Ciena Corporation

Georgia Tech Research Corporation

Iqbal Mahmud Dar

Andrei Csipkes

George J Vachtsevanos

Michael J Ransford

David A Schwarten

Bryan Coin

Chao Jiang

Mila Obradovic

Qiong Zhan

Waqar Mahmood

John F Floyd

Joseph A Schmukler

Glen D Porter

Jerome Humberson

Dean Michael Cymek

Kimberly E Newman

Erin Sahinci

A camera system and automated translation system allows automatic image capture of a recoat of a fiber which has undergone a number of processes. These images may be used to automatically inspect the recoat of the fiber in accordance with objective criteria. A stability index may be determined based on the thickness of the recoat on the fiber, a uniformity of the recoat on the fiber, a depth of any surface cracks on the recoat, and a depth of any bubbles in the recoat. A desired stability index may be determined in accordance with a desired lifetime of the fiber and an intended use of the fiber.

Automated UV recoat inspection system and method

A virtual oven efficiently conducts stress testing of large numbers of modules. The virtual oven includes a logical grouping of modules, a controller, test instruments and a database which are all connected via a network. The logical groupings of modules of several virtual ovens may be physically accommodated within a single environmental stress screening room. Switching between modules in a logical group permits a single test piece of test equipment to be time-shared among the modules in the logical group. The method of bum-in testing a logical group of modules rotates a test sequence, including passive and active test cycles, between the modules. A test signal is split and supplied to multiple modules. Passive testing may be performed by monitoring parameters of the module while the test signal is supplied to the module. Active testing may be a functional test of the module in which the test signal is supplied to, processed by, and output from the module. Such test signals output from the modules are switched to the test equipment on a time-share basis. In this way, the number or expensive test equipment set-ups may reduced. The controller for each virtual oven also generates displays so that a user can track the test progress of all modules within the virtual oven. The controller also builds a database of the active and passive tests for each module. A graphical user interface may be used to interact with the virtual oven, control the testing, and view the database.

Automated monitoring system, virtual oven and method for stress testing logically grouped modules

A method and apparatus for performing parallel asynchronous testing of a plurality of optical modules utilizes state machines that may be implemented in a common controller. Desired optical tests are selected by an operator. The invention determines if a testing process or instrument required for the selected optical tests is available. A COM port may also be locked for each of the selected optical tests from among a plurality of COM ports to prevent interference between different tests. By reserving resources such as COM ports and testing instruments in this fashion the invention may asynchronously initiate execution of the selected optical tests. If a resource such as a COM port, testing process or instrument is not currently available, the test is place in COM port and testing queues to await availability of that resource. Once a test is completed, the resource is unlocked so that one of the state machines may asynchronously initiate another test. Various displays are generated so that an operator may view the progress of each of the tests. A database is utilized to store test results as well as test recipes and test instrument drivers that aid in the control of a testing architecture.

Method and apparatus for performing parallel asynchronous testing of optical modules

A module for holding a printed circuit board (PCB) includes rectangular-shaped, mating top and bottom brackets. Three walls of the top bracket retain SMA connectors that interconnect with the PCB. A dielectric gasket is provided below each SMA connector to provide pressure on the leads thereof so that the leads adequately contact corresponding pads on the PCB. Two walls of the bottom bracket include channels that slidably receive and retain the PCB therein, and another wall includes a stop channel that retains an edge portion of the PCB when the PCB is slid through the channels. The bottom bracket also has diamond-shaped pads and a square-shaped pad connected between two walls thereof that align with and support corresponding components provided on the PCB and dissipate heat generated thereby. A cable connector provided on one end of an electrical cable connects to each SMA connector, and the other ends of the electrical cables connect to testing equipment. Thus, when the top bracket is connected to the bottom bracket, the dielectric gaskets provide pressure on SMA connector leads so that the leads adequately contact corresponding pads on the PCB and enable the PCB to be tested without being permanently affixed to the module. The module may be attached to a heatsink that, in conjunction with the diamond-shaped pads and the square-shaped pad, permits heat to be dissipated from the PCB at the same rate that heat is dissipated from an installed PCB.

