Provided is an optical transceiver including: a controller configured to output firmware update data for updating firmware of another optical transceiver connected to the optical transceiver through an optical cable; and a transmitter configured to generate an optical signal by superposing input payload data and the firmware update data, and to transmit the optical signal to the other optical transceiver. According to embodiments, the firmware of a remote optical transceiver at a remote location is automatically updated without affecting payload data, which is information to be transmitted.

A function of detecting an unused path through which actual data is not transmitted in a long-distance redundant network is realized at low cost. In an optical transmission system 20, each of the optical transceivers 21a and 21b that are connected to each other by an optical fiber cable 22 and disposed separately includes a protocol IC unit 35. The protocol IC unit 35 transmits an idle signal A1 with empty data using an optical signal P1 to an unused path of the optical fiber cable 22. At the time of this transmission, the protocol IC unit 35 outputs, to the transmission unit 33, a control signal C1 for performing, at a fixed modulation period, ON/OFF modulation on the optical signal P1 on which the idle signal A1 is superimposed. Also, the protocol IC unit 35 transmits an OAM signal O1 at an OAM period that is a period different from a modulation period, and performs control to turn ON the control signal C1 at the time of this transmission. The protocol IC unit 35 performs control to set the QAM period T2 as a period longer than or equal to a plurality of modulation periods T1. The transmission unit 33 is configured to perform ON/OFF modulation on the optical signal P1 using the control signal C1, and transmits the modulated optical signal P1.

A method is provided for determining an optical signal to noise ratio of a dual polarization optical signal. The method includes: detecting, in the dual polarization optical signal, a modulation signal which modulates, at at least one low amplitude level that is approximately zero and at a high amplitude level, the dual polarization optical signal, and determining the optical signal to noise ratio from a measurement of the power of the modulation signal.

An optical transceiver is configured to receive an optical signal on which a monitoring signal encoded by Manchester encoding is superimposed. The optical transceiver includes a decoding circuit configured to decode the monitoring signal from an electrical signal generated from the optical signal. The decoding circuit includes an interval measuring unit and a decoding unit. The interval measuring unit is configured to detect only a rising edge or a falling edge of a waveform of the electrical signal, to measure a first time interval between a detected first edge and a second edge detected immediately after detecting the first edge, and to measure a second time interval between the second edge and a third edge detected immediately after detecting the second edge. The decoding unit is configured to decode the monitoring signal encoded by the Manchester encoding based on a ratio between the first and second time intervals.

In order to further develop a circuit arrangement (CR; CR′) for receiving optical signals (SI) from at least one optical guide (GU), said circuit arrangement (CR; CR′) comprising: at least one light-receiving component (PD) for converting the optical signals (SI) into electrical current signals (I.sub.PD), at least one transimpedance amplifier (TA), being provided with the electrical current signals (I.sub.PD) from the light-receiving component (PD), at least one automatic gain controller (AG) for controlling the gain or transimpedance (R) of the transimpedance amplifier (TA), at least one integrator (IN) in a feedback path (FP), said integrator (IN) generating a control signal (V.sub.int), at least one voltage-controlled current source (CS), being provided with the control signal (V.sub.int) from the integrator (IN), at least one limiter (LI) acting as a comparator and generating in its output a logic level for positive or negative voltages in its input,
and a corresponding method in such a way that a multilevel optical link can be provided, at least one second transimpedance amplifier (TA2) arranged in parallel to the transimpedance amplifier (TA), and at least one automatic offset controller (AO) for setting the voltage (V.sub.offset) for the second transimpedance amplifier (TA2)
are proposed.

Described are, among other things, a method and a receiver for receiving a management data signal in an optical transmission system where a traffic data signal is transmitted as a NRZ modulated signal. The traffic data signal has a management data signal superimposed thereon as a pulse width modulation of the symbols of the NRZ modulated signal. The NRZ modulated signal is received with the data signal superimposed thereon and the traffic data signal is recovered. The recovered traffic data signal in anti-phase is added to the received signal. The management data signal is detected from the added signals.

A function of detecting an unused path through which actual data is not transmitted in a long-distance redundant network is realized at low cost. In an optical transmission system 20, each of the optical transceivers 21a and 21b that are connected to each other by an optical fiber cable 22 and disposed separately includes a protocol IC unit 35. The protocol IC unit 35 transmits an idle signal A1 with empty data using an optical signal P1 to an unused path of the optical fiber cable 22. At the time of this transmission, the protocol IC unit 35 outputs, to the transmission unit 33, a control signal C1 for performing, at a fixed modulation period, ON/OFF modulation on the optical signal P1 on which the idle signal A1 is superimposed. Also, the protocol IC unit 35 transmits an OAM signal O1 at an OAM period that is a period different from a modulation period, and performs control to turn ON the control signal C1 at the time of this transmission. The protocol IC unit 35 performs control to set the QAM period T2 as a period longer than or equal to a plurality of modulation periods T1. The transmission unit 33 is configured to perform ON/OFF modulation on the optical signal P1 using the control signal C1, and transmits the modulated optical signal P1.

An optical transceiver is configured to receive an optical signal on which a monitoring signal encoded by Manchester encoding is superimposed. The optical transceiver includes a decoding circuit configured to decode the monitoring signal from an electrical signal generated from the optical signal. The decoding circuit includes an interval measuring unit and a decoding unit. The interval measuring unit is configured to detect only a rising edge or a falling edge of a waveform of the electrical signal, to measure a first time interval between a detected first edge and a second edge detected immediately after detecting the first edge, and to measure a second time interval between the second edge and a third edge detected immediately after detecting the second edge. The decoding unit is configured to decode the monitoring signal encoded by the Manchester encoding based on a ratio between the first and second time intervals.

An optical transmission device includes a first detector, a generator, a second detector, and a controller. The first detector detects optical output power of an optical signal for each channel for input to a Mach-Zehnder unit that has asymmetric optical waveguides. The generator superimposes, based on the detected optical output power for each of the channels, a dither signal onto an optical signal in a specific channel from among the plurality of channels for input to the Mach-Zehnder unit. The second detector detects an amplitude value of the dither signal superimposed onto the optical signal in the specific channel output from the Mach-Zehnder unit. The controller adjusts a phase difference in the Mach-Zehnder unit such that the amplitude value of the dither signal superimposed onto the detected optical signal in the specific channel is less than a predetermined threshold.

An optical transmission device includes a first detector, a generator, a second detector, and a controller. The first detector detects optical output power of an optical signal for each channel for input to a Mach-Zehnder unit that has asymmetric optical waveguides. The generator superimposes, based on the detected optical output power for each of the channels, a dither signal onto an optical signal in a specific channel from among the plurality of channels for input to the Mach-Zehnder unit. The second detector detects an amplitude value of the dither signal superimposed onto the optical signal in the specific channel output from the Mach-Zehnder unit. The controller adjusts a phase difference in the Mach-Zehnder unit such that the amplitude value of the dither signal superimposed onto the detected optical signal in the specific channel is less than a predetermined threshold.