module 2 can also output the first signal and a second signal to the device 2 at the same time.

[0062] The first signal has a lower rate than the second signal, the first signal is a low-speed channel signal, and the second signal is a high-speed channel signal. The first signal is a non-service signal transmitted through a hardware interface, the hardware interface is a control interface between an optical communication device and an optical module, and the control interface is a low-speed input / output (IO) interface. The control interface is not a communication interface, such as an inter integrated circuit (I2C) interface, a management data input / output (MDIO) interface, or other software interfaces. The control interface can achieve fast control of the optical module by the optical communication device without relying on a communication interface. The second signal is a service signal transmitted through a high-speed interface, and the high-speed interface can be a high-speed serializer / deserializer (SerDes) interface. The low-speed IO interface is different from the high-speed SerDes interface, and the high-speed interface connects a SerDes in the optical communication device and a laser driver unit in the optical module for differential input.

[0063] Optical transmitting unit: contains a laser, or a laser and a modulator. The laser includes but is not limited to a vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL), a distributed feedback laser (DFB), an electro absorption modulated laser (EML), or a continuous wave (CW) laser. The types of modulators mainly include direct modulation and external modulation, and the modulator materials include but are not limited to one or more of indium phosphide (InP), gallium arsenide (GaAs), silicon (Si), or thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN). The optical transmitting unit is used to load an electrical signal generated by the laser driver unit on the laser to generate a corresponding optical signal.

[0064] Laser driver unit: used to provide the required current or voltage to the laser or modulator.

[0065] Optical receiving unit: used to receive the optical signal of the transmitting unit and convert the optical signal into an electrical signal.

[0066] Service signal receiving unit: used to receive a service signal.

[0067] Low-speed channel signal: a signal with a lower rate than a high-speed service signal, the low-speed channel signal being independent of the transmission of the high-speed service signal. The low-speed channel signal controls the laser to generate a corresponding optical signal. The modulation types include, but are not limited to, amplitude, frequency, and phase.

[0068] As shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. The method is applied to a first optical module including a laser driver unit and an optical transmitting unit, and the method includes:

[0069] S201, inputting a first signal to the laser driver unit or the optical transmitting unit, the first signal having a lower rate than a second signal, the first signal being a non-service signal transmitted through a hardware interface, and the second signal being a service signal transmitted through a high-speed interface.

[0070] Specifically, the first signal can be input to the laser driver unit or the optical transmitting unit through a hardware interface between the first device and the first optical module. The hardware interface is a control interface between the first device and the first optical module, and the control interface is a low-speed IO interface. The control interface is not a communication interface, such as an I2C interface, an MDIO interface, or other software interfaces. The control interface can achieve fast control of the optical communication device on the optical module without relying on the communication interface.

[0071] S202, generating the optical signal based on the modulation of the first signal.

[0072] S203, transmitting the optical signal through the optical transmitting unit.

[0073] For example, as shown in FIG. 3, FIG. 3 is a structural diagram of a communication device. The communication device is a transmitting end. The communication device includes a first device and a first optical module, and the first optical module includes a laser driver unit and a laser. The first device is coupled to the first optical module, and the laser driver unit is coupled to the laser. The communication device adopts a direct modulation mode.

[0074] In a time-division transmission scenario:

[0075] The first device can input the first signal to the laser driver unit through a hardware interface between the first device and the first optical module; the laser driver unit controls a first electrical signal flowing into the laser based on the first signal; and the laser generates an optical signal based on the modulation of the first electrical signal and transmits the optical signal. Alternatively, the first device inputs the first signal to the laser; the laser controls a second electrical signal of the laser based on the first signal and generates the optical signal based on the modulation of the second electrical signal. The first electrical signal or the second electrical signal can be a voltage signal or a current signal.

[0076] Optionally, the first device can control a pin of the laser driver unit to turn on or turn off inputting the second signal to the laser driver unit. The pin can be a TX disable pin or an enable pin in the laser driver unit. So that the first signal and the second signal cannot be transmitted at the same time.

