Patent ID: 7920764
Filing Date: 2011-04-05
Classification: G02B

Abstract:
1. In an electronic system used within a communication network which has fiber optic cables interfacing a central patching unit at proximal ends of the cables and remote transmission equipment at distal ends of the cables, an arrangement for determining and updating inventories of physical fiber optic cable connections in the network, the arrangement comprising: a multiplicity of composite fiber optic cables each having a jacket with at least one internal plenum and extending between the proximal and distal ends, each cable receiving at least one optical fiber within the jacket, and also including at least one conductive element along its length, and further including first fiber optic connectors at the proximal ends thereof, and second fiber optic connectors at the distal ends thereof, wherein each first fiber optic connector includes a first electrical antenna element; each second fiber optic connector includes a second electrical antenna element, each first and second antenna element being coupled to a corresponding electrical conductive element for efficiently coupling electromagnetic signals bi-directionally along the conductive element between the proximal and the distal ends of the fiber optic cables; and wherein each first fiber optic connector optically interfaces a different one of the cables to the central patching unit, and each first electrical elements each inductively couples a different one of the cables to the central patching unit; a number of passive radio frequency identification tag sources, each tag source disposed adjacent a different one of the second fiber optic connectors in the communication network, each tag source being electromagnetically coupled to a corresponding second antenna element thereof, and each tag source including a tag antenna element and an integrated circuit responsive to a received alternating electrical signal and emitting a characteristic electromagnetic signature for that connection in the network; and an electronic control unit with reader antenna elements coupled to the first electrical antenna elements of composite fiber optic cables at their proximal ends for transmission of signals along the cables to their distal ends, said control unit including a transmission subsystem for addressing and launching excitation voltage signals of radio frequency onto the proximal end of any selected conductive element, said excitation signals being of sufficient strength at least one of the second electrical antenna elements to energize the corresponding passive radio frequency identification tag source at the addressed second fiber optic connector in the network such that the tag source emits a characteristic electromagnetic signature for bi-directional transmission via the tag source, second and first electrical antenna elements back to the connector at the proximal end for reception by the electronic control unit, whereby electromagnetic signatures as to a status of the remote transmission equipment thereat can be identified and correlated with an inventory of physical fiber optic connections.