Fibre-optic enclosure having transceiving means operable to generate and receive optical signals

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9544066-B2
Application number	US-201314442282-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 15, 2013
Priority date	Dec 4, 2012
Publication date	Jan 10, 2017
Grant date	Jan 10, 2017

Abstract

Passive fibre-optic enclosure comprising, a) one or more fibre-optic functional units of a telecommunication network, optically connectable, via an optical fibre, with a central network unit, for receiving telecommunication signals for one or more subscribers via the optical fibre from the central network unit, characterized in that the enclosure further comprises, on the inside of the enclosure, b) transceiving means, which is operable to generate first optical signals using electrical energy, which is operable to receive optical response signals from the central network unit, which is optically connectable to the optical fibre such that the first optical signals can be transmitted by the optical fibre to the central network unit, and such that optical response signals can be transmitted by the optical fibre from the central network unit to the transceiving means.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. Passive fibre-optic enclosure comprising, on an inside of the enclosure,
a) one or more fibre-optic functional units of a telecommunication network, optically connectable, via an optical fibre, with a central network unit, for receiving telecommunication signals for one or more subscribers via the optical fibre from the central network unit,
characterized in that the enclosure further comprises, on the inside of the enclosure,
b) transceiving means,
operable to generate first optical signals using electrical energy,
operable to receive optical response signals from the central network unit,
optically connectable to the optical fibre such that the first optical signals can be transmitted by the optical fibre to the central network unit, and such that optical response signals can be transmitted by the optical fibre from the central network unit to the transceiving means, and
adapted to receive the electrical energy for generating the first optical signals from the outside of the enclosure in a contactless manner.

2. Enclosure according to claim 1 , wherein the electrical energy for generating the first optical signals is transmitted from the outside of the enclosure to the transceiving means as an electromagnetic wave, and wherein the electromagnetic wave comprises further information.

3. Enclosure according to claim 1 , wherein the transceiving means comprises a coil for inductively receiving electrical energy from the outside of the enclosure.

4. Enclosure according to claim 1 , wherein the transceiving means comprises a first receiver for receiving response signals from the central network unit, and a second receiver for receiving further information from the outside of the enclosure in a contactless manner.

5. Enclosure according to claim 1 , wherein the first optical signals comprise identification information or authentication information, and wherein the optical response signals comprise authentication confirmation information.

6. Enclosure according to claim 1 , wherein the transceiving means comprises a light-emitting diode or a laser for generating the first optical signals, and wherein the transceiving means comprises a photo receiver for receiving the optical response signals.

7. Enclosure according to claim 1 , wherein the fibre-optic functional unit(s) comprise(s) a fibre-optic splitter, a fibre-optic splitter module, a fibre-optic splice, a fibre-optic splice tray, a fibre-optic connector, a fibre-optic connector module, or a fibre-optic connector storage device.

8. Enclosure according to claim 1 , wherein the enclosure further comprises a lockable and unlockable door, operable to provide access to an interior of the enclosure from the outside, and a locking device, operable to unlock the door using electrical energy,
wherein the transceiving means is operable to communicate with the locking device such as to cause the locking device to unlock the door.

9. Powering device, comprising electrical energy storage means, the powering device being operable to transmit electrical energy from the energy storage means, in a contactless manner, to the transceiving means of an enclosure according to claim 1 , which electrical energy can be used by the transceiving means to generate the first optical signals.

10. Powering device according to claim 9 , operable to transmit identification information, authentication request information, or other information to the transceiving means.

11. Powering device according to claim 9 , wherein the electrical energy for generating the first optical signals is transmitted as an electromagnetic wave, and wherein the electromagnetic wave comprises identification information or authentication request information or other information.

12. Enclosure according to claim 8 , wherein the transceiving means is adapted to receive electrical energy for unlocking the door from the outside of the enclosure in a contactless manner, and to transmit the electrical energy for unlocking the door to the locking device.

13. Enclosure according to claim 8 , wherein the transceiving means is operable to cause the locking device to unlock the door, based on information comprised in the optical response signals received from the central network unit.

14. Method of unlocking a door of a passive fibre-optic enclosure, comprising, in this sequence, the steps of
a) providing an enclosure according to claim 8 , and a powering device,
b) operating the powering device to transmit electrical energy and identification information or authentication request information from the powering device, to the transceiving means in a contactless manner,
c) operating the transceiving means to receive the electrical energy, to generate first optical signals comprising the identification information or authentication request information, and to transmit the first optical signals through the optical fibre to a central network unit,
d) operating the transceiving means to receive optical response signals from the central network unit,
e) operating the transceiving means to communicate with the locking device such as to cause the locking device to unlock the door, based on information comprised in the optical response signals received from the central network unit.

Assignees

• 3M Innovative Properties Co

Inventors

• Fink Johannes
• Weinmann Christian
• Eggert Sebastian
• Bauer Manfred

Classifications

• H04B3/44

  Arrangements for feeding power to a repeater along the transmission line · CPC title

• H04B10/808 Primary

  Electrical power feeding of an optical transmission system · CPC title

• H04B10/25752

  Optical arrangements for wireless networks · CPC title