Method and apparatus for connecting devices in communication system

Abstract

The present disclosure provides, inter alia, a communication device comprising: a plurality of connector ports for receiving corresponding connectors attached to a cable carrying optical signals, the plurality of connector ports comprising a first connector port configured to receive an optical signal having a first value for a signal characteristic and a second connector port configured to receive a second value for a signal characteristic; the second connector port is configured to receive an optical signal having a second value for the signal characteristic; a plurality of visual indication devices associated with the connector ports, the plurality of visual indication devices including a first visual indication device located near the first connector port and a second visual indication device located near the second connector port; and a short-range wireless communication circuit configured to: receive, from a short-range wireless communication device, an indication of a value for a signal characteristic of a communication signal carried by the cable; and in response to determining that the value of the indicated signal characteristic corresponds to the first value, activating the first visual indication device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to communication systems, and more particularly, to methods and apparatuses for physically interconnecting devices in a communication system. Background Art

[0002] It is observed that devices within a communication system need to be communicatively connected to each other. That is, one device or component of the communication system outputs communication signals, and these signals are provided as input to another device or component of the system. Physical connections (e.g., electrical or optical cables) have the characteristics of high simplicity, low cost, and low data loss rate, and are therefore the preferred mechanism for carrying such communication signals when the distance between the devices of the system permits.

[0003] It may also be observed that cables must be connected between the correct connectors on these devices in order for the system to work properly.

[0004] For example, wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) systems use optical signals with different wavelengths (also referred to as "λ") to send information over optical fibers. Each wavelength is modulated with a different data stream and corresponding to these different data streams, optical devices such as filters, demultiplexers, and multiplexers enable multiple data streams to be multiplexed onto the same optical fiber, and / or enable individual data streams to be separated onto separate optical fibers. In this context, the connectors of these devices can be associated with signals having specific wavelengths and / or specific transmission directions (e.g., transmission or reception). For example, an optical multiplexer can be designed to multiplex an optical signal having a first wavelength received at a first input connector onto an output connector, and to multiplex an optical signal having a second wavelength received at a second input connector onto the output connector. That is, the optical properties of the components of the multiplexer (such as gratings, lenses, etc.) can be designed to divert optical radiation having a specific wavelength from an input connector to an output connector through refraction and other optical effects. Optical signals received at the first input connector having wavelengths other than the first wavelength will not be successfully multiplexed onto the output connector, nor will optical signals received at the second input connector having wavelengths other than the second wavelength be successfully multiplexed onto the output connector. Thus, if an incorrect cable (i.e., carrying optical signals having wavelengths other than the first wavelength) is plugged into the first input connector, these optical signals and the information they carry will be lost.

[0005] While the need to connect devices in the right way is simple in concept, the actual reality can be much more complex.

[0006] First, modern communication systems may include a large number of physically identical connectors that are crowded together on the faceplate of the equipment. Each connector may have a label near it that includes an identifier for the connector. However, the labels are often small, and the physical similarities between connectors mean that correctly identifying and distinguishing between them is difficult and prone to error.

[0007] Secondly, the cables themselves may also be physically identical and difficult to distinguish. Each cable may also be provided with a label, which may be printed on or attached to the cable, that includes an identifier for the cable. However, the label is typically small and difficult to read. In addition, the physical configuration of the equipment may make it difficult to see which connector the far end of the cable has been connected to (and therefore which signal the cable is carrying). For example, equipment in one rack may need to be connected to equipment in another rack. When the first end of a cable is connected to one device, the physical separation of the devices makes it difficult to see which connector the second end of the cable has been connected to.

[0008] Field engineers' real-world experience has shown that interconnecting devices in a communication system is time-consuming and error-prone. Therefore, a mechanism is needed to address these issues. Summary of the invention

[0009] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a communication device is provided, comprising: a plurality of connector ports for accommodating corresponding connectors attached to a cable carrying an optical signal, the plurality of connector ports comprising a first connector port and a second connector port, the first connector port being configured to receive an optical signal having a first value for a signal characteristic, the second connector port being configured to receive an optical signal having a second value for the signal characteristic; a plurality of visual indication devices associated with the connector ports, the plurality of visual indication devices comprising a first visual indication device located near the first connector port and a second visual indication device located near the second connector port; and a short-range wireless communication circuit, configured to: receive an indication of a value of the signal characteristic for a communication signal carried by the cable from a short-range wireless communication device; and activate the first visual indication device in response to determining that the indicated value of the signal characteristic corresponds to the first value.

[0010] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for identifying a connector assembly in a communication device performed by a wireless device, the communication device comprising: a plurality of connector ports for accommodating corresponding connectors attached to cables carrying optical signals; a plurality of visual indication devices associated with the connector ports; and a short-range wireless communication circuit. The wireless device comprises an input / output interface and a short-range wireless communication circuit. The method comprises: receiving an indication of an association between an identifier of a cable and a value of a signal characteristic of a communication signal carried by the cable via the input / output interface; and sending an indication of the value of the signal characteristic to the short-range wireless communication circuit of the communication device using the short-range wireless communication circuit, so that the corresponding visual indication device is activated.

[0011] According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a wireless device for identifying a connector assembly in a communication device, the communication device comprising: a plurality of connector ports for accommodating corresponding connectors attached to cables carrying optical signals; a plurality of visual indication devices associated with the connector ports; and a short-range wireless communication circuit. The wireless device comprises a processing circuit, an input / output interface, and a short-range wireless communication circuit. The processing circuit is configured to enable the wireless device to: receive an indication of an association between an identifier of a cable and a value of a signal characteristic of a communication signal carried by the cable via the input / output interface; and send an indication of the value of the signal characteristic to the short-range wireless communication circuit of the communication device using the short-range wireless communication circuit, so that the corresponding visual indication device is activated.

[0012] Embodiments of the present disclosure have the technical advantage of providing engineers with clear visual indications of the connector ports to which cables should be connected. In this way, the possibility of errors when interconnecting communication devices is reduced. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] In order to better understand examples of the present disclosure, and to more clearly show how the examples may be implemented, reference will now be made, by way of example only, to the following drawings, in which:

[0014] Figure 1 A system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0015] Figure 2 A communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0016] Figure 3 A pointing device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0017] Figure 4 A cable according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0018] Figure 5 is a flow chart of a method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0019] Figure 6 shows a short-range wireless circuit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0020] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a wireless device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] Figure 1 A system 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The system 100 includes a first communication device 110, a second communication device 120, a plurality of cables 130, and a wireless device 140.

[0022] The first communication device and the second communication device 110, 120 form part of a communication system and need to be interconnected via a cable 130 carrying optical signals. Such a communication system can be found in many parts of a modern communication network. For example, the communication devices 110, 120 may form part of a radio base station; the first communication device 110 may include baseband processing circuits, while the second communication device 120 may belong to radio reception / transmission circuits. In other examples, the communication system may form part of other fronthaul devices, backhaul devices, and / or core network nodes (such as switches or routers). Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the embodiments of the present disclosure are applicable to a wide range of use cases.

[0023] The cable 130 includes an optical fiber terminated by a transmit (TX) connector and a receive (RX) connector. These connectors are configured to engage with corresponding optical modules (e.g., hot-pluggable transceivers, such as small-size pluggable transceivers, etc.) in the first and second communication devices 110, 120. In other embodiments, break-out cables and active optical cables (AOCs) are contemplated. In a break-out cable, a pair of TX / RX fiber connectors on one side is paired with four or more pairs of TX / RX fiber connectors. In an AOC cable, the break-out cable is connected to an active optical module.

[0024] In one embodiment, the communication system uses wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) technology. According to this technology, multiple optical carrier signals can be multiplexed onto a single optical fiber using different wavelengths (also referred to as "λ"). Therefore, each cable 130 can carry optical signals including one or more wavelengths.

[0025] One or both of the first communication device and the second communication device 110, 120 may include an optical unit, such as an optical filter, an optical multiplexer, or an optical demultiplexer. An optical filter works by passing an optical signal having a specific wavelength or a specific wavelength range and filtering out optical signals having different wavelengths. An optical multiplexer receives multiple optical signals having different wavelengths at multiple input terminals and multiplexes these optical signals to a single output terminal. An optical demultiplexer performs an inverse function, receiving optical signals having different wavelengths at a single input terminal and outputting the optical signals to multiple output terminals according to the wavelengths of the optical signals.

[0026] In some embodiments, the optical unit may be passive, ie, perform a fixed filtering, multiplexing or demultiplexing function regardless of the optical signal input to the optical unit.

[0027] For example, the optical filter may perform a fixed filtering operation on the optical signal provided to a given input connector, such as passing optical signals with wavelengths within a range X and filtering optical signals with wavelengths outside the range. If a "wrong" optical signal (i.e., an optical signal with a wavelength completely outside of range X) is provided to the input connector, the optical filter will filter out the entire signal.

[0028] In another example, an optical multiplexer can be used to multiplex an optical signal received at a given input connector (as well as other optical signals received at different input connectors) onto a given output connector. However, only when the optical signal received at the given input connector has a specific wavelength or wavelength range Y will it be successfully multiplexed onto the output connector. Since the multiplexer is passive, if the wavelength of the optical signal received at the given input connector is not within Y, the optical signal will be lost and cannot be successfully multiplexed onto the output connector. In this way, the optical multiplexer can also perform a filtering function.

[0029] In another example, an optical demultiplexer can be used to demultiplex an optical signal comprising multiple wavelengths received at a given input connector to multiple output connectors. However, the optical signal received at a given input connector will only be successfully demultiplexed to these output connectors if the optical signal has a specific wavelength or wavelength range Z corresponding to the output connectors. Since the demultiplexer is passive, if the wavelength of the optical signal received at the input connector is not within Z, the optical signal will be lost and cannot be successfully demultiplexed to the output connectors. In this way, the optical demultiplexer can also perform a filtering function.

