Optical time-domain reflectometer (otdr) with integrated, retractable launch cable

Abstract

The present invention is an Optical Time-Domain Reflectometer (OTDR) with an integrated Launch Cable that has a retractable lead, designed to work as a standalone instrument, or under the control of an external device such as a smartphone, tablet, PC, or server. The first characterized feature of this invention is the integration of the OTDR and Launch Cable in one housing where the spool of the aforementioned Launch Cable can rotate and is spring-loaded relative to the aforementioned housing, and is equipped with a flying lead that can be extracted from or retracted back into the aforementioned housing under spring tension, or where the spool of the aforementioned Launch Cable is affixed to the aforementioned housing and equipped with a flying lead that can be manually unwrapped from and wrapped back into the aforementioned housing; the OTDR and Launch Cable are attached, for example using standard fiber optic connectors, so that the Launch Cable can be easily replaced in the field by a user with no special tools. The second characterized feature of this invention is to integrate a wireless transmitting and receiving device into the OTDR module, which can receive setup and other commands from, and send instrument status and test results to an external device. The advantages of such a device are: the ability to conveniently hold, place, or hang the instrument as a single unit while in use; the ability to place the instrument into its carry case without disconnecting the launch cable, thus reducing the number of connection, cleaning, and inspection steps that must be performed each time the instrument is removed from its carry case for use and reducing wear on the OTDR test port and launch cable (OTDR end) connectors; the ability to remove and replace Launch Cable module in the field without special tools should it become damaged or if the user wants a different connector type; the ability to use an external device to analyse and format test results and provide additional networking functions; the ability to move processing functions to the external device, which in turn allows the use of lower power, lower cost processors in the OTDR to reduce cost and increase battery life. The present invention also includes a special embodiment in which the OTDR module is physically located within the Launch Cable module so that the overall device becomes more compact, and more resistant to drops and other external impacts.