Method, apparatus and system for minimally intrusive fiber identification

摘要

A method, apparatus and system for minimally intrusive fiber identification includes imparting a time-varying modulation onto an optical signal propagating in an optical fiber and subsequently detecting the presence of the time-varying modulation in the optical signal transmitting through the fiber to identify the fiber. In a specific embodiment of the invention, a time-varying curvature is imposed on the fiber to be identified and the presence of the resultant time variation in the transmitted power of a propagating optical signal is subsequently detected for identification of the manipulated fiber.

主权项

1. An apparatus for identifying an optical fiber, comprising:
a modulating device for imparting a time-varying modulation onto an existing optical signal propagating in the optical fiber; a fiber bending device for bending the optical fiber where a portion of the optical signal is scattered out of the optical fiber; a detector for receiving the portion of the optical signal that is scattered for detecting a presence of the time-varying modulation that is imparted to identify the optical fiber; and a lightguide for guiding the portion of the optical signal that is scattered to the detector, wherein a curvature of the lightguide corresponds to the curvature of the fiber bending device.