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An optical interface which is adapted for use in a local area network is provided. The optical interface comprises an optical transmitter section and an optical receiver section. The optical transmitter section receives data in a non-return to zero inverted (NRZI) format from a LAN controller which

An optical interface which is adapted for use in a local area network is provided. The optical interface comprises an optical transmitter section and an optical receiver section. The optical transmitter section receives data in a non-return to zero inverted (NRZI) format from a LAN controller which the optical interface is part of a remote node. The optical transmitter section converts the non-return to zero inverted data to an alternate mark insertion (AMI) format. An LED driver circuit smooths out and extends the alternate mark insertion data and uses it to drive an LED. The LED driver alternately drives the LED from a fifty percent reference output level to zero percent output and one hundred percent output corresponding to alternate positive-going and negative-going transition of the data. The optical receiver section has a light sensitive detector and preamplifier which receives optical signals encoded with digital data and generates corresponding electrical signals. The electrical signals are processed by a peak pulse detector which is preferably a disk detector of the type used to detect signals generated by the read/write heads of magnetic disk media. The disk pulse detector generates unipolar digital signals corresponding to the AMI signals. A decoder converts the unipolar digital pulses to NRZI format. The NRZI data is communicated to a LAN controller when the optical receiver is part of a remote optical interface and to conventional LAN hub circuitry when it is part of a hub optical interface. The LED driver circuit comprises the entire transmitter section of a hub optical interface and receives data for transmission directly from the hub LAN circuitry.

대표청구항 ▼

An optical receiver, comprising: light sensitive receiver means for receiving optical signals encoded with digital data comprising a plurality of optical pulses corresponding in time to selected state changes in said digital data and for producing electrical signals having pulses corresponding to sa

An optical receiver, comprising: light sensitive receiver means for receiving optical signals encoded with digital data comprising a plurality of optical pulses corresponding in time to selected state changes in said digital data and for producing electrical signals having pulses corresponding to said optical pulses; peak pulse detector means responsive to the slope of said electrical signals for detecting peaks in said electrical signals and for generating peak detection output signals indicative of the occurrence of individual ones of the peaks of said pulses; and means responsive to individual ones of said peak detection output signals for supplying output digital data pulses corresponding in time with each respective one of said peak detection output signals, said output digital data pulses forming a data output of said optical receiver, which data output is indicative of said encoded digital data.