Patent · US Expired

Apparatus and method for fiber optics communication with dark current correction

US5119224A · kind A · utility

7Cited by
7References
8Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateDec 14, 1989
Grant dateJun 2, 1992
Priority date
Expiry dateDec 14, 2009

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04B10/43
  • WIPO fieldTelecommunications
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

The disclosure is directed to an apparatus and method for receiving and processing an optical signal representative of electronic information. In an embodiment of the invention there is provided a light-emitting diode which is reverse biased to receive the optical signal and convert the optical signal to an electronic signal. Means are provided for determining time periods during which the electronic signal produced by the light-emitting diode is below a predetermined threshold. Means are provided for generating a dark current error signal indicative of a sampled output of the light-emitting diode during said time periods. Means are also provided for holding the error signal during other time periods when the electronic signal produced by the light-emitting diode is not below the predetermined threshold. Finally, means are provided for modifying the electronic signal produced by the light-emitting diode as a function of the held error signal to obtain an output electronic signal. In the disclosed embodiment, the light-emitting diode is reverse biased and coupled across an input of an operational amplifier which is arranged to produce an output voltage that depends upon the current …

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.