US 8,264,355 B2 · RFID systems and methods for optical fiber network deployment and maintenance

Abstract

An optical-fiber-network (OFN) radio-frequency identification (RFID) system for deploying and/or maintaining and/or provisioning service and/or locating faults in an OFN. The system includes a plurality of OFN components, and at least one RFID tag that includes RFID tag data that has at least one property of the OFN component associated with the RFID tag. The RFID tag data is written to and read from the RFID tags using one or more mobile RFID readers either prior to, during or after deploying the OFN components. An OFN-component-data database unit is used to store and process the RFID tag data and is automatically updated by the one or more mobile RFID readers. This allows for different maps of the OFN to be made, such as an inventory map and a maintenance map, and for the maps to be automatically updated. The OFN-RFID system allows for mobile automated operations and management of OFN components by service personnel, and provides for faster and more accurate OFN system deployment and maintenance.

Claims24

Dependent claims

A radio-frequency identification (RFID) method of deploying and/or maintaining an optical fiber network (OFN), comprising:

providing a plurality of RFID tags associated with a corresponding plurality of OFN components that constitute the OFN;
writing to two or more of the plurality of RFID tags using at least one RFID reader, OFN component data relating to at least one property of the corresponding OFN component;
recording and storing the OFN component data in an OFN-component-data database unit;
and
automatically updating the OFN-component-data database by reading OFN component data from the two or more of the plurality of RFID tags using the at least one RFID reader,
wherein the OFN component data is read from the two or more of the plurality of RFID tags and shows a relationship among two or more of the plurality of OFN components corresponding to the two or more of the plurality of RFID tags.

3 more elements

A radio-frequency identification (RFID) system for deploying and/or maintaining an optical fiber network (OFN), comprising:

a plurality of RFID tags, each of the plurality of RFID tags affixed to a corresponding one of a plurality of OFN components in the OFN, wherein two or more of the plurality of RFID tags each contain OFN component data that relates to at least one property of the corresponding OFN component to which a respective one of the two or more of the plurality of RFID tags is affixed;
at least one mobile RFID tag reader adapted to be taken within a read range of the two or more of the plurality of RFID tags and adapted to read the OFN component data from the two or more of the plurality of RFID tags;
and
an OFN component data database unit adapted to receive and store OFN component data read by the at least one mobile RFID tag reader,
wherein the OFN component data read from the two or more of the plurality of RFID tags shows a relationship among two or more of the plurality of OFN components corresponding to the two or more of the plurality of RFID tags.

2 more elements

A radio-frequency identification (RFID) system for deploying and/or maintaining an optical fiber network (OFN) that is optically coupled to a central office (CO), comprising:

at least one feeder-cable RFID tag fixed to a feeder cable that is optically coupled to the CO, with the at least one feeder-cable RFID tag having feeder-cable data relating to one or more properties of the feeder cable;
at least one local convergence point (LCP) RFID tag fixed to a local convergence point (LCP) that is operably connected to the feeder cable, with the at least one LCP RFID tag having LCP data relating to one or more properties of the LCP;
at least one distribution-cable RFID tag fixed to a distribution cable that is operably coupled to the LCP, with the at least one distribution-cable RFID tag having distribution-cable data relating to one or more properties of the distribution cable;
at least one network access point (NAP) RFID tag fixed to a NAP that is operably coupled to the LCP via the distribution cable, with the at least one NAP RFID tag having NAP data relating to one or more properties of the NAP;
at least one network interface device (NID) RFID tag fixed to a NID that is operably coupled to the LCP via a drop cable, with the at least one NID RFID tag having NID data relating to one or more properties of the NID;
one or more mobile RFID tag readers adapted to read at least one of the at least one feeder-cable RFID tag, the at least one LCP RFID tag, the at least one distribution-cable RFID tag, the at least one NAP RFID tag, and the at least one NID RFID tag, and provide corresponding feeder-cable data, LCP data, distribution-cable data, NAP data, and NID data;
and
an OFN component database unit adapted to receive and store the feeder-cable data, the LCP data, the distribution-cable data, the NAP data and the NID data.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

RFID systems and methods for optical fiber network deployment and maintenance

Life of this patent

RFID systems and methods for optical fiber network deployment and maintenance

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims24