A mobile device for checking the coverage of an optical fiber link

Abstract

Disclosed is a device for checking the coverage of an optical fiber link in an optical fiber network, the link connecting a device at the central office of a telecommunications service provider to a terminal device in the network. The device comprises a processing device, a positioning device, a modem device, and a connection enabling device. The modem device is configured to be connected to the optical fiber link at the terminal device and read data indicating that the optical fiber link is established. The positioning device is configured to provide the geographical coordinates of the device. The processing device is configured to provide encrypted data by encrypting the data indicating that the optical fiber link is established and the geographical coordinates. The connection enabling device is configured to transmit the encrypted data to a coverage check server via a mobile communication network.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of optical fiber networks. In particular, the present invention relates to the field of checking the coverage (transmittable and receivable range) of optical fiber links in optical fiber networks, particularly Fiber-To-The-Home (FTTH) networks.

Background Art

[0002] As is known, in a Fiber-To-The-Home (FTTH) network, an optical fiber link is provided between the central office of a telecommunications service provider (simply referred to as the service provider) where an Optical Line Termination (OLT) device is housed and the customer's facility where an Optical Network Terminal (ONT) device is arranged.

[0003] In point-to-point technology, the connection between the OLT and the ONT is composed of a dedicated optical fiber link. In point-to-multipoint technology, a Passive Optical Network (PON), particularly a Gigabit-capable Passive Optical Network (GPON), is generally used to deploy an optical fiber in the form of a tree architecture with an optical splitter (optical signal distributor), so that an optical signal is carried from the OLT to a plurality of ONTs. Such an optical network is usually referred to as an Optical Distribution Network (ODN). The OLT generally has a large number of ports, and each of these ports realizes an operating optical tree when in an active state, and a large number of users are connected to the end of this optical tree.

[0004] When deploying an FTTH network, an optical termination box (OTB: Optical Termination Box), where the distribution network terminates, is generally installed, for example, inside a building where a customer's facility is located. The OTB provides connectivity to the customer, and the customer's device is generally connected to the OTB using a drop cable (service lead-in wire).

[0005] At the end of the OTB deployment process, it is necessary to check the coverage of the optical fiber link between the OLT and the OTB (i.e., test whether the optical fiber link properly reaches the possible OTB from the OLT) to verify that the installation is functioning properly. The prior art provides for testing the optical fiber link using an optical time-domain reflectometer (OTDR: Optical Time-Domain Reflectometry) installed within the service provider's central office. Instead, an operator with a portable OTDR device can perform the test at the OTB location.

[0006] Examples of prior art techniques and equipment will be briefly recognized later in this specification.

[0007] U.S. Patent No. 8,588,571 (Patent Document 1) discloses a technique for installing an optical fiber network, which includes preparing a physical location for installing a feeder cable and a plurality of access stub lines along a plurality of customer facilities, and these access stub lines are connected to the feeder cable to obtain communication services. Each of the access stub lines extends from the feeder cable towards the customer's facility and each ends at a different initial termination point. There is a one-to-one correspondence between the customer's facility and the access stub lines extending from the feeder cable. At each end of each access stub line at each of the initial termination points, a boundary device is attached. The boundary device includes an optical reflector that reflects a test optical signal for testing the integrity of the related feeder cable and access stub line.

[0008] International Publication No. 2014 / 070511 (Patent Document 2) discloses an optical splitter assembly, which includes a splitter housing (enclosure), a passive optical power splitter disposed within the splitter housing, and a plurality of splitter output pigtails extending outwardly from the splitter housing. Each of the splitter output pigtails includes an optical fiber structure, which has a first end optically coupled to the passive optical power splitter and a second end to which an optical fiber connector is attached. Each of the splitter output pigtails has different test characteristics, whereby the splitter output pigtails can be individually identified during testing of an optical network.

[0009] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013 / 0022350 (Patent Document 3) discloses an optical fiber network (OFN) radio frequency identification (RFID) method, which deploys and / or provides services within the OFN and / or locates a fault location. This method includes the steps of providing at least one RFID tag on at least one of the plurality of OFN components constituting the OFN, and writing OFN component data regarding at least one characteristic of the OFN component associated with the FDID tag to the at least one RFID tag. The RFID tag data is written to and read from the RFID tag using one or more mobile RFID readers. The OFN component data is recorded and stored in an OFN database section. A plurality of OFN components are deployed, and the operation of the OFN is provided using the OFN component data. This method may also include the step of locating a fault location within the OFN using the OFN component data and a plurality of positions on a spatial map.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0010] [Patent Document 1] U.S. Patent No. 8,588,571 [Patent Document 2] International Publication No. WO 2014 / 070511 [Patent Document 3] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013 / 0022350 [Summary of the Invention] [Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

[0011] The inventor has noticed that checking the coverage of the optical fiber link between an OLT and an OTB by testing the optical fiber link at the OLT is burdensome (also from the perspective of the cost for the test equipment) and may not be highly reliable. In fact, the FTTH network is a passive network, and the identification of the OTB is generally performed by an operator who has to measure the reflected signal on the layout image of the reflectivity measurement. This technique can result in a poor correlation between the estimated position of the OTB determined by the operator based on the data provided by the provided test equipment and the actual address of the building where the OTB is located.

