FUSION SPLICING DEVICE, THEFT SENSING SYSTEM OF FUSION SPLICING DEVICE, AND THEFT SENSING METHOD OF FUSION SPLICING DEVICE

• US 20200134997A1
• Filed: 07/05/2018
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SEI Optifrontier Co., Ltd. (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Original Assignee: SEI Optifrontier Co., Ltd. (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Inventors: OOKI, Kazuyoshi, SUZUKI, Takahiro
• Granted Patent: US 11,288,938 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/2551 using thermal methods, e.g. fusion welding by arc discharge, laser beam, plasma torch
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/2553 Splicing machines, e.g. optical fibre fusion splicer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/88 Detecting or preventing theft or loss
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2143 Clearing memory, e.g. to prevent the data from being stolen
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1427 with transmitter-receiver for distance detection
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/22 Electrical actuation
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 7/06 using electric transmission , e.g. involving audible and visible signalling through the use of sound and light sources
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic

Abstract

A fusion splicer is capable of sensing whether or not the fusion splicer is in a stolen state in cooperation with a theft sensing device. The fusion splicer includes an authentication processing unit that authenticates the theft sensing device, a storage unit that stores identification information of the theft sensing device subjected to authentication processing, a decision unit that decides whether or not the fusion splicer is in a stolen state based on a communication condition with respect to the theft sensing device, a locking unit that locks at least a part of functions of the fusion splicer when it is decided that the fusion splicer is in a stolen state, a releasing unit that temporarily releases the locked function of the fusion splicer, and an input unit that receives an input of a release ID for releasing the locked state.

Claims

1. A fusion splicer capable of sensing whether or not the fusion splicer is in a stolen state in cooperation with an external theft sensing device, the fusion splicer comprising:

an authentication processing unit that authenticates the theft sensing device to connect the fusion splicer and the theft sensing device to each other through a predetermined communication technique;

a storage unit that stores identification information of the theft sensing device subjected to authentication processing by the authentication processing unit;

a decision unit that decides whether or not the fusion splicer is in a stolen state based on a communication condition of the predetermined communication technique with respect to the theft sensing device;

a locking unit that locks at least a part of functions of the fusion splicer when the decision unit decides that the fusion splicer is in a stolen state;

a releasing unit that temporarily releases the function of the fusion splicer locked by the locking unit; and

an input unit that receives an input of a release ID for unlocking by the releasing unit,

wherein the releasing unit temporarily releases the locked state when the release ID input from the input unit corresponds to the identification information stored in the storage unit.

2. The fusion splicer according to claim 1, wherein the decision unit decides that the fusion splicer is in a stolen state when wireless communication from the theft sensing device through the predetermined communication technique is not able to be received for a predetermined time period.

3. The fusion splicer according to claim 1, wherein the storage unit executes processing of deleting or disabling the stored identification information of the theft sensing device after elapse of a predetermined time period.

4. The fusion splicer according to claim 1, wherein the locking unit locks the function of the fusion splicer again after the locked state is temporarily released by the releasing unit.

5. The fusion splicer according to claim 1, wherein the identification information of the theft sensing device is acquired during authentication of the theft sensing device by the authentication processing unit and is stored in the storage unit.

6. A theft sensing system for sensing a stolen state of a fusion splicer using a theft sensing device, the theft sensing system comprising:

an authentication processing unit that authenticates the fusion splicer to connect the fusion splicer and the theft sensing device to each other through a predetermined communication technique;

an acquisition unit that acquires wireless condition data regarding wireless connection with respect to the fusion splicer by the authentication processing unit;

a decision unit that decides whether or not the fusion splicer is in a stolen state based on a change in the wireless condition data acquired by the acquisition unit; and

a notification unit that issues a notification when the decision unit decides that the fusion splicer is in a stolen state.

7. The theft sensing system according to claim 6, further comprising:

a distance table that stores relationship data of at least one of a radiowave intensity and a response time between the fusion splicer and the theft sensing device and a distance between the fusion splicer and the theft sensing device,

wherein the decision unit calculates the distance between the fusion splicer and the theft sensing device based on at least one of the radiowave intensity and the response time stored in the distance table and decides whether or not the fusion splicer is in a stolen state based on a change in the distance.

8. The theft sensing system according to claim 7,

wherein the acquisition unit acquires data which is the wireless condition data of at least one of the radiowave intensity and the response time between the fusion splicer and the theft sensing device in a predetermined cycle, and

wherein the decision unit calculates the distance between the fusion splicer and the theft sensing device every time the wireless condition data is acquired and decides that the fusion splicer is in a stolen state when a state where the distance becomes longer than a distance acquired prior thereto continues.

9. The theft sensing system according to claim 6, further comprising:

a releasing unit to temporarily releases a locked state when it is decided that the fusion splicer is in a stolen state and a fusion mechanism of the fusion splicer is locked.

10. The theft sensing system according to claim 6, further comprising:

a position acquisition unit that acquires positional information of the fusion splicer when it is decided that the fusion splicer is in a stolen state.

11. A method for sensing theft of a fusion splicer using a theft sensing device, the theft sensing method comprising:

performing mutual authentication between the fusion splicer and the theft sensing device such that the fusion splicer and the theft sensing device are wirelessly connected to each other;

acquiring a reference value of wireless condition data between the fusion splicer and the theft sensing device which are wirelessly connected to each other;

acquiring the wireless condition data between the fusion splicer and the theft sensing device which are wirelessly connected to each other in a predetermined cycle after the reference value of the wireless condition data is acquired; and

deciding whether or not the fusion splicer is stolen based on the wireless condition data acquired in the predetermined cycle.

12. The theft sensing method according to claim 11, wherein in the deciding theft, a distance between the fusion splicer and the theft sensing device is calculated based on at least one of a radiowave intensity and a response time stored in a distance table with reference to the distance table storing relationship data of at least one of the radiowave intensity and the response time between the fusion splicer and the theft sensing device and the distance between the fusion splicer and the theft sensing device, and it is decided whether or not the fusion splicer is in a stolen state based on a change in the distance.

13. The theft sensing method according to claim 12,

wherein in the acquiring the wireless condition data in the predetermined cycle, data which is the wireless condition data of at least one of the radiowave intensity and the response time between the fusion splicer and the theft sensing device, is acquired in the predetermined cycle, and

wherein in the deciding theft, the distance between the fusion splicer and the theft sensing device is calculated every time the wireless condition data is acquired, and it is decided that the fusion splicer is in a stolen state when a state where the distance becomes longer than a distance acquired prior thereto continues.

14. The theft sensing method according to claim 11, wherein in the acquiring the reference value of the wireless condition data, at least one of the radiowave intensity and the response time between the fusion splicer and the theft sensing device is acquired.

15. The theft sensing method according to claim 11, further comprising:

acquiring positional information of the fusion splicer when it is decided that the fusion splicer is in a stolen state.