Method and system for controlling amplifier power in an optical communications network having add/drop capability
View Patent ↗The invention includes a method for controlling amplifier output power in an optical communications network having channel add/drop capability. A first transmission parameter and a second transmission parameter are determined at a first amplifier. In an exemplary embodiment, the first transmission parameter is a composite express signal-to-noise ratio and the second transmission parameter is a composite signal-to-noise ratio. The total output power of a downstream amplifier is adjusted in response to the first transmission parameter and second transmission parameter. A system for implementing the method is also disclosed.
1. A method of determining amplifier power for an amplifier in an optical communications network, the method comprising:
determining an amount of ASE power blocked at a network element upstream of the amplifier;
communicating the amount of ASE power blocked at the network element to said amplifier; and
determining output power for the amplifier in response to the amount of ASE power blocked at the network element upstream of the amplifier.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said determining the amount of ASE power blocked at the network element upstream of the amplifier includes receiving a transmission parameter indicative of the amount of ASE power blocked at the network element upstream of the amplifier.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the transmission parameter includes a composite express signal-to-noise ratio.
4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the transmission parameter includes a composite signal to-noise ratio.
5. An optical communications network comprising:
an amplifier; and
a processor associated with said amplifier, said processor:
determining an amount of ASE power blocked at a network element upstream of said amplifier;
communicating the amount of ASE power blocked at the network element to said amplifier; and
determining output power for said amplifier in response to the amount of ASE power blocked at the network element upstream of the amplifier.
6. The network of claim 5 , wherein said processor receives a transmission parameter indicative of the amount of ASE power blocked at the network element upstream of said amplifier.
7. The network of claim 6 , wherein the transmission parameter includes a composite express signal-to-noise ratio.
8. The network of claim 6 , wherein the transmission parameter includes a composite signal-to-noise ratio.
9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of communicating the amount of ASE power blocked at the network element to the amplifier over a service channel.
10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of communicating the amount of ASE power blocked at the network element to the amplifier over an out-of-band channel.
11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of broadcasting the amount of ASE power blocked at the network element to a plurality of other amplifiers in the optical communications network.
12. The network of claim 5 , wherein the processor communicates the amount of ASE power blocked at the network element to the amplifier over a service channel.
13. The network of claim 5 , wherein the processor communicates the amount of ASE power blocked at the network element to the amplifier over an out-of-band channel.
14. The network of claim 5 , wherein the processor broadcasts the amount of ASE power blocked at the network element to a plurality of other amplifiers in the optical communications network.