Simulator for the receiver-end of an optical communication system

Abstract

The merge of the computer and telephone networks that marked the end of the XX th century, will be followed by the triple integration of the computer, telephone and digital interactive television networks. The need for higher bandwidth in a global scale for the transmission of real-time video, will change the main role of optical communication systems from the high bit-rate international and intercontinental digital networks to local area networks, that can also benefict from the immunity of such systems to electromagnetic interference. Therefore it is necessary to increase the proficiency and broaden the experience of students of electrical engineering in optical systems, not just by higher workload on the cost and maintanence demanding equipments of university and high school optical labs. The computer simulator can constitute an answer for a portable, safe and low cost optical lab and it that can prepare students to the experimental procedures in an optical lab. This paper presents the framework of a functional simulator for the receiver of an optical communication system. The blocks of such systems are represented by behavioural multilevel models with input, output and internal parameters.