U.S. patent application number 09/939681 was filed with the patent office on 2002-01-10 for fiber splice protection sleeve.
This patent application is currently assigned to Amherst Holding Co.. Invention is credited to Clark, Brett G..
Application Number | 20020003934 09/939681 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 23704130 |
Filed Date | 2002-01-10 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020003934 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Clark, Brett G. |
January 10, 2002 |
Fiber splice protection sleeve
Abstract
A fiber-splice protection label or sleeve for one or more
optical fiber fusion splices. The label is provided with a unique
indicium such as a serial number in alphanumeric and/or barcoded
forms. The indicium may be in the form of a strip of paper,
plastic, foil, or other suitable material inserted between the
inner and outer sleeve or otherwise embedded in the unit. The
serial number may also be printed directly on the inner sleeve,
outer sleeve, or support rod, and/or in the form of a sleeve. A
hologram and/or other security feature may be used to prevent
tampering or creation of counterfeit units. The number of digits
are preferably chosen to allow a large number of units to be sold
without duplication of numbers. Special standardized prefixes or
other indicia may be chosen for government or other special
applications. Serial numbers may further be encoded into a
micro-miniature memory "chip" embedded in, e.g., the outer sleeve.
Advantages of uniquely labeling splices includes allowing splice
data associated with various splices to be easily stored and
indexed for later selective retrieval, accountability for defective
or problematic splices, and more efficient troubleshooting.
Inventors: |
Clark, Brett G.; (Whites
Creek, TN) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BANNER & WITCOFF
1001 G STREET N W
SUITE 1100
WASHINGTON
DC
20001
US
|
Assignee: |
Amherst Holding Co.
Wilmington
DE
|
Family ID: |
23704130 |
Appl. No.: |
09/939681 |
Filed: |
August 28, 2001 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
09939681 |
Aug 28, 2001 |
|
|
|
09429644 |
Oct 29, 1999 |
|
|
|
6282353 |
|
|
|
|
09939681 |
Aug 28, 2001 |
|
|
|
09429641 |
Oct 29, 1999 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
385/99 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G02B 6/2558 20130101;
G02B 6/2553 20130101; G02B 6/3801 20130101; G06Q 99/00
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
385/99 |
International
Class: |
G02B 006/255 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Oct 30, 2000 |
US |
PCT/US00/29845 |
Oct 30, 2000 |
US |
PCT/US00/41696 |
Claims
I claim:
1. An optical fiber splice comprising: a first optical fiber
segment and a second optical fiber segment, the first and second
optical fiber segments being coupled together for optical
communication therebetween at a splice location within the splice;
and an indicium for uniquely identifying the optical fiber
splice.
2. The optical fiber splice of claim 1, wherein the indicium is at
least one of printed and etched onto the splice.
3. The optical fiber splice of claim 1, further comprising a label
for bearing the indicium.
4. The optical fiber splice of claim 3, wherein the label is
disposed on an outside surface of the optical fiber splice.
5. The optical fiber splice of claim 3, wherein the label is
disposed within the optical fiber splice.
6. The optical fiber splice of claim 3, further including an inner
sleeve encircling the splice location and an outer sleeve
encircling the inner sleeve, the label being disposed between the
inner sleeve and the outer sleeve.
7. The optical fiber splice of claim 3, further including a sleeve
encircling the splice location, the label being disposed between
the splice location and the sleeve.
8. The optical fiber splice of claim 3, wherein the label comprises
an electronic memory device having a memory, the indicium
comprising data stored in the memory.
9. The optical fiber splice of claim 3, wherein the label comprises
a tamper-proof label.
10. The optical fiber splice of claim 3, wherein the label
comprises a sleeve encircling the splice location.
11. The optical fiber splice of claim 1, wherein the indicium
comprises at least one of alphanumeric text and a bar code.
12. The optical fiber splice of claim 1, wherein the indicium
comprises both text and a bar code.
13. The optical fiber splice of claim 1, wherein the indicium
comprises a plurality of alphanumeric digits of sufficient quantity
to provide at least 1 million unique indicia.
14. The optical fiber splice of claim 1, wherein the indicium
comprises a serial number.
15. The optical fiber splice of claim 1, wherein the indicium
comprises a hologram.
16. The optical fiber splice of claim 1, wherein the indicium
includes a portion corresponding to a particular use of the optical
fiber splice.
17. The optical fiber splice of claim 1, wherein the indicium
uniquely identifies the optical fiber splice within a particular
optical fiber network.
18. The optical fiber splice of claim 1, wherein the indicium is
disposed at the first optical fiber segment.
19. The optical fiber splice of claim 18, wherein the indicium is
disposed within ten feet of the splice location.
20. A method for manufacturing an optical fiber splice, the method
comprising the steps of: splicing optical fiber portions together
at a splice location to create the optical fiber splice; and
labeling the optical fiber splice with an indicium that uniquely
identifies the optical fiber splice.
21. The method of claim 20, wherein the step of labeling includes
labeling the optical fiber splice with the indicium including at
least one of a printed and etched indicium.
22. The method of claim 20, further comprising the step of adding a
label bearing the indicium to the optical fiber splice.
23. The method of claim 22, wherein the step of adding the label
includes attaching the label on an outside surface of the optical
fiber splice.
24. The method of claim 22, wherein the step of adding the label
includes placing the label within the optical fiber splice.
25. The method of claim 22, further including the steps of:
substantially encircling the splice location with an inner sleeve;
and substantially encircling the inner sleeve with an outer sleeve,
the step of adding including positioning the label between the
inner sleeve and the outer sleeve.
26. The method of claim 22, further including the step of
substantially encircling the splice location with a sleeve, the
step of adding the label including positioning the label between
the splice location and the sleeve.
27. The method of claim 22, wherein the step of adding the label
includes adding an electronic memory device having a memory, the
indicium comprising data stored in the memory.