Printed circuit board testing module

A system for conducting optical tests on a plurality of optical modules includes a plurality of optical signal sources and optical signal degradation elements optically communicating with input switches. The input switches sources supply optical test signals to optical modules (units under test) plugged into a common shelf. Output optical switches supply the output signals to a range of optical test equipment. A controller utilizes a database of test recipes to supervise and control the optical signal sources, optical signal degradation elements, units under test, input switches, output switches, and test equipment to conduct a variety of optical tests on the modules. With this architecture it is possible to subject a variety of different optical modules to a variety of different optical tests.

Optical module testing system

A frequency of an ultrasonic cleaner for cleaning an optical fiber can be varied, thereby facilitating removal of particles of various sizes. The control of the varying may be predetermined or may be closed loop. The control may also alter the duration of the application of the frequency. A container which insures a set position of the fiber and/or immersion of the fiber in a cleaning solution may be employed. The sizes of particles on the fiber to be cleaned may be determined and parameters for cleaning may be selected in accordance with the determined sizes.

Adaptable ultrasonic fiber optic cleaning methods

A system for calibrating a plurality of optical modules includes a plurality of optical signal sources and optical signal degradation elements optically communicating with input switches. The input switches supply optical test signals to optical modules (units under test) plugged into a common shelf. Calibration switches including variable optical attenuators may be used to adjust the input signal levels and alternately supply adjusted signals to an optical power meter and the units under test. A controller is used to control the adjustment and thereby provide defined, measured signal levels to the units under test. By reading data from the units under test and using these defined signal levels, the optical modules may be calibrated or diagnosed. Output optical switches are used in a similar fashion to calibrate or diagnose the outputs of the units under test. In addition to input/output power calibration, the invention may also perform wavelength calibrations.

Optical module calibration system

A hybrid surface mount component inspection system which includes both vision and infrared inspection techniques to determine the presence of surface mount components on a printed wiring board, and the quality of solder joints of surface mount components on printed wiring boards by using data level sensor fusion to combine data from two infrared sensors to obtain emissivity independent thermal signatures of solder joints, and using feature level sensor fusion with active perception to assemble and process inspection information from any number of sensors to determine characteristic feature sets of different defect classes to classify solder defects.

Inspection system and method for bond detection and validation of surface mount devices using sensor fusion and active perception

A vision system is provided which allows viewing and/or inspection of an end surface of an optical fiber through a bulkhead on a backplane of a rack. By placing such a vision system on a mount configured to be inserted in the rack, the use of such a vision system does not require the rack design be modified or that other modules be removed. Preferably an adapter for mating the vision system with the bulkhead may be moved to position the adapter relative to the bulkhead housing the fiber of interest.

Vision system for inspecting interconnections of optical cards mounted in a rack and associated methods

A system and method for inspecting an optical fiber, particularly an epoxy region of an optical fiber in a supporting structure. The inspection may use an initialization routine including determination of whether the centering between the optical fiber and the illumination source is sufficient. The meters used to determine completion of initialization may be displayed. The inspection may analyze the uniformity of the thickness of an epoxy layer between the fiber and the supporting structure. The inspection may also analyze the core and clad zones of the optical fiber for scratches and other intensity variations, referred to generically as blobs. The core zone preferably encompasses a region larger than the core alone, e.g., an area which is a multiple of the core diameter. Different criteria are established for the core and clad zones, with no discontinuities being tolerated in the core zone. Scratches may be extracted using a windowing technique. The clad zone has a two-dimensional discrimination factor for both scratches and blobs, one dimension being cumulative for a totality of the intensity variations and the other dimension being for each individual intensity variation. The effect of the illumination of the core on the discrimination may be accounted for.

System and method for inspecting an optical fiber including an epoxy

Inspection system and method for bond detection and validation of

An automated system and associated method of counting pillings in textile fabrics. Images of consecutive sections of a fabric sample are captured by a CCD camera. A system processor then processes the images to enhance image quality. Pillings on the processed, captured fabric sample images are counted, and the resulting data is fuzzified to determine the membership of the data in one or more of a plurality of fabric classes. The present invention provides an objective rating system and method with repeatable accuracy for fabric samples that eliminates the inherent subjectivity associated with conventional manual visual fabric inspection methods.

Growing community of inventors

Odenton, MD, United States of America

Iqbal Mahmud Dar