Optical fiber distribution network monitoring system

Abstract

The system comprises sensors (S) attached to passive elements (EP) of a network defined by optical boxes or optical fibers to detect operating parameters of the passive elements (EP), periodically generate data packets representing reference operating conditions, and in real time generate data packages representing abnormal operating conditions detected by the sensors (S); an input portal (PE) maintained in communication with a group of sensors (S); a server (SE) that receives the data packets from the input portal (PE) and decodes and authenticates them; and a platform (IoT) that receives the data packets of reference and abnormal operating conditions from the server (SE), stores them, makes them available to a network administrator (AR), and enables them to be selectively or automatically transmitted to a field technician (TC) via a mobile computing device (DCM).

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a system that allows monitoring of passive elements of optical fiber distribution networks, such as optical splice boxes, optical connection boxes or optical termination boxes, and the optical fibers themselves, with the aim of facilitating and automating the management of preventive and corrective field activities in said networks by detecting at least some of these elements, allowing for the rapid and accurate geographical location of problems or malfunctioning of these elements, and thus enabling the implementation of corrective measures in these optical fiber networks in accordance with more stringent SLAs (Service Level Agreements), as well as significantly reducing the operational costs of preventive maintenance work. [Background technology]

[0002] The prior art includes systems for monitoring the operation of various equipment by using sensors capable of detecting certain operational anomalies, such as the Smart Mosaic sensor, a LoRa (Long Range) standard sensor capable of detecting and measuring temperature and acceleration variations of the active elements of the monitored installation or optical fiber distribution network, which only allows the detection of sudden movements of said active elements, but the known solutions are not able to operate under low energy consumption regimes and are not able to detect and measure the light intensity variations that occur, for example, inside passive elements such as splice boxes, connection boxes or termination boxes when their lids are opened, or even to measure the optical power variations that may occur in the optical fibers used for communication within such networks.

[0003] IoT ("Internet of Things") platforms for processing data received from multiple sensors of an equipment monitoring system or a data distribution network are also known. However, these platforms have not been developed to solve the problem of monitoring passive elements of an optical fiber distribution network, and to provide, by means of sensors with simple structure and low energy consumption, checking and recording, at regular and pre-set intervals, the operating conditions of the individually monitored passive elements, such as the acceleration of their movement, changes in temperature and internal luminosity, and the power in the fiber, and to issue alarms in real time for the occurrence of operational anomalies detected by one or more sensors operatively associated with the individually monitored passive elements.

[0004] Known solutions define generic tools that do not allow a network administrator to easily and safely manage preventative maintenance operations and emergency corrective repairs on monitored passive elements.

[0005] For example, well-known outside plant management systems such as MKSolutions, CircuitVision, and Paessler have the operational capability to register passive elements and execute operational and maintenance instructions. However, none of them offer sensing as a source for manually and automatically executing preventive maintenance and emergency repair or corrective maintenance processes. While Paessler's system offers integration with sensors (using Sigfox technology), these sensors only facilitate sending email alerts, not automating preventive maintenance and emergency corrective repair processes.

[0006] Another drawback of known solutions, particularly those using sensors developed by SmartMosaic, is the undesirably short operating life of the batteries that power the operating regime of the sensors, for example.

[0007] In summary, known solutions to the problem considered in the present invention do not offer a management of an installation, such as an optical fiber distribution network, that facilitates the integration of sensors with a platform that, by maintaining a record of data representative of the conditions monitored by different sensors, can manually and automatically generate, in real time, service orders for emergency corrective repairs of passive elements of the installation and periodic manual orders for maintenance service for field technicians. Known solutions still do not make it possible to monitor the operation of passive devices of the installation or network using sensors, such as excessive power fluctuations in the network optical fibers, by alerting the administrator of this network optical fiber about possible theft and vandalism. Summary of the Invention

[0008] Due to the limitations of known solutions as mentioned above, the present invention aims to provide a system for monitoring optical fiber distribution networks by using sensors that are capable of detecting the operating conditions of light intensity and temperature inside passive elements of the network, sudden movements of passive elements of the network, and eventual abnormal fluctuations in optical power at points in the network optical fibers, thereby generating data representative of said operating conditions and making this data available at a remote platform, said data being associated with each sensor and made available to a network administrator in the form of periodic reports representative of monitored normal operating conditions, or real-time alerts representative of abnormal conditions, said data being transmitted manually or automatically to a field technician via a mobile computing device in a form that directs preventive maintenance activities, or corrective maintenance of abnormalities detected by the sensors.