28. The method of claim 22, wherein the step of adding the label
includes adding a tamper-proof label.
29. The method of claim 22, wherein the step of adding the label
includes substantially encircling the splice location with a sleeve
comprising the indicium.
30. The method of claim 20, wherein the step of labeling includes
labeling the optical fiber splice with at least one of alphanumeric
text and a bar code.
31. The method of claim 20, wherein the step of labeling includes
labeling the optical fiber splice with both text and a bar
code.
32. The method of claim 20, wherein the step of labeling includes
labeling the optical fiber splice with a plurality of alphanumeric
digits of sufficient quantity to provide at least one million
unique indicia.
33. The method of claim 20, wherein the step of labeling includes
labeling the optical fiber splice with a serial number.
34. The method of claim 20, wherein the step of labeling includes
labeling the optical fiber splice with a hologram.
35. The method of claim 20, wherein the step of labeling includes
labeling the optical fiber splice with the indicium corresponding
to a particular use of the optical fiber splice.
36. The method of claim 20, wherein the step of labeling includes
labeling the optical fiber splice with the indicium that uniquely
identifies the optical fiber splice within a particular optical
fiber network.
37. The method of claim 20, wherein the step of labeling includes
disposing the indicium at the first optical fiber segment.
38. The method of claim 37, wherein the step of labeling includes
disposing the indicium within ten feet of the splice location.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention is directed generally to optical fiber
splicing, and particularly to fiber splice protection sleeves
having unique serial numbers.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Many optical fiber systems today require splicing of optical
fiber segments. Such splicing is conventionally achieved in many
ways, such as using mechanical splices or fusion splices.
[0003] When manufacturing a fusion splice, it is important that the
two fiber ends that are to be fused together are precisely aligned
with each other. Although in practice some misalignment cannot
always be avoided, any significant misalignment may cause an
unacceptably high optical loss to be provided by the splice.
Further optical loss and other defects may also be incurred due to
other problems with the manufacturing of a fusion splice, such as
an incorrect fusing temperature, an incorrect duration of the
fusion, and an unclean work area where the splice is made (e.g.,
foreign particles from the air that are absorbed into the fused
area may increase the optical loss).
[0004] Once a splice is manufactured and installed in an optical
fiber system (e.g., an optical fiber network), it may be desirable
to know certain information about the splice, such as the optical
loss produced by the splice, the cleave angle of the splice, and
generally the quality of the splice and other manufacturing-related
information. It would be desirable to have access to such
information in order to provide accountability as to the source of
a particular splice and/or as to the cause of a possible defect in
a particular splice. Such accountability would reduce the cost and
time required to discover specific problems with a manufacturing
process and/or installation process and to reduce or eliminate such
problems. Such accountability of splice source and quality would
also be useful since splice operators are often rated on the
quality of splices that the operators manufacture.
[0005] Unfortunately, there are not presently available any methods
or apparatus for collecting and storing information associated with
splices (splice data), or for providing access to splice data, in
order to determine particular splice characteristics and to trace
back the source of the manufactured splice. Should a splicer
operator not perform his or her job properly, or should an
otherwise acceptable splice be later sabotaged or otherwise
damaged, there is presently no satisfactory way to determine the
manufacturing source of the splice, or whether a particular splice
was manufactured properly but was later sabotaged or damaged after
the manufacturing process. Accordingly, there is a need for an
apparatus and method for providing accountability as to the
manufacturing source and quality of individual splices.
[0006] One reason that no such systems presently exist is that
splices currently are not uniquely identifiable. In other words,
splices currently are not associated with a unique identifier or
indicium (such as a serial number). Although some optical fiber
cables have been uniquely identified, splices are not. However,
without providing unique identification of splices, it would be
nearly impossible to store splice data in such a way as to provide
the desired accountability discussed above. Accordingly, there is a
need for the unique identification of splices.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] Various aspects of the present invention solve at least the
problems described above. For example, according to aspects of the
present invention, a data collection system may be used for
collecting and storing splice data associated with splices. The
data collection system may be connectible to a splicer such that
data associated with the manufacture of the splice can be
transferred to the data collection system for storage, analysis,
and later retrieval. Splice data that may be transferred to and
stored by the data collection system (and/or generated by the data
collection system) may include, but is not limited to, an indicium
(such as a serial number or other identifying data) that uniquely
or semi-uniquely identifies the splice, the splice program used to
create the splice, the date and/or time of manufacture of the
splice, the place that the splice was manufactured, the splice
type, the fusion temperature used to create the splice, the fusion
time, the operator's identity, the identity of the splicer, the
anticipated or actual installation location of the splice in an
optical fiber system, an image of the splice, and/or any
cross-referenced splice indicia may be provided via the input
device.
[0008] Once the splice data is stored and appropriately organized
by the data collection system, the splice data may be later
retrieved for the purposes of providing accountability as to the
source of the manufactured splice.
[0009] Accountability is facilitated when each splice has an
associated splice indicium that uniquely or semi-uniquely
identifies the splice. The splice indicium may be or include, e.g.,
text, numbers, alphanumeric text, a symbol or symbol combination,
bar coding, a pattern, graphics, a shape, a picture, an image, a
holographic image, braille, a signature, a trademark, a color or
color combination, a marking, an engraving and/or relief, an icon,
a texture, and/or data within a memory of an electronic memory
device such as a micro-chip. According to aspects of the present
invention, each splice may have a label on which the splice
indicium is printed. What is important is that the splice indicium
identify each particular splice having such splice indicium, either
uniquely (i.e., completely unique amongst all splices) or
semi-uniquely (i.e., unique within a particular group or sub-group
of splices).