[0077] In the simultaneous transmission scenario:

[0078] The first device inputs the first signal to the laser driver unit through the hardware interface between the first device and the first optical module, and inputs the second signal to the laser driver unit through the high-speed interface between the first device and the first optical module. The laser generates the optical signal based on the first signal and the second signal. Further, the laser driver unit controls the third electrical signal flowing into the laser based on the first signal and the second signal, and the laser generates the optical signal according to the third electrical signal and transmits the optical signal. The third electrical signal can be a voltage signal or a current signal.

[0079] Alternatively, the first device inputs the first signal to the laser through the hardware interface between the first device and the first optical module, and inputs the second signal to the laser driver unit through the high-speed interface between the first device and the first optical module. The laser generates the optical signal based on the first signal and the second signal. Further, the laser controls the fourth electrical signal based on the first signal, and the laser driver unit controls the fifth electrical signal flowing into the laser based on the second signal. Finally, the laser generates the optical signal according to the fourth electrical signal and the fifth electrical signal and transmits the optical signal. The fourth electrical signal or the fifth electrical signal can be a voltage signal or a current signal.

[0080] For example, as shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 4 is a structural schematic diagram of another communication device. The communication device is a transmitting end. The communication device includes a first device and a first optical module, and the first optical module includes a laser driver unit, a laser, and a modulator. The first device is coupled with the first optical module, the laser driver unit is coupled with the laser, and the laser is coupled with the modulator. The communication device adopts an external modulation mode.

[0081] In the time-sharing transmission scenario:

[0082] The first device inputs the first signal to the modulator through the hardware interface between the first device and the first optical module, and the modulator generates the optical signal according to the first signal and transmits the optical signal.

[0083] Optionally, the first device can control a pin of the laser driver unit to turn on or turn off inputting the second signal to the laser driver unit. The pin can be a TX disable pin or an enable pin in the laser driver unit. So that the first signal and the second signal cannot be transmitted at the same time.

[0084] In the simultaneous transmission scenario:

[0085] The first device inputs the first signal to the modulator through a hardware interface between the first device and the first optical module, and inputs the second signal to the laser driver unit through a high-speed interface between the first device and the first optical module. The laser driver unit controls a modulation signal inputted to the modulator based on the second signal, and inputs a direct current to the laser. The modulator modulates to generate an optical signal based on the first signal and the modulation signal, and transmits the optical signal.

[0086] As shown in FIG. 5, FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of another communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application. The method is applied to a second optical module, the second optical module comprising an optical receiving unit and a service signal receiving unit, and the method comprises:

[0087] S501, receiving an optical signal through the optical receiving unit.

[0088] S502, processing the optical signal to obtain a first signal, the rate of the first signal being lower than the rate of a second signal, the first signal being a non-service signal transmitted through a hardware interface, and the second signal being a service signal transmitted through a high-speed interface.

[0089] S503, outputting the first signal.

[0090] Specifically, the first signal can be outputted to the second device through a hardware interface between the second optical module and the second device. The hardware interface is a control interface between the second device and the second optical module, and the control interface is a low-speed IO interface. The control interface is not a communication interface, such as an I2C interface, an MDIO interface, or the like. The control interface can realize fast control of the optical module by the optical communication device without relying on the communication interface.

[0091] For example, as shown in FIG. 6, FIG. 6 is a structural diagram of another communication device. The communication device is a receiving end, and the communication device comprises a second device and a second optical module. The second optical module comprises an optical receiving unit and a service signal receiving unit. The second device is coupled with the second optical module, and the optical receiving unit is coupled with the service signal receiving unit. Optionally, the second optical module can further comprise a mirror current source and an amplification and denoising module.

[0092] In the time-sharing transmission scenario:

[0093] The light receiving unit photoelectrically converts the optical signal to obtain a first electrical signal, which can be a voltage signal or a current signal. The first electrical signal passes through a mirror current source and an amplification and denoising module to obtain a first signal, which is output to the second device through a low-speed IO interface of the second optical module. The second device performs level judgment on the first signal, thereby realizing receiving the first signal.

