Electrically traceable and identifiable fiber optic cables and connectors

• US 7,920,764 B2
• Filed: 05/02/2008
• Issued: 04/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Telescent Inc.
• Original Assignee: Anthony Stephen Kewitsch
• Inventors: Kewitsch, Anthony Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): Lepisto; Ryan
• Assistant Examiner(s): TAVLYKAEV, ROBERT FUATOVICH
• Application Number:
  US12/114,117
• Publication Number:
  US 20080273844A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,068 Days
• Field of Search: 385/101, 340/500, 340/505, 340/310.11, 398115-117, 398/113
• US Class Current: 385/101
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3895 identification of connection, e.g. right plug to the right socket or full engagement of the mating parts keying element on the plug or adapter G02B6/3831; keying element on the ferrule G02B6/3851; keying element for electrical connection H01R13/64
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/562 locatable, e.g. using magnetic means

Abstract

Composite fiber optic cables having exposed, conductive traces external to the cable jacket enable non-invasive, wireless electrical tone tracing of fiber optic cables. The cross sectional geometry of the fiber optic cable prevents conductive traces from short circuiting when abutting other cables or grounded conductive elements. Moreover, the structure allows convenient electrical contact to the conductive traces at any location along the longitudinal extent of the cable without requiring penetration of the cable jacket or removal of fiber optic connectors. Traceable fiber optic cables of various types are disclosed, including simplex, duplex and ribbon cables. Systems of traceable cables utilizing connectors with integrated electrical antenna elements attached to the conductive elements of cable and RFID tags for remote connector port identification are further disclosed.

Claims

1. In an electronic system used within a communication network which has fiber optic cables interfacing a central patching unit at proximal ends of the cables and remote transmission equipment at distal ends of the cables, an arrangement for determining and updating inventories of physical fiber optic cable connections in the network, the arrangement comprising:

a multiplicity of composite fiber optic cables each having a jacket with at least one internal plenum and extending between the proximal and distal ends, each cable receiving at least one optical fiber within the jacket, and also including at least one conductive element along its length, and further including first fiber optic connectors at the proximal ends thereof, and second fiber optic connectors at the distal ends thereof, wherein

each first fiber optic connector includes a first electrical antenna element;

each second fiber optic connector includes a second electrical antenna element, each first and second antenna element being coupled to a corresponding electrical conductive element for efficiently coupling electromagnetic signals bi-directionally along the conductive element between the proximal and the distal ends of the fiber optic cables; and

wherein

each first fiber optic connector optically interfaces a different one of the cables to the central patching unit, and each first electrical elements each inductively couples a different one of the cables to the central patching unit;

a number of passive radio frequency identification tag sources, each tag source disposed adjacent a different one of the second fiber optic connectors in the communication network, each tag source being electromagnetically coupled to a corresponding second antenna element thereof, and each tag source including a tag antenna element and an integrated circuit responsive to a received alternating electrical signal and emitting a characteristic electromagnetic signature for that connection in the network; and

an electronic control unit with reader antenna elements coupled to the first electrical antenna elements of composite fiber optic cables at their proximal ends for transmission of signals along the cables to their distal ends, said control unit including a transmission subsystem for addressing and launching excitation voltage signals of radio frequency onto the proximal end of any selected conductive element, said excitation signals being of sufficient strength at least one of the second electrical antenna elements to energize the corresponding passive radio frequency identification tag source at the addressed second fiber optic connector in the network such that the tag source emits a characteristic electromagnetic signature for bi-directional transmission via the tag source, second and first electrical antenna elements back to the connector at the proximal end for reception by the electronic control unit, whereby electromagnetic signatures as to a status of the remote transmission equipment thereat can be identified and correlated with an inventory of physical fiber optic connections.

2. An electronic system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the characteristic electromagnetic signature is in a frequency range from 1 KHz to 10 GHz and wherein each radio frequency identification tag has a unique electronic identifier.

3. A fiber optic patch cable system for use in circuits, in which couplings are made between a first end point and a second end point, the system transmitting an optical signal and an electrical signal between said end points, wherein the couplings at the end points comprise connectors terminating at the first end point and at the second end point and providing low loss transmission of the optical signal to a mating connection, the system also including an electrical coil means for efficiently radiating the electrical signal into free space at the first end point and at the second end point to extend a readout range of a radio frequency identification tag responsive to the electrical signal, the system comprising:

a length of a composite fiber optic cable joining the two end points, the composite fiber optic cable including at least one optical fiber and at least one electrical conductor, both the at least one optical fiber and conductor lying co-extensively along the length of the cable;

