Monitoring of Branched Faber-Optic Cables

The article analyzes the monitoring tasks of branched fiber-optic networks, the principles of the technical implementation of optical fiber monitoring systems, as well as the algorithms for processing pulse-reflectometry information. In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in optical fiber monitoring systems. The purpose of the paper is to present the necessary calculations and some results of experimental studies which are difficult to ignore. It is worth mentioning that the monitoring systems under study allow maintenance personnel to identify damage in optical communication lines in real time. The use of the Brillouin reflectometry method is proposed for the early diagnosis of damage. The distinctive feature of this method is the use of the phenomena of spontaneous and stimulated Mandelstam-Brillouin scattering. Although extensive research has been carried out on branched fiber-optic networks, the combination of methods makes it possible to identify the tension distribution of an optical fiber along its length. The present results are significant in at least some major respects. This greatly simplifies preventative maintenance. Given the size of modern digital fiber-optic networks, we can hardly overestimate importance and amount of information transmitted through them, economic efficiency of the monitoring system.