IEC TS 62538:2008

Categorization of optical devices

IEC/TS 62538:2008(E) which is a technical specification, applies to optical devices (i.e. elements, components, assemblies, sub-assemblies or modules) of interest to TC86 and its subcommittee. It provides the definitions of the three main categories of optical devices (i.e. dynamic, active and passive) together with other related definitions. It also gives a general procedure to identify the category of any optical devices.

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 07-Oct-2008
• ICS: 33.180.01 - Fibre optic systems in general
• Technical Committee: TC 86 - Fibre optics
• Current Stage: PPUB - Publication issued
• Start Date: 08-Oct-2008
• Completion Date: 31-Jan-2009

Overview

IEC TS 62538:2008 - "Categorization of optical devices" is a Technical Specification published by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and prepared by TC86 (Fibre optics). The document defines a consistent taxonomy for optical devices (elements, components, assemblies, sub‑assemblies and modules) of interest to TC86 and its subcommittees. It establishes the three main categories - optical dynamic, optical active and optical passive devices - and provides a general, ranked procedure to identify the appropriate category for any optical device.

Key topics

• Definitions and scope
  • Clear definitions for: optical element, optical component, optical assembly, optical sub‑assembly and optical module.
  • Distinction that optical systems/subsystems (IEC 61281‑1) are outside this TS.
• Three main device categories
  • Optical dynamic device: devices that monitor and dynamically control optical signal characteristics via electronic controls (e.g., controlling paths, intensity, polarization, dispersion). Typical control/response times: from a few microseconds to tens of seconds.
  • Optical active device: devices that generate or detect optical power, convert electronic ↔ optical signals, provide optical amplification/regeneration (2R/3R), or perform wavelength (frequency) conversion.
  • Optical passive device: devices that do not require external power for operation (except possibly to stabilize characteristics). Passive devices may include monitoring photodiodes without changing the device’s passive classification.
• Categorization procedure
  • A simple 3‑step ranking: if primarily dynamic → dynamic; else if primarily active → active; else → passive. Annex A provides the categorization criteria and Annex B maps device examples to TC86 working groups.
• Notes on standards interaction
  • Some definitions supersede analogous terms in IEC 61931; the TS is subject to review for possible conversion into an International Standard.

Applications and users

IEC TS 62538:2008 is practical for:

• Manufacturers and designers of optical elements, components and modules for consistent product classification.
• Standards committees and TC86 working groups for allocation of standardization tasks.
• Test laboratories and quality assurance teams for defining test scopes and reporting categories.
• Procurement, regulatory and compliance teams who need unambiguous device category definitions for contracts and conformity assessments.
• System architects who require clarity on whether a device is considered dynamic, active or passive for system integration and maintenance planning.

Related standards

• IEC 61931 (analogous definitions partly superseded)
• IEC 61281‑1 (definitions of systems/subsystems - outside scope)
• Prepared by IEC TC86 (Fibre optics); consult the IEC online catalogue for updates and corrigenda.

Keywords: IEC TS 62538:2008, categorization of optical devices, optical dynamic device, optical active device, optical passive device, TC86, fibre optics, optical component, optical module.

Standards Content (Sample)

IEC/TS 62538
Edition 1.0 2008-10
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATION
Categorization of optical devices

IEC/TS 62538:2008(E)
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IEC/TS 62538
Edition 1.0 2008-10
TECHNICAL
SPECIFICATION
Categorization of optical devices

INTERNATIONAL
ELECTROTECHNICAL
COMMISSION
PRICE CODE
M
ICS 33.180.01 ISBN 978-2-88910-757-5
– 2 – TS 62538 © IEC:2008(E)
CONTENTS
FOREWORD.3
INTRODUCTION.5
1 Scope.6
2 Terms and definitions .6
2.1 Categorization of main definitions.6
2.2 Other related definitions .7
3 Categorization procedure of optical devices .7
Annex A (informative) Categorization criteria .9
Annex B (informative) Allocation of optical devices by categories and working groups .10
Bibliography.12

Table A.1 – Allocation of optical devices by categories and working groups.10

TS 62538 © IEC:2008(E) – 3 –
INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________
CATEGORIZATION OF OPTICAL DEVICES

FOREWORD
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Standard.Technical specifications are subject to review within three years of publication to
decide whether they can be transformed into International Standards.
Technical specifications are subject to review within three years of publication to decide
whether they can be transformed into International Standards.
IEC/TS 62538, which is a technical specification, has been prepared by IEC technical
committee 86: Fibre optics.
– 4 – TS 62538 © IEC:2008(E)
The text of this technical specification is based on the following documents:
Enquiry draft Report on voting
86/282/DTS 86/308/RVC
Full information on the voting for the approval of this technical specification can be found in
the report on voting indicated in the above table.
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The committee has decided that the contents of this publication will remain unchanged until
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the data related to the specific publication. At this date, the publication will be
• transformed into an International standard,
• reconfirmed,
• withdrawn,
• replaced by a revised edition, or
• amended.
A bilingual version of this publication may be issued at a later date.

TS 62538 © IEC:2008(E) – 5 –
INTRODUCTION
IEC/TS 62538, which is a technical specification, is based on the conclusions of the
coordinating group on categorization, approved by TC86 in 2005 and 2006, with the aim to
allocate the various optical devices among the appropriate working groups. It contains
fundamental definitions of broad validity and the procedure to categorize any optical devices.

– 6 – TS 62538 © IEC:2008(E)
CATEGORIZATION OF OPTICAL DEVICES

1 Scope
IEC/TS 62438, which is a technical specification, applies to optical devices (i.e. elements,
components, assemblies, sub-assemblies or modules) of interest to TC86 and its
subcommittee. It provides the definitions of the three main categories of optical devices (i.e.
dynamic, active and passive) together with other related definitions. It also gives a general
procedure to identify the category of any optical devices.
2 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
NOTE 1 The definitions given in 2.1 are determined for the three main categories of optical devices: “optical
dynamic devices,” “optical active devices” and “optical passive devices.” O
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