[0009] The system of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1]FIG. 1 is a simplified diagram illustrating components of a monitoring system object of the present invention that, when operating on periodically processed data packets, represents a reference operating condition that, if authorized by an administrator of the optical fiber distribution network, may result in maintenance instructions to a field technician. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a simplified diagram illustrating components of the monitoring system objects of the present invention that, when operating on data packets processed in real time, represent abnormal operating conditions that automatically prompt corrective maintenance instructions to a field technician and are verified by the optical fiber distribution network administrator after the field technician has completed the corrective work. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] As mentioned above and shown in the accompanying drawings, the monitoring system referred to applies to optical fiber distribution networks comprising passive elements EP generally defined by optical splice boxes, optical connection boxes or optical termination boxes, the passive elements EP being provided with the usual lids for accessing their interiors, the structure of which is not shown here in detail due to the fact that it is not the object of the present invention and can be implemented in various ways.

[0012] Inside each passive element EP of the optical fiber distribution network, a LoRaWAN-type S sensor is suitably implemented with long range and low power consumption, and its power battery (not shown) has a useful life of at least 5 years.

[0013] Each sensor S comprises an accelerometer, a luminance meter, a thermometer and optionally an optical power meter (not shown) for detecting, respectively, sudden movements of the passive element EP being monitored, opening of the lid of the passive element EP, the temperature inside the passive element EP and excessive power fluctuations in the optical fiber associated with the passive element EP being monitored, and generates data packages representing normal reference conditions or abnormal conditions related to different parameters under monitoring. As a way to save batteries and have a longer service life, the sensors S belong to class A of the LoRaWAN protocol, according to which only the sensor can initiate communication or open a channel for communication.

[0014] The sensors S of a group of passive elements EP located in a particular area of ​​the network are designed to enable their wireless communication using the LoRaWAN protocol with a respective input portal PE, preferably of the LoRa standard, which receives data packets generated by the sensors S of a respective group of passive elements EP, encrypts said data packets with a key and forwards said data packets via the Internet to a server SE, which will be described below.

[0015] The period during which the sensor S is woken up to detect the monitored parameters can be configured via a communication window downlink opened by the sensor S itself. However, to save battery power, the sensor S can wake up, for example, every 12 or 24 hours. During each wake-up, the sensor S transmits a data packet called "keep alive", which consists of transferring to the respective input portal PE a minimal amount of information about the sensor's operational status, such as its battery level. The size of this "keep alive" data packet should be as small as possible, since the larger the data packet, the longer it takes to transmit. For Anatel approval, the communication window must be a maximum of 400 ms.

[0016] If a change in the internal temperature of the accelerometer and / or illuminometer or passive elements in the sensor S, or an excessive drop in the optical power in the fiber (an abnormal condition), is detected, the respective sensor S goes into an alarm state and sends a data packet, for example every 20 seconds for a period of 2 minutes, ensuring that at least one data packet containing the alarm information is sent to the subsequent level or stage of the monitoring system. The information contained in these alarm packages is related to the parameter objects of the analysis, in this case the accelerometer (m / s 2 Information about the axes of the illuminance meter (in lux), the thermometer in degrees Celsius, and the optical power meter in decibels.

[0017] The input portal PE of the LoRa standard has "packet brokers" specific to the LoRaWAN protocol, which are responsible for receiving packets from a large number of sensors S, queuing these packets, and forwarding them to a server SE operating under the LoRa standard.

[0018] Generally speaking, the server SE comprises a network server SR that receives data packets from the input portals PE and has the function of routing and authenticating communications between the hardware defined by the group of sensors S and the hardware defined by each input portal PE, and an application server AS that complements the server SE. In this process, market tools (TTN, TTI, Everynet, etc.) are used, but their development is not the subject of this invention. For this authentication, the firmware of the sensor S itself contains information (Dev-EUI, App-EUI, App-Key, Dev-Addr, Ntw-Session-Key, and App-Session-Key) in which each sensor S is authenticated in the application server AS via an on-boarding / negotiation (OTAA) process or a manual (ABP) process, and a communication channel is established.

