Smart optical cable positioning/location using optical fiber sensing

US11366231B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• NEC CORPORATION · JP

Inventors

• Ming-Fang Huang · Princeton, US
• Yuheng CHEN · Deans, US
• Ting Wang · Plainsboro, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Oct 22, 2019
• Grant date: Jun 21, 2022
• Expiry date: Jan 4, 2040

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01V1/001
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

Aspects of the present disclosure describe systems, methods and structures for determining any location on a deployed fiber cable from an optical time domain reflectometry (OTDR) curve using a movable mechanical vibration source to stimulate tiny vibration of fiber in deployed fiber cable along the cable route and a fiber sensing system at a central office to detect the vibration(s). Latitude and longitude of the location(s) of the vibration source is measured with a GPS device and a dynamic-OTDR distance is measured at central office (CO) simultaneously. The collected GPS location data and corresponding dynamic-OTDR distance data are paired and saved into a database. This saved data may be processed to graphically overlie a map thereby providing exact cable location on the map thereby providing carriers/service providers the ability to improve fiber fault location on a deployed fiber cable much faster and more accurately than presently possible using methods available in the art.