Fault location
US5184081A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 19, 1991 |
| Grant date | Feb 2, 1993 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 19, 2011 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04B10/0777
- WIPO fieldTelecommunications
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method of locating an intermittent electrical fault in an optical undersea transmission system, comprises measuring the time difference between two signals emanating from the fault along two different routes of the system. In one embodiment one of the signals is a voltage transient and the other signal is an optical error signal created in a repeater adjacent the fault as a result of surge protection in the repeater responding to the electrical fault, and in another embodiment both signals are optical signals, once again emanating from adjacent repeaters and caused by the effect of the electrical fault on the adjacent repeaters. It is envisaged that such a transmission system could be permanently provided with apparatus to detect such a fault in which synchronized counters are permanently running and frequently re-set and which stop in response to error signals being received from a fault when it occurs.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.