Optical signal measurement device

• US 8,591,126 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2011
• Issued: 11/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Lawter, Timothy E., Mills, Robert H., Myrland, Gary E., XIA, Tiejun J., Wellbrock, Glenn A.
• Primary Examiner(s): KIANNI, KAVEH C
• Application Number:
  US13/100,729
• Publication Number:
  US 20110205533A1
• Time in Patent Office: 937 Days
• Field of Search: 385/89, 385/14
• US Class Current: 385/89
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/07955 Monitoring or measuring power

Abstract

A device connects to a male network connector of a network conduit, and connects to a female network connector of the network conduit. The female network connector is capable of communicating with the male network connector. The device also measures outputs of the male network connector and the female network connector.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, using a first receiver head of a measurement device, a male network connector of a network conduit;

receiving, using a male connector of a second receiver head of the measurement device, a female network connector of the network conduit;

measuring, using a first detector of the measurement device, an output of the male network connector,

the first detector being connected to the first receiver head;

measuring, using a second detector of the measurement device, an output of the female network connector,

the second detector being connected to the male connector of the measurement device via a conduit of the measurement device,

the output of the female network connector being provided to the second detector via the conduit of the measurement device,

the conduit of the measurement device being rewound in a first direction, using a pulley of the measurement device, after the conduit of the measurement device has been extended to connect the male connector to the female network connector,

the conduit of the measurement device being unwound in a second direction, opposite the first direction, using the pulley after the conduit of the measurement has been rewound; and

providing for display, by the measurement device, information regarding the measured output of the male network connector and information regarding the measured output of the female network connector.

2. The method of claim 1, where the measured output of the male network connector and the measured output of the female network connector correspond to measured outputs,

the method further comprising at least one of:

storing the measured outputs using the measurement device;

or

transmitting the measured outputs using the measurement device.

3. The method of claim 1, where the measured output of the male network connector and the measured output of the female network connector correspond to measured outputs,

the method further comprising at least one of:

comparing the measured outputs using the measurement device;

or

performing a statistical analysis on the measured outputs using the measurement device.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising at least one of:

providing for display, using the measurement device, results of the comparison or the statistical analysis;

storing, using the measurement device, results of the comparison or the statistical analysis;

or

transmitting, using the measurement device, results of the comparison or the statistical analysis.

5. The method of claim 3, where performing the statistical analysis on the measured outputs comprises:

statistically comparing the measured outputs of the male network connector and the female network connector to measured outputs of connectors of one or more other conduits.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

simultaneously measuring the output of the male network connector and the output of the female network connector,

where simultaneously measuring the output of the male network connector and the output of the female network connector comprises;

simultaneously measuring optical powers of the male network connector and the female network connector with the first detector and the second detector.

11. The method of claim 1, where at least one the first detector or the second detector comprises at least one of:

a photon detector;

a thermal detector;

a photoconductive detector;

a photovoltaic detector;

or

a photoemissive detector.

7. A device comprising:

a first receiver head to receive a first network connector of a conduit;

a connector, of a second receiver head of the device, to receive a second network connector of the conduit;

a first detector, connected to the first receiver head, to measure an output of the first network connector;

a second detector, connected to the connector of the second receiver head via a conduit of the device, to measure an output of the second network connector;

a pulley to;

rewind, in a first direction, the conduit of the device after the conduit of the device has been extended to connect the connector of the second receiver head to the second network connector, and

unwind, in a second direction opposite the first direction, the conduit of the device after the conduit of the device has been rewound; and

a processor to provide, for display, information regarding the measured output of the first network connector and information regarding the measured output of the second network connector.

8. The device of claim 7, where the processor further is to:

receive, as measured outputs, the measured output of the first network connector and the measured output of the second network connector, and at least one of;

compare the measured outputs, or

perform a statistical analysis on the measured outputs.

9. The device of claim 8, where the processor further is to at least one of:

provide, for display, results of the comparison or the statistical analysis;

store the measured outputs or store results of the comparison or the statistical analysis;

or

transmit the measured outputs or transmit results of the comparison or the statistical analysis.

10. The device of claim 8, where, when performing the statistical analysis on the measured outputs, the processor further is to:

statistically compare the measured outputs to measured outputs of connectors of one or more other conduits.

12. The device of claim 7, where the processor is further to:

cause the output of the first network connector and the output of the second network connector to be simultaneously measured,

when causing the output of the first network connector and the output of the second network connector to be simultaneously measured, the processor is to;

cause optical powers of the first network connector and the second network connector to be simultaneously measured using the first detector and the second detector.

13. The device of claim 7, where at least one of the first detector or the second detector comprises at least one of:

a photon detector;

a thermal detector;

a photoconductive detector

a photovoltaic detector;

or

a photoemissive detector.

14. A system comprising:

a device to;

receive, using a first receiver head of the device, a first network connector of a conduit;

receive, using a connector of a second receiver head of the device, a second network connector of the conduit;

measure, using a first detector of the device, an output of the first network connector, the first detector being connected to the first receiver head;

measure, using a second detector of the device, an output of the second network connector,

the second detector being connected to the connector, of the second receiver head, via a conduit of the device,

the conduit of the device being rewound in a first direction, using a pulley of the device, after the conduit of the device has been extended to connect the connector, of the second receiver head, to the second network connector,

the conduit of the device being unwound in a second direction, opposite the first direction, using the pulley after the conduit of the device has been rewound; and

provide, for display, information regarding the measured output of the first network connector and information regarding the measured output of the second network connector.

15. The system claim 14, where the measured output of the first network connector and the measured output of the second network connector correspond to measured outputs, and

where the device is further to at least one of:

store the measured outputs;

or

transmit the measured outputs.

16. The system of claim 14, where the measured output of the first network connector and the measured output of the second network connector correspond to measured outputs, and

where the device is further to at least one of:

compare the measured outputs;

or

perform a statistical analysis on the measured outputs.

17. The system of claim 16, where, when performing the statistical analysis, the device is to:

statistically compare the measured outputs to measured outputs of connectors of one or more other conduits.

18. The system of claim 16, where the device is further to at least one of:

provide, for display, results of the comparison or the statistical analysis;

store results of the comparison or the statistical analysis;

or

transmit results of the comparison or the statistical analysis.

19. The system of claim 14, where the device is further to:

simultaneously measure the output of the first network connector and the output of the second network connector,

where, when simultaneously measuring the output of the first network connector and the output of the second network connector, the device is to;

simultaneously measure optical powers of the first network connector and the second network connector with the first detector and the second detector.

20. The system of claim 14, where at least one of the first detector or the second detector comprises at least one of:

a photon detector;

a thermal detector;

a photoconductive detector

a photovoltaic detector;

or

a photoemissive detector.