[0019] In an over-the-air (OTAA) activation, the joining process is done by the network server SR and the rest of the keys are negotiated with the sensor S, so only the Dev-EUI and App-EUI are needed to register the sensor with the application server SA. In an activation by personalization (ABP), there is no communication key negotiation step, so all the information is needed on both ends (sensor S and application server SA).

[0020] The server SE is integrated with the IoT platform via the Internet using HTTP hooks, which consist of setting up URLs / endpoints on the application server SA so that it knows where to forward packets received from a group of sensors S via their respective input portals PE. These URLs / endpoints point to APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) on the IoT platform, which receive and process the data for storage, display, and sending alerts depending on the results of the monitored data and the programming of the network administrator AR.

[0021] The IoT platform operates 100% in the cloud for the network administrator AR, is accessible from any location via a web browser, and has multi-tenant properties supporting multiple organizations / enterprises / administrators within the same infrastructure. The IoT platform receives, stores, and displays information about sensors S associated with the geographic locations of associated active elements previously recorded in tables, "dashboards," and geographic maps; in the event of an alert from a sensor S, the IoT platform can send a notification via SMS, email, or "push" to the network administrator AR. The IoT platform also includes O&M administrator means, which enable manual and automatic generation of field activities, typically preventive and corrective maintenance, along with the generation of reports to be analyzed by the network administrator AR.

[0022] The system also includes the use of an application downloaded to a mobile computing device DCM, such as a mobile phone or tablet, carried by the field technician TC, and having functions for registering and maintaining the passive elements EP and the respective sensors S. In addition to information about the passive elements EP, the application also captures the geographical location of the mobile computing device DCM, preferably a mobile phone, in order for the field technician to create it on the IoT platform and perform the registration and authentication directly based on the IoT platform, so that the field technician can access the application and perform its activities.

[0023] The registration process of a passive element EP consists of scanning a QR code that is added to the sensor S or printed on the passive element EP itself, or manually entering the information of the Dev EUI of the sensor S, its description and a serial code for registration in the IoT platform.

[0024] Via the GPS of the mobile computing device DCM, the latitude and longitude of the sensor S are also packaged together with the above-mentioned information, which are transmitted to the passive element EP responsible for managing the optical fiber distribution network and to the IoT platform for registration of the respective sensor S.

[0025] It is therefore still possible to manage the activities that the field technician TC has to perform, including a check-in / check-out mechanism via the QR code of the passive element EP.

[0026] The network maintenance process can be performed in two ways: manually or automatically.

[0027] In the manual management process, the network administrator AR accesses the IoT platform to create maintenance activities and associate them with time windows of interest, passive elements EP or respective sensors S, as well as with technicians field TC responsible for the activities of inspection, maintenance and, if necessary, modification of one or more passive elements EP, as determined by the network administrator AR.

[0028] In the automated management process, packets of alert data generated by sensors S automatically generate immediate corrective activity instructions, which in turn cause the field technician TC closest to the passive element EP where the alert occurred to carry out the corrective activity.

[0029] In real time, the field technician TC has access to the activity instructions on his mobile computing device DCM, which already contains the information necessary to realize the instructed activity. Upon arrival at each passive element EP, the field technician TC performs a check-in process (manually or via QR code), fills out a questionnaire, uploads a photo, and checks out (manually or via QR code). After the maintenance operation of the passive element EP is completed, the maintenance operation is considered completed and a report on said maintenance operation on the IoT platform can be accessed.

[0030] A maintenance operation may have the statuses "open", "in progress", "awaiting approval", and "completed", for example. Thus, when the field technician TC completes and sends his report on the activities instructed to him to the IoT platform, the report is analyzed by the network administrator AR via the O&M administrator means of the IoT platform, who approves or resumes the activities previously instructed and performed by the field technician TC.

[0031] In addition to a persistent status and historical description of the activities performed on the network, scheduled maintenance activities present a related functional advantage, since they tend to reduce or eliminate corrective actions in response to alarms about abnormalities in the wiring network. Thus, if a passive element EP is compromised and / or moved or is undergoing maintenance, a network administrator AR accessing the IoT platform does not receive unwanted alerts.

[0032] The system is equipped with artificial intelligence in charge of interpreting the data packets received from the sensor S and matching these data packets with the history of the behavior of the sensor S. It is therefore possible to identify false alarms and avoid sending work orders and dispatching verification teams in situations where this would not have been necessary.