[0030] A goal of an engineer installing or maintaining a communication system including first and second communication devices 110, 120 is to ensure that optical signals are correctly routed between the two devices via cable 130, i.e., that the cable 130 connected to a particular connector port on the first communication device 110 is connected to the correct connector port on the second communication device 120. As described above, while this is conceptually simple, in practice, such a task can be difficult and time consuming due to the number of visually identical cables and connector ports, and the fact that the far end of the cable may not be visible when the near end of the cable is connected to the connector port.

[0031] To address this problem, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a mechanism for visually highlighting the connector port to which a given cable should be connected. In this way, engineers are provided with clear visual guidance about which cable should be connected to which port. Other embodiments of the present disclosure may also enable the cable itself to be visually highlighted.

[0032] One component of the mechanism according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a wireless device 140. The wireless device may be a smart phone, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, or other wireless device that is appropriately programmed to perform the functions set forth herein. Alternatively, the wireless device 140 may be a dedicated device for performing the functions set forth herein.

[0033] The wireless device 140 includes a short-range wireless circuit, such as a near field communication (NFC) circuit, which can interact with the short-range wireless circuit provided on the first and second communication devices 110, 120 and / or the cable 130, for example, by inductive coupling. The short-range wireless circuit on the first and / or second communication devices 110, 120 is coupled to a visual indication device associated with a connector port. The wireless device 140 outputs a query message containing an indication of the signal characteristics (e.g., wavelength, transmission direction, port ID, etc.) of the optical signal carried by a specific cable 130, and the visual indication device associated with the connector port is activated. In this way, a specific connector port (e.g., a connector port associated with a specific wavelength, transmission direction, port ID, etc.) is visually highlighted when necessary.

[0034] Figure 2 A communication device 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0035] The communication device 200 includes a plurality of connector ports 210 , a plurality of visual indication devices 220 , and a short-range wireless circuit 230 .

[0036] The communication device 200 may correspond to the above Figure 1The first communication device or the second communication device 110, 120. Therefore, the communication device 200 may include an optical device, such as an optical filter, an optical multiplexer or an optical demultiplexer. Each connector port 210 may include an optical module (e.g., a hot-pluggable transceiver, such as a small-size pluggable transceiver, etc.) that is designed to accommodate a corresponding connector of an optical cable. In one embodiment, the connector port 210 may be connected to an optical module hosted by the communication device 200 via a patch cord.

[0037] Each connector port 210 is also configured to receive an optical signal having a specific signal characteristic. That is, the optical properties of the components of the optical device (such as gratings, lenses, etc.) can be designed to redirect optical radiation with a specific wavelength from the input connector to the output connector through refraction, filtering and other optical effects. Optical radiation with different wavelengths is not redirected to the output connector and is therefore lost. Therefore, in one embodiment, the signal characteristic includes the wavelength of the optical signal. The signal characteristic may additionally or alternatively include the transmission direction of the optical signal. That is, the optical device can be configured to receive an input optical signal at a connector port, or to provide an output optical signal at a connector port.

[0038] In some embodiments, the optical device may be passive, i.e., the optical device does not receive power. The optical device may perform functions such as fixed filtering, multiplexing, or demultiplexing functions without regard to the optical signal input to the optical device. In other embodiments, the optical device may be active (e.g., receiving power, e.g., configurable to provide specific filtering, multiplexing, or demultiplexing functions). In either case, proper operation of the communication device 200 requires that an optical signal having specific signal characteristics be provided to the connector port.

[0039] Each connector port 210 has a corresponding visual indication device 220 associated therewith. The arrangement of the visual indication devices 200 can make it clear to the engineer that a specific visual indication device 220 is associated with a specific connector port. For example, each visual indication device 220 can be arranged near (e.g., directly above or directly below) the corresponding connector port 210. In this example, a single visual indication device 220 is set for each connector port 210.

[0040] The visual indication device 220 may include any suitable device that can operate to change its visual appearance under a suitable stimulus (e.g., an electrical stimulus such as a voltage or current or other signal). For example, the visual indication device 220 may include a light emitting diode, an electrochromic device (e.g., that can change their reflective state when an electrical stimulus is applied), or any other suitable device. The visual indication device 220 can be the same (e.g., having the same appearance) or different (e.g., having a different color or appearance) for each connector port. In the latter case, different types of visual indication devices 220 can be alternated between adjacent connector ports 210 to help distinguish connector ports and visual indication devices that are arranged close to each other.

