Abstract: A single, reusable wrap for securing loops of glass fibers of fiber optic cables used in the communications field. The wrap holds the glass fiber loop securely by wrapping around the glass fiber and itself, locking itself in place via an opposing frictional lock. The wrap has a lock portion, a retainer/release tab used to aid in the engagement and release of the frictional lock, and a cylindrical lock portion used to aid in starting the wrap to roll around the glass fiber loop. The frictional lock is provided when the cylindrical lock portion is provided within the lock portion. The reusable wrap is easy to use since it may be opened and closed with one hand by a user. The wrap holds the glass fiber loop tightly without damaging the glass fiber and prevents the glass fiber loop from being pulled into small loops.

Abstract: A receiver node includes an optical amplifier optically coupled to the input of a receiving device such as a PIN photodiode. A controller inputs received power level values from the receiver to perform gain control. The input signal of an optical receiving device is pre-amplified by an optical amplifier such that the amplified signal is within a dynamic range of the receiving device. Upon the occurrence of a LOS (loss of signal) event, the controller sets the gain to a Home Gain value. Thus, when the signal is reestablished, a strong signal will not be over amplified and damage the receiver. Gain control is reestablished when the LOS event is over. Various methods are used to declare LOS including comparing the received power level or commanded pump power against a threshold. The LOS declaration may also be received from an external device or service channel.

Abstract: A universal support frame that holds a printed (PCB) so that both sides are accessible for processing and testing, and which provides an attachment mechanism for holding a mechanism to cool the PCB as it is being processed or tested. The universal support frame includes a base, and a first board support pivotally connected to the base. A pair of support angles are connected at their first ends to the first board support, and are connected at their second ends to a second board support. A variety of PCBs are capable of being held between the first and second board supports since the second board support is adjustable. Furthermore, both sides of a PCB may be accessed since the first board support may be rotated relative to the base. The second board support connects to a bracket for holding a cooling mechanism, such as a fan, that cools the PCB and prevents it from overheating.

Abstract: A heat sink module consistent with the present invention includes a heat pipe for efficient heat transfer heat away from a semiconductor pump laser. The heat pipe heat sink occupies less space than a conventional heat sink, and the condenser portion of the heat pipe heat sink can be easily manufactured using an extrusion process.

Abstract: An optical device for modulating optical signals in a wavelength division multiplexed communication system. The device includes a plurality of phase modulators. Each of the phase modulators is configured to provide an associated phase modulated optical signal. Each of a plurality of optical filters receives an associated one of the optical signals and is configured to amplitude modulate the optical signal as an optical filter output signal. The optical filter output signals may be combined onto an aggregate path to a receiver including receiver optical filters for selecting the transmitted channels.

Abstract: An optical amplifier is added to the input of a photodetector to perform optical pre-amplification of an input optical signal before it is converted to an electrical signal by the photodetector. A controller utilizes a received power level to control a pump power level of a pump injecting pumping light into the optical amplifier. The pump power level is controlled in order to control the optical gain of the optical amplifier. The received power level may be measured by a receiving device that includes the photodetector and a power measuring device. The pump output power level may also be fed back to the controller to monitor the pump. A dual pass EDFA may be used as the optical amplifier and coupled to a selector to save space and reduce noise.

Abstract: An optical module blank includes a base portion, and a pair of retainers disposed on the base portion. The pair of retainers retains conduits at a predetermined location of the base portion to enable the conduits to be connected to an optical component, such as a laser module, if the optical module blank is replaced with an optical module. A line module of an optical communications equipment may be populated with one or more optical module blanks. However, if the entire line module is to be totally populated with optical module blanks, then a line module blank may be used. Such a device includes a tray portion, and a retainer portion disposed on a front section of the tray portion. The retainer portion has abutting base plates with four pairs of retainers disposed on one base plate and another four pairs of retainers disposed on the other base plate.

