OTDR event detection

By: Yusuf P
© Tejas Networks Limited 2019. All rights reserved.
 Revision history

Date Author Reviewer Changes done

21-Oct-2021 Yusuf P Sowmendran P Initial draft
29-Oct-2021 Yusuf P Sowmendran P, Partha Added more details on user
interface and overwrite of events

© Tejas Networks Limited 2019. All rights reserved.

 OTDR Card overview
• OTDR modules Single port device
• Use optical switch on the card along with
OTDR module helps to have multi-port
P1
configuration
Tx
• OTDR port scan can be performed only
P2

OTDR
module one at a time
Rx
1XN switch
Pn
• Serial round robin or on demand scan
can be performed on any port or
required.
• OTDR card is ½ slot card to be used
along with ADP02 card in 1600-11,1600-
6 and 1600-2 systems
•

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 Node Capabilities
• Node GUI take OTDR
configuration parameters from
the user for a scan
• Performs a scan based on
parameters
• Generate a Sor file which
contains all user supplied
parameters, scan plot data
and key events data.

Note: “Sor” file is as per standard “SR-4731” document

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 Top level overview for event detection and characterization
• Get thresholds for event determination from User (NMS level)
 End of Fiber threshold: loss in dB
 Splice loss: loss in dB
 Connector loss: loss in dB

• Among loss values, the lowest loss value should be passed to OTDR (node) as “Loss threshold”.

• OTDR module (Lumentum) capability to generate key events:

 OTDR module reports key events based on
o Loss threshold
o Reflection threshold
 If loss or reflection at any point along the fiber trace length exceeds the loss threshold or reflection threshold
respectively, the module report it as an event.
 Note: Though the OTDR module take end of fiber threshold from the user as input for scan, it does not report any
end of fiber events.

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 Top level overview for event detection and characterization cont..

• From the key events obtained (in SOR file) after the scan is complete:
 Show key events to user in tabular format (example: as shown in SorTraceVeiwer)
 Additional column where user should be given an option to mark or highlight events as:
o Initial reflection
o Splice
o Connector
o End of Fiber
 Based on our algorithm, highlight/mark “splice”, “connector”, “initial reflection” and “End of fiber” event to the user
 User should be given an option to add extra events in the table. User could be given an option to add event by using
markers on the trace. Based on the marker placement, our algorithm can populate the new addition event in the
table.
 After all changes performed by user, software should save the changes in “sor” format.

Initial reflection

Bad Connector

End of fiber

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 Example of OTDR trace with initial reflection, splice loss, connector
loss and End of fiber event
• A connector is characterized by a reflective event along
with loss
• A splice occurs as a loss event with no reflection

D. R. Anderson, L. Johnson and F.G. Bell, “Troubleshooting Optical-fiber

Networks”, Elsevier Academic Press, 2nd Edition, 2004.

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 Different events example

End of fiber

Splice loss Connector loss

D. R. Anderson, L. Johnson and F.G. Bell, “Troubleshooting Optical-fiber

Networks”, Elsevier Academic Press, 2nd Edition, 2004.

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 Event characterization steps

© Tejas Networks Limited 2019. All rights reserved.

 Key events read and re-arranging from sor file
• From OTDR (Lumentum) we get key event block, as part of sor file
• Lumentum presents key events in order of : all loss events followed by all reflective events.
• Key events will be needed to arrange in increasing order of event distance from the beginning of fiber, when
we tabulate them in key event table.

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 Events characterization
• We will try to characterize events as
 Initial reflection
 Splice or bad splice
 Connector or bad connector
 End of fiber
• From all the events reported by OTDR module, based on our algorithm we will try to mark some of the
events mentioned above.
• We would only try to highlight the event when we display it to the user. There would be an option available
to the user to manually mark the events or modify the marking done by our software.

• Note: Because OTDR trace is dependent on user configurable parameters, our event marking algorithm can
go wrong for some specific network scenerio’s and we would leave the correct judgement to the operator.

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 Initial reflection at fiber end
Initial reflection
• Usually initial reflective
event occurs from the
connector used at front
patch panel.
• We can highlight this event
as “Initial reflection”, if
reflective event occurs
under “Initial distance from
fiber input” specific for
each pulse-width.

• Note: This event may not

occur if “Acquisition offset”
is set to “Initial distance
from fiber end” specific for
each pulse-width.

Refer next slide for table of pulse-width vs Initial distance.

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 Initial reflection at fiber end continued

Initial
distance from
fiber input
Pulse width (ns) (m)
5 200
10 200
25 200
50 200
100 200
500 200
1000 200
2000 400
5000 1000
10000 1100
20000 2100
25000 2600

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 Splice event determination
• A splice occurs as a loss event with no reflection
• A single loss event detected across the fiber length can
be declared as splice, if:
 The event is not the last event and
 If the event loss is less than the set splice loss threshold by
the user display it as “Splice”
 If the event loss is greater than the set splice loss threshold
by the user, then declare event as “Bad Splice”

https://www.thefoa.org/tech/ref/testing/OTDR/OTDR.html

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 Splice loss determination algorithm
Loss Event
detected

Yes
Is it last Run “End of fiber”
event? algorithm

If condition not satisfied

No

Event Loss < splice loss

threshold
Check
Event loss “Splice”

Event Loss > splice loss

threshold

“Bad Splice”

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 Connector event determination
• A reflective event followed by a loss event with distance between them
equal to or less than the “pulse width length in fiber (PWL)” (refer next
slide), may be treated as single event (D<=PWL):

