Method, apparatus and system for minimally intrusive fiber identification

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9243973-B2
Application number	US-201414461914-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 18, 2014
Priority date	Aug 20, 2003
Publication date	Jan 26, 2016
Grant date	Jan 26, 2016

Abstract

A method, apparatus and system for minimally intrusive fiber identification includes imparting a time-varying modulation onto an optical signal propagating in an optical fiber and subsequently detecting the presence of the time-varying modulation in the optical signal transmitting through the fiber to identify the fiber. In a specific embodiment of the invention, a time-varying curvature is imposed on the fiber to be identified and the presence of the resultant time variation in the transmitted power of a propagating optical signal is subsequently detected for identification of the manipulated fiber.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for identifying an optical fiber, the apparatus comprising:
a modulating device that facilitates imparting a time-varying modulation onto an existing optical signal propagating in the optical fiber;
a fiber bending device that facilitates bending the optical fiber such that a portion of the optical signal is scattered out of the optical fiber;
a detector for receiving the portion of the optical signal that is scattered for detecting a presence of the time-varying modulation to identify the optical fiber; and
a lightguide that facilitates guiding the portion of the optical signal that is scattered out of the optical fiber to the detector.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the imparting and detecting do not interrupt a propagation of the optical signal along the optical fiber.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the optical fiber comprises a plurality of interconnected optical fibers.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a control unit, where the control unit comprising a memory for storing information and program instructions and a processor for executing the program instructions to configure the apparatus to perform:
the imparting the time-varying modulation onto the optical signal propagating in the optical fiber; and
the detecting the presence of the imparted time-varying modulation to identify the optical fiber.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the control unit is further configured to cause a source of the optical signal to impart the time-varying modulation onto the optical signal.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the modulating device comprises a transmitter head, and the bending device and the detector comprise a receiver head.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the transmitter head further comprises a second bending device and a second detector, and the receiver head further comprises a second modulating device.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the modulating device comprises a vibrating piston and the vibrating piston varies a curvature of a portion of the optical fiber as a function of time such that a time-varying loss of power is generated in the propagating optical signal.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the modulating device comprises a piezo-electric transducer and the piezo-electric transducer varies a curvature of a portion of the optical fiber as a function of time such that a time-varying loss of power is generated in the propagating optical signal.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the fiber bending device is adjustable for varying a radius of a bend on the optical fiber.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the fiber bending device comprises an anvil.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the lightguide comprises a plexiglass lightguide.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the modulating device introduces a varying magnetic field and varies a polarization of the propagating optical signal as a function of time by varying a birefringence of the optical fiber as a function of time.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the modulating device comprises a solenoid.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the detector further comprises a polarizer.

16. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the modulating device varies a frequency of the propagating optical signal as a function of time through non-linear interactions.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the modulating device comprises an acoustic horn.

18. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising at least a second detector for detecting the time-varying modulation near a point of modulation such that a subsequent downstream detection of the modulation is compared to the modulation detected near the point of modulation for identification of the optical fiber.

19. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is implemented to verify communications between at least two points in a passive optical network.

Assignees

• At & T Ip Ii Lp

Inventors

• Frigo Nicholas J
• Iannone Patrick
• Reichmann Kenneth C

Classifications

• G02F1/095

  in an optical waveguide structure · CPC title

• G01M11/35 Primary

  in which light is transversely coupled into or out of the fibre or waveguide, e.g. using integrating spheres (G01M11/31 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04B10/07

  Arrangements for monitoring or testing transmission systems; Arrangements for fault measurement of transmission systems · CPC title

• G01M11/30 Primary

  Testing of optical devices, constituted by fibre optics or optical waveguides · CPC title

• G02B6/2852

  using tapping light guides arranged sidewardly, e.g. in a non-parallel relationship with respect to the bus light guides (light extraction or launching through cladding, with or without surface discontinuities, bent structures) · CPC title