[0041] The short-range wireless circuit 230 is connected to each visual indication device 220. In the illustrated embodiment, the short-range wireless circuit includes a plurality of short-range wireless communication circuits, each of which is connected to one or more visual indication devices 210. In the illustrated embodiment, each short-range wireless communication circuit is connected to two visual indication devices 220; however, those skilled in the art will appreciate that each short-range wireless communication circuit may be coupled to any number of visual indication devices 220. In the example of one visual indication device 220 per connector port 210, the short-range wireless communication circuit is configured to handle independent operation of the plurality of visual indication devices 220.

[0042] Short-range radio circuit 230 is operable to communicate with corresponding short-range radio circuits in a wireless device, such as wireless device 140. For example, short-range radio circuit 230 may include passive circuits that are powered via inductive coupling with the short-range radio circuits of wireless device 140. In one embodiment, short-range radio circuit 230 is operable to communicate using near field communication (NFC).

[0043] The following is for Figure 5 Further details are provided regarding the operation of the short-range wireless circuit 230. Figure 6 Further details are provided regarding the structure of short-range wireless circuitry 230 according to one embodiment.

[0044] In the illustrated embodiment, Figure 3As shown in more detail in , the visual indication device and the short-range wireless circuit can be arranged in the visual indication component 300. Each visual indication component 300 includes a short-range wireless communication circuit 310 and one or more visual indication devices 320. In the illustrated embodiment, the component includes two visual indication devices 320a, 320b so that more than one visual indication device is associated with the same short-range wireless communication circuit. In some examples, the short-range wireless communication circuit 310 is configured to operate multiple visual indication devices separately according to the received signal indicating the characteristics of the optical signal. Therefore, although two (or more) visual indication devices share the short-range wireless communication circuit, the short-range wireless communication circuit is configured to activate a single visual indication device to indicate a single correct connection port.

[0045] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that any number of visual indication devices may be associated with the same short-range wireless communications circuit, including a single visual indication device and more than two visual indication devices.

[0046] In the illustrated embodiment, two visual indication devices 320 of visual indication assembly 300 have different appearances (e.g., different colors, such as red and green). Once assembly 300 is attached to communication device, visual indication assembly 300 is placed next to one or more connector ports. In some examples, adjacent connector ports are associated with visual indication devices with different appearances. For example, adjacent visual indication devices have different colors, such as producing light of different colors when activated. In some examples, a first type of indicator (e.g., having a first color) is used for a transmission port. A second type of indicator (e.g., having a second color) is used for a receiving port. The visual indication device is configured to indicate to the user of the wireless device that the associated port is the correct port for the identified cable.

[0047] In some embodiments, one or more cables 130 may also include a visual indication device. Figure 4 A portion of a cable 400 is shown in accordance with these embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0048] The cable 400 includes an optical fiber 410 and a connector 420 at a first end (a second end not shown also includes a corresponding connector). The cable 400 also includes a visual indication device 430 positioned toward the first end of the optical fiber 410. In the illustrated embodiment, the visual indication device 430 is attached to the optical fiber 410; in other embodiments, the visual indication device 430 may be attached to the connector 420.

[0049] In some examples, the optical fiber 410 includes one or more optical fiber identifiers. The optical fiber identifier can be associated with a visual indication device, or even in the absence of a visual indication device, can be separate or attached to the optical fiber. In some examples, the optical fiber includes a first optical fiber identifier adjacent to one end of the optical fiber and a second optical fiber identifier adjacent to the other end of the optical fiber. In this case, the first optical fiber identifier and the second optical fiber identifier both indicate the same identity. Alternatively, the optical fiber includes only one optical fiber identifier that is adjacent to one end of the optical fiber, in the middle of the optical fiber, or at other locations. In some examples, the optical fiber identifier can be read using short-range wireless communication (e.g., NFC).

[0050] The visual indication device 430 may be similar in structure and operation to that described above with respect to Figure 2 and 3 The visual indication device 220, 320. Therefore, the visual indication device 430 may include a light emitting diode, an electrochromic device or any other suitable device.

[0051] The short-range wireless circuit (not shown) is connected to the visual indication device 430. Likewise, the short-range wireless circuit is operable to communicate with a corresponding short-range wireless circuit in a wireless device (e.g., wireless device 140) and may include a passive circuit that is powered via inductive coupling with the short-range wireless circuit of the wireless device 140. The short-range wireless circuit powers the associated visual indication device. In one embodiment, the short-range wireless circuit is operable to communicate using NFC. Figure 6 Further details are provided regarding the structure of the short-range wireless circuit according to one embodiment.

[0052] Figure 5 is a flow chart of a method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The flow chart shows a wireless device (as described above with respect to Figure 1 The communication between the wireless device 140 and the cable 130 involves the interaction between the short-range wireless circuit of the wireless device 140 and the short-range wireless circuit disposed on the cable 130. Similarly, the communication between the wireless device 140 and the communication devices 120 and 200 involves the interaction between the short-range wireless circuit of the wireless device 140 and the short-range wireless circuit associated with the visual indication device.