[0012] Dispatching an operator to the location where the OTB is placed in a building together with a portable OTDR device is equally burdensome because this is costly and requires specialized capabilities.

[0013] In view of the above, the applicant has addressed the problem of providing a device and a system for checking the coverage of an optical fiber link that overcomes the aforementioned drawbacks. In particular, the applicant has addressed the problem of providing a device and a system for checking the coverage of an optical fiber link that enables the optical fiber link to be tested in a simpler and more reliable manner than the techniques of the prior art. As will be apparent from the following description, the present invention also enables the optical fiber link to be tested in a safe manner.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0014] In the following description and in the claims, the expression "checking an optical fiber link" refers to the following, where the optical fiber link is deployed between a device (e.g., an OLT) at the central office of a telecommunications service provider within an optical fiber network and a terminal device (e.g., an OTB or ONT) at an expected location within the optical fiber network: · Checking whether an optical fiber link is established between the central office device and a possible terminal device (this includes checking whether the identifier of the device used to check the coverage of the optical fiber link at the possible terminal device is actually included in the list of identifiers of the terminal devices connected to the active (effective) ports of the central office device, and / or checking whether a specific set of coverage check codes at the possible terminal device corresponds to the corresponding codes available at the central office device); and · Checking the location of the terminal device of the optical fiber link, which means verifying that the actual location of the terminal device of the optical fiber link is its expected location.

[0015] According to a first aspect, the present invention provides a device for checking the coverage of an optical fiber link in an optical fiber network, the optical fiber link connecting a device at the central office of a telecommunications service provider and a terminal device in the optical fiber network, the device comprising: · a processing device; · a positioning device; · a modem device; · a connection enabling device, the modem device being configured to be connected to the optical fiber link at the terminal device and read data indicating that the optical fiber link is established, the positioning device being configured to provide the geographical coordinates of the device, the processing device being configured to provide encrypted data by encrypting the data indicating that the optical fiber link is established and the geographical coordinates, the connection enabling device being configured to transmit the encrypted data to a coverage check server via a mobile communication network.

[0016] Preferably, the connection enabling device is further configured to transmit the identifier of the modem device to the coverage check server.

[0017] Preferably, the positioning device is a global positioning satellite system device.

[0018] Preferably, the processing device is configured to encrypt the data indicating that the optical fiber link is established and the geographical coordinates by using 64-bit encryption technology.

[0019] Preferably, the processing device is configured to read information indicating the date and time of the day when the geographical coordinates are provided, and also encrypt the information indicating the date and time of the day together with the data indicating that the optical fiber link is established and the geographical coordinates.

[0020] Preferably, the device further comprises a visual signaling device configured to indicate to an operator operating the device data indicating that an optical fiber link has been established and / or the geographical coordinates.

[0021] When the positioning device provides the geographical coordinates, the processing device is preferably configured to start a timer, and the timer is a timer having a predetermined duration of 1 minute to 10 minutes.

[0022] Preferably, the modem device is further configured to read the received power indicating the power with which the modem device receives an optical signal from the optical fiber link and the transmitted power indicating the power with which the modem device transmits an optical signal onto the optical fiber link.

[0023] Preferably, the device comprises a mobile device including the processing device, the positioning device, and the connection enabler described above.

[0024] Preferably, the modem device is configured to connect one side to the processing device of the mobile device and the other side to an optical fiber cable to connect the device to a terminal device.

[0025] According to one preferred example, the modem device is an ONT SFP (Small Form Factor Pluggable) module. According to this preferred example, the device further comprises a media converter module and an adapter module inserted between the processing device and the ONT SFP module. The media converter module comprises an SFP slot for receiving the ONT SFP module and a LAN interface, and the adapter module is attached to a port of the mobile device and comprises an additional LAN interface leading to the media converter module.

[0026] Preferably, the above-described device further includes a container, and a processing device, a positioning device, a modem device, and a connection enable are enclosed in the container in a non-releasable manner.

[0027] Preferably, the above-described device is portable.

[0028] According to a second aspect, the present invention provides a system, the system includes the device described above and a coverage check server, the server includes a coverage check application software, and the coverage check application software is configured to decrypt the encrypted data, read out the geographical coordinates, and compare these geographical coordinates with the expected geographical coordinates of the terminal device stored in a network inventory (list) managed by a service provider.

