Patents Assigned to Exfo Inc.
  • Patent number: 12520253
    Abstract: A Radio Frequency (RF) spectrum analyzer includes an RF front end including a single antenna configured to monitor a wireless network that includes Time Division Duplexing (TDD); and circuitry connected to the RF front end and configured to operate and monitor the wireless network both in a spectrum analyzer mode and a signal analyzer mode, utilize the signal analyzer mode to extract synchronization information from the monitored wireless network, derive a start of frame of a radio frame from said the synchronization information; and utilize the synchronization information to identify an acquisition window to synchronize a gate in the spectrum analyzer mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2026
    Assignee: EXFO Inc.
    Inventors: Dominic Lapierre, Luc Germain
  • Patent number: 12442719
    Abstract: Provided herein is a solution for measuring the optical power loss of duplex optical-fiber devices under test, and particularly those terminated with a duplex connector interface, which allows for a one-cord testing method whichever the format of the duplex connector interface of the optical-fiber device under test, without disconnecting the optical fibers of the device under test from their duplex native connector interface. Provided is an optical-fiber expansion device used to interconnect and adapt a power meter instrument to a variety of duplex connectors. The optical-fiber expansion device comprises a pair of optical fibers having a core diameter and a numerical aperture greater than the optical fiber in the DUT connector interface, to make it compatible with the one-cord testing method. Interchangeable optical-fiber expansion devices can be used to match the power meter interface on one side, to various duplex connector interfaces under test on the other side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2023
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2025
    Assignee: EXFO Inc.
    Inventors: Michel Leclerc, Nicholas Cole
  • Patent number: 12429653
    Abstract: There is provided an adapter tip to be employed with an optical-fiber connector-endface inspection microscope device and an optical-fiber connector endface inspection microscope system suitable for imaging the endface of a duplex optical-fiber connector. Because of the distance between the ferrules of a duplex connector, the field of view of a typical single-fiber or multi-fiber inspection microscope may not be wide enough to allow inspection of both ferrules at once. The proposed adapter tip or microscope system may comprise relay optics configured to laterally shift the optical path of the light beam reflected from one optical fiber endface (corresponding the first ferrule) toward that from the other optical fiber endface (corresponding the second ferrule), so that both endfaces may be imaged within the field of view of the inspection microscope.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2023
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2025
    Assignee: EXFO Inc.
    Inventors: Olivier Cote, Mario L'Heureux, Raphael Laberge
  • Publication number: 20250207997
    Abstract: Systems and methods for performing Optical Time-Domain Reflectometry (OTDR) tests on optical fibers are provided. In an embodiment, a method includes applying OTDR pulses to a fiber under test and receiving noisy acquisition sets of the fiber under test; processing the noisy acquisition sets with a denoising model that is a pre-trained machine learning model configured to simultaneously use spatial information and temporal information associated with the noisy acquisition sets to filter out noise; and analyzing outputs from the denoising model to determine characteristics of the fiber under test. This approach is performed in lieu of the conventional approach of mathematically averaging acquisitions, thereby resulting in proper results with fewer acquisitions, significantly speeding up the overall acquisition time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2024
    Publication date: June 26, 2025
    Applicant: EXFO Inc.
    Inventors: Jonathan PLANTE, Renaud LESPERANCE, Sylvain NADEAU, Vincent DEMERS-CARPENTIER
  • Publication number: 20250192882
    Abstract: Systems and methods for detecting faulty optical fibers. A method, according to one implementation, includes collecting data associated with an optical fiber network, wherein the data includes optical fiber performance data, and data associated with one or more environmental factors; performing a first linear regression analysis on the data; performing a second linear regression analysis on results of the first linear regression analysis; and determining one or more issues relating to the optical fiber network based on results of the second linear regression analysis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 5, 2024
    Publication date: June 12, 2025
    Applicant: EXFO Inc.