[0053] This method is Figure 11, wherein an engineer is faced with the problem of connecting a first communication device 110 to a second communication device 120 using multiple cables, and the goal of the method is to highlight the correct connector port for a particular cable. In particular, the method allows the cable to be more efficiently connected to the correct connector port of the passive communication device. In this way, the engineer is provided with clear visual feedback about which connector port the cable should be connected to.

[0054] At step 500, the wireless device receives input associating cable identifiers (IDs) of a plurality of cables with corresponding signal characteristics of optical signals to be transmitted using the cables. For example, an engineer may connect a first end of a cable to a connector port of a first communication device. The engineer may then input the identifier of the cable into the wireless device along with one or more values ​​for the signal characteristics of the optical signal carried by the cable. For example, a first cable ID may be associated with an optical signal having a wavelength (e.g., λ1) and a signal characteristic of a particular direction of travel (e.g., from a first communication device to a second communication device). A second cable ID may be associated with an optical signal having a wavelength λ2 and a particular direction of travel (e.g., from a first communication device to a second communication device), and so on; the above operations are repeated for each cable to be connected between the first communication device and the second communication device. The data may be stored in a local memory of the wireless device 140 or in a memory accessible by the wireless device (e.g., a cloud-based server).

[0055] The engineer's task is then to connect the second end of the cable to the correct connector port of the second communication device 120. The correct connector port may be based on the connector port used in the first communication device.

[0056] At step 502, the wireless device optionally communicates with the cable 130 to determine the ID of the cable.

[0057] According to different embodiments of the present disclosure, such communication can be performed in a variety of different ways. For example, in one embodiment, the wireless device 140 sends an inquiry or read message 502a to the short-range wireless communication circuit provided on the cable 130. The short-range wireless communication circuit provided on the cable 130 is coupled to a memory storing the cable ID of the cable. The wireless device 140 then receives a response message 502b including an indication of the cable ID from the short-range wireless circuit of the cable.

[0058] In another embodiment, the wireless device 140 may send an indication of the particular cable ID to the short-range wireless circuit associated with the cable at step 502. If the cable ID received from the wireless device 140 corresponds to the cable ID stored in the memory for the cable, the visual indication device (e.g., Figure 4In this case, if the cable ID matches in its entirety or in relevant part, the cable ID may correspond to the cable ID stored in the memory. This embodiment has the advantage of enabling an engineer to quickly find a specific cable from among a plurality of cables.

[0059] In another embodiment, the wireless device 140 may not communicate with the cable 130 to determine the cable ID. Instead, the cable may be provided with a label or other marking on which the cable ID is printed that the engineer can see. The engineer may then enter the cable ID into the wireless device 140, or manually search (e.g., by traversing) the associations stored in step 500 to find the cable ID and its associated signal characteristics.

[0060] Thus, after step 502, the engineer has identified a cable with a particular known cable ID. With the association between the cable ID and the signal characteristics stored at step 500, the engineer and / or wireless device also has the knowledge to identify the "correct" connector port for that cable ID.

[0061] In some examples, a cable ID may be used with a wireless device at an end of a cable that is adjacent to a first communication device and adjacent to a second communication device. The wireless device is configured to receive a cable ID adjacent to the first communication device. In some examples, the wireless device is also used to identify a cable adjacent to the second communication device. For example, the cable includes a short-range wireless communication circuit that allows identification of a cable adjacent to an end for connection to the first communication device, for example, with the aid of a cable ID determined to be adjacent to the first communication device. This allows identification of cables that are difficult for engineers to associate together at both ends of the cable, for example, in the case of a long cable where many similar cables are close together or the path of the cable is not fully visible.

[0062] At step 504, the wireless device uses its short-range wireless communication circuitry to send an indication of the value of the signal characteristic associated with the identified cable to the short-range wireless communication circuitry of the second communication device. That is, the cable ID determined at step 502 is paired with its associated signal characteristic (see step 500), and the indication of the signal characteristic or related parameter is sent using the short-range wireless communication circuitry of the wireless device. The wireless device 140 may be brought into close proximity with the communication device 120 (particularly the short-range wireless communication circuitry of the communication device 120) to improve the signal strength of the transmission received at the communication device 120.

[0063] Note that the indication of the value of the signal characteristic can include the signal characteristic itself (e.g., the optical wavelength of the signal, the transmission direction, etc.) or a proxy for the value of the signal characteristic. For example, the wavelength, the transmission direction, and / or a combination of wavelength and direction can be represented by a proxy variable, such as an index or other variable corresponding to the wavelength, the transmission direction, or a combination thereof. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that a connector port is associated with a specific wavelength, a transmission direction, and / or a combination thereof. Therefore, in some embodiments, an identification of a port (e.g., a port number or other identifier) ​​can be used as a proxy for the value of the signal characteristic. In this case, the wireless device 140 sends an indication of the connector port ID associated with the cable ID.