[0029] According to a preferred example of the present invention, the coverage check application is configured to read out a decryption key uniquely associated with the first device using the identifier of the modem device and decrypt the encrypted data.

[0030] Preferably, the coverage check application is further configured to check whether the identifier of the modem device is included in a list of identifiers of terminal devices connected to the active port of the device at the local station.

[0031] The present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description which should be read with reference to the accompanying drawings, given by way of example and not limitation.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0032]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0033] Detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the present invention FIG. 1 schematically shows an optical fiber network, particularly a typical FTTH network, and this optical fiber network is considered a non-limiting example of an optical fiber network to which the present invention can be applied. Among them, in particular, the typical optical fiber network schematically shown in FIG. 1 is a passive optical network.

[0034] The representative optical fiber network 1 shown in FIG. 1 is a point-to-multipoint optical fiber network. This is not limiting, because the present invention can be similarly applied to other types of networks such as, for example, a point-to-point network. The optical fiber network of FIG. 1 includes an optical line terminal device (OLT) 11, and the OLT 11 is arranged at the main office 12 of the service provider. As is known, the OLT is connected on one side to the core network of the service provider (not shown in the drawing), and on the other side to the distribution network via a plurality of ports (one of which is shown in FIG. 1). From each port, an optical fiber cable of the distribution network connects the OLT to each splitter 13, and from the splitter 13, a plurality of additional optical fiber cables of the distribution network emerge, and each of these optical fiber cables reaches one or more user nodes 14. The user nodes 14 are generally referred to as optical network units (ONUs) or optical network terminals (ONTs), and these are installed in the user's facilities. The ports of the OLT are indicated as "active" when they are set to be connected to one or more ONTs through respective optical fiber links. FIG. 1 schematically shows a single ONT 14 arranged in the user's facility within the building 15. An end-to-end link consisting of a plurality of spans of optical fiber cables connects the OLT 11 and the ONT in the user's facility. The representative optical fiber network 1 of FIG. 1 also includes a terminal device (16), specifically an optical terminal box (OTB) 16 arranged outside or inside the building 15 (for example, on the wall surface or underground). To reach the user's facility from the OTB 16, a drop cable is generally used.

[0035] As is known, a telecommunications service provider that provides its own services over a fiber optic network generally maintains a server, hereinafter referred to as an "inventory server" in this specification. The inventory server has a network database or network inventory containing data for identifying network elements (i.e., in the passive optical network described above, OLT, splitter, OTB, etc.) deployed within the fiber optic network. These data can include, for each network element, an identifier associated with the network element (e.g., a serial number), and the geographical coordinates (latitude and longitude) of the location of the network element.

[0036] The following description relates to checking the coverage of a fiber optic link starting from OLT 11 and ending at OTB 16, which is shown as fiber optic link 17. In any case, this is not limiting, because the devices described hereinafter in this specification can be used to check the coverage of any fiber optic link (e.g., in a passive optical network, fiber optic links connecting OLT and OTB, OLT and ONT, OLT and splitter, etc.) that connects an OLT located within the fiber optic network and a terminal device of the fiber optic link.

[0037] The present invention relates to a device for checking the coverage of fiber optic link 17. Further, the present invention relates to a system for checking the coverage of fiber optic link 17, which system includes the above device and a server (shown as a "coverage check server"), and the above device can be connected to this server via a mobile communication network, which will be described hereinafter in this specification.

[0038] According to the present invention, a device for checking the coverage of a fiber optic link (shown as a "verification device") is: · a processing device; · a positioning device; · A modem device and; · It comprises a connection enabling device.

[0039] The modem device is configured to be connected to the optical fiber link 17 in the terminal device 16 and read data indicating that the optical fiber link is established. The positioning device is configured to provide the geographical coordinates of the confirmation device. The processing device is configured to provide encrypted data by encrypting the data indicating that the optical fiber link 17 is established and the geographical coordinates. The connection enabling device has a long-distance connection function in that it is configured to transmit the encrypted data to a coverage check server via a mobile communication network in order to complete the operation of checking the coverage of the optical fiber link, which will be described later in this specification.

[0040] The confirmation device of the present invention is configured to be operated by an operator to check the coverage of the optical fiber link of the optical fiber network to be considered. Therefore, the confirmation device is a portable device.

[0041] FIG. 2 shows a block diagram illustrating the building (configuration) blocks of the confirmation device 2 for checking the coverage of the optical fiber link according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0042] The confirmation device 2 schematically represented in FIG. 2 preferably comprises the following: · A processing device 21; · A battery 22; · A positioning device 23; · A connection enabling device 24; · A modem device 25; and · Optionally, a visual signal transmission device 26 such as a display.

[0043] The confirmation device 2 preferably includes a mobile device 20 such as a smartphone or an equivalent portable device. The mobile device 20 is provided with a CPU (Central Processing Unit) as a processing device 21, a battery 22, a satellite positioning device as a positioning device 23, and a display 26. The positioning device 23 is preferably a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) device, and more preferably a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver.

