Nortel Networks Corporation

Franz Li Mok

Andy Rowland

Kim Byron Roberts

Simon P Parry

Eric Maniloff

Richard A Habel

Gary Mak

Nigel Edward Jolley

Anant Grewal

Provided by the invention is a fast, continuously variable AGC that can be used to control the gain of an optical amplifier. The AGC is designed around a controller having control coefficients that may be dynamically adjusted according to operating conditions. According to an embodiment of the invention provided is an AGC that can operate at much higher speeds in comparison with prior art AGC designs that have fixed control coefficients, while simultaneously maintaining stability over all operating conditions.

Fast, continuously variable automatic gain control for optical amplifiers

In a method and apparatus for tracking dynamic characteristics of an optical amplifier, optical signal probes are used to determine the gain and the corner frequency of the optical amplifier. A first optical probe having a predetermined modulation frequency above an expected corner frequency of the amplifier is used to estimate the gain of the optical amplifier. A second optical probe signal having a second predetermined modulation frequency at or below the expected corner frequency of the amplifier is used to estimate the corner frequency. These parameters can be used to optimize gain control of an optical amplifier.

Optical amplifier gain control monitoring

In an optical transmission system employing optical amplifiers a method of regulating the gain of such an amplifier uses a non-linear control system whose non-linearity of operation is provided at least in part by the enabling/disabling of a portion of the control system by the operation of a transient magnitude threshold sensor.

Optical amplifier gain control

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Kanata, Canada

Franz Li Mok