Fibre network comprising sensors

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9544049-B2
Application number	US-201314432546-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 2, 2013
Priority date	Oct 25, 2012
Publication date	Jan 10, 2017
Grant date	Jan 10, 2017

Abstract

Fiber network for interrogating fiber-optic sensors in a first Passive Optical Network (PON) and in a second PON, the fiber network comprising a test signal transceiver for emitting query signals and for receiving response signals, a first PON and a second PON. Each PON comprises a light source for generating telecommunication signals and a fiber-optic sensor. Each PON can transmit the telecommunication signals to a plurality of subscribers, and is optically connected to the test signal transceiver such that the query signals can be fed into the respective PON and propagate in the PON to the fiber-optic sensor, and such that the test signal transceiver can receive response signals from the fiber-optic sensor through the PON. The fiber network further comprises a query signal splitter, optically connected to the test signal transceiver and to the PONs such that it can feed a query signal into the PONs simultaneously, and such that it can feed response signals from the PONs into the test signal transceiver.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. Fibre network for interrogating fibre-optic sensors in a first Passive Optical Network (PON) and in a second PON, the fibre network comprising
a test signal transceiver for emitting query signals and for receiving response signals, wherein the response signals originate from the query signals,
a first PON comprising a first light source for generating first telecommunication signals and comprising a first fibre-optic sensor,
wherein the first PON is adapted to transmit the first telecommunication signals to a plurality of subscribers, and wherein the first PON is optically connected to the test signal transceiver such that query signals from the test signal transceiver can be fed into the first PON and propagate in the first PON to the first fibre-optic sensor, and such that the test signal transceiver can receive response signals from the first fibre-optic sensor through the first PON,

a second PON comprising a second light source for generating second telecommunication signals and comprising a second fibre-optic sensor, wherein the second PON is adapted to transmit the second telecommunication signals to a plurality of subscribers, and wherein the second PON is optically connected to the test signal transceiver such that query signals from the test signal transceiver can be fed into the second PON and propagate in the second PON to the second fibre-optic sensor, and such that the test signal transceiver can receive response signals from the second fibre-optic sensor through the second PON, wherein the fibre network further comprises a query signal splitter, for feeding a query signal, emitted by the test signal transceiver, into the first PON and the second PON simultaneously, and for feeding response signals from the first PON and second PON into the test signal transceiver, wherein the query signal splitter is optically connected to the test signal transceiver and to the first and second PONs such that the query signal splitter can feed one query signal, emitted by the test signal transceiver, into the first PON and the second PON simultaneously, and such that the query signal splitter can feed response signals from the first PON and second PON into the test signal transceiver,
wherein the query signal splitter is a power splitter, wherein the first and/or the second fibre-optic sensor is optically connected to the PON, which comprises the respective fibre-optic sensor, by a sensor fibre, wherein the sensor fibre comprises a reflector at a far end of the sensor fibre, and wherein the query signal splitter is a symmetric splitter and has a splitting ratio of 1:4, 1:8, 1:16, 1:32, of 1:64, or higher.

2. Fibre network according to claim 1 , wherein the first PON or the second PON is adapted such that the query signal and the first or second telecommunications signals travel in a same fibre of the first PON or the second PON over at least a segment of the fibre.

3. Fibre network according to claim 1 , wherein the query signal splitter is adapted to feed an optical query signal, emitted by the test signal transceiver, into the first PON with higher power than it feeds the optical query signal into the second PON.

4. Fibre network according to claim 1 , wherein the reflector is adapted to selectively reflect one or two wavelengths of light travelling in the sensor fibre.

5. Fibre network according to claim 1 , wherein the query signal has a specific wavelength spectrum, and wherein the reflector is adapted to selectively reflect light having wavelengths within the wavelength spectrum of the query signal, and transmit light having wavelengths outside the wavelength spectrum of the query signal.

6. Fibre network according to claim 1 , wherein the fibre network further comprises a signal coupling device, adapted such and optically arranged in the first PON or in the second PON such that the signal coupling device can feed a query signal into the sensor fibre towards the respective first or second fibre-optic sensor.

7. Fibre network according to claim 6 , wherein the signal coupling device is a wavelength-dependent signal coupling device or a wavelength division multiplexer (WDM).

8. Fibre network according to claim 1 , wherein the first or the second fibre-optic sensor is optically connected to the PON, which comprises the respective fibre-optic sensor, by a respective sensor fibre, and wherein the fibre-optic sensor comprises an actuator, adapted to deform at least a segment of the sensor fibre such, that the deformation of the sensor fibre causes a change in the optical attenuation of a query signal propagating in the sensor fibre.

9. Fibre network according to claim 1 , wherein the fibre-optic sensor is a passive sensor.

10. Fibre network according to claim 1 , wherein the test signal transceiver, the first PON and the second PON, the first and the second fibre-optic sensors and the query signal splitter are adapted such that the first fibre-optic sensor and the fibre-optic second sensor can be repeatedly interrogated by the test signal transceiver at time intervals of 10 seconds or less between two subsequent interrogations of the same fibre-optic sensor.

11. Fibre network according to claim 1 , comprising one or more further PONs, each further PON comprising a respective light source for generating respective telecommunication signals and comprising a respective fibre-optic sensor, wherein each further PON is adapted to transmit the respective telecommunication signals to a plurality of subscribers, and wherein each further PON is optically connected to the test signal transceiver such that query signals from the test signal transceiver can be fed into the further PON and propagate in the further PON to the respective fibre-optic sensor, and such that the test signal transceiver can receive response signals from the respective fibre-optic sensor, and wherein the query signal splitter is adapted for feeding a query signal, emitted by the test signal transceiver, into the first PON, the second PON and the further PON(s) simultaneously, and for feeding response signals from the first PON, the second PON and the further PON(s) into the test signal transceiver, and wherein the query signal splitter is optically connected to the test signal transceiver and to the first PON, the second PON and the further PON(s) such that the query signal splitter can feed a query signal, emitted by the test signal transceiver, into the first PON, the second PON and the further PON(s) simultaneously, and such that the query signal splitter can feed response signals from the first PON, the second PON and the further PON(s) into the test signal transceiver.

Assignees

• 3M Innovative Properties Co

Inventors

• Fink Johannes
• Bauer Manfred
• Lutterkordt Ulrich
• Bake Michael
• Denter Friedrich W
• Stieglitz Manfred
• Mansholt Michael

Classifications

• H04B10/071 Primary

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

• H04Q11/0067

  Provisions for optical access or distribution networks, e.g. Gigabit Ethernet Passive Optical Network (GE-PON), ATM-based Passive Optical Network (A-PON), PON-Ring · CPC title

• H04Q2011/0083

  Testing; Monitoring · CPC title

• H04J14/0227

  Operation, administration, maintenance or provisioning [OAMP] of WDM networks, e.g. media access, routing or wavelength allocation · CPC title

• H04Q2011/0016

  using wavelength multiplexing or demultiplexing · CPC title