[0064] In one embodiment, step 504 is performed in response to input or instructions received from a user of the wireless device. For example, a user (e.g., an engineer) may click a button or make other input on an input / output interface to instruct the wireless device to send an indication of the value of the signal characteristic. In another embodiment, step 504 may be performed automatically once the cable ID is identified in step 502. That is, the wireless device may automatically send an indication of the signal characteristic after determining the associated cable ID (e.g., after receiving the response message 502b).

[0065] In step 506, the communication device 110, 120 activates the visual indication device in response to determining that the indicator value of the signal characteristic corresponds to a stored value associated with the corresponding visual indication device. In this context, the indicator value may correspond to the stored value if the indicator value matches the stored value as a whole or a relevant portion thereof. In another example, the stored value may correspond to the indicator value if the indicator value includes a range of values ​​and the stored value falls within the range.

[0066] That is, at step 506, the short-range wireless communication circuit of the communication device 110, 120 receives an indication of a value of a signal characteristic of the communication signal carried by the cable. The indicated value is compared with one or more stored values ​​of the signal characteristic, and in response to determining that the indicated value corresponds to one of the stored values, the corresponding visual indication device is activated, for example, illuminated. If the indicated value does not correspond to the stored value, the corresponding visual indication device is not activated, or another visual indication device of the visual indication assembly 300 is activated to display the mismatch.

[0067] Thus, the engineer is provided with a clear visual indication of the connector port to which the cable should be connected. The cable connector can be inserted into the correct port and this process repeated for each cable until all cables have been connected to the communication devices 110, 120.

[0068] As described above, the short-range wireless communication circuitry of the communication devices 110, 120 may include a plurality of separate communication circuits, each associated with one or more corresponding connector ports and a corresponding visual indication device. Thus, a user may hold the wireless device 140 close to each of these separate communication circuits so that an indication of the value of the signal characteristic is provided to each circuit. Note that typically, only one of the connector ports of the communication devices 110, 120 corresponds to the value transmitted. Thus, the corresponding visual indication device is activated only when the wireless device 140 is held near the corresponding communication circuit for that connector port.

[0069] In the above-described embodiments, the visual indication device is activated in response to a correspondence between the indicated value of the signal characteristic and the stored value, and is not activated in response to a lack of correspondence between the indicated value of the signal characteristic and the stored value. In alternative embodiments, the connector port may be associated with a first visual indication device and a second visual indication device (e.g., having different colors or appearances). The first visual indication device may be activated in response to a correspondence between the indicated value and the stored value (while the second visual indication device is not so activated); the second visual indication device may be activated in response to a lack of correspondence between the indicated value and the stored value (while the first visual indication device is not so activated). In other alternative embodiments, a single visual indication device may be configured to provide multiple visual indications (e.g., different colors) in response to a correspondence or lack of correspondence between the indicated value of the signal characteristic and the stored value. In this way, the user is provided with a clear visual notification when a particular connector port is not the correct port for a particular cable.

[0070] As described above, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, the wireless device 140 and the communication devices 110, 120 communicate with each other using short-range wireless communication circuitry. The communication may utilize near field communication (NFC) or other communication technologies, whereby one device is inductively powered by an electromagnetic field generated by another device involved in the communication. In embodiments of the present disclosure, the short-range wireless communication circuitry of the communication devices 110, 120 and / or the cable 130 may be powered by an electromagnetic field generated by the short-range wireless communication circuitry of the wireless device 140. Thus, the communication devices 110, 120 may be passive devices, powered only by RF signals received from the wireless device 140.

[0071] Figure 6 A short-range wireless circuit 600 is shown, which may be used, for example, in one or both of the communication devices 110 , 120 (eg, as the circuits 230 , 310 ) and / or in a cable, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0072] Circuit 600 includes antenna 610, processing circuit 620, visual indication device 630, memory 640, power generator module 650, receiver radio frequency circuit 660, and first and second capacitors 670, 680. It should be understood that different electrical components and / or different component arrangements can be used to implement the described functions. For example, the use of first and second capacitors 670, 680 is only an example, and the described functions can be implemented using other circuit arrangements. The antenna is coupled to the receiver RF circuit 660 via the first capacitor 670 in series. The power generator module 650 is coupled to the antenna 610 and the receiver RF circuit 660. The power generator 650 is also coupled to electrical ground via the second capacitor 680. The receiver RF circuit is coupled to both the processing circuit 620 and the memory 640. The processing circuit 620 is also coupled to the visual indication device 630 (which is separate from the wireless circuit 600 in some embodiments).