    Inventors: Christopher DAUMER, Thierry BOUSSAC
  • Publication number: 20250076152
    Abstract: Described herein are systems and methods for testing connectivity of strands of a fiber optic cable, the ends of which terminate at a first site and a second site. A method, according to one implementation, includes the step of coordinating the first and second sites to generate a signal at a first end of the strands and to detect presence of the signal at a second end of the strands. The method also includes receiving confirmation information from the first and second sites pertaining to the signal being generated and detected. Also, the method includes the steps of utilizing the confirmation information to match the first end of the strands with the second end of the strands for determining fiber strand connectivity between the first site and the second site and then creating a connectivity map showing the fiber strand connectivity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 19, 2024
    Publication date: March 6, 2025
    Applicant: EXFO Inc.
    Inventor: Stephane PERRON
  • Publication number: 20250078238
    Abstract: Systems and methods for inspecting optical fibers are provided. A method, according to one implementation, includes steps of obtaining an image of an end-face of an optical fiber; analyzing the image with a pre-trained neural network model to classify pixels therein as any of a defect, a scratch, or clean; aggregating the pixels based on proximity to obtain defect segments or scratch segments; characterizing these defect segments and scratch segments based on but not limited to size and location, and providing an output including any of the defect segments or scratch segments.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 23, 2024
    Publication date: March 6, 2025
    Applicant: EXFO Inc.
    Inventors: Jonathan PLANTE, Sylvain NADEAU, Justin M. WHATLEY
  • Publication number: 20250035509
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and devices for testing optical fibers are provided. According to one implementation, an optical fiber testing apparatus may include an optical test unit configured to obtain a characterization of an optical fiber to be tested. Additionally, the optical fiber testing apparatus may include a visible light source and an analysis and control device. For example, the analysis and control device may be configured to adapt the visible light source to a specific power level based on the characterization of the optical fiber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 19, 2024
    Publication date: January 30, 2025
    Applicant: EXFO Inc.
    Inventors: Michel Leclerc, Mario L’Heureux
  • Publication number: 20240385076
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and devices for testing for faults in a fiber optic cable are provided. A Visual Fault Locator (VFL), according to one implementation, includes an output port configured for connection with an optical fiber to be tested. The VFL also includes a variable light source configured to emit visible light at different power levels from the output port. For example, the different power levels may correspond with different light intensity levels. In some implementations, the VFL may further include a gain control device connected to the variable light source, whereby the gain control device may be configured to control the power of the variable light source to enable the variable light source to emit the visible light at multiple power levels.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 15, 2024
    Publication date: November 21, 2024
    Applicant: EXFO Inc.
    Inventors: Mario L’Heureux, Michel Leclerc
  • Patent number: 12130197
    Abstract: There are provided systems and methods for inspecting an endface of an optical-fiber connector using an optical-fiber connector endface inspection microscope system comprising one or more image detectors for capturing images over the whole endface to be inspected. An illumination system comprises two or more illumination sources disposed so as to illuminate respective regions over the connector endface and to prevent dark zones in the capture images. The illumination sources are activated in sequence, such that adjacent sources are never activated at the same time, and corresponding images captured in sequence, i.e., one after the other. In this case, it is also possible to activate the illumination sources in sequence, such that adjacent sources are never activated at the same time. Activating the illumination sources separately eliminates the illumination overlap and so eliminates the double image artifact. This allows for a more uniformly lit image with less dark spots.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2024
    Assignee: EXFO Inc.
    Inventors: Nicolas Caron, Olivier Cote, Mario L′Heureux
  • Patent number: 12050149
    Abstract: There is provided an optical-fiber connector endface inspection microscope system for inspecting an endface of an optical-fiber connector. It comprises one or more image detector for capturing at least one image of the endface to be inspected; an objective lens system comprising a focusing lens for adjusting a focus of the objective lens system on the image detector and a fixed relay lens; a main housing structure enclosing the image detector and the focusing lens; and at least one interchangeable optical head releasably connectable to the main housing structure and enclosing the fixed relay lens, wherein the optical head is releasably connectable to an adapter tip for interfacing with the optical-fiber connector to be inspected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2024
    Assignee: EXFO Inc.
