Optical time-domain reflectometer (OTDR)-based high reflective event measurement

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12088336-B2
Application number	US-202318120634-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 13, 2023
Priority date	Sep 3, 2021
Publication date	Sep 10, 2024
Grant date	Sep 10, 2024

Abstract

In some examples, an optical time-domain reflectometer (OTDR)-based high reflective event measurement system may include an OTDR, and an N by M optical switch optically connected to the OTDR or disposed within the OTDR. The optical switch may include a variable attenuator mode and at least one optical fiber connected to at least one output port of the optical switch. At least one fiber optic reflector may be disposed at an end of the at least one optical fiber. A variable optical attenuator may reduce, for the at least one optical fiber including the at least one fiber optic reflector, an amplitude of reflective peaks.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An optical time-domain reflectometer (OTDR)-based high reflective event measurement system comprising:
an OTDR;
an N by M optical switch optically connected to the OTDR or disposed within the OTDR, wherein the optical switch includes a variable optical attenuator to place the optical switch in a variable attenuator mode and at least one optical fiber connected to at least one output port of the optical switch, wherein the optical switch includes a parallel configuration to optionally directly connect to the at least one optical fiber or connect to the at least one optical fiber via the variable optical attenuator; and
at least one fiber optic reflector disposed at an end of the at least one optical fiber.

2. The OTDR-based high reflective event measurement system according to claim 1 , wherein the optical switch is based on micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) technology, or wherein the optical switch is based on electro-mechanical technology.

3. The OTDR-based high reflective event measurement system according to claim 1 , wherein for the N by M optical switch, Nis one.

4. The OTDR-based high reflective event measurement system according to claim 1 , wherein for the N by M optical switch, M is one.

5. The OTDR-based high reflective event measurement system according to claim 1 , wherein for the N by M optical switch, N and M are greater than one.

6. The OTDR-based high reflective event measurement system according to claim 1 , wherein a network under test by the OTDR-based high reflective event measurement system includes a passive optical network (PON).

7. The OTDR-based high reflective event measurement system according to claim 1 , wherein a network under test by the OTDR-based high reflective event measurement system includes a point to point fiber optic network.

8. The OTDR-based high reflective event measurement system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a tap photodiode to monitor optical power at output ports of the optical switch.

9. The OTDR-based high reflective event measurement system according to claim 1 , wherein the optical switch includes mirrors and the variable attenuator mode is implemented by misaligning the mirrors at the at least one output port.

10. A method for optical time-domain reflectometer (OTDR)-based high reflective event measurement, the method comprising:
optically connecting an N by M optical switch to an OTDR, wherein the optical switch includes a variable optical attenuator to place the optical switch in a variable attenuator mode and at least one optical fiber connected to at least one output port of the optical switch, wherein the optical switch includes a parallel configuration to optionally directly the at least one optical fiber or connect to the at least one optical fiber via the variable optical attenuator; and
optically connecting at least one fiber optic reflector at an end of the at least one optical fiber.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the optical switch is based on micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) technology.

12. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the optical switch is based on electro-mechanical technology.

13. The method according to claim 10 , wherein for the N by M optical switch, Nis one.

14. The method according to claim 10 , wherein for the N by M optical switch, Mis one.

15. The method according to claim 10 , wherein for the N by M optical switch, N and M are greater than one.

16. The method according to claim 10 , further comprising:
testing, by the OTDR, a network under test that includes a passive optical network (PON).

17. The method according to claim 10 , further comprising:
testing, by the OTDR, a network under test that includes a point to point fiber optic network.

18. The method according to claim 10 , further comprising:
monitoring, by a tap photodiode, optical power at output ports of the optical switch.

19. An optical time-domain reflectometer (OTDR)-based high reflective event measurement system comprising:
an OTDR including an N by M optical switch, wherein the optical switch includes a variable optical attenuator to place the optical switch in a variable attenuator mode and at least one optical fiber connected to at least one output port of the optical switch, wherein the optical switch includes a parallel configuration to optionally directly connect to the at least one optical fiber or connect to the at least one optical fiber via the variable optical attenuator; and
at least one fiber optic reflector disposed at an end of the at least one optical fiber.

20. The OTDR-based high reflective event measurement system according to claim 19 , wherein for the N by M optical switch, N is at least one, and M is at least one.

Assignees

• Viavi Solutions Inc

Inventors

• Cuenot Benjamin

Classifications

• H04B10/674

  using a variable optical attenuator · CPC title

• H04B10/071 Primary

  using a reflected signal, e.g. using optical time domain reflectometers [OTDR] · CPC title

• G01M11/3136 Primary

  for testing of multiple fibers · CPC title