Ii-vi Delaware, Inc.

Michael J Cahill

Ian Peter McClean

An optical time domain reflectometry (OTDR) device includes an optical transmitter, an optical receiver with multiple operating settings, an optical coupler, and a processor. The optical transmitter generates a probe signal comprising a train of pulses. The optical receiver generates time-varying measurements of a back-reflected signal resulting from injection of respective pulses of the probe signal into an optical fiber link. The optical coupler injects the probe signal from the optical transmitter into the optical fiber link and directs the back-reflected signal from the optical fiber link to the optical receiver. The processor generates a probe trace of the optical fiber link from first time-varying measurements of the back-reflected signal, identifies an intra-scan first transition point from the probe trace, and generates a range-extended trace of the optical fiber link from second time-varying measurements of the back-reflected signal in which the optical receiver transitions from a first operating setting to a second operating setting at the intra-scan first transition point.

Optical time domain reflectometry (OTDR) device and methods

A system for providing advanced characterization of an optical fiber span is based upon the use of a pair of optical time domain reflectometers (OTDRs), located at opposing end terminations of the span being characterized. Each OTDR performs standard reflectometry measurements and transmits the resulting OTDR trace to monitoring equipment in a typical manner. The pair of OTDR traces is thereafter combined in a particular manner ('stitched together') to create an OTDR trace of the entire fiber span (essentially doubling the operational range of prior art OTDR measurement capabilities). The transmit portion of one OTDR may be paired with the receive portion of the other OTDR, with time-of-light measurements (or signal loss measurements) used to determine optical path length and/or optical signal loss of the span. Using a multi-wavelength light source in the paired transmit/receive arrangement allows for a characterization of chromatic dispersion of the span.

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Hampton, Australia

Michael J Cahill