Testing a fiber link in a communication system without interrupting service

• US 20040175171A1
• Filed: 03/07/2003
• Published: 09/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Services Corporation (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Kokkinos, Dimitrios S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,561,798 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 398/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/00 Transmission systems employing electromagnetic waves other than radio-waves, e.g. infrared, visible or ultraviolet light, or employing corpuscular radiation, e.g. quantum communication

Abstract

There is provided a method for testing an optical fiber link. The method includes employing a wavelength division multiplexer (WDM) to receive a signal via a port of the WDM and multiplex the signal onto the optical fiber link. The signal is used in a test of the optical fiber link. There is also provided an arrangement of components for testing the fiber link.

Claims

1. A method for testing an optical fiber link, comprising:

employing a wavelength division multiplexer (WDM) to receive a signal via a port of said WDM and multiplex said signal onto said optical fiber link,

wherein said signal is used in a test of said optical fiber link.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein said port is a first port and said signal is a test signal, and

wherein said WDM receives a communication signal via a second port of said WDM and multiplexes said communication signal onto said optical fiber link, concurrently with said test.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said test signal is in a first optical window and said communication signal is in a second optical window.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said communication signal is selected from the group consisting of a synchronous optical network (SONET) signal, and a dense wave division multiplexing (DWDM) signal.

5. The method of claim 1,

wherein said WDM is a first WDM, and

wherein said method further comprises employing a second WDM to demultiplex said signal from said optical fiber link and output said signal via a port of said second WDM.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said test is performed for a length of said optical fiber link between said first WDM and said second WDM.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said test includes demultiplexing said signal from said optical fiber link and measuring optical power of said demultiplexed signal.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said test comprises determining a characteristic of said optical fiber link selected from the group consisting of optical time domain reflectometry (OTDR), optical loss (OL), optical return loss (ORL), fiber microbending, temperature induced cable loss (TICL), polarization mode dispersion (PMD), and chromatic dispersion.

9. An arrangement for testing an optical fiber link, comprising:

a wavelength division multiplexer (WDM) for receiving a signal via a port of said WDM and multiplexing said signal onto said optical fiber link,

wherein said signal is used in a test of said optical fiber link.

10. The arrangement of claim 9,

wherein said port is a first port and said signal is a test signal, and

wherein said WDM is also for receiving a communication signal via a second port of said WDM and multiplexing said communication signal onto said optical fiber link, concurrently with said test.

11. The arrangement of claim 10, wherein said test signal is in a first optical window and said communication signal is in a second optical window.

12. The arrangement of claim 10, wherein said communication signal is selected from the group consisting of a synchronous optical network (SONET) signal, and a dense wave division multiplexing (DWDM) signal.

13. The arrangement of claim 9,

wherein said WDM is a first WDM, and

wherein said arrangement further comprises a second WDM for demultiplexing said signal from said optical fiber link and outputting said signal via a port of said second WDM.

14. The arrangement of claim 13, wherein said test is performed for a length of said optical fiber link between said first WDM and said second WDM.

15. The arrangement of claim 9, wherein said test includes demultiplexing said signal from said optical fiber link and measuring optical power of said demultiplexed signal.

16. The arrangement of claim 9, wherein said test comprises determining a characteristic of said optical fiber link selected from the group consisting of optical time domain reflectometry (OTDR), optical loss (OL), optical return loss (ORL), fiber microbending, temperature induced cable loss (TICL), polarization mode dispersion (PMD), and chromatic dispersion.

17. A method for testing an optical fiber link, comprising:

employing a wavelength division multiplexer (WDM) to couple a test signal between a first port of said WDM and said optical fiber link, and to couple a communication signal between a second port of said WDM and said optical fiber link,

wherein said test signal is used in a test of said optical fiber link.

18. An arrangement for testing an optical fiber link, comprising:

a wavelength division multiplexer (WDM) for coupling a test signal between a first port of said WDM and said optical fiber link, and coupling a communication signal between a second port of said WDM and said optical fiber link,

wherein said test signal is used in a test of said optical fiber link.