Aster Corporation

Aster Products

Michael C Corke

David W Stowe

Frederick J Gillham

Neville J Ronan

Joseph E Vigeant

Dean A Werthman

Amy R Beaudet

Stillman Shaw, Iii

Robin M Moran

Andong Hu

David E Haynes

Wayne Moore

For communicating over optical routes, route monitoring and protection are provided. In routes carrying signals on each of a number of wave lengths a tapped fraction of the signal is demultiplexed and an individual wave length is detected for determining performance and for triggering switching to alternative monitored routes carrying the same signal. Switching of all wave lengths if one shows faulty, with either a single wave length or all wave lengths being monitored is shown. Performance of a long wave length component is employed to determine route quality for shorter wave lengths as well. In bi-directional communication systems, performance of a wave length moving in one direction through a route determines route quality for transmission in the other direction, as well. Progressive sampling and digitization of the tapped signal and comparison to a digitized reference enables high sensitivity of monitoring. Detected average intensity of a tapped wave length, detected error rate in tapped wave lengths and use of performance data fed back from the receiver telecommunication equipment are used to control switching from one monitored route to another. In a unidirectional system, a wideband coupler at the transmitter is used both to merge signals at various wave lengths and to distribute energy at each of the wave lengths to each route.

Optical communication monitoring and control

Fiber optic power splitters having a central fiber and a selected number of surrounding fibers spaced periodically around the central fiber and the method of fabricating such splitters are described. For splitters having between three and five surrounding fibers, the central fiber is made to have a reduced diameter relative to the surrounding fibers so that it contacts each of the surrounding fibers and each of the surrounding fibers, likewise, touches each of its neighboring fibers. For splitters having seven or more surrounding fibers, the diameters of the surrounding fibers are reduced relative to the central fiber so that mutual contact is made among the set of equal diameter surrounding fibers and the central fiber. The equation governing the relative diameters of the central and surrounding fibers, and methods of obtaining uniform diameter reduction in an optical fiber are described. Single-mode splitters made according to these means have relatively low variation of splitting fraction with variations of input optical power wavelength and can be made to distribute optical power input in any fiber among, e.g. three to seventeen outputs according to predeterminable relationships. Of particular practical importance, splitters can be made which split one input into four, eight, twelve, or sixteen equal outputs, having a flattened response over a significant wavelength range.

Fiber optic power splitter

A terminator for use with an optical fiber access port structure that supports an optical fiber having an optical end face exposed to communicate with a like end face of another fiber, the terminator comprising a pig-tail-free compact supporting body carrying within itself light-absorbing means and shaped to removably interfit with the access port structure to present the light-absorbing means in light transferring relationship to the exposed end of said optical fiber at the port in manner to absorb incident light from the fiber end face and prevent back-reflection.

Fiber optic connector terminator

An optical fiber unit assembly package consists of a protective body having a lid and defining a volume, an entry for an optical fiber cable penetrating the body, at least one optical fiber cable extending through the entry and defining a conduit for an optical fiber cable. An anchor for an optical fiber cable is disposed within the entry as is a clamp for an optical fiber extending through the conduit within the package in a manner to isolate an internal optical fiber unit assembly within the volume from tensile forces applied externally upon the fiber. Secure mounting for optical fiber units within the volume are also provided.

Optical fiber unit assembly package

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Mendon, MA, United States of America

Michael C Corke