Patents Assigned to Exfo Inc.
  • Publication number: 20200386653
    Abstract: There is provided a method, system and computer program for detecting duplicate OTDR measurements performed on a same fiber. It is determined whether OTDR traces are likely to have been acquired over the same optical fiber link by comparing the backscattering pattern associated with a given fiber span along the OTDR traces, which corresponds to a continuous optical fiber section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 4, 2020
    Publication date: December 10, 2020
    Applicant: EXFO Inc.
    Inventor: Stephane PERRON
  • Patent number: 10862582
    Abstract: There is provided an OTDR receive device, an OTDR system comprising an OTDR receive device and an OTDR method 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: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2020
    Assignee: EXFO Inc.
    Inventors: Mario L'Heureux, Stephane Perron
  • Patent number: 10834169
    Abstract: System and method for communicating with and controlling a test device. Receiving user input via a system GUI to start a test. In response to the user input, providing by the communication controller a display URL of a resource associated with the test device. Displaying content of the resource nested within the system GUI by a browser. Sending a start instruction to start a test to the test device. Receiving by the communication controller test data from the test device and one of displaying an indication of the test data in the system GUI and storing the test data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: EXFO Inc.
    Inventor: David Carruthers
  • Publication number: 20200292416
    Abstract: There is provided a test device and a test method that combine both tunable OTDR and WDM power meter functionalities into the same integrated optoelectronic test hardware, such that the tunable OTDR and the WDM power meter functions share optoelectronic components, thereby reducing the hardware cost and the overall form factor and weight of the test device. With the proposed configuration, both tunable OTDR and WDM power meter functionalities may be provided via a single test port to be connected to the optical fiber link under test. By connecting the fiber to a single test port, the number of manipulations to be performed by technicians is reduced and two tests can be performed in a single connection operation out of the same test port.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2020
    Publication date: September 17, 2020
    Applicant: EXFO Inc.
    Inventors: Jimmy GAGNON, Michel LECLERC, Stephane PERRON
  • Publication number: 20200249121
    Abstract: There is provided an optical loss testing system for multi-fiber array cables an optical loss test method and a reference method therefor which overcomes at least part of the multi-powermeter uncertainty. A prior calibration step serves to characterize the relative difference in optical power response of the multiple power meters. This relative difference can then be used to correct the optical loss measurement so as to eliminate its effect.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 30, 2020
    Publication date: August 6, 2020
    Applicant: EXFO Inc.
    Inventor: Gang HE
  • Publication number: 20200252144
    Abstract: An interference detection method and system and for providing information about at least one interference in I/Q data obtained over-the-air or detected on a link between a radio equipment controller (REC) and at least one radio equipment (RE). The method includes noise filtering a set of the FFTs into an averaged FFT, filtering the averaged FFT with a high-pass filter to remove low frequency components, applying a power threshold on the high-pass filtered FFT to select at least one candidate peak having a power greater than the power threshold; outputting information about the at least one candidate peak, which is a potential interference. The interference detection method further includes multi-lane processing and power shift compensation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 9, 2020
    Publication date: August 6, 2020
    Applicant: EXFO Inc.
    Inventor: Martin LEVESQUE
  • Patent number: 10735109
    Abstract: Systems and methods e to automatically analyze and display results of tests of a link include obtaining data from one or more tests of a link, wherein the data includes samples for Antenna Carriers (AxC) for one or more AxCs auto-detected on the link; processing the data to detect peaks on any of the auto-detected AxCs on the link; performing an analysis of any detected peaks to identify any issues on the link; and causing display of a user interface that includes a reporting of any identified issues with the user interface including a display of the identified issues and a spectrum graph.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2020
    Assignee: EXFO Inc.
    Inventors: Dominic Lapierre, Luc Germain, Robert Matesevac
  • Patent number: 10727940
    Abstract: Method and systems for characterizing an optical signal propagating along a communication link are disclosed. The signal includes a data-carrying signal contribution, modulated at a symbol frequency, and a noise contribution. The method includes measuring an optical power spectrum of the signal, which includes a data-carrying signal spectrum component and a noise spectrum component. The method also includes determining a measured spectral correlation function within pairs of spectral components of the signal as a function of center frequency of the pairs, the spectral components in each pair being spectrally separated from each other by the symbol frequency. The method further includes obtaining a solution for the data-carrying signal spectrum component based on the measured optical power spectrum, such that a calculated spectral correlation function based on the solution matches the measured spectral correlation function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2020
    Assignee: EXFO Inc.
    Inventors: Normand Cyr, Gang He, Bernard Ruchet
  • Publication number: 20200200645
    Abstract: 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 associated with the optical fiber link under test can then be derived and displayed, e.g., as a five-star rating.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2019
    Publication date: June 25, 2020
    Applicant: EXFO Inc.
