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US 8,014,640 B2Granted
Optical power monitoring with robotically moved macro-bending
AssigneeVerizon Patent and Licensing Inc.
InventorsTiejun J. Xia, Glenn A. Wellbrock
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method may include bending a first optical fiber of a plurality of optical fibers; measuring light leaked from the first optical fiber with a photo detector; robotically moving the photo detector to a second optical fiber of the plurality of optical fibers; bending the second optical fiber; and measuring light leaked from the second other optical fiber with the photo detector.
Claims20
A method comprising:
- robotically moving a photo detector to a particular optical fiber, of a plurality of optical fibers secured at least one end by a fiber tension device, where the fiber tension device provides slack in a first portion of each of the plurality of optical fibers and the photo detector is moved to a position adjacent to a second portion of the articular optical fiber;
- fixing the particular optical fiber between cooperating surfaces of the photo detector and a fiber rail to cause the fiber tension device to extend the first portion of the particular optical fiber to take up the slack provided in the first portion of the particular optical fiber and form a bend in the second portion of the particular optical fiber;
- detecting, using the photo detector, light leakage in an area of the second portion of the particular optical fiber, where the light leakage at least partially results from forming the bend in the second portion of the particular optical fiber;
- and
- determining, based on the detected light leakage, signal strength transmission associated with the particular optical fiber.
2 more elements
An apparatus comprising:
- means for detecting light, where the means for detecting light includes a first mating surface;
- means for securing a plurality of optical fibers, where the means for securing the plurality of optical fibers includes multiple mating surfaces corresponding to the first mating surface;
- means for providing slack at least one end of each of the plurality of optical fibers;
- and means for moving the means for detecting light relative to the multiple mating surfaces, where the means for detecting light is moved to a position adjacent to a first portion of one of the plurality of optical fibers and includes means for detecting light at least partially emitted as a result of temporarily forming a bend in the first portion of the one of the plurality of optical fibers held between the first mating surface and one of the multiple mating surfaces, where, when the one of the plurality of optical fibers is held between the first mating surface and one of the multiple mating surfaces, the means for providing slack is further for taking up the slack at the at least one end of the one of the plurality of optical fibers.
1 more element
A device comprising:
- a set of first contoured devices, where each of the first contoured devices includes a photo detector and a first surface to receive a portion of an optical fiber of a plurality of optical fibers;
- a fiber tension device to provide slack at least one end of the optical fiber of the plurality of optical fibers;
- and
- a set of second contoured devices, where each of the second contoured devices includes a second surface to receive another portion of the optical fiber, of the plurality of optical fibers,
- where the first and second surfaces are complementary and cooperatively produce a bend in the portion and the other portion of the optical fiber, of the plurality of optical fibers, disposed therebetween and cause the fiber tension device to take up the slack at the at least one end of the optical fiber, and
- where the photo detector is to detect light leakage from the optical fiber, of the plurality of optical fibers, in an area of the bend, that at least partially results from producing the bend in the portion and the other portion of the optical fiber, of the plurality of optical fibers.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.