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US 12,771,442 B2Granted
Optical fiber monitoring
AssigneeViavi Solutions Inc.
InventorsMichel Saget, Sylvain Desplat
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
According to examples, an optical fiber monitoring apparatus may include an optical time domain reflectometer (OTDR), and a 1×N optical splitter that is optically connected to the OTDR. For N being greater than one, the 1×N optical splitter may include N test port optical fiber outputs. Further, each test port optical fiber output may be optically connectable to an optical fiber to optically connect the optical fiber to the OTDR.
Claims19
An optical fiber monitoring apparatus comprising:
- an optical time domain reflectometer (OTDR), wherein the OTDR is optically connected to N optical fibers, each having dedicated reflectors connected to an end to generate calibrated reflective signals for use as a reference for determining an attenuation for each of the N optical fibers, wherein N is greater than one;
- and
- a 1×N optical splitter that is optically connected to the OTDR, wherein the 1×N optical splitter utilizes a planar lightwave circuit (PLC) having a waveguide on a silica glass substrate to implement a plurality of splitting ratios,
- wherein N is greater than one,
- wherein the 1×N optical splitter includes N test port optical fiber outputs,
- an optical coupler optically inserted between an OTDR optical source and an OTDR optical receiver and the 1×N optical splitter, wherein the optical coupler includes an additional output connected to an additional measurement port of the optical coupler, and wherein the additional measurement port is used to directly connected to one of the N optical fibers, and operates without being impacted by insertion loss of the 1 to N optical splitter, and
- wherein the OTDR is a simultaneous multi-channel OTDR having multiple, parallel inputs/outputs each coupled through a dedicated optical fiber to one of a plurality of 1×N independent splitters, wherein the plurality of 1×N independent splitters includes the 1×N optical splitter, and further wherein each test port optical fiber output is optically connectable to an optical fiber to optically connect the optical fiber to the OTDR for simultaneous monitoring of each test port optical fiber output by the OTDR.
4 more elements
An optical fiber monitoring apparatus comprising:
- an OTDR including an OTDR optical source, wherein the OTDR is optically connected to N optical fibers, each having dedicated reflectors connected to an end to generate calibrated reflective signals for use as a reference for determining an attenuation for each of the N optical fibers, wherein N is greater than one, and
- wherein the OTDR is a simultaneous multi-channel OTDR having multiple, parallel inputs/outputs each coupled through a dedicated optical fiber to one of a plurality of 1×N independent splitters;
- an OTDR optical receiver;
- and
- an optical coupler optically inserted between the OTDR optical source and the OTDR optical receiver, and a 1×N optical splitter, wherein the plurality of 1×N independent splitters includes the 1×N optical splitter, wherein the 1×N optical splitter utilizes a planar lightwave circuit (PLC) having a waveguide on a silica glass substrate to implement a plurality of splitting ratios, wherein the optical coupler includes an additional output connected to an additional measurement port of the optical coupler, and wherein the additional measurement port is used to directly connected to one of the N optical fibers, and operates without being impacted by insertion loss of the 1 to N optical splitter;
- wherein N is greater than one,
- wherein the 1×N optical splitter includes N test port optical fiber outputs, and
- wherein each test port optical fiber output is optically connectable to an optical fiber to optically connect the optical fiber to the OTDR optical source and the OTDR optical receiver for simultaneous monitoring of each test port optical fiber output by the OTDR.
5 more elements
An optical fiber monitoring apparatus comprising:
- an optical time domain reflectometer (OTDR), wherein the OTDR is optically connected to N optical fibers, each having dedicated reflectors connected to an end to generate calibrated reflective signals for use as a reference for determining an attenuation for each of the N optical fibers, wherein N is greater than one, wherein the OTDR is a simultaneous multi-channel OTDR having multiple, parallel inputs/outputs each coupled through a dedicated optical fiber to one of a plurality of 1×N independent splitters;
- a 1×N optical splitter that is optically connected to the OTDR to test at least one optical fiber of N optical fibers that are optically connected to the 1×N optical splitter, wherein the plurality of 1×N independent splitters includes the 1×N optical splitter, wherein the 1×N optical splitter utilizes a planar lightwave circuit (PLC) having a waveguide on a silica glass substrate to implement a plurality of splitting ratios, wherein the 1×N optical splitter includes N test port optical fiber outputs for simultaneous monitoring of each test port optical fiber output by the OTDR, wherein N is greater than one;
- and
- an optical coupler optically inserted between an OTDR optical source and an OTDR optical receiver and the 1×N optical splitter, wherein the optical coupler includes an additional output connected to an additional measurement port of the optical coupler, and wherein the additional measurement port is used to directly connected to one of the N optical fibers, and operates without being impacted by insertion loss of the 1 to N optical splitter.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.