Patents Assigned to Exfo Inc.
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Patent number: 11956513Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: December 13, 2021Date of Patent: April 9, 2024Assignee: EXFO Inc.Inventor: Sylvain Nadeau
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Patent number: 11921000Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: January 25, 2022Date of Patent: March 5, 2024Assignee: EXFO Inc.Inventor: Michel Leclerc
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Patent number: 11906389Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: April 21, 2022Date of Patent: February 20, 2024Assignee: EXFO Inc.Inventors: Stephane Perron, Michel Leclerc
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Patent number: 11892507Abstract: Example embodiments are disclosed of systems and methods for predicting failure probabilities of future product tests of a testing sequence based on outcomes of prior tests. Predictions are made by a machine-learning-based model (MLM) trained with a set of test-result sequence records (TRSRs) including test values and pass/fail indicators (PRIs) of completed tests. Within training epochs over the set, iterations are carried out over each TRSR. Each iteration involves sub-iterations carried out successively over test results of the TRSR. Each sub-iteration involves (i) inputting to the MLM values of a given test and those of tests earlier in the sequence while masking those later in the sequence, (ii) computing probabilities of test failures for the masked tests found later in the sequence than the given test, and (iii) applying the PFIs of test results later in the sequence than the given test as ground-truths to update parameters of the MLM.Type: GrantFiled: August 19, 2022Date of Patent: February 6, 2024Assignee: EXFO INC.Inventors: Jonathan Plante, Justin Whatley, Sylvain Nadeau
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Patent number: 11879802Abstract: There are provided methods and systems for testing the continuity of optical fiber links under test and/or a fiber arrangement, polarity or mapping of optical fiber connections within optical devices under test using the backscattering pattern as a signature. The device under test may comprises a single fiber, a duplex link, a multifiber cable or another multi-port device such as a backplane device.Type: GrantFiled: October 19, 2021Date of Patent: January 23, 2024Assignee: EXFO Inc.Inventors: Stephane Perron, Michel Leclerc, Pascal Gosselin-Badaroudine
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Patent number: 11821808Abstract: There is therefore provided a method, system and computer program for detecting duplicate optical-fiber connector endface inspections performed on a same optical-fiber connector. Duplicate optical-fiber connector endface inspections can be detected by extracting a signature of the optical-fiber connector endface from the acquired optical-fiber connector endface inspection image to uniquely identify the optical-fiber connector and detect duplicate optical-fiber connector endface inspections. The signature can be stored to help detection of inadvertent or fraudulent duplicate or repetitive measurements made on a same optical-fiber connector.Type: GrantFiled: July 31, 2020Date of Patent: November 21, 2023Assignee: EXFO Inc.Inventors: Olivier Cote, Nicolas Caron, Mario L'Heureux, Robert Baribault
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Patent number: 11726002Abstract: An optical test instrument, in combination with a removable connector cartridge is provided. A method of replacing a damaged or worn optic fiber interface is also provided. The optical test instrument has casing having a cartridge receiving cavity therein with an inner end provided with a test instrument optical port; and an outer end provided with a cartridge receiving opening. The connector cartridge is sized and configured to be inserted in the cartridge receiving cavity. The connector cartridge has a cartridge inner end for facing the test instrument optical port when in use, and a cartridge outer end for receiving an optic fiber from a device under test (DUT). The connector cartridge houses a fiber optic cable extending between the cartridge inner end and the cartridge outer end. The connector cartridge is removably connectable to the instrument casing to allow replacement of the connector cartridge when the cartridge outer end is worn or damaged.Type: GrantFiled: May 27, 2021Date of Patent: August 15, 2023Assignee: EXFO INC.Inventors: Michael Simard, Kristine Palanjyan, Stephane Perron
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Patent number: 11650128Abstract: There are provided methods and systems that enable the use of the backscattering pattern produced by an optical fiber in an OTDR trace as a signature (also referred to herein as the “RBS fingerprint”) to recognize an optical fiber. It was found that it may be difficult to obtain repeatable signatures as those are sensitive to the wavelength of the OTDR laser source and the temperature of the fiber. OTDR methods and systems that are adapted to compare the backscattering pattern in a more repeatable manner are therefore provided. Once the repeatability issue is overcome, such signature can be used for identification purposes and enable new applications.Type: GrantFiled: June 28, 2021Date of Patent: May 16, 2023Assignee: EXFO Inc.Inventors: Michel Leclerc, Pascal Gosselin-Badaroudine, Stephane Perron