[0094] In the simultaneous transmission scenario:

[0095] The light receiving unit photoelectrically converts the optical signal to obtain a first electrical signal and a second electrical signal, which can be a voltage signal or a current signal. The first electrical signal passes through a mirror current source and an amplification and denoising module to obtain a first signal, which is output to the second device through a low-speed IO interface of the second optical module. The second device performs level judgment on the first signal, thereby realizing receiving the first signal. In addition, the second electrical signal enters the service signal receiving unit and enters the high-speed SerDes interface of the second device through the high-speed interface of the second optical module, thereby realizing receiving the second signal.

[0096] The low-speed IO interface of the second optical module is an IO interface with a relatively fast response time. For example, the low-speed IO interface can be the RXLOS pin of the second optical module.

[0097] For example, as shown in FIG. 7, FIG. 7 is a structural schematic diagram of another communication device. The communication device is a receiving end. The communication device includes a second device and a second optical module, and the second optical module includes a light receiving unit and a service signal receiving unit. The second device is coupled with the second optical module, and the light receiving unit is coupled with the service signal receiving unit.

[0098] In the time-sharing transmission scenario:

[0099] The light receiving unit photoelectrically converts the optical signal to obtain a first electrical signal, which can be a voltage signal or a current signal. The first electrical signal enters the service signal receiving unit, which processes the first electrical signal and outputs a first signal, which is directly output to the second device through a low-speed IO interface of the second optical module. The second device performs level judgment on the first signal, thereby realizing receiving the first signal by the second device.

[0100] In the simultaneous transmission scenario:

[0101] The optical receiving unit photoelectrically converts the optical signal to obtain a first electrical signal and a second electrical signal. The first electrical signal or the second electrical signal can be a voltage signal or a current signal. The first electrical signal enters a service signal receiving unit, which processes the first electrical signal and outputs a first signal. The first signal is output to the second device through a low-speed IO port of the second optical module. The second device performs level judgment on the first signal, thereby realizing that the second device receives the first signal. In addition, the second electrical signal enters the service signal receiving unit and enters a high-speed SerDes interface of the second device through a high-speed interface of the second optical module, thereby realizing that the second device receives the second signal.

[0102] The low-speed IO interface of the second optical module is an IO interface with a relatively fast response time. For example, the low-speed IO interface can be an RXLOS pin of the second optical module.

[0103] Optionally, the first signal is used for at least one of energy-saving entry or exit, rate configuration, wavelength adjustment, information reporting, optical module or optical device parameter adjustment, and working state information. The first signal can be a data frame, which can include multiple fields. Each field can be used to indicate different functions.

[0104] For example, the first signal can be used to indicate whether the first optical module or the second optical module enters or exits an energy-saving state. The energy-saving state is a state in which the first optical module and the second optical module turn off internal circuits and save configuration parameters of related circuits.

[0105] Optionally, when the first signal is a first value, the first signal is used to indicate that the second optical module enters an energy-saving state; and when the first signal is a second value, the first signal is used to indicate that the second optical module exits the energy-saving state.

[0106] 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.

[0107] Exemplarily, the optical communication system can determine whether to enter the energy saving state. Specifically, when energy saving is needed, the first optical module sends a first signal with a first value to the second optical module; when energy saving is not needed, the first optical module sends a first signal with a second value to the second optical module. 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 not to enter the energy saving state to ensure normal transmission of the large traffic flow and normal operation of the optical communication system. When the traffic flow is small, the optical communication system determines to enter the energy saving state to save 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.

[0108] Therefore, the first optical module provided by the embodiment of the application can quickly enter the energy saving state by the first signal to reduce power consumption of the optical communication system. Meanwhile, the first optical module can also wake up the second optical module by the first signal, and the wake-up time can be reduced to the millisecond level, and the response is fast.

[0109] Optionally, the first signal can also be used to indicate the working rate of the first optical module, so as to perform rate configuration, and the first signal can also be used to indicate the working wavelength of the first optical module, so as to perform wavelength adjustment.

[0110] Exemplarily, since the optical communication 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 device by the first signal, so as to quickly and accurately determine the rate.