    Inventors: Stephane PERRON, Eric THOMASSIN
  • Patent number: 10659178
    Abstract: Fronthaul monitoring systems and methods include a Radio Frequency (RF) analysis module configured to receive an optical RF signal for RF testing thereof; a fiber monitoring module configured to perform fiber monitoring testing; an optical switch configured to switch a port connected to the RF analysis module and the fiber monitoring module between one or more Remote Radio Heads (RRH); and a test coordinator software module configured to coordinate the RF testing and the fiber monitoring testing. The optical RF signal is at different wavelengths than a fiber test signal for the fiber monitoring testing, such that the RF testing and the fiber monitoring testing can be performed concurrently.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2020
    Assignee: EXFO Inc.
    Inventors: Jean-Sébastien Martel, Stéphane Perron
  • Publication number: 20200124498
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2019
    Publication date: April 23, 2020
    Applicant: EXFO Inc.
    Inventors: Michel LECLERC, Mario L'HEUREUX, Stephane PERRON
  • Publication number: 20200116591
    Abstract: There is provided an OTDR method and device for characterizing an optical fiber link. At least a first OTDR acquisition is performed toward the optical fiber link. From the at least one first OTDR acquisition, one or more events are identified along the optical fiber link and a value of at least one characteristic associated with each event is estimated. A second OTDR acquisition is performed toward the optical fiber link in order to target a specific event among the identified events. Values of one or more OTDR acquisition parameters for the second OTDR acquisition are determined such that the OTDR acquisition parameters comprise a second pulse width different from the first pulse width used in the first OTDR acquisition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 1, 2019
    Publication date: April 16, 2020
    Applicant: EXFO Inc.
    Inventor: Stephane PERRON
  • Patent number: 10591385
    Abstract: There is provided a method, system and image capture device for determining a polarity of a multi-fiber cable link comprising a plurality of optical fiber links each connected between a first multi-fiber connector and a second multi-fiber connector, according to said polarity. Test light is injected into one or more of the optical fiber links via corresponding injection ports of the first multi-fiber connector, in accordance with a defined injection pattern; at least one polarity-testing image of the second multi-fiber connector is generated in which test light exiting at least one of the optical fiber links through one or more exit ports of the second multi-fiber connector is imaged as one or more spotlight spots in the polarity-testing image; and the polarity of the multi-fiber cable link is determined based on a pattern of said one or more spotlight spots in said polarity-testing image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2020
    Assignee: EXFO Inc.
    Inventors: Stephane Perron, Daniel Gariepy, Nicolas Caron, Robert Baribault, Vincent Racine
  • Patent number: 10574378
    Abstract: A device and method for optical power measurement in an optical network supporting upstream and downstream signal propagation along an optical transmission path. An upstream wavelength analyzer receives upstream light extracted from the optical transmission path and is configured to determine an upstream spectral characteristic of the extracted upstream light. A downstream optical power meter assembly receives downstream light extracted from the optical transmission path and is configured to measure an optical power parameter of a downstream signal. A processing unit is configured to determine, based on the upstream spectral characteristic, at least one pass/fail threshold associated with the measured optical power parameter of the downstream signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2020
    Assignee: EXFO Inc.
    Inventors: Bernard Ruchet, Mario L'Heureux, Daniel Gariepy, Etienne Morin-Drouin
  • Publication number: 20190391041
    Abstract: There is provided an optical-fiber connector endface inspection microscope system comprising optical power measurement capability, wherein optical power measurement is provided via an optical power meter device implemented within an extension unit positioned along an optical path between the inspected optical-fiber connector endface and the optical-fiber connector endface inspection microscope, i.e. between the inspected optical-fiber connector endface and objective optics of the optical-fiber connector endface inspection microscope.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 20, 2019
    Publication date: December 26, 2019
    Applicant: EXFO Inc.
    Inventor: Robert BARIBAULT
  • Patent number: D865548
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2019
    Assignee: EXFO INC.
    Inventors: Francois Gaucher, Olivier Patry
  • Patent number: D865549
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2019
    Assignee: EXFO INC.
    Inventors: Francois Gaucher, Olivier Patry, Michael Simard
  • Patent number: D866575
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2019
    Assignee: EXFO Inc.
    Inventors: Léo Gagné, Vincent Racine, Robert Baribault, Eric Dorion, Samuel Magny
  • Patent number: D875578
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2020
    Assignee: EXFO INC.
    Inventor: Michael Simard
  • Patent number: D883825
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2020
    Assignee: EXFO INC.
    Inventors: Francois Gaucher, Olivier Patry