    Inventors: Olivier Cote, Aymen Salahddine, Mario L'Heureux
  • Patent number: 12052134
    Abstract: An embodiment involves obtaining a tabular data set with columns that characterize items relating to behavior of components of a communication network; constructing a frequent-pattern tree, each node being associated with: (i) an item-name for representing an item, (ii) a count of transactions from a root node of the tree to the respective node, and (iii) node-links that refer to other nodes in the tree that represent items having the same item-name; traversing the tree to identify a set of nodes with counts greater than a predefined support threshold; generating, from the nodes, association-rules that are based on antecedent items associated with a target item; reducing the association-rules by (i) removing the association-rules in which the antecedent items thereof are a superset or subset of the antecedent items of a further association-rule, or (ii) combining the association-rules that have antecedent items that are at least partially disjoint and conditionally dependent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2024
    Assignee: EXFO Inc.
    Inventors: Hai Hong Phan Vu, Justin Whatley, Brigitte Jaumard, Tristan Glatard, Sylvain Nadeau
  • Patent number: 12050150
    Abstract: There is provided a technique to reduce the Rayleigh coherence noise in OTDR measurements using spectral averaging of OTDR traces while at least partly cancelling chromatic dispersion pulse broadening on the averaged OTDR trace by applying a chromatic dispersion correction prior to averaging the OTDR traces. By correcting for chromatic dispersion pulse broadening, it allows to reduce the Rayleigh coherence noise without impacting the OTDR spatial resolution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2024
    Assignee: EXFO Inc.
    Inventor: Michel Leclerc
  • Patent number: 12047117
    Abstract: There are provided herein test instruments, devices and methods for measuring the optical power loss of optical-fiber devices under test, and particularly those terminated with multifiber connectors, which allows for a one-cord or one-cord equivalent reference method whichever the pinning of the actual optical-fiber device under test. There is proposed to add an optical-fiber expansion device to convert the pinning of the input interface of the power meter instrument from pinned to unpinned or vice-versa, while not adding extra measurement uncertainty. This is accomplished using a patch cord which core diameter is between that of the device under test and that of the input interface of the power meter instrument.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2024
    Assignee: EXFO Inc.
    Inventors: Gang He, Michel Leclerc
  • Patent number: 11956513
    Abstract: The present disclosure includes adjusting the QoE measurement obtained from a testing Content Delivery Network (CDN) entity to reflect accurately the QoE that would have been obtained from a reference video source from a content provider. A method includes performing a Quality of Experience, QoE, measurement from a first content source and adjusting the QoE measurement to reflect an estimate of a QoE measurement to a second content source. In this manner, it is possible to perform QoE measurements for an Over-the-Top, OTT, content provider without violating user policies that prohibit repeated requests.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: EXFO Inc.
    Inventor: Sylvain Nadeau
  • Patent number: 11921000
    Abstract: There is provided optical power loss measurement method and system for that aims to provide a more productive way to perform optical power loss measurements involving test units typically at different locations. Visual fiber finder light can be used to assist the user at the other end of the optical fiber link under test in identifying where to connect the power meter unit. A visual fiber finder light and test light are combined on a same output port of a light source unit at one end of the optical fiber link under test wherein visual fiber finder light is interleaved with test light in a cyclic sequence so that both are not active at the same time. The optical power meter unit determines a time slot when to measure test light in accordance with the given cyclic sequence.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: EXFO Inc.
    Inventor: Michel Leclerc
  • Patent number: 11906389
    Abstract: There is provided a system and a method for assisting a technician in fiber optic cable splices and comprising a pair of test units including an OTDR, an optical switch, a tone generator and a tone detector to automate the splicing process and testing. The test units may be in communication with a wireless portable device used by the splicing technician and controlled therefrom. In one embodiment, the test units are driven by a test orchestrator application (e.g., server-based) to switch fibers, perform continuity tests and/or splice quality tests, triggered by the technician's portable device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: EXFO Inc.
    Inventors: Stephane Perron, Michel Leclerc
  • Patent number: D1068515
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2025
    Assignee: EXFO INC.
    Inventor: Michael Simard
  • Patent number: D1079512
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2023
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2025
    Assignee: EXFO INC.
    Inventors: Thomas Rouayroux, Patrick Mainville
  • Patent number: D1078515
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2023
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2025
    Assignee: EXFO INC.
    Inventors: Thomas Rouayroux, Patrick Mainville