The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 17, 1998
Filed:
Aug. 23, 1996
Samuel I Green, St. Louis, MO (US);
McDonnell Douglas Corporation, St. Louis, MO (US);
Abstract
An optical fiber monitoring method and apparatus is described for monitoring the signal loss within an optical fiber during installation of the optical fiber. The apparatus contains a jig for advancing the optical fiber along a predetermined path, a light source for transmitting light signals along the optical fiber, and a light sensor for detecting the light signals. The detected light signals are converted to an audible signal having a frequency which varies in relation to the detected signal. An audio transducer then outputs the audible signal. Since the frequency of the audio signal is a measure of the signal loss along the optical fiber and, therefore, is a measure of the amount by which the optical fiber is bent during the installation process, the audible signal can be monitored in an 'eyes-free' manner to detect excessive bending of the optical fiber in order to prevent damage to the optical fiber during installation.