System for testing passive optical lines

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9608720-B2
Application number	US-201314066084-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 29, 2013
Priority date	Oct 29, 2012
Publication date	Mar 28, 2017
Grant date	Mar 28, 2017

Abstract

An optical splitter assembly including a splitter housing, a passive optical power splitter positioned within the splitter housing and a plurality of splitter output pigtails that extend outwardly from the splitter housing. Each of the splitter output pigtails including an optical fiber structure having a first end optically coupled to the passive optical power splitter and a second end on which a fiber optic connector is mounted. Each of the splitter output pigtails having a different test characteristic such that the splitter output pigtails can be individually identified during optical network testing.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An optical splitter assembly comprising:
a splitter housing;
a passive optical power splitter positioned within the splitter housing; and
a plurality of splitter output pigtails that extend outwardly from the splitter housing, each one of the plurality of splitter output pigtails including an optical fiber structure having a first end optically coupled to the passive optical power splitter and a second end spliced inside a fiber optic connector to a fiber stub supported within a ferrule of the fiber optic connector, each one of the fiber stubs of the plurality of splitter output pigtails having a different fiber cut-off wavelength as compared to the other fiber stubs such that each one of the plurality of splitter output pigtails have a unique test characteristic and are individually identified during optical network testing.

2. The optical splitter assembly of claim 1 , wherein optical network testing is performed using an optical time domain reflectometer.

3. A system for testing an optical network, comprising:
a splitter housing;
a passive optical power splitter positioned within the splitter housing;
a plurality of splitter output pigtails that extend outwardly from the splitter housing, each of the splitter output pigtails including an optical fiber structure having a first end optically coupled to the passive optical power splitter and a second end spliced inside a fiber optic connector to a fiber stub supported within a ferrule of the fiber optic connector, each one of the fiber stubs of the plurality of splitter output pigtails having a different fiber cut-off wavelength as compared to the other fiber stubs such that each one of the plurality of splitter output pigtails have a unique test characteristic and are individually identified during optical network testing;
an optical time domain reflectometer coupled to a wavelength division multiplexer; and
a feeder fiber connected to the wavelength division multiplexer;
the optical time domain reflectometer transmitting a test signal through the wavelength division multiplexer and the feeder fiber, the test signal passing through the passive optical power splitter to allow the optical time domain reflectometer to continuously monitor each one of the plurality of splitter output pigtails.

4. A method of testing a fiber optic cable in the optical splitter assembly of claim 1 , the method comprising:
transmitting a test signal through a wavelength division multiplexer and down the fiber optic cable;
passing the test signal through a passive optical power splitter;
encountering a test characteristic via the test signal;
reflecting a signal back through the fiber optic cable via the test characteristic;
identifying the test characteristic using an optical time domain reflectometer;
identifying separately each one of a plurality of splitter output pigtails of the fiber optic cable from the test characteristic; and
monitoring continuously each one of the identified plurality of splitter output pigtails individually through the passive optical power splitter to determine the condition.

Assignees

• Adc Telecommunications Inc
• Commscope Technologies Llc

Inventors

• Smith Trevor D

Classifications

• H04B10/077 Primary

  using a supervisory or additional signal · CPC title

• H04B10/071 Primary

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

• G02B6/3849

  using mechanical protective elements, e.g. caps, hoods, sealing membranes (G02B6/3816 takes precedence; provisionally see H01R13/44) · CPC title

• G02B6/3502

  involving direct waveguide displacement, e.g. cantilever type waveguide displacement involving waveguide bending, or displacing an interposed waveguide between stationary waveguides · CPC title

• H04B10/073

  using an out-of-service signal (H04B10/071 takes precedence) · CPC title