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Patent number: 11644625Abstract: There is provided an adapter tip to be employed with an optical-fiber connector endface inspection microscope and an optical-fiber connector endface inspection microscope system suitable for imaging the optical-fiber endface of an angled-polished optical-fiber connector deeply recessed within a connector adapter. The adapter tip or microscope system comprises a relay optical system comprising a Rhomboid prism. The Rhomboid prism being disposed so as to receive light reflected from said optical-fiber endface during inspection and laterally shift the light beam reflected from the angled-polished optical-fiber endface.Type: GrantFiled: July 27, 2021Date of Patent: May 9, 2023Assignee: EXFO Inc.Inventors: Jean Filion, Olivier Cote
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Patent number: 11624680Abstract: There are provided an optical-fiber connector endface inspection microscope system and a method for inspecting an endface of an optical-fiber connector. The inspection microscope device is releasably connectable to an adapter tip configured to interface with the optical-fiber connector to inspect the endface thereof. The adapter tip is one among a plurality of adapter tip types adapted to inspect respective types of optical-fiber connectors. The optical-fiber connector endface inspection microscope system comprises a tip detection system adapted to recognize the type of the adapter tip among the plurality of adapter tip types; and is configured to analyze inspection images to produce an inspection result for the endface, at least partly based on a fiber type corresponding to the recognized adapter tip and/or other information read by the tip detection system.Type: GrantFiled: August 30, 2021Date of Patent: April 11, 2023Assignee: EXFO Inc.Inventors: Mario L'Heureux, Guillaume Lavallee, Robert Baribault
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Patent number: 11595125Abstract: There is herein provided a method for measuring the GOSNR that can be implemented using commercial-grade transceivers and which accounts for linear optical impairments (e.g. PMD, PDL and CD) and transceiver intrinsic impairments. The method may be implemented using an Optical Spectrum Analyzer (OSA) and either the system transceivers or other commercial-grade transceivers. The proposed measurement method is based on mixed optical and electronic technologies, using an OSA and a transceiver pair. By measuring a signal quality metric Qm and the OSNR under varied power and ASE noise conditions, a constant value RBW that relates the GOSNR to the signal quality metric Qm is derived. The GOSNR is then obtained from these results.Type: GrantFiled: February 24, 2021Date of Patent: February 28, 2023Assignee: EXFO Inc.Inventors: Gang He, Daniel Gariepy
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Patent number: 11540234Abstract: A method comprising obtaining, via a test system, data from one or more tests of a mobile network having at least one antenna, wherein the data includes a stream of RF samples captured over-the-air or from a Common Public Radio Interface (CPRI) or enhanced CPRI (eCPRI) link; processing the data to detect peaks; performing an analysis of any detected peaks to identify any issues on the mobile network, the analysis including determining a relative power of the detected peaks; and causing display of a user interface that includes a reporting of any the relative power. Determining a relative power includes obtaining a baseline of a subset of the data and comparing an absolute power of the peak to the baseline.Type: GrantFiled: December 1, 2020Date of Patent: December 27, 2022Assignee: EXFO Inc.Inventors: Marco Di Pietro, Martin Levesque
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Patent number: 11519782Abstract: There is provided an optical power measurement method, an offset calibration method and an optical power meter that is adapted to apply the offset calibration method. The optical power measurement method, the offset calibration method and the optical power meter are characterized in that two temperature sensors are used for more accurate predictions of the optical power offset. A first temperature sensor is positioned to read a temperature of the photodiode and a second temperature sensor is positioned to read a temperature of the PCB ground plane.Type: GrantFiled: August 26, 2020Date of Patent: December 6, 2022Assignee: EXFO Inc.Inventor: Nelu Radu