[0033] The artificial intelligence responsible for this type of interpretation is adaptive, meaning it learns over time what the alarm behavior is for each sensor, meaning it has the ability to adapt independently of any particular model or standard and can be used in any scenario.

[0034] The system reduces the need for preventative measures, provides increased operational efficiency, improves the quality of service provided to network customers, and provides increased productivity for maintenance teams, thereby reducing the network's operational costs.

[0035] Only one embodiment of the system is presented herein, and it should be understood that changes can be made in the form and arrangement of its components without departing from the scope defined in the claims that follow this description.

Claims

1. 1. A system for monitoring an optical fiber distribution network, said network comprising optical splice boxes, optical connection boxes, optical termination boxes, or passive elements (EPs) defined by optical fibers; a sensor (S) of the LoRaWAN type, powered by a battery and equipped with an accelerometer, a luminance meter, a thermometer and optionally an optical power meter, mounted inside each passive element (EP) in order to detect sudden movements of the passive element (EP), fluctuations in the internal light intensity and temperature operating conditions and, optionally, excessive fluctuations in power in the optical fiber associated with said passive element (EP), and to generate periodically data packets representing reference operating conditions and data packages representing abnormal operating conditions detected by the sensor (S) in real time; a LoRa standard input portal (PE) maintained in wireless communication with sensors (S) of a plurality of passive elements (EP), the LoRa standard input portal PE receiving data packets from said sensors (S) representing reference and abnormal operating conditions and encoding said data packets with a key; a LoRa standard server (SE) that receives data packets from the entry portal (PE) via the Internet and facilitates their decryption and authentication; a platform (IoT) configured to receive data packets representing baseline and abnormal operating conditions from a server (SE) (LoRa) via the Internet, associate said data with the respective sensors (S) from which they originated, store said data, and make it available to a network administrator (AR) in the form of reports representative of baseline operating conditions selectively transmitted to a field technician (TC) via a mobile computing device (DCM), and in the form of representative alarms indicative of abnormal operating conditions automatically transmitted to the field technician (TC) via the mobile computing device (DCM), and in the form of instructions for corrective activity in response to anomalies detected by the sensors (S); characterized in that it comprises A system for monitoring fiber optic cabling networks.

2. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the server (SE) comprises a network server (SR) and an application server (AS), the network server (SR) receiving data packets from the input portals (PE) and providing routing and authentication of communications between each group of sensors (S) having a respective input portal (PE) and the application server (AS).

3. 3. The system according to claim 2, characterized in that the authentication of the communication between each group of sensors (S) with their respective input portals (PE) and the application server (AS) is performed in the firmware of the sensors (S), in which information (Dev-EUI, App-EUI, App-Key, Dev-Addr, Ntw-Session-Key and App-Section-Key) is described, in which each sensor (S) is authenticated at the application server (AS) by an onboarding / negotiation (OTAA) process or manually (ABP) to establish a communication channel.

4. 4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the period during which the sensors (S) are activated to detect the monitored parameters is configurable via the downlink in a communication window opened by the sensors (S) themselves, and wherein at each activation the S sensors send a "keep alive" data packet transferring to the respective input portals (PE) minimal information about the operating regime of each sensor (S).

5. 5. A system according to claim 4, characterized in that each sensor (S) that detects an abnormal condition in a monitored parameter goes into an alarm state and transmits a data packet to the next level of the monitoring system at intervals of a few seconds for a few minutes.

6. 6. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the platform (IoT) operates 100% in the cloud, is accessible via a web browser, presents multi-tenant properties and receives, stores and displays information about sensors (S) pre-registered therein and associated with the geographical locations of the associated passive elements (EP), in the form of tables, "dashboards" and geographical maps.

7. 7. The system according to claim 6, characterized in that O&M management means are provided such that, when the platform (IoT) receives an alert from the sensor (S), it sends a notification to the network administrator (AR) via SMS, email or "push", enabling the platform (IoT) to manually and automatically generate field activities for preventive maintenance and corrective maintenance of anomalies, respectively, along with the generation of reports to be analyzed by the administrator network (AR).

8. 8. The system according to claim 7, characterized in that it includes an application downloaded to a mobile computing device (DCM) carried by a field technician (TC), the application having a function of registering the active elements (EA) and their respective sensors (S) on the platform (IoT), and a function of registering the maintenance management and geographical location of the mobile computing device (DCM).

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