Patent ID: 6704509
Filing Date: 2004-03-09
Classification: H04B,H04J

Abstract:
A system for monitoring the optical performance of a fiber optic network including an optical fiber carrying a main communication signal stream having a plurality of different channels each having an associated channel wavelength, the system comprising:a fiber tapping means communicatively coupled with the main optical fiber for extracting a tapped communication signal from the main signal stream, the tapped communication signal including the plurality of channels each having an associated communication wavelength; means for generating a calibration signal including a plurality of calibration wavelengths; means for combining said tapped communication signal and said calibration signal to generate a combined signal including said communication wavelengths and said calibration wavelengths; a multi-channel monitoring device including, an input optical fiber for receiving the combined signal and having an input fiber end for radiating an input light beam including said communication wavelengths and said calibration wavelengths, a detector unit having an array of pixel detector elements each being responsive to light beams incident thereon, and operative to generate an associated data signal, collimating and focusing means for collimating and focusing beams propagating between said fiber end and said detector unit, and a transmissive grating assembly for diffracting and spatially separating beams propagating between said input fiber end and said detector unit, said grating assembly, collimating and focusing means, and pixel detector elements being configured so that said diffracted beams are spatially separated and focused onto associated ones of said detector elements according to associated ones of said communication wavelengths and said calibration wavelengths; and a data processing unit for receiving said data signals from said detector unit, and being operative to provide information indicative of the intensities and wavelengths associated with each of the channels of the main communication signal.