[0044] The mobile device 20 also includes a transmission device as a connection enabler 24, and this transmission device provides a long-distance connection function as part of the confirmation device 2. In particular, the connection enabler 24 of the mobile device 20 is configured such that the mobile device 20 can access a mobile communication network managed by any mobile service provider and provide a wireless connection to the Internet (such as 3G+ (3rd Generation+), 4G (4th Generation) or 5G (5th Generation) connection) through the mobile communication network. It is preferable that the connection enabler 24 of the mobile device 20 can include a SIM (Subscriber Identification Module) card or the like. Further, the mobile device 20 preferably includes a non-volatile memory, and this non-volatile memory is configured to store an identifier (for example, a serial number) related to the modem device 25 and other data related to link connectivity provided by the modem device 25, which will be described later in this specification. The mobile device 20 can also include an RFID reader (reader) and / or a Bluetooth (registered trademark) transceiver and / or a ZigBee (registered trademark) transceiver and / or a Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi, registered trademark) transceiver.

[0045] The mobile device 20 can advantageously be configured to read machine-readable optical labels such as QR (Quick Response) codes (registered trademarks).

[0046] The mobile device 20 preferably comprises a client component of application software (hereinafter simply referred to as an application or app), which is configured to process data provided in particular by the modem device 25, which will be described in detail later. The application is preferably a web application, which utilizes the processing capabilities inherent on an application server managed by a service provider. In particular, the application server can be connected to an inventory server of the service provider to exchange data with the inventory server and process data provided by the modem device 25, which will be described later in this specification. The application is denoted as a "coverage check application", and the application server is the coverage check server already described above.

[0047] The modem device 25 of the verification device 2 is configured to be connected on one side to the processing device 21 of the mobile device 20 and on the other side to an optical fiber cable. According to an embodiment of the present invention schematically represented in the drawings, the modem device 25 is preferably a stand-alone transceiver module configured to be connected to the mobile device 20 optionally via an intermediate interface module. The modem device 25 can be in the form of a GPON ONT SFP (Small Form-factor Pluggable) module. According to other embodiments not shown in the drawings, the modem device 25 can be incorporated within the mobile device 20.

[0048] The modem device 25 is preferably associated with an identifier (e.g., a serial number).

[0049] According to a preferred embodiment, the modem device 25 is an ONT SFP module. In this case, in order to connect the ONT SFP module 25 to the mobile device 20, it is preferable that the verification device 2 is provided with an interface module, that is, a media converter module 27 and an adapter module 28, and both modules are inserted between the ONT SFP 25 and the mobile device 20. In particular, the adapter module 28 is attached to a port of the mobile device 20, for example, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) port or a USB-C port of the mobile device, to provide an interface (for example, a LAN interface, particularly an RJ-45 interface) for the media converter module 27. The media converter module 27 preferably has an SFP slot for receiving the ONT SFP module 25 and an interface (for example, a LAN interface, particularly an RJ-45 interface) for the adapter module 28. In this way, it is advantageous that the mobile device 20 can exchange data with the ONT SFP 25 to check the coverage of the optical fiber link 17, which will be described below in this specification.

[0050] The modem device 25 is provided with an optical fiber connector (not shown in the drawings) for connecting an optical fiber cable. Actually, in the representative optical fiber network of FIG. 1, the modem device 25 is connected to the OTB 16 using an optical fiber cable having a length of several meters, for example, 5 meters, and is configured to receive an optical signal carried on the optical fiber link 17 under test from the OTB 16.

[0051] The operation of the above-described modem device is known and will not be described in more detail.

[0052] The mobile device 20, the modem device 25, and other possible components of the verification device 2 (for example, the media converter module 27 and the adapter module 28 described above) inserted between the mobile device 20 and the modem device 25 are preferably sealed in a container to prevent unauthorized opening and avoid operation.

[0053] According to the present invention, the operation of checking the coverage of the optical fiber link 17 includes connecting the verification device 2 to the OTB 16 and the following: (i) Checking that the optical fiber link 17 is established between the OLT 11 and the modem device 25 of the verification device 2 connected to the OTB 16; (ii) Checking that the position of the OTB 16 corresponds to the expected position stored in the network inventory; and (iii) Checking that the identifier (for example, the serial number) of the modem device 25 of the verification device 2 is included in the list of identifiers of the ONTs actually connected to the active ports of the OLT 11.

