Monitoring optical decay in fiber connectivity systems
First Claim
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.
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Accused Products
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.
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Citations
12 Claims
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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:
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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. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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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:
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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. - View Dependent Claims (11)
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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:
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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.
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Specification