[0010] Accordingly, some aspects of the present invention are
directed to an apparatus for receiving splice data for each of a
plurality of optical fiber splices, each of the plurality of
optical fiber splices being uniquely identified by at least one of
a plurality of splice indicia, the apparatus comprising a data
interface for receiving the splice data; and a data storage device
coupled with the data interface, for receiving the splice data and
the splice indicia from the data interface and for storing the
splice data and the splice indicia.
[0011] Further aspects of the present invention are directed to an
apparatus for selecting splice data for an optical fiber splice
based on a selected splice indicium from a plurality of unique
splice indicia, the selected splice indicium uniquely identifying
the optical fiber splice, the apparatus comprising a input data
interface for receiving the selected splice indicium; a data
storage device coupled with the input data interface for storing
the splice data and the plurality of splice indicia; a processor
coupled with the data storage device for retrieving from the data
storage device the splice data associated with the selected splice
indicium; and an output data interface for outputting the splice
data.
[0012] Still further aspects of the present invention are directed
to a method for storing splice data and splice indicia associated
with optical fiber splices, the method comprising the steps of
splicing a plurality of optical fiber portions together to create a
plurality of optical fiber splices; generating splice data for each
of the optical fiber splices; assigning each of the optical fiber
splices a splice indicium from a plurality of unique splice
indicia; and storing the splice data and the splice indicia in a
storage device.
[0013] Still further aspects of the present invention are directed
to a method for retrieving splice data for an optical fiber splice
based on a selected splice indicium from a plurality of unique
splice indicia, the selected splice indicium uniquely identifying
the optical fiber splice, the method comprising the steps of
selecting the selected splice indicium; inputting the selected
splice indicium to an input device; retrieving from a storage
device coupled to the input device the splice data associated with
the selected splice indicium; and outputting data representing the
splice data.
[0014] Still further aspects of the present invention are directed
to an optical fiber splice comprising a first optical fiber segment
and a second optical fiber segment, the first and second optical
fiber segments being coupled together for optical communication
therebetween at a splice location within the splice; and an
indicium for uniquely identifying the optical fiber splice.
[0015] Still further aspects of the present invention are directed
to a method for manufacturing an optical fiber splice, the method
comprising the steps of splicing optical fiber portions together at
a splice location to create the optical fiber splice; and labeling
the optical fiber splice with an indicium that uniquely identifies
the optical fiber splice.
[0016] These and other features of the invention will be apparent
upon consideration of the following detailed description of
preferred embodiments. Although the invention has been defined
using the appended claims, these claims are exemplary in that the
invention is intended to include the elements and steps described
herein in any combination or subcombination. Accordingly, there are
any number of alternative combinations for defining the invention,
which incorporate one or more elements from the specification,
including the description, claims, and drawings, in various
combinations or subcombinations. It will be apparent to those
skilled in optical fiber technology, in light of the present
specification, that alternate combinations of aspects of the
invention, either alone or in combination with one or more elements
or steps defined herein, may be utilized as modifications or
alterations of the invention or as part of the invention. It is
intended that the written description of the invention contained
herein covers all such modifications and alterations.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] The foregoing summary of the invention, as well as the
following detailed description of preferred embodiments, is better
understood when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings,
which are included by way of example, and not by way of limitation
with regard to the claimed invention. In the accompanying drawings,
elements are labeled with three-digit reference numbers, wherein
the first digit of a reference number indicates the drawing number
in which the element is first illustrated. The same reference
number in different drawings refers to the same element.
[0018] FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a first exemplary
embodiment of a data collection system according to aspects of the
present invention.
[0019] FIG. 2 is a chart of an exemplary set of data that may be
stored according to aspects of the present invention.
[0020] FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of another exemplary
embodiment of a data collection system according to aspects of the
present invention.
[0021] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a
splice according to aspects of the present invention.
[0022] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of another exemplary embodiment
of a splice according to aspects of the present invention.
[0023] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another exemplary embodiment
of a splice according to aspects of the present invention.
[0024] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of another exemplary embodiment
of a splice according to aspects of the present invention.
[0025] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of another exemplary embodiment
of a splice according to aspects of the present invention.
[0026] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of another exemplary embodiment
of a splice according to aspects of the present invention.
[0027] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of another exemplary
embodiment of a splice according to aspects of the present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0028] Referring to FIG. 1, an exemplary embodiment of a data
collection system 100 according to aspects of the present invention
is shown to be connected to a splicer 150. The data collection
system 100 preferably includes a data interface 101 for receiving
and/or transmitting data, a data storage device 102 for storing
data, a processor 103 for controlling data flow, controlling the
selection, retrieval, and/or storage of data, and/or controlling
various operations of the data collection system 100, a
battery/power source 104 for supplying power to the various
portions of the data collection system 100, an antenna 105 or other
wireless interface, a clock 106, an input device 120, and/or an
output device 123. The data collection system 100 may be fully or
partially encased in a housing 107.
[0029] The splicer 150 may include an interface 151, a processor
152, a video camera 153 and/or other video input device, splicing
apparatus 154 for splicing optical fiber cables, and/or other
sensors 155 for determining information concerning a splice, such
as optical loss of the splice.
[0030] The data interface 101 of the data collection system may be
permanently connected, or removably connectible, with the interface
151 of the splicer, an input device 120, and/or a computer 121. The
various connections to the data interface 101 of the data
collection system may be in any physical format (e.g., electrical,
optical, wireless, etc.) and data format (e.g., digital, analog,
serial, parallel, framed, packetized, synchronous, asynchronous,
etc.). In one embodiment, the data collection system 100 may
include a splicer input interface and connected to the splicer 150
as shown in FIG. 1. There may be one or more signal connections
between the data collection system 100 and the splicer 150. In the
embodiment shown in FIG. 1, two signal connections 175, 176 are
used, one for transferring image data associated with a video image
of a splice, and the other for transferring other data (e.g., text
and/or numerical data) associated with the splice. However, a
single signal connection for transferring both the image data and
any other data, or any other combination of signal connections, may
be used.
