Monitoring optical decay in fiber connectivity systems

• US 10,050,703 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2015
• Issued: 08/14/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CommScope Technologies, LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: CommScope Technologies, LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Smith, Trevor D., Gronvall, Erik J., Badar, Timothy G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Payne, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): Barua, Pranesh
• Application Number:
  US14/976,056
• Publication Number:
  US 20160182148A1
• Time in Patent Office: 967 Days
• Field of Search: 398 38, 398 39
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/0793 Network aspects, e.g. central monitoring of transmission parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/07955 Monitoring or measuring power
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0066 Provisions for optical burst or packet networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2011/0083 Testing; Monitoring

Abstract

A tracking system includes a tracking arrangement including a processor, memory, and at least a first interface port; and one or more optical modules. Each optical module includes a housing having at least one input port, at least a first output port, and at least a first monitoring port. An optical power splitter arrangement and an optical receiver are disposed within the housing. The splitter arrangement splits optical signals received at the input port onto one or more output lines and one or more monitoring lines. The output lines are routed to the output ports and the monitoring lines are routed to the optical receiver. The optical receiver measures the power of optical signals received from the first monitoring line and provides a measurement signal to the first monitoring port of the housing.

Claims

1. An optical module through which optical signals are carried from at least one input line to a plurality of output lines, the optical module comprising:

a housing defining an interior, at least one input port at which the at least one input line is received, a plurality of output ports at which the output lines are received and from which the output lines are accessible from an exterior of the housing, and a single monitoring port that is separate from the input port and the output ports, wherein each output port is configured to read physical layer information from an optical connector plugged into the output port, wherein each output port is configured to direct the physical layer information to the single monitor port;

an optical power splitter arrangement disposed within the interior of the housing, the optical power splitter arrangement including at least one optical splitter, the optical power splitter arrangement being configured to split the optical signals received at the at least one input line onto the output lines and onto a plurality of monitoring lines;

at least one optical receiver arrangement disposed within the interior of the housing, the optical receiver arrangement being coupled to each of the monitoring lines, the optical receiver arrangement including at least one optical receiver, the optical receiver arrangement being configured to measure a power of optical signals received from the monitoring lines, the optical receiver arrangement also being configured to provide corresponding measurement signals to the single monitoring port of the housing; and

a circuit board disposed within the housing, the circuit board electrically connecting the receiver arrangement to the single monitoring port of the housing so that the measurement signals are accessible from the exterior of the housing through the single monitoring port.

2. The optical module of claim 1, wherein no more than 20% of the power of the optical signals are split onto the monitoring lines.

3. The optical module of claim 2, wherein no more than 10% of the power of the optical signals are split onto the monitoring lines.

4. The optical module of claim 3, wherein no more than 5% of the power of the optical signals are split onto the monitoring lines.

5. The optical module, of claim 4, wherein no more than 2% of the power of the optical signals are split onto the monitoring lines.

6. The optical module of claim 1, wherein electrical power is supplied to the optical receiver arrangement through the single monitoring port.

7. The optical module of claim 1, wherein the at least one optical splitter is coupled to all of the output lines and all of the monitoring lines.

8. The optical module of claim 1, wherein the optical receiver arrangement includes a plurality of optical receivers, each of the optical receivers receiving optical signals from a respective one of the monitoring lines.

9. The optical module of claim 1, wherein the at least one optical receiver is coupled to all of the monitoring lines.

10. A method of monitoring power decay in an optical module configured to be coupled to a physical layer information (PLI) management network, the optical module including a splitter arrangement and an optical receiver arrangement disposed therein, the method comprising:

electrically connecting the optical receiver arrangement of the optical module to the PLI management network via a single monitoring port of the optical module;

splitting an optical signal received at an input of the optical module into a plurality output signals and a plurality of monitoring signals via the splitter arrangement;

directing the output signals to output ports of the optical module, each output port being configured to read physical layer information from an optical connector plugged into the output port, and each output port being configured to direct the physical layer information to the single monitor port;

obtaining from the optical receiver arrangement power measurement readings corresponding with the monitoring signals;

communicating the power measurement readings from the optical module to the PLI management network via the single monitoring port;

storing the power measurement readings in memory storage; and

analyzing the power measurement readings to determine a decay rate.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the power measurement readings are stored and/or analyzed at components disposed within the optical module.

12. An optical module through which optical signals are carried from at least one input line to a plurality of output lines, the optical module comprising:

a housing defining an interior, at least one input port at which the at least one input line is received, a plurality of output ports at which the output lines are received and from which the output lines are accessible front an exterior of the housing, and a single monitoring port that is separate from the input port and the output ports;

an optical power splitter arrangement disposed within the interior of the housing, the optical power splitter arrangement including at least one optical splitter, the optical power splitter arrangement being configured to split the optical signals received at the at least one input line onto the output lines and onto a plurality of monitoring lines, the optical power splitter arrangement includes a plurality of optical splitters, each of the optical splitters splitting optical signals onto a respective one of the output lines and a respective one of the monitoring lines;

at least one optical receiver arrangement disposed within the interior of the housing, the optical receiver arrangement being coupled to each of the monitoring lines, the optical receiver arrangement including at least one optical receiver, the optical receiver arrangement being configured to measure a power of optical signals received from the monitoring lines, the optical receiver arrangement also being configured to provide corresponding measurement signals to the single monitoring port of the housing; and

a circuit board disposed within the housing, the circuit board electrically connecting the receiver arrangement to the single monitoring port of the housing so that the measurement signals are accessible from the exterior of the housing through the single monitoring port.