Monitoring fibers in an optical ribbon cable
First Claim
1. A system for monitoring the status of an optical cable, comprising:
- an optical cable, the optical cable including a jacket defining an interior, and at least one array of optical fibers within the interior, the at least one array including at least one monitor fiber and at least one other optical fiber,the at least one monitor fiber having a higher mechanical sensitivity to elevated mechanical stresses than the at least one other optical fiber;
at least one transmitter, the at least one transmitter in communication with the at least one monitor fiber, the transmitter operative to send a signal along the at least one monitor fiber;
at least one receiver, the at least one receiver in communication with the at least one monitor fiber, the receiver operative to receive the signal from the at least one monitor fiber; and
an alarm operative to indicate an increased attenuation of the signal, the alarm being in communication with the at least one receiver,the increased attenuation of the signal along the at least one monitor fiber being indicative of the status of the optical cable.
2 Assignments
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system for monitoring an optical cable includes a cable having monitor fibers solely for monitoring cable status. The monitor fibers may be fibers selected from optical fibers having a higher mechanical sensitivity to mechanical stresses than other fibers in the cable, which may attenuate earlier than the other fibers in the event of cable degradation. The monitor fibers may be in communication with a transmitter and receiver, for transmitting and receiving a monitor signal. The receiver may be in communication with an alarm, the alarm being operative to send an alert signal when an increased attenuation is detected from the monitor signal, the increased attenuation being indicative of the status of the optical cable.
19 Citations
29 Claims
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1. A system for monitoring the status of an optical cable, comprising:
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an optical cable, the optical cable including a jacket defining an interior, and at least one array of optical fibers within the interior, the at least one array including at least one monitor fiber and at least one other optical fiber, the at least one monitor fiber having a higher mechanical sensitivity to elevated mechanical stresses than the at least one other optical fiber; at least one transmitter, the at least one transmitter in communication with the at least one monitor fiber, the transmitter operative to send a signal along the at least one monitor fiber; at least one receiver, the at least one receiver in communication with the at least one monitor fiber, the receiver operative to receive the signal from the at least one monitor fiber; and an alarm operative to indicate an increased attenuation of the signal, the alarm being in communication with the at least one receiver, the increased attenuation of the signal along the at least one monitor fiber being indicative of the status of the optical cable. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. An optical cable having status monitoring fibers, comprising:
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a jacket defining an interior; and at least one array of optical fibers within the interior, the array including at least one monitor fiber and at least one other optical fiber, the at least one monitor fiber having a higher mechanical sensitivity to elevated mechanical stresses than the at least one other optical fiber. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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Specification