a first connector at the first end point of the cable, the first connector having a ferrule with internal optical contacts, the ferrule circumferentially surrounding one or more optical fibers, the first connector including a first electrical coil with electrical contacts attached to the electrical conductor thereby enabling both low loss transmission of the optical signal across a connection interface and connection of the electrical signal to an external RF identification tag reader;

a terminating connector disposed at the second end point of the cable and including a second ferrule having internal optical contacts and circumferentially surrounding the one or more optical fibers, the terminating connector including a second electrical coil attached to the one or more electrical conductors, such that the optical contacts of the second ferrule enable the low loss transmission of optical signals and the first and second electrical coils produce time-varying electromagnetic fields in a vicinity of the connectors of sufficient strength at the first connector to wirelessly couple to and read out a unique electronic signature of a radio identification tag situated in a vicinity of the terminating connector.

4. A patch cable system in accordance with claim 3, wherein the electrical coil means comprises a flexible, elastomeric boot surrounding the cable at a location where an end point of the cable enters a housing body of the connector.

5. A patch cable system in accordance with claim 4, wherein the elastomeric boot is molded about an electrical coil wire comprising the coil and a diameter of the wire is in the range of 0.2-0.5 mm.

6. A system for tracing locations of electronic units that process signals from optical waveguides, the units being separately identified by passive radio frequency identification (RFID) tags proximate thereto, the system further including a multiplicity of optical fiber lines coupled individually to different units at distal locations from the system and having connectors at each end, the system comprising:

a plurality of conductive elements, each disposed along a length of a different one of the optical fiber lines, but separate therefrom along the length thereof to the distal locations;

a plurality of electrical coils each individually disposed on, and electrically coupled, to a distal end of a different one of the plurality of conductive elements;

a central operating system comprising an electric power transmitter and a multiplexer coupling the transmitter separately to each conductive element;

a plurality of passive electrical coil circuits each coupled to a different one of the conductive elements at a distal location and including a different RFID tag thereat and responsive thereto, the power transmitted from the central operating system being sufficient to excite the passive RFID tags and to generate an identification response of sufficient power to be returned bi-directionally to the central operating system as to a unit status at that distal location wherein the central operating system further includes a radio frequency tag reader coupled to the multiplexer system for receiving the returned RFID tags and establishing a status of each unit in an inventory.

7. A system as set forth in claim 6 above, wherein the conductive elements are disposed along associated optical fiber lines in configurations which present external surface segments of a conductive material therealong, and wherein the system includes a probe means for engaging the surface conductive segments to excite RF signals therein at selected locations along the lengths of the lines.

8. A system as set forth in claim 6 above, wherein the transmitter exciting the conductive elements provides a power output of more than 0.5 dB per km of cable, and wherein a return signal from the RFID tag is less than 0.05 mW.

9. A miniaturized signal exchange circuit for use in enabling individual RF queries and responses to be provided on each of a plurality of individual conductors disposed along with individual different optical fiber cables with connectors, the signal exchange circuit comprising:

a common source providing RF signals in a network coupled by different conductors to remote terminals;

an individual RFID tag for each remote terminal;

a source antenna element connected to the common source through a source conductor pair and an electronic multiplexer;

a first antenna element of a diametrical dimension compatible with an optical fiber connector to which it is attached and receiving an RF signal when in proximity to the source antenna;

a second antenna element of a diametrical dimension compatible with the optical fiber connector to which it is attached and connected to the first antenna element through the conductor pair disposed longitudinally along an optical fiber cable;

a remote antenna element positioned at a selected remote terminal adjacent to and in an operative signal coupling relation with the second antenna element when in proximity to one another, the remote antenna element being compatible in dimension with the source antenna element, and

an integrated circuit element adjacent to and electrically coupled to the remote antenna element and deriving power therefrom in response to signals propagated sequentially through the source antenna element to the first antenna element and conducted to the second antenna element, the signals exceeding a selected threshold level so as to generate a unique electronic identifier signal propagating back sequentially through the remote antenna element to the second antenna element, conducted to the first antenna element and propagated to the source antenna element, thereby returning the unique electronic identifier signal to the common source to provide a response to an individual RF query.

10. A circuit in accordance with claim 9, wherein the source, first, second and remote antenna elements have a co-axial loop configuration.

11. A circuit in accordance with claim 9 above, wherein the RF signal received by the first antenna element is at a frequency of approximately 125 kHz and wherein the antenna elements are miniaturized by selecting an inductance in the range from 0.1 to 10 mili-Henries and a capacitance in the range from 0.1 to 10 nano-Farads.

12. A circuit in accordance with claim 9 above, wherein the RF signal received at the first antenna element is limited in power to a level sufficient to energize the integrated circuit element locally without energizing adjacent signal exchange circuits in the network.