Furukawa Electric North America, Inc.

Peng Wang

William Alfred Reed

Mark Richard Jennings

Alice Weimin Liu

Clay A Feustel

Bruce A Colombo

Andrew Ingles, Jr

Ming Yang

Alex Richard

Alex P Richard

Embodiments of the invention include a universal apparatus for incorporating intelligence into the distribution frame of an optical communication system. The communication system includes a distribution frame with one or more distribution shelves having one or more interconnection panels, and a universal operations, administration and maintenance (OA&M) apparatus attached to the distribution frame. The OA&M apparatus, which is operably connected to the interconnection panels and the distribution frame's system controller through an interface, monitors current interconnection panel connections including cross-connections and can indicate future possible cross-connections between interconnection panels. The OA&M apparatus also is useful for jumper routing, circuit administration, and other features associated with the distribution frame and its fiber connections.

Universal apparatus for incorporating intelligence into an optical fiber distribution frame

A system and technique for determining discontinuities over a span of a multimode optical fiber (MMF). An optical time domain reflectometer (OTDR) has an operating port, and a first end face of a singlemode optical fiber (SMF) is coupled to the operating port. Light pulses produced by the OTDR emerge from a second end face of the SMF, and an alignment stage aligns the second end face with an end face of a multimode optical fiber (MMF) having a core of given radius. The light pulses from the second end face of the SMF are applied at selected radial positions on the MMF core to excite corresponding mode groups in the MMF. Backscatter light produced by each excited mode group is coupled to the OTDR through the SMF. Locations and values of events detected along the MMF are indicated on the OTDR for each selected radial position.

Detection of discontinuities in a multimode optical fiber

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Alpharetta, GA, United States of America

Peng Wang