[0031] The data storage device 102 may be any type of data storage
device and may include any permanent and/or removably connectible
storage medium (wherein data is stored on the removable storage
medium). For example, the data storage device 102 may include a
magnetic and/or optical disk drive, a magnetic and/or optical hard
drive, a ZIP drive, a magnetic tape drive, memory (e.g., a
random-access memory), a removable memory card, a video cassette
recorder, and/or any other data storage device and/or medium
appropriate for storing data.
[0032] The processor 103 may be embodied in any form, and may
include one or more central processing units, computers,
controllers, and/or any other dedicated or non-dedicated circuitry
or other device for controlling data flow, controlling the
selection, retrieval, and/or storage of data, and/or controlling
various operations of the data collection system 100. The processor
103 may preferably be configured to select portions of splice data
related to splice indicia.
[0033] The battery/power source 104 may include a permanent or
replaceable battery or bank of batteries, a rechargeable or
non-rechargeable battery or bank of batteries, a solar array,
and/or any other device for storing and supplying power.
[0034] The input device 120 may include a button, keyboard/keypad,
mouse, light pen, digitizer, optical scanner, optical wand,
electromagnetic probe/wand, bar code reader, optical character
recognizer, voice recognition device, microphone, touch-sensitive
pad, video camera, video image recognizer, and/or any other
automatic and/or manual input device appropriate for reading and/or
receiving a splice-identifying splice indicium. The input device
120 may also be used by an operator/user for controlling operations
of the data collection system 100. One or more of the input devices
120 may be coupled to the interface 101 of the data collection
system 100.
[0035] The computer 121 may be may include one or more central
processing units, computers, controllers, and/or any other
dedicated or non-dedicated circuitry or other computing device. The
computer 121 may further include and/or may be connected to a data
storage device 122. The data storage device 122 may include a
magnetic and/or optical disk drive, a magnetic and/or optical hard
drive, a ZIP drive, a magnetic tape drive, memory (e.g., a
random-access memory), a video cassette recorder, and/or any other
data storage device and/or medium appropriate for storing data. The
data storage device 122 may store any or all of the information
that may be stored in the data storage device 102 of the data
collection system.
[0036] The output device 123 may be any device suitable for
presenting data and/or other information to a user and/or to
another device such as a computer. For example, the output device
123 may include a display (such as an LED display, an LCD display,
a television screen, a video monitor, a fluorescent display, and/or
a plasma display), a speaker, a piezo-electric audio output device,
an electrical data output port and/or interface, an optical data
output port and/or interface, and/or an electromagnetic wave data
output port and/or interface with an antenna. One or more output
devices 123 may be coupled to the interface 101 of the data
collection system 100.
[0037] In operation, the data collection system 100 may be used to
collect splice data associated with splices. According to one
embodiment of a method for collecting and/or using splice data, an
operator or user may connect the data collection system 100 to the
splicer 150. Splicers currently exist that collect and provide
various forms of splice data. For example, the Ericsson FSU925PMA
splicer has a serial port and a video output port for providing
various data related to the manufacture of a splice.
[0038] The user may select a particular splice program for the
splicer 150 to follow, create a splice of an optical fiber cable
using the splicer 150, and manually or automatically take
measurements of the splice to determine whether the splice meets
certain quality standards. Such measurements may be taken
immediately before, during, and/or immediately after the splice is
created. For example, the splicer 150 may generate an image (such
as a video image) of the splice immediately after the fusing of the
optical fiber cables using a video camera 153. The image may be a
still or a moving image and may be, e.g., about 1 MByte of image
data per splice. Preferably, and in order to obtain the most
information from the image, the image may be taken while the fusion
point is still hot. An advantage of creating and storing the image
data is that such an image often will show whether there is dirt or
other foreign particles in the splice (caused, e.g., by a dirty
work area) that could cause optical loss and other problems with
the splice. It cannot be determined from the estimated loss alone
whether such foreign particles exist in a splice. Further, the
splicer 150 may determine characteristics of the splice such as the
estimated optical loss of the splice and/or the cleave angle of the
splice using the video camera 153 and/or other sensors 155.
[0039] If it is determined that the splice does not meet quality
standards, the splice may be discarded, and a new splice may be
created and measured as described above. If the splice meets
quality standards, the measurements taken and/or any other splice
data may be transferred to the data collection system 100.
Alternatively, the measurements and any other splice data may be
always sent to the data collection system 100, whereupon the data
collection system may discard or store separately the data
associated with a splice that is determined not to meet quality
standards.
[0040] The splicer 150 may transfer splice data (e.g., all or part
of the image data, the estimated loss, and/or the cleave angle of
the splice) to the data collection system 100 via the signal
connections 175, 176 and received by the data interface 101. The
splice data may be in any data format and may be analog and/or
digital. For example, the data collection system 100 may receive
ASCII text data from the splicer 150 in RS-232 serial format, and
video data from the splicer 150 in MPEG format or other standard
video format.
[0041] Additional splice data may be provided via the input device
120. For example, a splice indicium that uniquely identifies the
splice, the splice program used to create the splice, the date
and/or time of manufacture of the splice, the place that the splice
was manufactured, the splice type (which may be defined by the
splice program), the fusion temperature used to create the splice
(which may also be defined by the splice program), the fusion time
(which may also be defined by the splice program), the operator's
identity, the identity of the splicer 150 or the splicing apparatus
154, the anticipated installation location of the splice in an
optical fiber system ("installed location"), the customer for whom
the splice was created or installed, and/or any cross-referenced
splice indicia may be provided via the input device 120. In some
embodiments of the present invention, the input device 120 may
include a bar code reader, wherein the manufactured splice may have
a label with bar coding that uniquely or semi-uniquely identifies
the splice (as discussed in more detail below), and the bar coding
may be read using the bar code reader and stored in the data
storage device 102.