Abstract: A fiber optic cable winding assist tool for securing, routing, and storing fiber optic cables in optical communications systems that quickly and simultaneously lifts the retainer fingers of a mandrel, without breaking them, and releases the retainer fingers once the fiber optic cables are safely within the retainer fingers. The winding assist tool is used with a base having at least one mandrel connected thereto, and may have a spacer disk connected to the mandrel. A spider frame is provided on the spacer disk or mandrel and includes a body portion and arm portions extending from the spider frame body portion. Each arm portion engages a corresponding retainer finger of the mandrel. A thumb screw having a head portion and a threaded portion mates with a threaded opening provided through the spider frame body portion and engages a top surface of the spacer disk.

Abstract: A hybrid amplifier reduces the noise generated by the hybrid amplifier. The hybrid amplifier includes a rare-earth doped fiber amplifier such as an EDFA (erbium-doped fiber amp), a Raman amplifier, a controller and a memory device. Noise is reduced by determining a gain balance between the EDFA and Raman amp that minimizes the noise figure. The controller performs a method that generates a plurality of functions relating the hybrid amp noise figure and the Raman gain for a particular span loss. These functions are then utilized to determine the Raman gain portion of the gain balance that minimizes the noise figure. The remaining portion of the gain balance is made up by the EDFA. For a hybrid amplifier that will see only one span loss value, then only one such function needs to be generated. Furthermore, the memory device of the hybrid amplifier can be programmed to store an optimum control curve that minimizes the noise figure for one or a plurality of span losses.

Abstract: A method of controlling an optical fiber splicing machine utilizes an optimized power control mode to control the amount of power delivered to fuse the fibers. The attenuation is measured while the fusing process is occurring and a final jump value is calculated. The final jump value is indicative of the transient attenuation difference that occurs as the splice cools. The optimized power control mode shuts down the splicer when the measured insertion loss is less than or equal to the difference between the estimated final jump value and the desired attenuation. The final jump value may also be recalculated as further data are gathered during the splicing process. If the desired attenuation is not achieved, an optimized energy control mode is utilized which determines optimal energy settings and controls the amount of energy delivered to fuse the fibers. After delivering this energy, the method measures the attenuation. If not within desired values, the optimized energy mode is repeated.

Abstract: Systems and methods for determining the distributed gain properties of a fiber plant are disclosed. A detector, a controller and a memory device are utilized to measure signal levels while the pump power is increased. The controller calculates gain for various pump power levels to construct a gain profile or transfer function which may be, for example, gain as a function of pump power. A gain transfer function is constructed for the particular fiber plant to which optical pump is connected. The constructed gain transfer function relates the output power of the optical pump and the signal gain of the signal travelling in the fiber plant. A controller utilizes the constructed gain transfer function to control the output power of the optical pump to produce a desired amount of signal gain. The gain transfer function may be stored as a look-up table and accessed by the controller to determine the amount of output power corresponding to a desired gain level.

Abstract: A receiver node includes an optical amplifier optically coupled to the input of a receiving device such as a PIN photodiode. A controller inputs received power level values from the receiver to perform gain control. The input signal of an optical receiving device is pre-amplified by an optical amplifier such that the amplified signal is within a dynamic range of the receiving device. Windows are utilized to trigger the gain control algorithm such that when the received power level is inside a first window the gain control is turned off. When the received power level is outside the second window, the gain control is turned on. Additional windows may be used to adjust the rate of gain change. The rate of gain change is decreased as the magnitude of the difference between the current received power level and the target received power level decreases. Pump power levels may be fed back to the controller such that a soft limit may be imposed on to limit he maximum pump power and thereby prevent receiver damage.

Abstract: A distributed method and system of controlling a communications network having a plurality of spans of interconnected network elements some of which include a network element processor distributes network topology information to respective span databases; stores original fault objects in the respective span databases; advertises fault objects to other network element processors in a local span when the original fault affects network elements other than a network element in which the fault occurred; advertises alarm objects to other network element processors that are respectively associated with a circuit affected by the original faults; stores the advertised fault and alarm objects in the respective span databases; and performs distributed processing of the advertised fault and alarm objects with the other network element processors and the respective span databases.

