Patent ID: 6370294
Filing Date: 2002-04-09
Classification: G02B,H04B,H04Q

Abstract:
A fiber optic circuit comprising:a) a plurality of connection locations, wherein the plurality of connection locations define first and second pairs of connection locations, each pair defining first and second connection points; b) a first optical signal pathway between the first connection points; c) a second optical signal pathway between the second connection points; d) a first switch between the first and second optical signal pathways wherein the switch has first and second states: 1) the first state being a normal through state wherein the first connection points are optically linked along the first optical signal pathway, and wherein the second connection points are optically linked along the second optical signal pathway; and 2) the second state being a loopback state wherein the first and second connection points of the first pair are in communication along a first loopback path along a portion of the first and second optical signal pathways, and wherein the first and second connection points of the second pair are in communication along a second loopback path along other portions of the first and second optical signal pathways; e) a module housing having front and rear faces, opposed major sides, and opposed minor sides defining an enclosed interior, the front face including mounting flanges for mounting the module to a chassis; f) a plurality of exposed adapters defining the connection locations along at least one of the front and rear faces, each of the plurality of adapters connectable to a fiber optic connector external to the module, wherein the module housing and the plurality of exposed adapters defines a first cross-connect module, further comprising a plurality of the first cross-connect modules, and a plurality of second cross-connect modules constructed and arranged as the first crossconnect module, the first and second modules cross-connected together, and further comprising a plurality of first and second test circuits, each test circuit including a main signal connection location and a monitor signal connection location, first and second dual 1Ã—N optical switches, where N equals the number of plurality of first and second modules cross-connected together, the first and second dual 1Ã—N optical switches optically linked to the main signal connection locations and the monitor signal connection locations of the plurality of first and second modules, and test equipment optically linked to the first and second dual 1Ã—N optical switches.