Patent attributes
A multiport optical switch is used to controllably select a specific incoming optical signal that is to be processed by an associated optical channel monitor (OCM). The OCM includes a tunable optical filter and photodetector arrangement, and is configured to measure the optical spectrum of the incoming optical signal and extract information associated with the various optical channels forming the incoming optical signal (i.e., power, wavelength, OSNR, etc., per channel in the signal). The OCM also includes a processor that generates a pair of output control signals, a first signal to control the wavelength scanning process of the tunable optical filter and a second signal to control the setting of the multiport optical switch. The second signal may also be used to perform “detuning” of a selected input of the multiport optical switch, providing the ability to adjust the power level of an input signal prior to entering the OCM.