 Characterized as connector
 if the event is not the last event
 Check if the event loss is greater than the loss threshold for connector loss
entered by user ; then say “bad connector”
 Then declare it as a connector loss

https://www.thefoa.org/tech/ref/testing/OTDR/OTDR.html
 D = distance between reflective event and loss event
 PWL = length of pulse width in fiber

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 Connector event determination continued

Pulse width length

Pulse width (ns) in fiber (m)
5 1.02
10 2.04
25 5.11
50 10.22
100 20.44
500 102.18
1000 204.36
2000 408.72
5000 1021.80
10000 2043.60
20000 4087.19
25000 5108.99

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 Connector event determination continued
Reflective Event
detected

Yes
Is it last Run “End of fiber”
event? algorithm
If condition
not satisfied
No

Is it followed
by loss
event within
PWL? Event Loss < connector loss
threshold
Yes Check
Event loss “Connector”
If condition
Is loss Yes not satisfied
Run “End of fiber” Event Loss > connector
event last algorithm
event? loss threshold

“Bad Connector”
No
© Tejas Networks Limited 2019. All rights reserved. 18
 End of fiber determination
• In case the last event is loss event then:
 Check if the loss value for the last event is greater than “EOF” threshold entered by user
 Also, see the power reported at event location (P location )+ Event loss <= Noise floor
 Then declare that as the EOF
 Else display “End of fiber not detected”
• In case the last event is reflective event, then:
 Check width of the reflective event
 Check reported power after the width of reflective event + offset(dx) (P end of refl + dx) < = Noise floor
 Then report that as EOF
 Else display “End of fiber not detected”

Note:
• reflective event width can be found by
reading index position in comment or by
taking difference of Marker1 and Marker2 in
that reflective event.
• Offset refers adding 4 step points,
4*(Length-AO)/NPPW after event width.
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 End of fiber determination continued

Last event is loss

Event Last event is
reflective Event

loss > No Check power after width

EOF Run “Splice loss” of reflective event
threshold algorithm (Pend_of_refl)

Yes

Plocation + No
No Pend of refl + dx < = “End of fiber not
Event loss Noise floor found”
<= Noise
floor
Yes Yes

“End of Fiber” “End of Fiber”

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 Example of event marking

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 Example of event marking
• Experimental setup is shown on right
• OTDR Scan parameters:
 Acquisition range : 80 kms
 Pulse width : 10 us.
 Loss threshold : 0.5 dB
 Reflection threshold : 42 dB
 Number of Averages: 7692

 Splice loss threshold : 0.5 dB

 Connector loss threshold : 1 dB
 End of fiber threshold : 3 dB

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 OTDR sample trace view and event display
• Scan results as viewed on
OTDRtraceViewer
• The event listed are as they
appear in sor file obtained from
Lumentum OTDR module
• These events needs to be re-
ordered while they are displayed
in our NMS, in order of their
increasing distance from input
end of fiber. i.e. event order will
be 3 1, 4 2, 1 3, 5 4, 2
5.

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 Corrected event table and event marking

Initial reflection

Connector loss

End of fiber

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 Event marking continued
• Inference from previous slide
• 1st event is declared “initial reflection” as it is only reflection event within “1 km” from fiber input with no loss
event followed within PWL (pulse width length).
• 2nd event marking is for connector loss, because :
 It is not the last event
 The reflection event (#2) is followed by loss event (#3) with event separation of 1.43 km, which is less than PWL of
2.43 km.
 Loss is reported as 2.4 dB which is greater than 1 dB threshold.
• 3rd event marking is done as “end of fiber (EOF)”, because:
 It is last event
 The reflection event (#4) is followed by loss event (#5) with event separation of 1.48 km, which is less than PWL of
2.43 km.
 Loss is reported as 11.32 dB, which is greater than “end of fiber threshold of 3 dB”
 Power at loss event is -26.47 (Plocation) + -11.32 dB (event loss) = -37.8 dB, which is below noise floor -29.4.
 So declare this event as “end of fiber”

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 Another example of event marking
• Experimental setup is shown on right
• OTDR Scan parameters
 Acquisition range : 80 kms
 Pulse width : 10 us.
 Loss threshold : 0.5 dB
 Reflection threshold : 42 dB
 Number of Averages: 7692

 Splice loss threshold : 0.5 dB

 Connector loss threshold : 1 dB
 End of fiber threshold : 3 dB

© Tejas Networks Limited 2019. All rights reserved. 26

 OTDR sample trace view and event display
• Scan results as viewed on
OTDRtraceViewer
• The event listed are as they
appear in sor file obtained from
Lumentum OTDR module
• These events needs to be re-
ordered while they are displayed
in our NMS, in order of their
increasing distance from input
end of fiber. i.e. event order will
be 2 1, 3 2, 1 3, 4 4.

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 Corrected event table and event marking

Initial reflection

Connector loss

End of fiber

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 Event marking continued
• Inference from previous slide
• 1st event is declared “initial reflection” as it is only reflection event within “1 km” from fiber input with no loss
event followed within PWL (pulse width length).
• 2nd event marking is done as “Bad connector”, because :
 It is not the last event
 The reflection event (#2) is followed by loss event (#3) with event separation of 1.685 km, which is less than PWL of
2.43 km.
 Loss is reported as 9.171 dB which is greater than 1 dB threshold.
• 3rd Event marking is done as “end of fiber (EOF)”, because:
 It is last event
 The reflection event (#4) width is 204 m (given in event comment)
 Power after reflective event width is -29.252 (P end of refl + dx) = noise floor (-29.4 dB).
 So declare this event as “end of fiber”

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 Thank you!

© Tejas Networks Limited 2019. All rights reserved.