[0042] Additionally or alternatively, some or all of the splice
data may be provided automatically from the splicer 150 via the
signal connections 175, 176. Further, the date and/or time of
manufacture may be automatically provided by the clock 106 in the
data collection system 100 (and/or in the splicer 150).
[0043] Any or all of the above-described splice data may be
transferred to the data storage device 102, the computer 121, the
data storage device 122 via the computer 121, and/or the output
device 123 for viewing by the operator. Transferring of splice data
between the data collection system 100 and the computer 121 may
allow for full handshaking and a faster, better-configured
connection (e.g., a serial port connection) than with the splicer
150. Accordingly, the splicer 150 may alternatively be connected to
the data collection system 100 via the computer 121.
[0044] The operator may manipulate some or all of the splice data
and/or the operations of the data collection system 100 and/or the
splicer 150 using the input device 120. Further, any or all of the
splice data may be selectively and/or automatically deleted,
archived to long-term storage, and/or transferred between the data
collection system 100 and another device such as a computer, and/or
between the data collection system 100 and another data collection
system.
[0045] Upon receiving some or all of the splice data, the data
storage device 102 and/or 122 may store the splice data in any
format suitable for convenient retrieval at a later time. As it
would be useful to retrieve splice data for a particular splice, it
is preferable to associate the splice data with the particular
splice to which the data belongs. For example, for each splice, the
data storage device may store the splice data and the splice
indicium in a unique data record. Further, the data storage device
may index the splice data by splice indicium, and/or a database
haying access to the data storage device may be configured to
access splice data according to splice indicium.
[0046] One exemplary embodiment of how splice data may be organized
in the data storage device 102 and/or 122 is shown in FIG. 2. The
table in FIG. 2 represents one way to organize and index data in
the data storage device 102 and/or 122. There are many ways to
organize the splice data in order to be conveniently retrievable,
depending upon the user's desires and the storage capacity of the
data storage device. For example, the data categories (represented
by the separate columns of splice data in the table) shown in FIG.
2 may be stored in a different order, there may be some data
categories omitted, and/or there may be additional data categories.
In some embodiments, the splice data may be stored and indexed
using a database application. As can be seen in FIG. 2, the data
within the various categories of splice data are indexed by splice
indicium. For example, splice no. 31B05 (an example of an
alphanumeric text indicium wherein any of the digits may be a
number or a letter) has an associated image data 201, estimated
loss of 0.09 dB, cleave angles of 0.21 and 0.32 degrees, and
date/time of manufacture of Feb. 25, 1999 at 11:53 am. One may also
determine from the data as stored in the data storage device and as
shown in FIG. 2 that splice no. 31B05 was created by operator Jones
and is installed at location 103-A1-B23. Of course, any of the
splice data shown in the table of FIG. 2 (and stored in the data
storage device 102) may be in any format as is convenient or
necessary.
[0047] Some or all of the splice data may be partitioned within the
data storage device 102 and/or 122 to separate splice data
associated with one optical fiber system from splice data
associated with another optical fiber system. Further, some or all
of the splice data may be encrypted and/or secured such that the
secured splice data is retrievable only upon entry of an
authorization code. There may be a different authorization code for
each partition. In this way, certain data may be accessible only by
authorized users. This may be required for some governmental uses
and by some customers.
[0048] FIG. 3 illustrates an alternative embodiment of a data
collection system 300. The data collection system 300 may include a
bar code reader 301 (and/or any other input device such as the
input device 120), a data interface 302, an antenna 105 (and/or
other wireless interface), a display 304, a memory 305 (e.g., one
or more memory chips such as a RAM, and/or any other data storage
device), a processor 103, a battery/power source 104, and/or an
input device 308. The data collection system 300 may be partially
or fully encased in a housing 310. Preferably, the data collection
system 300 is made to be portable enough to be hand-carried by a
person. For example, it would be preferable to manufacture the data
collection system 300 to be no more than, e.g., five pounds, and/or
no more than the volume of a standard laptop personal computer.
Ideally, the data collection system 300 may be made small enough to
be suitable as a hand held device.
[0049] As will be described below, this embodiment of the data
collection system 300 may be used instead of, or in conjunction
with, the data collection system 100. The embodiment of the data
collection system 300 as shown in FIG. 3 is even more portable than
the embodiment of the data collection system 100 shown in FIG. 1.
It may be desirable in some instances to have a data collection
system 300 that is portable enough to carry on site (e.g., hand
carried by a technician when visiting an optical fiber system
site).
[0050] The exemplary data collection system 300 may thus include
the memory 305 instead of a relatively heavy or bulky high-capacity
data storage device of another type. In such a case, splice data
and/or other data may be stored in and/or retrieved from the data
storage device 122. This allows a user of the data collection
system 300 to work remotely (e.g., on site at an optical fiber
system installation) from the bulk storage of data to which the
user may need access. The data collection system 300 may be
configured to selectably download into the memory 305 from the data
storage device 122 only that portion of the splice data that is
anticipated to be needed for a particular day and/or location. For
example, prior to visiting a particular optical fiber system site,
the technician may download only the splice data that is associated
with splices in that particular optical fiber system. Thus, the
memory 305 does not need to be large enough to hold all splice
data, thereby allowing the data collection system 300 to be
relatively small and lightweight. In such sub-embodiments, the data
interface 302 may include an external storage device interface
configured to receive at least a portion of the splice data and the
splice indicia from the storage device 122, and such splice data
and splice indicia may be transferred to the memory 305.
