Fiber optic telecommunications card with security detection

• US 8,913,898 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2013
• Issued: 12/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Oyster Optics, LLC
• Original Assignee: TQ Gamma LLC (Techquity Capital Management, LLC)
• Inventors: Snawerdt, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, DZUNG D
• Application Number:
  US13/759,650
• Publication Number:
  US 20130148957A1
• Time in Patent Office: 679 Days
• Field of Search: 398/135, 398150-152, 398/164, 398183-184, 398/186, 398/207
• US Class Current: 398/164
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/071 using a reflected signal, e.g. using optical time domain reflectometers [OTDR]
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/07955 Monitoring or measuring power
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/85 Protection from unauthorised access, e.g. eavesdrop protection

Abstract

A transceiver card for a telecommunications box for transmitting data over a first optical fiber and receiving data over a second optical fiber. The card has transmitter for transmitting data over the first optical fiber, the transmitter having a laser and a modulator, a fiber output optically connected to the laser for connecting the first optical fiber to the card, a fiber input for connecting the second optical fiber to the card, a receiver optically connected to the fiber input for receiving data from the second optical fiber, and an OTDR optically connected between the transmitter and the fiber output or between the receiver and the fiber input. An energy level detector is also provided between the receiver and the fiber input.

Claims

1. A transceiver card for a telecommunications box for transmitting data over a first optical fiber and receiving data over a second optical fiber, the transceiver card comprising:

a transmitter having a laser, a modulator, and a controller configured to receive input data and control the modulator to generate a first optical signal as a function of the input data;

a fiber output optically connected to the transmitter and configured to optically connect the first optical fiber to the transceiver card;

a receiver configured to receive a second optical signal from the second optical fiber and to convert the second optical signal to output data;

fiber input optically connected to the receiver and configured to optically connect the second optical fiber to the transceiver card; and

an energy level detector optically connected between the receiver and the fiber input to measure an energy level of the second optical signal, wherein the energy level detector includes a plurality of thresholds.

2. The transceiver card as recited in claim 1 wherein the energy level detector includes an OR gate.

3. The transceiver card as recited in claim 1 wherein the modulator is a phase modulator.

4. The transceiver card as recited in claim 3 wherein the second optical signal comprises a phase modulated optical signal.

5. The transceiver card as recited in claim 1 wherein the energy level detector includes a photodiode and a linear or logarithmic amplifier scaling an output of the photodiode.

6. The transceiver card as recited in claim 1 wherein the thresholds are programmable.

7. The transceiver card as recited in claim 1 wherein the energy level detector includes a detector controller capable of setting values for the thresholds.

8. The transceiver card as recited in claim 7 wherein the detector controller receives an indication of a threshold being crossed.

9. The transceiver card as recited in claim 1 wherein the plurality of thresholds bound an acceptable energy range for the received second optical signal.

10. The transceiver card as recited in claim 1 wherein the plurality of thresholds indicate a drop in amplitude of a phase-modulated signal.

11. The transceiver card as recited in claim 1 wherein the plurality of thresholds indicate an increase in an optical energy level.

12. The transceiver card as recited in claim 1 wherein the energy level detector measures optical power.

13. The transceiver card as recited in claim 1 further comprising a first splitter splitting the optical signal to the energy level detector, and a second splitter for an OTDR.

14. A transceiver card for a telecommunications box for transmitting data over a first optical fiber and receiving data over a second optical fiber, the transceiver card comprising:

a transmitter having a laser, a modulator, and a controller configured to receive input data and control the modulator to generate a first optical signal as a function of the input data;

a fiber output optically connected to the transmitter and configured to optically connect the first optical fiber to the transceiver card;

a receiver configured to receive a second optical signal from the second optical fiber and to convert the second optical signal to output data;

a fiber input optically connected to the receiver and configured to optically connect the second optical fiber to the transceiver card; and

an energy level detector configured to measure an energy level of the second optical signal, the energy level detector including a threshold indicating a drop in amplitude of the second optical signal.

15. The transceiver card of claim 14 wherein the energy level detector is optically connected between the receiver and the fiber input.

16. The transceiver card as recited in claim 14 wherein the energy level detector includes an OR gate.

17. The transceiver card as recited in claim 14 wherein the modulator is a phase modulator.

18. The transceiver card as recited in claim 14 wherein the second optical signal comprises a phase-modulated optical signal.

19. The transceiver card as recited in claim 14 wherein the energy level detector includes a photodiode and a linear or logarithmic amplifier scaling an output of the photodiode.

20. The transceiver card as recited in claim 14 wherein the threshold is programmable.

21. The transceiver card as recited in claim 14 wherein the energy level detector includes a detector controller capable of setting a value for the threshold.

22. The transceiver card as recited in claim 21 wherein the detector controller receives an indication of the threshold being crossed.

23. The transceiver card as recited in claim 14 wherein the plurality of thresholds bound an acceptable energy range for the received second optical signal.

24. The transceiver card as recited in claim 14 wherein the energy level detector measures optical power.

25. The transceiver card as recited in claim 14 further comprising a first splitter splitting the optical signal to the energy level detector, and a second splitter for an OTDR.