[0111] Exemplarily, when a 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 device by the first signal, the channel is reliable, and the adjustment speed is fast.

[0112] It should be noted that the above introduces that the first optical module sends an optical signal to the second optical module, so that the second device can perform energy saving entering or exiting, rate configuration, wavelength adjustment, information reporting, and optical module or optical device parameter adjustment according to the first signal. Correspondingly, the second optical module can also send an optical signal to the first optical module, so that the first device can perform energy saving entering or exiting, rate configuration, wavelength adjustment, information reporting, and optical module or optical device parameter adjustment according to the first signal. Similarly, details are not repeated here.

[0113] In the embodiments of the present application, the first signal is loaded on the laser driver unit or the light emitting unit through the hardware interface between the first device and the first optical module, so that the first signal (low-speed channel signal) and the second signal (high-speed channel signal) can be transmitted in time division mode or simultaneously, so that low-speed communication between the two devices can be realized without relying on the capability of the optical module, and different manufacturers and types of optical modules are compatible, and are not limited by application scenarios. In addition, the content, transmission rate and transmission frame format of the first signal can be customized, and the first signal can be used to indicate energy saving entry or exit, rate configuration, wavelength adjustment, information reporting, optical module or optical device parameter adjustment, and working state information. Thus, the energy consumption of the optical module and the optical communication system is reduced, the rate negotiation is realized, or the performance monitoring and fault positioning of the optical communication device are realized.

[0114] For example, as shown in FIG. 8, FIG. 8 is a flowchart of another communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application. The method mainly includes the following steps:

[0115] S801, the first device and the second device work normally.

[0116] S802, whether the first device enters the low-speed channel.

[0117] If the low-speed channel is entered, S803 is executed, and if the low-speed channel is not entered, S801 is returned.

[0118] S803, the first device sends low-speed link establishment information.

[0119] S804, the second device receives the low-speed link establishment information and sends response information.

[0120] S805, the first device receives the response information of the second device.

[0121] If the response information is received, S806 or S809 is executed, and if the response information is not received, S803 is returned.

[0122] S806, the second device sends the first signal.

[0123] S807, the first device receives the first signal.

[0124] S808, the first device executes the first signal.

[0125] S809, the first device sends the first signal.

[0126] S810, the second device receives the first signal.

[0127] S811, the second device executes the first signal.

[0128] For example, the first information is used to indicate entering or exiting energy saving. As shown in FIG. 9, FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of another communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application. The method mainly includes the following steps:

[0129] S901, whether the first device enters the energy saving state.

[0130] If the first device enters the energy saving state, S902 is performed, otherwise, S910 is performed.

[0131] S902, the first device enters the energy saving state.

[0132] S903, the first device sends the low-speed link establishment information.

[0133] S904, the second device receives the low-speed link establishment information and sends the response information.

[0134] S905, the first device receives the response information and establishes the low-speed channel.

[0135] If the response information is not received, S903 is returned, otherwise, S906 is performed.

[0136] S906, the first device sends the entering energy saving state instruction.

[0137] S907, the second device receives the instruction and enters the energy saving state.

[0138] S908, the second device sends the information that the energy saving state has been entered.

[0139] S909, the first device receives the information that the energy saving state has been entered.

[0140] S910, the first device exits the energy saving state.

[0141] S911, the first device sends the low-speed link establishment information.

[0142] S912, the second device receives the low-speed link establishment information and sends the response information.

[0143] S913, the first device receives the response information and establishes the low-speed channel.

[0144] If the response information is not received, S911 is returned, otherwise, S914 is performed.

[0145] S914, the first device sends the exiting energy saving state instruction.

[0146] S915, the second device receives the instruction and exits the energy saving state.

[0147] S916, the second device sends the information that the energy saving state has been exited.

[0148] S917, the first device receives the information of exiting the energy saving state.

[0149] Therefore, the first device can load the non-service signal (such as the exit energy saving state instruction or the enter energy saving state instruction) on the laser driver unit or the light emitting unit through the hardware interface, so that the non-service signal and the service signal can be transmitted in time division or simultaneously, and the first device enters or exits the energy saving state according to the first signal, thereby achieving the purpose of reducing energy consumption. When the second device is in the off-line state, the first optical module can still respond quickly and transmit the non-service signal to the second optical module, thereby realizing the fast wake-up of the second optical module and the second device.