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Patent number: 11522939Abstract: A method for Over-The-Top (OTT) media service monitoring and testing including deploying multiple test agents throughout the network and orchestrating them together to create a single OTT media service delivery path with coherent measurement points. The method includes selecting and configuring all test agents forming an OTT media service delivery path in a network, wherein the test agents are deployed on devices in the network with pairs of agents in a client-server relationship; for each selected test agent, simulating a Hyper Text Transport Protocol (HTTP) Adaptive Streaming (HAS) media playback using a pair test agent as a HAS server; for each selected test agent, monitoring the HAS media playback via a Quality of Experience (QoE) model to collect metrics, influence factors, and QoE scores; and reporting collected metrics, influence factors and QoE scores, wherein the QoE scores are compared to isolate any performance degradation.Type: GrantFiled: June 18, 2021Date of Patent: December 6, 2022Assignee: EXFO Inc.Inventors: Sylvain Nadeau, Kevin Corre
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Patent number: 11514651Abstract: Systems and methods for utilizing Augmented Reality (AR) processes to track cables among a tangled bundle of cables are provided. An AR method, according to one implementation, includes a step of obtaining an initial captured image showing a bundle of cables. The AR method also includes the step of processing the initial captured image to distinguish a selected cable from other cables of the bundle of cables. Also, the AR method includes displaying the initial captured image on a display screen while visually augmenting an image of the selected cable to highlight the selected cable with respect to the other cables.Type: GrantFiled: June 3, 2021Date of Patent: November 29, 2022Assignee: EXFO Inc.Inventors: Jean Fontaine, Vinay Mandy
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Patent number: 11480496Abstract: There is provided a test method and system for characterizing an optical fiber link. At least one OTDR acquisition or at least one OLTS acquisition is performed on the optical fiber link. From the acquisition, a value of an excess insertion loss and/or an excess optical return loss associated with the optical fiber link under test is derived, i.e. in excess of a nominal value associated with a hypothetical optical fiber link having a length corresponding to the total length of the optical fiber link under test. A rating value (e.g., as a five-star rating) or a binary pass/fail value associated with the optical fiber link under test can then be derived and displayed.Type: GrantFiled: March 11, 2021Date of Patent: October 25, 2022Assignee: EXFO Inc.Inventors: Stephane Perron, Eric Thomassin
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Patent number: 11405101Abstract: There is provided an OTDR receive device and an OTDR system comprising an OTDR receive device wherein the OTDR unit and the OTDR receive device are to be connected at opposite ends of an optical fiber link under test. The OTDR receive device comprises means for the OTDR system to detect an established connectivity between the OTDR unit and the OTDR receive device via the optical fiber link under test and a status indicator to notify a user of the receive device of the connectivity status and optionally an OTDR measurement status. Connectivity detection allows to check for continuity between the OTDR unit and the OTDR receive device before launching an OTDR measurement. A user of the OTDR unit does not need to communicate with the user of the OTDR receive device to know when to start the acquisition.Type: GrantFiled: November 3, 2020Date of Patent: August 2, 2022Assignee: EXFO Inc.Inventors: Mario L'Heureux, Stephane Perron
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Patent number: 11340137Abstract: There are provided techniques for characterizing and testing a cable routing connection configuration connection arrangement comprising a plurality of optical fiber links connected between at least a first connection device at a first end and a second multi-fiber connection device at a second end. Test light is injected into one or more of the optical fiber links via corresponding optical fiber ports of the first connection device. At least one image of the second multi-fiber connection device is captured. Test light exiting the optical fiber link(s) through optical fiber port(s) of the second multi-fiber connection device is imaged as light spot(s) in the captured image. Positions on the second multi-fiber connection device that corresponds to the optical fiber port(s) are determined based on a pattern of the light spot(s) in the captured image. In some implementations, the provided techniques allow detection or verification of cable routing connection configurations at multi-fiber distribution panels.Type: GrantFiled: December 20, 2019Date of Patent: May 24, 2022Assignee: EXFO Inc.Inventors: Michel Leclerc, Mario L'Heureux, Stephane Perron
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Patent number: D955419Type: GrantFiled: October 29, 2020Date of Patent: June 21, 2022Assignee: EXFO INC.Inventors: Alexandre Drapeau, Michel Leclerc
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Patent number: D989645Type: GrantFiled: October 14, 2021Date of Patent: June 20, 2023Assignee: EXFO INC.Inventor: Olivier Patry