Multimode optical fibre communication system

Abstract

A multimode optical fibre communications system, and in particular to a system in which non-linearities in the propagation of the signal through a multimode optical communications channel degrade the signal presented to the receiver. The system includes an optical transmitter unit for connection to a multimode optical fibre transmission link. The transmitter unit has a data input for receiving an input data signal, a data signal processing circuit and a source of optical radiation. The data signal processing circuit is arranged to receive the input data signal from the data input and to provide a processed data signal to the source of optical radiation and the source of optical radiation is arranged to generate from this an optical signal for transmission by a multimode optical fibre. The data processing circuit is arranged to provide from the input data signal a non-inverted data signal and an inverted data signal, receive a control signal for controlling the generation of the processed data signal, apply a controllable delay in accordance with the control signal to at least one of the non-inverted and inverted data signals, and combine the non-inverted and inverted signals after the application of the controllable delay(s) and gain factor(s) to generate the processed data signal.