[0051] Further, a user of the data collection system 300 may enter
additional data using the input device 308 while on site and store
that additional data in the memory 305 for later processing and/or
permanent storage. For example, the user that works with the
particular optical fiber system mentioned above may enter
additional data associated with one or more particular splices, and
that data may be later or immediately uploaded to the computer 121
and/or data storage device 121. Such uploading of data, downloading
of data, data retrieval, and/or other communications with external
devices may be accomplished via the antenna 105 and/or via any
other wired and/or wireless connection. If the antenna 105 is used,
the data collection system 300 (or 100) and the computer 121 may be
in communication with a cellular telephone and/or pager network. In
such a case, data may be transferred over the cellular network.
Additionally or alternatively, a simple radio frequency
transmission may be used directly between the data collection
system 300 (or 100) and the computer 121.
[0052] The data interface 302 may be configured to receive and/or
send data For example, the data interface 302 may include an input
data interface for receiving splice indicia, and/or an output data
interface for outputting a selected portion of splice data.
Further, the data interface 302 may include any other configuration
of data interface such as an electronic memory device input
interface (which may be connectible to an electromagnetic probe)
for reading splice indicia from the memory of an electronic memory
device, as further described below. Further, the data interface 302
may include a data port for outputting data representing splice
data.
[0053] As discussed above, any of the embodiments of the data
collection system 100, 300 of the present invention may be used for
collecting and accessing splice data. The splice data preferably is
indexed by splice numbers or other splice indicia. As will be
discussed below with reference to FIGS. 4-10, each splice (or group
of splices) may be uniquely associated with a splice indicium. It
is desirable to physically label each splice with its associated
splice indicium so that each splice may be easily identified by
sight and/or using a label-reading device.
[0054] In operation, the data collection system 300 may be used to
selectively retrieve splice data associated with a particular
splice. A user of the data collection system 300 may input a
selected splice indicium that uniquely identifies that particular
splice (e.g., using a keypad, the bar code reader 301, or any other
input device 308. The processor 103 may access the memory 305
and/or the storage device 122 to retrieve splice data therefrom
that is associated with the splice indicium (e.g., splice data that
is in the same data record as the splice indicium). For example, a
user may use the bar code reader 301 to scan in the splice indicium
"31B05." Responsive to splice indicium 31B05 being scanned in,
splice indicium 31B05 may be sent through the interface 302 to the
processor 103 in the data collection system 300. The processor 103
may access the memory 305 and/or the storage device 122 to retrieve
the splice data associated with splice indicium 31B05. Referring to
FIG. 2, that splice data that is retrieved may include, e.g., image
data 201, an estimate optical loss of 0.09 dB, a cleave angles of
0.21 and 0.32 degrees, a splice program of 1, a date/time of
manufacture of Feb. 25, 1999 at 11:53 a.m., an operator of Jones, a
splicer number of 2, an installed location of 103-A1-B23, and a
cross reference of splice indicia 31B04 and 31B06.
[0055] Upon retrieval of the splice data associated with the
selected splice indicium, the data collection system 300 may
display via the display 304, or otherwise output, some or all of
the retrieved splice data. Multiple splice indicia may also be
entered and processed in the same way.
[0056] Although the above description of operation is discussed
with regard to the data collection system 300, the same operations
may also be performed using the data collection system 100 of FIG.
1. Alternatively, the data collection system 100 and the data
collection system 300 may be used together. In such an arrangement,
the data collection system 100 may be used for the collection of
splice data from the splicer 150, and the data collection system
300 may be used for the selective retrieval of splice data
according to a selected splice indicium. To allow the splice data
collected by the data collection system 100 to be used by the data
collection system 300, the data collection system 300 may be
connected to the data collection system 100 (e.g., via a connection
between data interfaces 101 and 302) so that splice data is
transferred between the two systems. The data collection system 300
may then be disconnected from the data collection system 100 so
that it is more portable. Alternatively, the data collection system
100 may transfer the collected splice data to the storage device
122 so that the data collection system 300 may later retrieve some
or all of the splice data stored in the storage device 122.
[0057] An exemplary embodiment of a splice 400 having a label with
a splice-identifying splice indicium is illustrated in FIG. 4. Two
or more optical fiber segments 401, 402 may be spliced together
using conventional methods such as fusion splicing. The optical
fiber segments 401, 402 are typically made up of an optically
transmissive core surrounded by a protective cladding. The fusion
point, or splice location (e.g., splice location 701 shown in FIG.
7), between the two segments 401, 402 may be protected by an inner
sleeve 403 (which may be, e.g., thermoplastic tubing) encircling
the splice location, and/or an outer sleeve 404 (which may be,
e.g., heat shrinkable tubing) encircling the inner sleeve 403. A
support rod 405 (which may be made of, e.g., metal, quartz,
plastic, and/or a polymer) for absorbing mechanical stresses may be
disposed between the inner sleeve 403 and the outer sleeve 404.
FIGS. 4-10 show the inner sleeve 403, the outer sleeve 404, and the
support rod 405 as being cut away in order to more clearly
illustrate the structure of the splice 400.
[0058] The splice 400 may also include a label 406 for identifying
the particular splice 400. In some embodiments of the present
invention, the label 406 may be in the form of, but not limited to,
one or more of the following: a strip, foil, pad, sticker, thread,
weave, engraving, raised surface feature such as braille, flag,
tab, textured surface or object, hologram, electronic memory device
such as a micro-chip, and/or any other material, object, and/or
device of any shape and/or size suitable for bearing the splice
indicium 407. The label 406 may be made of paper, plastic, metal,
metal foil, a polymer, liquid, ink, and/or any other suitable
natural and/or man-made material. Any of the above features of the
label 406 may be used to uniquely identify and distinguish between
individual splices and/or groups of splices.