Abstract: In accordance with the present invention, optical channels to be demultiplexed are supplied to first and second optical fibers via an optical splitter. Low loss interference filters, for example, coupled to the first and second optical fibers, select respective groups of channels. Each group of channels is next demultiplexed with sub-demultiplexers into individual channels, each of which is then sensed with a corresponding photodetector. Although the optical splitter introduces an optical power loss at the input to the demultiplexer, the interference filters and sub-demultiplexers create little additional loss. As a result, the total power loss associated with the present invention is significantly less than that obtained with a conventional n channel demultiplexer based on a 1×n splitter. Accordingly, large numbers of channels, e.g., in excess of forty can be readily demultiplexed and detected.

Abstract: A universal handling container is disclosed that protects ESD sensitive items from physical damage and electrostatic discharge (ESD). The universal handling container is primarily intended as a temporary housing solution such as during the manufacturing or assembly of ESD-sensitive items which often require transportation between assembly stations and for temporary storage. The universal handling container includes a box constructed with a structural conductive material such as conductive corrugated plastic and has a base section, a hinge section and a lid section. The base and lid sections are lined with conductive resilient panels to increase the ESD shield integrity and provide a cushioning effect to protect against physical damage. The universal handling container may shaped like a decahedron with a base section that may be divided into a main section having a rectangular parallel piped shape and a pair side sections having a hexahedron shape on opposite sides of the rectangular parallel piped.

Abstract: The invention was originally developed to determine the strain-relief capability of a fusion splice protector as well as the compressive stress imparted to a fusion splice by the splice protector. The invention also permits performance and comparative analyses of splice protectors as well as any package in which the optical fiber is at least partially disposed. To those ends a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) is axially arranged relative to the package such that a free or reference section of the FBG protrudes from the package while a shielded section lies within the package. Broadband light is supplied to the FBG which reflects certain wavelengths that are measured by an optical spectrum analyzer. The FBG reflected spectra will be split into two peaks as the reference and shielded sections experience different amounts or types of stress thereby providing a powerful analysis tool.

Abstract: A system and method analyze raw data derived from a manufacturing control facility, the manufacturing control facility for manufacturing at least one device by execution of a sequence of assembly operations. A preprocessor is used to receive the raw data from the manufacturing control facility and to configure the raw data into a predetermined database format. The raw data after being configured by the preprocessor is stored into a database. A server transmits queries and results between the database and at least one user terminal. The results transmitted by the server are displayed on at least one graphical user interface at the user terminal, the results being indicative of at least one performance parameter of the assembly operations.

Abstract: A WDM ring transmission system is provided whereby each optical signal is first dropped from the ring, supplied to an amplifier, and then input to an optical receiver. Typically, a filtering element is also provided either prior to or after the amplifier. The amplifier increases the power of the transmitted optical signal so that the optical signals can be transmitted over greater distances, and the filtering element minimizes any adjacent channel cross-talk light fed to the receiver. Moreover, since the amplifier only amplifies the dropped channel, excessive noise accumulation due to non-uniform spectral gain can be avoided. In addition, channels can be arbitrarily assigned to add/drop elements along the ring. A simplified amplifier design is further disclosed.

Abstract: A fiber grating package which substantially reduces Bragg wavelength variations resulting from axial strain on a fiber. The package includes a fiber segment including a Bragg grating. The segment is fixed between two points separated by a distance less than the length of the segment. As a result, the grating is bent to allow bending or rotation of the segment in response to changes in the relative positions of the ends of the fiber segment. In one embodiment, the package may include a temperature control structure and control electronics for heating the grating to a stable desired temperature using temperature feedback. Electronic control can be internal or external to the package depending size requirements for the package.

Abstract: An optical device is provided which separates one or more optical channels from a plurality of optical channels, each at a respective wavelength, and provides a length of dispersion compensating fiber for the one or more separated optical channels.