[0150] Embodiments of the present application also provide a computer storage medium, which stores computer instructions, when the computer instructions are run on an electronic device, the electronic device executes the related method steps to realize the communication method in the above embodiments.

[0151] Embodiments of the present application also provide a computer program product, when the computer program product is run on a computer, the computer executes the related steps to realize the communication method executed by the electronic device in the above embodiments.

[0152] In addition, embodiments of the present application also provide a device, which can be a chip, a component or a module. 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 make the chip execute the communication method executed by the electronic device in the above method embodiments.

[0153] In the above embodiments, the first optical module, the second optical module, the optical communication system, the computer storage medium, the computer program product or the chip are used to execute the corresponding method provided above, and the beneficial effects achieved thereby can refer to the beneficial effects of the corresponding method provided above, which will not be described here.

[0154] 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. 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.

[0155] In several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus and method can be implemented by other manners. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative, for example, the division of the modules or units is merely a logical function division, and actual implementation can have another division manner, for example, a plurality of units or components can be combined or integrated into another apparatus, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection between the units or components shown or discussed can be indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, apparatuses or units, and can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0156] 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 a plurality of physical units, that is, can be located in one place or can be distributed to a plurality of different places. Part or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the embodiment scheme.

[0157] In addition, the functional units 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 functional unit.

[0158] The integrated unit, if realized in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, can be stored in a readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application essentially or the parts that make contributions to the prior art or the whole or part of the technical solutions can be embodied in the form of a software product, which is stored in a storage medium and includes a plurality of instructions for causing an apparatus (which can be a single-chip microcomputer, a chip, etc.) or a processor to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in the embodiments 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.

[0159] The above is only a specific implementation 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 communication method characterized by comprising: The method is applied to a first optical module, the first optical module comprising a laser driver unit and an optical transmitting unit, the method comprising: inputting a first signal to the laser driver unit or the optical transmitting unit, the first signal having a lower rate than a second signal, the first signal being a non-service signal transmitted through a hardware interface, and the second signal being a service signal transmitted through a high-speed interface; generating the optical signal based on the first signal; transmitting the optical signal through the optical transmitting unit.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The inputting of the first signal to the laser driver unit or the optical transmitting unit comprises: inputting the first signal to the laser driver unit or the optical transmitting unit through a hardware interface between a first device and the first optical module.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein, The optical transmitting unit comprises a laser, and the method comprises: inputting the first signal to the laser driver unit; controlling a first electrical signal flowing from the laser driver unit to the laser based on the first signal; generating the optical signal based on the first electrical signal.

4. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein, The optical transmitting unit comprises a laser, and the method comprises: inputting the first signal to the laser; controlling a second electrical signal of the laser based on the first signal; generating the optical signal based on the second electrical signal.

5. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein, The optical transmitting unit comprises a laser and a modulator, and the method comprises: inputting the first signal to the modulator; generating the optical signal based on the first signal.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein, The method further comprises: inputting the second signal to the laser driver unit; generating the optical signal based on the first signal and the second signal.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein, The method further comprises: inputting the second signal to the laser driver unit through a high-speed interface between a first device and the first optical module.

8. The method of claim 6 or 7, wherein, The optical transmitting unit comprises a laser, and the method further comprises: inputting the first signal to the laser driver unit; controlling a third electrical signal flowing from the laser driver unit to the laser based on the first signal and the second signal; generating the optical signal based on the third electrical signal.

9. The method of claim 6 or 7, wherein, The optical transmitting unit comprises a laser, and the method further comprises: inputting the first signal to the laser; controlling a fourth electrical signal of the laser based on the first signal, and controlling a fifth electrical signal flowing from the laser driver unit to the laser based on the second signal; generating the optical signal based on the fourth electrical signal and the fifth electrical signal.

