Sub-sea fiber optic cable location apparatus with a plurality of transponder means

• US 4,956,550 A
• Filed: 01/13/1989
• Issued: 09/11/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Oxley Developments Company Ltd. (Oxley International, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Oxley Developments Company Ltd. (Oxley International, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tebble, Robert S., Edwards, Geoffrey S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nelms, David C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Messinger, Michael
• Application Number:
  US07/296,785
• Time in Patent Office: 606 Days
• Field of Search: 250/227, 250/227.15, 356/73.1, 455/600, 455/601, 455/7617, 455/606, 455/607, 350/96.29, 350/96.15
• US Class Current: 250/227.15
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/725 Marker, boundary, call-sign or like beacons transmitting signals not carrying directional information
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4469 Security aspects

Abstract

A sub-sea fiber-optic cable location indication apparatus wherein a small portion of a light signal carried by a main optical fiber cable is tapped off and is used to trigger or control a parameter of an electromagnetic, or acoustic signal radiated by a transponder carried by the main cable.

Claims

1. In a sub-sea optical fiber system having a main optical fiber cable, an apparatus used in searching for location of the cable, comprising:

(a) means, disposed at a plurality of predetermined locations on said main optical fiber cable, each for tapping off a small portion of a light signal carried by said main optical fiber cable; and

(b) a plurality of transponder means, each for radiating a signal, each being disposed on said main optical fiber cable at respective ones of said predetermined locations and each including

(i) means for converting the tapped off small portion of the light signal into an electrical signal for activating said transponder means, and

(ii) means, responsive to said electrical signal, for controlling the radiation of the signal from said transponder means, said control means being activated only upon receipt of a predetermined coded instruction in said tapped portion of the light signal whereby, of the plurality of transponder means disposed on said main optical fiber cable, only selected ones of the plurality of transponder means in a region of the cable being searched need be activated.

2. In a sub-sea optical fiber system having at least one main optical fiber cable, an apparatus used in searching for location of the cable, comprising:

(a) means, disposed at a plurality of predetermined locations on said main optical fiber cable, each for tapping off a small portion of a light signal carried by said main optical fiber cable; and

(b) a plurality of transponder means, each for radiating a signal, each being disposed on said main optical fiber cable at respective ones of said predetermined locations and each including

(i) means for converting the tapped off small portion of the light signal into an electrical sign for activating said transponder means, and

(ii) means, responsive to said electrical signal, for controlling the radiation of the signals from said transponder means, said control means being activated only upon receipt of a predetermined coded instruction in said tapped portion of the light signal whereby, of the plurality of transponder means disposed on said main optical fiber cable, only one transponder means ina region of the cable being searched need be activated.

3. In a sub-sea optical fiber system having at least one main optical fiber cable, an apparatus used in searching for location of the cable, comprising:

(a) means, disposed at a plurality of predetermined locations on said main optical fiber cable, each for tapping off a small portion of a light signal carried by said main optical fiber cable; and

(b) a plurality of transponder means, for each radiating a signal, each being disposed on said main optical fiber cable at respective ones of said predetermined locations and each including

(i) means for converting the tapped off small portion of the light signal into an electrical signal for activating said transponder means, and

(ii) means, responsive to said electrical signal, for controlling the radiation of the signal from said transponder means, said control means being activated only upon receipt of predetermined coded instructions in said tapped portion of the light signal whereby, of the plurality of transponder means disposed on said main optical fiber cable, only selected groups of the transponder means in a region of cable being searched need be activated.

4. In a sub-sea optical fiber system having at least one main optical fiber cable, an apparatus used in searching for location of the cable, comprising:

(a) means, disposed at a plurality of predetermined locations on said main optical fiber cable, each for tapping off small portion of a light signal carried by said main optical fiber cable; and

(b) a plurality of transponder means, each for radiating a sonar signal, each being disposed on said main optical fiber at respective ones of said predetermined locations and each including;

(i) means for converting the tapped off portion of the light signal into an electrical signal for activating said transponder means, and

(ii) means, responsive to said electrical signal, for controlling the radiation of the signal from the plurality of transponder means, activated only upon receipt of a predetermined coded instruction in said tapped portion of the light signal whereby, of the plurality of transponder means disposed on said main optical fiber cable, only selected ones of the plurality of transponder means in a region of the cable being searched need be activated.

5. In a sub-sea optical fiber system having at least one main optical fiber cable, an apparatus used in searching for location of the cable, comprising:

(a) means, disposed at a plurality of predetermined locations on said main optical fiber cable, each for tapping off small portions of a light signal carried by said main optical fiober cable; and

(b) a plurality of transponder means, each for radiating electromagnetic signals, each being disposed on said main optical fiber cable at respective ones of said predetermined locations and each including

(i) means for converting the tapped off portion of the light signal into an electrical signal for activating said transponder means, and

(ii) means, responsive to said electrical signal, for controlling the radiation of the signal from said transponder means, said control means being activated only upon receipt of a predetermined coded instruction in said tapped portion of the light signal whereby, of the plurality of transponder means disposed on said main optical fiber cable only selected ones of the plurality of transponder means in a region of the cable need be activated.

6. In a sub-sea optical fiber system having at least one main optical fiber cable, an apparatus used in searching for location of the cable, comprising:

(a) a plurality of means, disposed at a plurality of predetermined locations on said main optical fiber cable, each for tapping off a small portion of a light signal carried by said main optical fiber cable, each of the plurality of tapping off means including a member about which said main optical fiber cable is bent at each of said predetermined locations in an arcuate path such that a portion of the light signal carried by said main optical fiber cable emerges from the cable at the bend but the majority of the signal negotiates the bend and passes on along said main optical fiber cable, and a subsidiary optical fiber disposed substantially normal to the bend and into which the tapped off portion ofthe light signal leaks;

(b) a plurality of transponder means, each for radiating signals, each being disposed on said main optical fiber cable at respective ones of said predetermined locations each including;

(i) means for converting the tapped off portion of the light signal into an electrical signal for activating the transponder means, and

(c) means, responsive to said electrical signal for controlling the radiation of the signal from said transponder means, said control means being activated only upon receipt of a predetermined coded instruction in said tapped portion of the light signal whereby, of the plurality of transponder means disposed on said main optical fiber cable, only selected ones of the pluralitty of transponder means in a region of the cable being searched need be activated.