Method and apparatus for detecting intermittent faults in an optical communication system
US6323981A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 29, 1998 |
| Grant date | Nov 27, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 29, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04B10/071
- WIPO fieldTelecommunications
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method is provided for locating an intermittent fault occurring in an optical transmission system that includes a plurality of repeaters extending along first and second optical transmission paths for supporting bi-directional communication. In accordance with the method, a measurement is obtained of the gain imparted to a test signal along a round trip path between its originating point and each repeater. For each repeater there are identified changes in gain beyond a prescribed threshold and the time when the gain changes occur. A record of transmission performance data occurring over time is received. The performance data may be a bit error rate, SONET overhead data, or forward error correcting metrics, for example. For each repeater, a correlation in time is established between the identified gain changes and the transmission performance data. A fault location is identified based on the established correlation.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.