Optical communication system and transmitting apparatus for use therein

U.S. Patent Number: 5394261

Abstract: In an optical communication system, there are provided an optical transmission path, a terminal, and a transmitter. The transmitter includes at least one light source, a plurality of external light modulators for modulating respective lights from the at least one light source according to a signal from the terminal, and a coupler means for combining modulated lights from the external light modulators into a single light to transmit this single light to the optical transmission path. As a result, the present invention can preferably be applied to a multi-value digital optical communication system, and therein a complicated modulation control device is unnecessary for obtaining a signal light intensity accurately modulated in a multi-valued form.

Inventors: Nakamura; Kenji (Hadano, JP)

Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Tokyo, JP)

Application Number: 08/155,160

Issued: 1995-02-28

Expired: 2007-02-28

Classes: 398/182 ; 398/183; 398/200

Field of search: 359/113,114,115,118,124,125,126,154,157,180,173,181,188 385/24

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