[0054] According to a modification example, the operation of checking the coverage of the optical fiber link 17 in the OTB16, instead of or in addition to that, when the confirmation device 2 operates to check the coverage in the OTB16, when a link is established between the OLT 11 and the modem device 25, it includes checking that the setting information related to the modem device 25 corresponds to the setting information stored in the OLT 11 as being related to the modem device 25, which will be described in more detail later in this specification. The setting information can be the content of the "password" field set in the modem device 25 by the processing device 21, for example, via the above-described interface module. Each time the coverage of each optical fiber link is checked using the confirmation device 2, it is advantageous that the processing device 21 can set different values of this setting information in the modem device. In this specification, hereinafter, the "setting information" is referred to as the "coverage check code". Therefore, the coverage check code is uniquely related to the modem device 25 and uniquely related to the coverage check operation in a specific OTB16, and can be used to safely check that the OLT 11 is connected to the confirmation device 2 when the coverage check at the position of the OTB16 is executed. In fact, using the serial number of the modem device 25 in the above item (iii) has potential drawbacks. In fact, the serial number of the modem device 25 may be copied to other ONTs that may be located at positions remote from the OTB16, and an incorrect coverage check may be performed using this serial number. Using the coverage check code defined above is advantageously possible to overcome this potential drawback.

[0055] The operation of the confirmation device 2 according to the embodiment of the present invention schematically shown in FIG. 2 will be described below in this specification with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

[0056] Assume that the operator who operates the verification device 2 reaches the position of OTB16 and checks the coverage of the optical fiber link 17 that terminates within OTB16.

[0057] When the verification device 2 is switched on at the position of the OTB, it is preferable that the positioning device 23 provides the geographical coordinates of the verification device 2, that is, the latitude and longitude (step 301). These geographical coordinates approximately correspond to the geographical coordinates of OTB16. Once the geographical coordinates are determined, if the visual signal transmission device 27 exists, it is preferable that the processing device 21 operates the visual signal transmission device 27 to show the geographical coordinates to the operator. During that time, the processing device 21 can start a timer with a predetermined duration, and the predetermined duration can be varied between 1 minute and 10 minutes (for example, set to 4 minutes). The timer sets the time interval of the above-mentioned predetermined duration, and within this time interval, the operator is supposed to complete the procedure of connecting the verification device 2 to the OTB and checking the coverage of the optical fiber link 17, which will be described below in this specification with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 4. If the timer runs out before the operator completes the procedure, the coverage check is considered invalid.

[0058] The fact that the use of the timer makes it possible to increase the safety of the coverage check is understood by those skilled in the art, because the use of the timer makes it possible to avoid any discrepancy between the actual position of OTB16 and the position where the operator is currently collecting the geographical coordinates. In fact, this reduces the risk of improper behavior by the operator who physically connects the verification device 2 to OTB16 in order to collect geographical coordinates at a position that does not correspond to the actual position of OTB16 and then leaves this position and moves to the actual position of OTB16 to perform other operations necessary to complete the coverage check.

[0059] In step 302, it is preferable that the verification device 2 is connected to the OTB16 using an optical fiber cable. One end of the optical fiber cable is plugged into the optical fiber connector of the modem device 25 of the verification device 2, and the other end is plugged into the corresponding connector included in the OTB16. At this point, it is preferable for the operator to wait until the modem device 25 is aligned with the port of the OLT11 that is active at the home station node 12. In other words, the operator waits for a connection to be set up between one of the available ports on the OLT11 and the modem device 25 of the test device 2. The modem alignment procedure is known and will not be described in further detail herein. Once aligned, the modem device 25 begins to receive optical signals from the optical fiber link 17 and then begins to transmit optical signals onto the optical fiber link 17. The modem device 25 preferably converts the received optical signal into an electrical signal, and this electrical signal is transferred to the processing device 21 via the media converter module 27 and the adapter module 28.

[0060] It should be noted that the above-described operations regarding steps 301 and 302 can also be executed in parallel or in the reverse order.

[0061] Next, the processing device 21 preferably processes the received electrical signal to read the following data, which are referred to as link connectivity data: · Link status information indicating that the optical fiber link 17 is established; · Information indicating the actual alignment port of the OLT11, i.e., the OLT active port to which the modem device 25 is connected (i.e., the port identifier); · Received power (or RX power) indicating the power at which the modem device 25 receives optical signals from the optical fiber link 17. In current commercially available modems, this type of information is generally indicated as "RX level"; and · The transmission power (or TX power) indicating the power with which the modem device 25 transmits an optical signal onto the optical fiber link 17. In currently commercially available modems, this type of information is generally indicated as the "TX level".

[0062] Once the optical fiber link 17 is established and link connectivity data is received, the processing device 21 preferably operates the visual signal transmission device 27 to indicate the link connectivity data to the operator if the visual signal transmission device 27 exists.

[0063] For example, when the optical fiber link 17 is established between the OLT 11 and the OTB 16, the link state information indicates the presence of an optical signal on the optical fiber link 17. In this case, the visual signal transmission device 27 can indicate the link state information represented by a message such as "Link state OK". Further, the received power and transmission power information can be processed (either automatically by the device or by the operator) to check whether the RX power is too low and thus too low to detect a possible fault or degradation within the optical fiber link 17. Further, the operator can also process the port identifier of the OLT active port read by the confirmation device 2 to detect a possible OLT port reversal, which can cause problems as is known.

