Error function analysis of optical components
View Patent ↗An error analysis tester for an optical component includes an optical transmitter, an optical attenuator, a port, a receiver, a processor and a graphical display. The optical transmitter and optical attenuator produce a test signal at a plurality of selected optical power levels. The port is configured to output the test signal to the optical component and to receive a version of the test signal from the optical component. The receiver determines errors in the received version of the test signal. The processor determines data points of a function associated with an error rate at each of the selected power levels and a line corresponding to the data points. The graphical display produces a visual plot of the data points and the corresponding line.
1. An error analysis tester for optical components, comprising:
an optical transmitter that generates a test signal at a plurality of selected optical power levels;
a port that outputs the test signal to an optical component and receives a version of the test signal from the optical component;
a receiver that determines errors in the received version of the test signal at the plurality of selected optical power levels;
a controller that sets data points of a function associated with an error rate at each of the selected optical power levels and determines a relationship between the determined errors and the set data points; and
an interface that indicates the relationship between the determined errors with reference to the set data points.
2. The error analysis tester of claim 1 , wherein said controller determines the relationship as between the determined errors with respect to a line corresponding to the set data points.
3. The error analysis tester of claim 1 , wherein said interface comprises a graphical user interface that visually displays the relationship between the determined errors and the set data points as a plot.
4. The error analysis tester of claim 1 , wherein the function is based on a gaussian distribution of test signal symbols with respect to a symbol decision threshold.
5. The error analysis tester of claim 1 , wherein said transmitter comprises an optical attenuator.
6. The error analysis tester of claim 1 , wherein the function is a complementary error function.
7. The error analysis tester of claim 1 , housed within a chassis to be portable.
8. An error analysis tester for optical components, comprising:
an optical transmitter that generates a test signal at a plurality of selected optical power levels;
a port that outputs the test signal to an optical component and receives a version of the test signal from the optical component;
a receiver that determines errors in the received version of the test signal at the plurality of selected optical power levels;
a controller that sets data points of a function associated with an error rate at each of the selected optical power levels and determines a relationship between the determined errors and the set data points;
an interface that indicates the relationship between the determined errors with reference to the set data points;
wherein the function is defined as
f ( BER )=log 10 (√2 erfc −1 (2· BER )),
wherein BER is bit error rate and erfc −1 is an inverse complementary error function.
9. A method of error analysis testing for optical components, comprising:
generating a test signal at a plurality of selected optical power levels;
outputting the test signal to an optical component;
receiving a version of the test signal from the optical component;
determining errors in the received version of the test signal at the plurality of selected optical power levels;
setting data points of a function associated with an error rate at each of the selected optical power levels and determining a relationship between the determined errors and the set data points; and
providing indication of the relationship between the determined errors with reference to the set data points,
wherein the function is defined as
f ( BER )=log 10 (√2 erfc −1 (2· BER )),
wherein BER is bit error rate and erfc −1 is an inverse complementary error function.
10. The method of error analysis testing of claim 9 , wherein said determining is performed automatically by a system controller which determines the relationship as between the determined errors with respect to a line corresponding to the set data points.
11. The method of error analysis testing of claim 9 , wherein said providing indication comprises visually displaying the relationship between the determined errors and the set data points as a plot on a graphical interface.
12. The method of error analysis testing of claim 9 , wherein said generating comprises optical attenuating a base signal to provide the test signal at the plurality of selected optical power levels.
13. A portable error analysis tester for optical components, comprising:
a housing;
an optical transmitter that generates a test signal at a plurality of selected optical power levels, the test signal being output to an optical component under test;
an optical receiver that receives a version of the test signal from the optical component and determines errors in the received test signal at the plurality of selected optical power levels; and
a controller that sets data points of a function associated with an error rate at each of the selected optical power levels and determines a relationship between the determined errors and the set data points.
14. The portable error analysis tester of claim 13 , further comprising:
an interface that indicates the relationship between the determined errors with reference to the set data points.
15. The portable error analysis tester of claim 14 , wherein said interface comprises a graphical user interface that visually displays the relationship between the determined errors and the set data points on a plot.
16. The portable error analysis tester of claim 14 , wherein said controller determines the relationship as between the determined errors with respect to a line corresponding to the set data points.
17. A portable error analysis test for optical components, comprising:
a housing;
an optical transmitter that generates a test signal at a plurality of selected optical power levels, the test signal being output to an optical component under test;
an optical receiver that receives a version of the test signal from the optical component and determines errors in the received test signal at the plurality of selected optical power levels;
a controller that sets data points of a function associated with an error rate at each of the selected optical power levels and determines a relationship between the determined errors and the set data points;
wherein the function is defined as
f ( BER )=log 10 (√2 erfc −1 (2· BER )),
wherein BER is bit error rate and erfc −1 is an inverse complementary error function.