Adaptive pulse width optical fault finder

Abstract From the Canadian patent

An optical fault finder which optimizes the pulse width of the test signal which is transmitted through an optical fiber. The fault finder is an optical time domain reflectometer (OTDR) having a variable pulse width light source and associated timer. When a first test signal is launched down the optical fiber a, microprocessor within the OTDR detects any discrete losses and records the signal level at these faults. The OTDR then launches subsequent test signals whose pulse widths have been optimized according to the signal level at each fault. Also, a novel processing technique utilizes a matched filter to provide greater sensitivity to loss detection and location of the corresponding …