[0064] The processing device 21 also restores the identifier of the modem device 25. The identifier of the modem device 25 can be indicated on the visual signal transmission device 26 together with the link connectivity data described above.

[0065] According to the advantageous modification described above, when the verification device 2 is switched on at the OTB position, the processing device 21 generates a pseudo-random number (for example, a 10-digit number), and via the media converter module 27 and the adapter module 28, sets a coverage check code including the generated pseudo-random number in the modem device 25. In particular, for example, the processing device 21 can set the content of the "password" field of the modem device 25 to the coverage check code. When the optical fiber link 17 is established between the OLT 11 and the OTB 16, it is preferable that the OLT 11 reads out the coverage check code from the modem device 25 and stores it for future checks, which will be described below in this specification. According to this modification, in step 302, the coverage check code can be shown on the visual signal transmission device 26 together with the link connectivity data described above.

[0066] In step 303, the processing device 21 associates the link connectivity data and, according to the modification described above, the coverage check code with the geographical coordinates detected by the positioning device 23 and the information indicating the date and time of the day when the link connectivity data was determined. This date and time of the day correspond to the date and time of the day when the coverage check of the optical fiber link 17 was executed. A set of data including the link connectivity data, the geographical coordinates, and the information indicating the date and time of the above day is referred to as "verification data". According to the modification described above, the verification data also includes the coverage check code. In step 303, it is preferable that the processing device 21 encrypts the verification data. For example, a known DES (Data Encryption Standard) protocol can be used with, for example, 64-bit encryption technology.

[0067] It is preferable that the processing device 21 uses an encryption key, and the encryption key is uniquely associated with the verification device 2. In this way, it is preferable that different encryption keys are provided for different verification devices. As a result, when one encryption key is disadvantageously made public, the malicious use of the key can be easily avoided by not using the single verification device associated with the made-public key. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the encryption key of the verification device can be stored in a key table (key list), and the key table is set and maintained in a coverage check server by a service provider. Each encryption key is preferably stored in the key table as being uniquely associated with the identifier of the modem device of each verification device.

[0068] The encrypted verification data and the identifier of the modem device 25 are preferably also stored in the memory of the mobile device 20 (step 304).

[0069] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing operations that can be executed (for example, by an operator) when checking the coverage of the optical fiber link 17 using the verification device 2 described above, and steps executed in a coverage check server that cooperates with the verification device 2. For simplicity, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it is assumed that the verification device 2 includes a smartphone 20 and its positioning device 23 is a GPS receiver. It is also assumed that the modem device 25 is an ONT SFP module added to the smartphone 20 via a media converter module 27 and an adapter module 28. Further, it is assumed that the OTB16 includes an additional RFID tag, and the additional RFID tag includes an identifier (for example, a serial number) associated with the OTB16. Instead of, or in addition to, the identifier associated with the OTB16 can be included in a barcode (for example, a QR code (registered trademark)) attached to the OTB16.

[0070] When the operator reaches the position of OTB16, the verification device 2 operates and executes the steps of the method shown above while referring to the flowchart of FIG. 3. These steps are represented by step 401 in the flowchart of FIG. 4.

[0071] In particular, when the verification device 2 operates at the position of OTB16, it is preferable that the verification device 2 searches for geographical coordinates using the GPS receiver 23 of the mobile device 20. During that time, the operator connects OTB16 and the verification device 2 using an optical fiber cable. One end of the optical fiber cable is inserted into the optical fiber connector of the modem device 25 of the verification device 2, and the other end is inserted into the corresponding connector included in OTB16. The operator waits for the connection between one of the available ports in OLT11 and the modem device 25 of the verification device 2 to be set up. If the modem device 25 fails to align with the active port of OLT11, the coverage check of the optical fiber link 17 fails, and the verification device 2 can return a warning message to the operator through, for example, the visual signal transmission device 26 of the smartphone 20. When the connection is set up, the verification device 2 reads out the link connectivity data. Further, according to the above-described modification, the processing device 21 sets the coverage check code generated for this specific coverage check operation in the modem device 25. When the connection is set up, next, the coverage check code is read out by OLT11.

[0072] Next, it is preferable that the verification device 2 encrypts the verification data including the link connectivity data, the geographical coordinates, and the date and time information of the above-mentioned day. According to the above-described modification, the verification data also includes the coverage check code.

[0073] At this point, the operator can execute the coverage check operation by running the coverage check application installed on the smartphone 20 as follows. When the coverage check application is running on the smartphone 20, it is preferable that the smartphone 20 operates to connect to the application server and utilize the processing power of the application server to execute the operations described below in this specification.