[0059] The label 406 may be disposed at a variety of places in/on
the splice 400, such as on the outside of, or embedded within, the
outer sleeve 404 (as is shown in FIG. 4), between the inner sleeve
403 and the outer sleeve 404, within (and/or part of) the inner
sleeve 403, between the inner sleeve 403 and the optical fiber
segments 401, 402, on or in the support rod 405, and/or otherwise
embedded in the splice 400. For example, FIG. 5 shows the label 406
disposed on the inner sleeve 403 between the inner sleeve 403 and
the outer sleeve 404. In such a configuration (i.e., where the
label 406 is not on the outside of the outer sleeve 404), the label
406 is protected from damage by at least the outer sleeve 404.
Further, the label 406 may be in the form of a sleeve, such as the
outer sleeve 404 (indeed, the label may be the outer sleeve
404).
[0060] The label 406 may be attached to and/or embedded in any
portion of the splice 400 (or other location near the splice) using
an adhesive (such as glue and/or epoxy). The adhesive may be
separately added between the label 406 and the splice 400, or the
adhesive may be part of the pre-made label (such as an
adhesive-backed sticker or foil). If the splice 400 is to be
submerged in a liquid (e.g., in the ocean), the adhesive preferably
should be a waterproof adhesive, and/or the label 406 should
preferably not be on the outside of the outer sleeve 404.
[0061] The label 406 might not be physically on, or part of, the
splice 400 at all, but may be disposed near the splice on, e.g., an
optical fiber segment 401 or 402. In general, the label 406 is
considered near the splice if it is physically proximate enough to
be conveniently identified with the particular splice as opposed to
other splices. For example, the label 406 may be disposed at the
optical fiber segment 401 within six inches of the splice, within
two feet of the splice, or within ten feet of the splice, depending
upon the physical environment in which the splice is in. For
example, a splice may be in a location that is not easily
accessible (such as under water or in a closed container). In such
a case, it may be preferable to place the label 406 at a location
as near as possible to the splice, e.g., on the optical fiber cable
bearing the splice. Alternatively, the label 406 may be disposed at
a physical structure supporting, enclosing, and/or near to the
splice 400 and/or the optical fiber segment 401 or 402. Another
alternative that may be preferably implemented when splices are not
easily accessible is to provide a map of the layout of the optical
fiber system, wherein the map is labeled, for each splice, with the
same information that would be on the label 406. What is important
is that the label 406 or map information is configured and located
so as to ensure that the label 406 is associated only with a
particular splice 400 (or group of splices).
[0062] The label 406 may include a splice indicium 407 (or a
plurality of splice indicia) that may uniquely identify the splice
400 so as to distinguish the splice 400 from other splices. The
splice indicium 407 may be or include, e.g., text, numbers,
alphanumeric text, a symbol or symbol combination, bar coding, a
pattern, graphics, a shape, a picture, an image, a holographic
image, a raised surface feature such as braille, a signature, a
trademark, a color or color combination, a marking, an engraving,
an icon, a texture, and/or data within an electronic memory device
such as a micro-chip. As shown in FIG. 4, the exemplary splice
indicium 407 is a combination of alphanumeric text ("31B04") and a
bar code.
[0063] The splice indicium 407 may be disposed on the label 406, or
it may be printed and/or etched directly on/in the splice 400
itself (such as on the outer sleeve 404, the inner sleeve 403, the
support rod 405, and/or the optical fiber segments 401 and/or 402)
without any need for a separate label 406. The splice indicium 407
may be unique for a particular optical fiber system, use,
application, location, owner, splice type, splice performance,
wavelength of light being used, date and/or time of manufacture
and/or installation, splice manufacturer, splice customer,
installation and/or purchase contract, and/or age of the splice
400. Further, each splice indicium 407 may be completely unique for
each splice amongst all splices that are identified by splice
indicia Preferably, the splice indicia should be configured to
allow a large number of splices to be made without duplication of
splice indicia (e.g., by using an alphanumeric number having a
large number of digits, such as at least 5 alphanumeric digits, at
least 10 alphanumeric digits, at least 1 million unique splice
indicia, or at least 1 billion unique splice indicia).
[0064] Preferably, the label and splice indicium should be in both
human-readable (e.g., alphanumeric) and machine-readable (e.g.,
bar-coded) format, such as is shown in FIG. 4. This configuration
of splice indicium allows a person to both visually search for a
particular splice and to quickly input splice indicia into the data
collection device via, e.g., a bar code reader.
[0065] The particular embodiment, format, layout, style, and/or
content of the label 406 and/or the splice indicium 407 may
partially or completely depend upon the use/application, location,
owner, splice identity, splice type, splice performance, wavelength
of light being used, date and/or time of manufacture and/or
installation, splice manufacturer, splice customer, installation
and/or purchase contract, and/or age of the splice 400. For
example, a particular embodiment, format, layout, style, other
content of the label 406 and/or the splice indiciun 407, and/or
splice indicium prefix or suffix may be reserved only for
government use (e.g., a prefix of "31" such as is shown in the
first two indicia of FIG. 2 may indicate government use).
[0066] The label 406 and/or splice indicium 407 may include splice
information. For example, the splice indicium 407 may include text,
symbols, and/or other features indicating the estimated loss of the
splice, the cleave angle of the splice, the date/time of
manufacture of the splice, the operator who created the splice, the
identity of the splicer that created the splice (including the
splicer's manufacturer serial number), the installation location of
the splice, and/or any cross-referenced splices.
[0067] Security is also a factor in deciding the configuration for
a label 406 and a splice indicium 407. It is preferable that the
label 406 and/or the splice indicium 407 be damaged or destroyed
upon tampering with the splice or the label (a "tamper-proof"
label). For example, a holographic image may be used a the splice
indicium, and may be adhesively disposed between the inner sleeve
403 and the outer sleeve 404 such that when the splice is opened,
the holographic image is damaged or destroyed. Any feature of the
indicium 407 may be holographic. For example, a serial number,
alphanumeric test, and/or bar code may be holographically etched.