10. The method of claim 6 or 7, wherein, The optical transmitting unit comprises a modulator, and the method further comprises: inputting the first signal to the modulator; controlling a modulation signal inputted to the modulator by the laser driver unit based on the second signal; generating the optical signal based on the first signal and the modulation signal.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein, The optical transmitting unit further comprises a laser, and the method further comprises: inputting a direct current to the laser through the laser driver unit.

12. The method of any one of claims 1-11, wherein, The first signal is used for at least one of energy-saving entry or exit, rate configuration, wavelength adjustment, information reporting, optical module or optical device parameter adjustment, and working state information.

13. A method of communication, comprising: The method is applied to a second optical module, the second optical module comprising an optical receiving unit and a service signal receiving unit, and the method comprises: receiving an optical signal by the optical receiving unit; processing the optical signal to obtain a first signal, the first signal having a lower rate than a second signal, the first signal being a non-service signal transmitted through a hardware interface, and the second signal being a service signal transmitted through a high-speed interface; outputting the first signal.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein, The outputting the first signal comprises: outputting the first signal to a second device through a hardware interface between the second optical module and the second device.

15. The method of claim 13 or 14, wherein, The processing the optical signal to obtain a first signal comprises: optoelectrical conversion of the optical signal by the optical receiving unit to obtain a first electrical signal; processing the first electrical signal to obtain the first signal.

16. The method of claim 13 or 14, wherein, The processing the optical signal to obtain a first signal comprises: optoelectrical conversion of the optical signal by the optical receiving unit to obtain a first electrical signal; processing the first electrical signal by the service signal receiving unit to obtain the first signal.

17. The method of any one of claims 13-16, wherein, The method further comprises: processing the optical signal to obtain the first signal and the second signal.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein, The method further comprises: optoelectrical conversion of the optical signal by the optical receiving unit to obtain a second electrical signal; processing the second electrical signal by the service signal receiving unit to obtain the second signal.

19. The method of any one of claims 13-18, wherein, The first signal is used for at least one of energy-saving entry or exit, rate configuration, wavelength adjustment, information reporting, optical module or optical device parameter adjustment, and working state information.

20. A communications device, characterized by The communication device comprises a first device and a first optical module, the first device being coupled to the first optical module, and the first optical module comprising a laser driver unit and an optical transmitting unit; the first device is configured to input a first signal to the laser driver unit or the optical transmitting unit, the first signal having a lower rate than a second signal, the first signal being a non-service signal transmitted through a hardware interface, and the second signal being a service signal transmitted through a high-speed interface; the optical transmitting unit is configured to modulate the optical signal based on the first signal and transmit the optical signal.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the first device is further configured to input the first signal to the laser driver unit or the optical transmitting unit through a hardware interface between the first device and the first optical module.

22. The apparatus of claim 20 or 21, wherein the first device is further configured to input the second signal to the laser driver unit; and the optical transmitting unit is further configured to modulate the optical signal based on the first signal and the second signal.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the first device is further configured to input the second signal to the laser driver unit through a high-speed interface between the first device and the first optical module.

24. A communications device, characterized by The device comprises a second optical module and a second device, the second optical module is coupled with the second device, the second optical module comprises an optical receiving unit and a service signal receiving unit; The optical receiving unit is configured to receive an optical signal; The optical receiving unit or the service signal receiving unit is configured to process the optical signal to obtain a first signal, and output the first signal to the second device, a rate of the first signal is lower than a rate of a second signal, the first signal is a non-service signal transmitted through a hardware interface, and the second signal is a service signal transmitted through a high-speed interface.

25. The device of claim 24, wherein The second optical module is configured to output the first signal to the second device through a hardware interface between the second optical module and the second device.

26. The device of claim 24 or 25, wherein The optical receiving unit or the service signal receiving unit is further configured to process the optical signal to obtain the first signal and the second signal.

27. An optical communication system, characterized by A device comprising a first optical module and a second optical module, the first optical module is configured to perform the method of any one of claims 1-12, and the second optical module is configured to perform the method of any one of claims 13-19.

28. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, Computer instructions, when executed on an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform the method of any one of claims 1-19.

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