[0074] In step 402, it is preferable that the operator interacts with the coverage check application to operate the smartphone 20 and transmit the encrypted confirmation data and the identifier of the modem device 25 to the application server through the connection enabler 24 of the smartphone 20. Once the data is decrypted, these data are used for the checks described later in this specification, and the service provider stores these data and records the coverage check for the optical fiber link to be considered.

[0075] In step 403, it is preferable that the operator interacts with the coverage check application to obtain the identifier related to the OTB16. For this purpose, the operator can use the RFID reader of the smartphone 20 to read the identifier related to the OTB16 stored in the RFID tag related to the OTB16. Alternatively, the operator can use the smartphone 20 to read the machine-readable optical label (e.g., QR code (registered trademark)) attached to the OTB16 and including the identifier related to the OTB16. For this purpose, for example, the operator can use the QR code (registered trademark) reader installed in the smartphone 20.

[0076] In step 404, it is preferable that the coverage check application decrypts the encrypted confirmation data. The decryption is preferably performed by the coverage check server by reading a key table including an encryption key using the identifier of the modem device 25 and searching for an encryption key uniquely associated with the confirmation device 2. Next, the coverage check server decrypts the encrypted confirmation data using this encryption key.

[0077] Next, it is preferable that the coverage check application checks the geographical coordinates measured by the GPS receiver 23 of the smartphone 20. In particular, the coverage check application operates the smartphone 20 to transmit the identifier of the OTB 16 to the application server, and the application server uses the identifier of the OTB 16 to query the inventory server and reads the GPS coordinates of the OTB 16 stored in the network inventory as those associated with the identifier of the OTB 16. These GPS coordinates are actually the GPS coordinates of the expected position of the OTB 16. Next, the coverage check application compares the GPS coordinates measured by the confirmation device 2 with the GPS coordinates of the OTB 16 stored in the network inventory of the inventory server. Specifically, the position corresponding to the GPS coordinates measured by the confirmation device 2 is compared with the position corresponding to the GPS coordinates of the OTB 16 stored in the network inventory. If the distance between the measured position and the stored position is less than a predetermined allowable error distance of, for example, 30 m, the coverage check application determines that the measured position coincides with the stored (expected) position.

[0078] If the distance between the measured position and the stored position is greater than a predetermined allowable error distance, the coverage check application operates the smartphone 20 to provide the operator with a warning message indicating that the coverage check of the optical fiber link 17 has failed (which may be a visual message shown on the display 26 of the smartphone 20, an acoustic message played by the speaker of the smartphone 20, or a combination of these two types of messages). In this case, the GPS coordinates of the OTB 16 stored in the network inventory can be overwritten with the GPS coordinates measured by the verification device 2 and transmitted to the application server.

[0079] In step 405, it is preferable that the coverage check application contacts the application server and queries the OLT 11 at the central office of the service provider to request a list including the identifiers (e.g., serial numbers) of the ONTs 14 actually connected to the active ports of the OLT 11. Once the list is read from the OLT 11, it is preferable that the coverage check application checks whether the identifier related to the modem device 25 of the verification device 2 is included in the list collected from the OLT 11. If the identifier related to the modem device 25 of the verification device 2 is included in the list collected from the OLT 11, it is preferable that the coverage check application determines that the modem device 25 is actually connected to the active port of the OLT 11, and preferably provides the corresponding verification message to the operator on the display 26 of the smartphone 20. Otherwise, if the identifier related to the modem device 25 of the verification device 2 is not included in the list collected from the OLT 11, the coverage check application provides a warning message to the operator on the display 26 of the smartphone 20 to indicate failure.

[0080] According to the above-described modification example, in addition to or instead of the above-described check regarding the identifier of the modem device 25, the coverage check application requests the application server to check whether the coverage check code included in the confirmation data corresponds to the coverage check code read by the OLT 11 when the connection is set up. When the coverage check code included in the confirmation data provided by the confirmation device 2 corresponds to the coverage check code available in the OLT 11, the coverage check application preferably determines that the OLT 11 is actually connected to the modem device 25 of the confirmation device 2 at the position of the OTB 16 (and is not connected to, for example, a copied ONT), and provides the corresponding confirmation message to the operator on the display of the smartphone 3. Otherwise, when the coverage check code included in the confirmation data does not correspond to the coverage check code available in the OLT, the coverage check application provides a warning message to the operator on the display of the smartphone 20, indicating a failure.

[0081] If all of the possible checks performed as described above return positive results, the coverage check application provides the operator with a final confirmation message on the display 26 of the smartphone 20, indicating that the coverage check of the optical fiber link 17 was successful.