Further, the hologram may be a trademark of the manufacturer,
customer, and/or project in which the splice will be used. Such
features discourage tampering with or sabotaging a splice, since
such unauthorized tampering would be apparent upon inspection of
the splice. For similar reasons, it is preferable that the label
406 and/or the splice indicium 407 be difficult to counterfeit in
order to prevent creation of unauthorized and counterfeit
labels.
[0068] In still further embodiments of the present invention such
as is shown in FIG. 6, the label 406 may be and/or include an
electronic memory device 601, such as a micro-chip having a memory,
and/or other similar electronic device. The electronic memory
device 601 may store data representing the splice indicium 407 (or
plurality of splice indicia), and such data representing the splice
indicium 407 may be electronically detectable using a type of
device such as a well-known probe 602 for reading data from the
memory of the electronic memory device 601. The electronic memory
device 601 may be provided with memory capable of storing some or
all of the data that may be stored in the data storage device 102
of the data collection system 100 and/or the data storage device
122. In such an arrangement, the electronic memory device 601 may
transmit some or all of the data stored in its memory responsive to
an electronic probe 602 activating the electronic memory device
601. The electronic memory device 601 may be disposed on or
embedded in any portion of the splice that the label 406 may be as
described above.
[0069] In another arrangement, the electronic memory device 601 may
also store the splice data associated with the splice. For example,
splice no. 31B04 may have an electronic memory device 601 embedded
within the splice, the electronic memory device 601 having a memory
containing the exemplary splice data for splice no. 31B04 as shown
in FIG. 2. In such embodiments, the data collection system 300
would not need to store the splice data (although it may still be
configured to do so), but instead could merely read the splice data
via the electronic probe 602 and display the data to the user. Such
embodiments allow for an even more portable data collection system
300, since the memory 305 and/or any other storage device may be
made even smaller.
[0070] Various types of devices are known that could be used as the
electronic memory device 601. For example, Dallas Semiconductor
markets a DS1990A "Serial Number iButton." Another example is the
Dallas Semiconductor DS1996 "64 Kbit Memory iButton." Both of these
products work with the Dallas Semiconductor DS9092 "iButton Probe,"
which may be used as the electronic probe 602.
[0071] In still further embodiments of the present invention such
as is shown in FIG. 7, the label 406 and/or the indicium 407 may be
disposed at one or more of the optical fiber segments 401, 402. For
example, as shown in the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 7, the label
406 bearing the indicium 407 may be attached to the surface of
optical fiber segment 402. FIG. 7 also shows an exemplary
embodiment of a splice location 701 where the optical fiber
segments 401, 402 are spliced together. As discussed above, the
label 406 and/or the indicium 407 may be located adjacent to the
splice, near the splice, and/or at any distance from the splice
that is appropriate for the particular use of the splice.
[0072] In still further embodiments of the present invention such
as is shown in FIG. 8, the label 406 and/or the indicium 407 may be
disposed at the support rod 405. For example, as shown in the
exemplary embodiment of FIG. 8, the label 406 bearing the indicium
407 may be attached to the support rod 405.
[0073] In still further embodiments of the present invention such
as is shown in FIG. 9, the label 406 may be a sleeve. For example,
as shown in the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 9, the label 406 may
be the outer sleeve 404. Alternatively, the label 406 may be the
inner sleeve or any other sleeve.
[0074] In still further embodiments of the present invention such
as is shown in FIG. 10, the splice 400 may be located within a
sealed container and/or in another location that is difficult to
access. In such embodiments, the label 406 and/or the indicium 407
may be disposed at another location related to the splice 400, but
preferably adjacent to the splice 400. For example, as shown in the
exemplary embodiment of FIG. 10, the label 406 bearing the indicium
407 may be attached to the outside of a container 1001 containing
the splice 400.
[0075] When splices are identified using labels and/or splice
indicia as discussed above, a user of the data collection system of
the present invention may trace back the source of manufacture of a
particular splice, as well as other splice data. For example, a
user who finds a defective splice that is installed in an optical
fiber system may manually read the splice indicium located on the
defective splice (and/or read the splice indicium using, e.g., the
bar code reader 301 or other input device 308), manually or
automatically input the splice indicium into the data collection
system (e.g., data collection system 300), and view splice data
associated with and indexed by the splice indicium. Thus, the user
may view on the display 304 the splice image data to determine
whether the splice was incorrectly manufactured or whether the
splice was later damaged. The user may further determine who
created the splice, on what splicer the splice was created, when
the splice was created, the estimated optical loss of the splice,
etc.
[0076] In further embodiments of the present invention, a user may
utilize the data collection system 100 and/or 300 to determine any
related splices that are cross-referenced in the splice data. For
example, referring to the exemplary splice data shown in FIG. 2,
the user may input splice no. 23A17 into the data collection
system, whereupon the data collection system may output
cross-reference splice nos. 23A15, 23A16, and 23A18. When the
cross-referenced splice numbers are, e.g., on the same optical
fiber cable, such a method for using the data collection system can
assist the user in troubleshooting splice problems. This is because
the user may be apprised of all of the splices on a particular
faulty optical fiber cable.
[0077] Thus, embodiments of the data collection system and the
uniquely-identified splices as described above allows a user of the
system to collect and store splice data and splice indicia during
the manufacture of splices, and/or to provide accountability as to
the source of a particular splice and/or as to the cause of a
defect in a particular splice.
[0078] While exemplary systems and methods embodying the present
invention are shown by way of example, it will be understood, of
course, that the invention is not limited to these embodiments.
Modifications may be made by those skilled in the art, particularly
in light of the foregoing teachings. For example, each of the
elements of the aforementioned embodiments may be utilized alone or
in combination with elements of the other embodiments.
* * * * *