[0073] The signal transmitted by the wireless device 140 is configured to transmit energy to power the short-range wireless circuit 600 and to be encoded with an indication of a signal characteristic value or a proxy value. In operation, the short-range wireless circuit of the wireless device 140 is placed near the antenna 610. The wireless device 140 transmits an electromagnetic (e.g., radio frequency) signal, which is received by the short-range wireless circuit 600. The antenna 610 picks up the electromagnetic field (e.g., electric field, magnetic field, or a combination of both) generated by the short-range wireless circuit of the wireless device 140. As described above, any suitable coding or modulation scheme (e.g., phase modulation, amplitude modulation, orthogonal amplitude modulation, etc.) can be used to encode the electromagnetic field with an indication of a signal characteristic value or a proxy value. The energy induced in the antenna 610 is stored and managed by the power generator module 650 in combination with the second capacitor 680. For example, the antenna 610 (operating as a helical coil) can generate an electric field in response to the magnetic field generated by the short-range wireless circuit of the wireless device 140. Energy from this electric field is stored in the second capacitor 680 and released by the power generator module 650 to other components of the circuit 600. Alternatively or additionally, repetitive electromagnetic pulses in the field generated by the short-range wireless circuitry of the wireless device 140 are detected by the antenna 610 and accumulate energy in the second capacitor 680.

[0074] The power generator module 650 provides power to the receiver RF circuit 660, which decodes the signal encoded in the electromagnetic field detected by the antenna 610. The power is further cascaded to the processing circuit 620, the memory 640, and / or the visual indication device 630.

[0075] The decoded signal is provided to processing circuitry 620 and / or memory 640, and processing circuitry 620 compares the indication of the value of the received signal characteristic with one or more values ​​(one value if circuitry 600 is associated with a single connector port and visual indication device, or multiple values ​​if circuitry 600 is associated with multiple connector ports and visual indication devices) stored in memory 640. Note that in the illustrated embodiment, circuitry 600 is associated with a single visual indication device 630; in other embodiments, circuitry 600 may be associated with multiple visual indication devices.

[0076] In response to a correspondence between the value of the received signal characteristic and one of the stored values, the processing circuit activates the corresponding visual indication device 630 .

[0077] Thus, the radio frequency signal transmitted by the wireless device is used by the short-range wireless circuit 600 to receive an indication of a signal characteristic value or a proxy value, and to power a processing circuit that compares the received indication of the signal characteristic value or proxy value with a stored value. Based on the output of the comparison, the radio frequency signal transmitted by the wireless device is also used to power a visual indication device, for example, to indicate that there is a match in the values ​​and that the associated port is correct for the cable. For example, powering the visual indication device includes powering an LED for a period of time to indicate the port to the user. Since the short-range wireless circuit 600 and the visual indication device are powered by the RF signal of the wireless device, the second communication device can be a passive device and does not require an external power source.

[0078] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a wireless device 700 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0079] The wireless device 700 includes a processing circuit 710 , a memory 720 , a short-range wireless communication circuit 730 , an input / output interface 740 , and a power supply 750 .

[0080] The wireless device 700 may be adapted to identify a connector assembly in a communication device, the communication device comprising: a plurality of connector ports for receiving corresponding connectors attached to cables carrying optical signals; a plurality of visual indication devices associated with the connector ports; and short-range wireless communication circuitry. For example, the communication device may correspond to any one of the communication devices 110, 120, 200 described above. The wireless device 700 may be configured to perform the above-described operations with respect to the wireless devices 140 and 140. Figure 5 Describe the method.

[0081] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the processing circuit 710 is configured to enable the wireless device to: receive, via an input / output interface, an indication of an association between an identifier of a cable and a value of a signal characteristic of a communication signal carried by the cable; and send an indication of the value of the signal characteristic to a short-range wireless communication circuit of a communication device using a short-range wireless communication circuit so that a corresponding visual indication device is activated.

[0082] In another embodiment, the processing circuitry and visual indication device are powered by a conventional power source (eg, batteries or a wired power connection).

[0083] It should be noted that the above examples illustrate rather than limit the present invention, and those skilled in the art will be able to design many alternative examples without departing from the scope of the attached statements. The word "comprising" does not exclude the presence of elements or steps other than those listed in the claims, and "one" or "an" does not exclude multiple, and a single processor or other unit can perform the functions of multiple units stated in the following statements. In the case of using the terms "first", "second", etc., they should only be understood as labels for convenient identification of specific features. In particular, unless otherwise explicitly stated, they should not be interpreted as describing the first or second features (that is, the first or second such features that occur in time or space) in multiple such features. Unless otherwise explicitly stated, the steps in the method disclosed herein can be performed in any order. Any figure mark in the statement should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the statement.

Claims

1. A communication device (110, 120, 200), comprising: a plurality of connector ports (210) for receiving corresponding connectors attached to cables carrying optical signals, the plurality of connector ports comprising a first connector port configured to receive an optical signal having a first value for a signal characteristic and a second connector port configured to receive an optical signal having a second value for the signal characteristic; a plurality of visual indication devices (220, 320, 630) associated with the connector ports, the plurality of visual indication devices comprising a first visual indication device located proximate the first connector port and a second visual indication device located proximate the second connector port; as well as A short-range wireless communication circuit (230, 310, 600) configured to: receiving (504) from a short-range wireless communication device (140, 700) an indication of a value of the signal characteristic for a communication signal carried by the cable (130, 400); and In response to determining that the indicated value of the signal characteristic corresponds to the first value, the first visual indication device is activated (506).

2. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein: Each connector port (210) of the plurality of connector ports is associated with a respective value of the signal characteristic.

3. The communication device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: Each visual indication device (220, 320, 630) is associated with a corresponding connector port (210).

4. A communication device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The short-range wireless communication circuit (230, 310, 600) is passive.

5. A communication device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The short-range wireless communication circuit (230, 310, 600) includes a near field communication (NFC) circuit.

6. A communication device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The short-range wireless communication circuit comprises a plurality of short-range wireless communication circuits (230, 310, 600), each short-range communication circuit being configured to power a corresponding visual indication device (220, 320, 630) using a signal from the short-range radio communication device.

7. A communication device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The signal characteristic includes one or more of: a wavelength of the optical signal; and a direction of the optical signal.

8. The communication device according to claim 7, wherein: The wavelength of the optical signal corresponds to an identifier of the connector port.

9. A communication device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The communication device (110, 120) includes an optical filter coupled for one or more of: receiving optical communication signals from the plurality of connector ports, and outputting optical communication signals to the plurality of connector ports.

10. A communication device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The visual indication device (220, 320, 630) includes one or more of the following: a light emitting diode; and an electrochromic device.

11. A system comprising: The communication device (110, 120, 200) according to any one of the preceding claims; as well as One or more cables (130, 400), wherein each cable includes a short-range wireless communication device (430) configured to store an identifier of the cable.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein: The short-range wireless communication device is configured to return an indication of the identifier in response to a query message or a read message from a wireless device (140).

13. A method for identifying a connector assembly in a communication device (110, 120, 200) performed by a wireless device (140), the communication device comprising: a plurality of connector ports (210) for receiving corresponding connectors attached to cables carrying optical signals; a plurality of visual indication devices (220, 320, 630) associated with the connector ports; and a short-range wireless communication circuit, wherein the wireless device comprises an input / output interface (740) and a short-range wireless communication circuit (730), and the method comprises: receiving (500) via the input / output interface an indication of an association between an identifier of a cable (130, 400) and a value of a signal characteristic of a communication signal carried by the cable; and An indication of the value of the signal characteristic is sent (504) to a short-range wireless communications circuit (230, 310, 600) of the communications device using the short-range wireless communications circuit to cause a corresponding visual indication device (220, 320, 630) to be activated.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising: Sending (502a) a query message or a read message to a short-range wireless communication device (430) of the cable (130, 400) using the short-range wireless communication circuit; as well as A response message including an indication of the identifier of the cable is received (502b) from the short-range wireless communications device (430) of the cable (130, 400) using the short-range wireless communications circuitry.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein: The indication of the value of the signal characteristic is sent in response to receiving the response message.

16. The method according to claim 13 or 14, wherein: The indication of the value of the signal characteristic is sent in response to user input received on the input / output interface specifying the value of the signal characteristic or the identifier of the cable.

17. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 16, wherein: The short-range wireless communications circuitry (730) of the wireless device includes near field communications circuitry.

18. A wireless device (140, 700) for identifying a connector assembly in a communication device (110, 120, 200), the communication device comprising: a plurality of connector ports (210) for receiving corresponding connectors attached to cables carrying optical signals; a plurality of visual indication devices (220, 320, 630) associated with the connector ports; and short-range wireless communication circuitry (230, 310, 600), wherein the wireless device comprises a processing circuit (710), an input / output interface (740), and a short-range wireless communication circuit (730), and wherein the processing circuit is configured to cause the wireless device to: receiving (500) via the input / output interface (740) an indication of an association between an identifier of a cable (130, 400) and a value of a signal characteristic of a communication signal carried by the cable; and An indication of the value of the signal characteristic is sent (504) to a short-range wireless communications circuit (230, 310, 600) of the communications device using the short-range wireless communications circuit (730) to cause a corresponding visual indication device to be activated.

19. The wireless device of claim 18, wherein: The processing circuit (710) is further configured to cause the wireless device to: sending (502a) an inquiry message or a read message to a short-range wireless communication device (430) of the cable using the short-range wireless communication circuit; and A response message including an indication of the identifier of the cable is received (502b) from the short-range wireless communications device (430) of the cable using the short-range wireless communications circuitry.

20. The wireless device of claim 19, wherein: The indication of the value of the signal characteristic is sent in response to receiving the response message.

21. The wireless device according to claim 18 or 19, wherein: The indication of the value of the signal characteristic is sent in response to user input received on the input / output interface specifying the value of the signal characteristic or the identifier of the cable.

22. A wireless device according to any one of claims 18 to 21, wherein: The short-range wireless communications circuitry (730) of the wireless device includes near field communications circuitry.

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