[0082] The above-described device advantageously enables the coverage of an optical fiber link in an effective and reliable manner. In fact, the above device is a portable device that can be easily handled by an operator, can be taken to the location where the coverage of the optical fiber link should be checked, and can confirm that the link is established and operating properly. The above confirmation device has a simple architecture and can be operated in a simple manner. Furthermore, the above device provides highly reliable and secure information. In particular, the above device provides the geographical coordinates of the location where the coverage check is performed in a highly reliable and secure manner. These coordinates are highly reliable because they are provided by the satellite positioning device of the confirmation device connected in such a way as to avoid any manipulation (for example, the processing device sets a timer, and the timer avoids the operator moving during the coverage check procedure and detecting coordinates at different locations). Furthermore, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the components of the confirmation device are enclosed in a container and cannot be operated. This means that this device provides a very highly reliable correlation between, for example, the measured location of the OTB and the actual address of the building where the OTB is located. This also ensures that data such as the identifier of the modem device or geographical coordinates cannot be maliciously modified for coverage check purposes. Once the coverage check operation is started, the described usage of a specific coverage check code that randomly occurs in the confirmation device makes it possible to further improve the reliability of the operation. The security of the data is also enhanced by encrypting the data acquired by the confirmation device before transmitting the data to the coverage check server.

Claims

1. A device (2) for checking the coverage of an optical fiber link (17) of an optical fiber network (1), wherein the optical fiber link (17) is a device (2) that connects a device (11) located at the main station (12) of a telecommunications service provider to a terminal device (16) located within the optical fiber network (1), and the device (2) is Processing device (21), Positioning device (23), Modem device (25) and It comprises a connecting enabler (24), The modem device (25) is connected to the optical fiber link (17) at the terminal device (16) and is configured to read data indicating that the optical fiber link (17) has been established. The positioning device (23) is configured to provide the geographic coordinates of the instrument (2), The processing device (21) is configured to provide encrypted data by encrypting the data indicating that the optical fiber link (17) has been established and the geographic coordinates. The connection enabler (24) is a device configured to transmit the encrypted data to a coverage check server via a mobile communication network.

2. The apparatus (2) according to claim 1, wherein the positioning device (23) is a global positioning satellite system device.

3. The apparatus (2) according to claim 1, wherein the processing device (21) is configured to encrypt the data indicating that the optical fiber link (17) has been established and the geographic coordinates by using 64-bit encryption technology.

4. The apparatus (2) according to claim 1, wherein the processing device (21) is configured to read out information indicating the date and time of the day on which the geographic coordinates were provided, and to encrypt the information indicating the date and time of the day together with the data indicating that the optical fiber link (17) has been established and the geographic coordinates.

5. The apparatus (2) according to claim 1, further comprising a visual signal transmission device (26), the visual signal transmission device being configured to show the data and / or geographic coordinates indicating that the optical fiber link (17) has been established to an operator operating the apparatus (2).

6. The apparatus (2) according to claim 1, wherein when the positioning device (23) provides the geographic coordinates, the processing device (21) is configured to start a timer, the timer being a timer with a duration of 1 to 10 minutes.

7. The device (2) according to claim 1, wherein the modem device (25) is further configured to read out received power, which indicates the power at which the modem device (25) receives an optical signal from the optical fiber link (17), and transmitted power, which indicates the power at which the modem device (25) transmits an optical signal onto the optical fiber link (17).

8. The apparatus (2) according to claim 1, comprising a mobile device (20), wherein the mobile device includes the processing device (21), the positioning device (23), and the connection enabler (24).

9. The device (2) according to claim 8, wherein the modem device (25) is configured to connect one side to the processing unit (21) of the mobile device (20) and the other side to an optical fiber cable, thereby connecting the device (2) to the terminal device (16).

10. The device (2) according to claim 9, wherein the modem device (25) is an ONT SFP module.

11. The device (2) according to claim 10, further comprising a media converter module (27) and an adapter module (28) inserted between the processing unit (21) and the ONT SFP module (25), wherein the media converter module (27) has an SFP slot for receiving the ONT SFP module (25) and a LAN interface, and the adapter module (28) is attached to a port of the mobile device (20) and has an additional LAN interface leading to the media converter module (27).

12. The device (2) according to claim 1, wherein the device (2) further comprises a container, the processing device (21), the positioning device (23), the modem device (25), and the connection enabler (24) are enclosed within the container in a manner that prevents them from being released.

13. The device (2) according to claim 1, wherein the device (2) is portable.

14. A system comprising the device (2) described in any one of claims 1 to 13 and the coverage check server, A system in which the coverage check server comprises coverage check application software, the coverage check application software is configured to decrypt the encrypted data, read the geographic coordinates, and compare the geographic coordinates with the expected geographic coordinates of the terminal device (16) stored in a network inventory managed by the service provider.

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein the coverage check application is further configured to check whether the identifier of the modem device (25) is included in the list of identifiers of the terminal device connected to the active port of the device (11) located at the main station.

Images