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US 8,798,467 B2Granted
Optical coupler testing system
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsEric Chan, Dennis Gary Koshinz, Tuong K. Truong, Bark-Hung Henry Pang
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for testing an optical coupler. Inputs of the optical coupler are connected to output ports of an optical signal source. Outputs of the optical coupler are connected to input ports of an optical signal detector system. Optical signals sent through combinations of the inputs and the outputs of the optical coupler are measured using a switching system controlled by a controller to form measurements of the optical signals.
Claims17
An apparatus comprising:
- an optical signal source configured to generate an optical signal;
- an optical signal detector system configured to detect the optical signal;
- a switching system configured to direct the optical signal from the optical signal source to inputs in an optical coupler and direct the optical signal from outputs in the optical coupler to the optical signal detector system;
- and
- a controller configured to automatically control the switching system to select the inputs in the optical coupler for transmission of the optical signal into the optical coupler, select the outputs in the optical coupler for measuring the optical signal output from the optical coupler, and measure the optical signal from the outputs selected to form measurements, wherein the switching system is configured to direct current to a light emitting diode associated with a selected output in the outputs connected to an input in the inputs in the optical coupler, the light emitting diode transmits the optical signal to the input in the inputs in the optical coupler, and the optical signal detector system receives the optical signal from the outputs in the optical coupler.
2 more elements
A method for testing an optical coupler, the method comprising:
- connecting inputs of the optical coupler to output ports of an optical signal source;
- connecting outputs of the optical coupler to input ports for an optical signal detector system;
- sending optical signals to each of the inputs, including sending current into a switching system, and sequentially switching the switching system to input current to light emitting diodes to send the optical signals from the light emitting diodes to the inputs of the optical coupler;
- and
- measuring the optical signals sent through combinations of the inputs and the outputs of the optical coupler using the switching system controlled by a controller to form measurements of the optical signals, including measuring the optical signals at all of the outputs for the each of the inputs using the switching system, sequentially selecting optical detectors connected to the outputs of the optical coupler for each of the light emitting diodes generating the optical signals using the switching system, and measuring a current generated by each of the optical detectors.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.