US-12618696-B2 - Systems and methods for utilizing distributed fiber optic sensing to detect risks to fibers

Abstract

A monitoring system connected to a network may receive a request from a user device over the network to monitor a fiber cable. A fiber sensing device may connect to the monitoring system, may communicate messages with the monitoring system, and may connect to the fiber cable. The fiber sensing device may receive an instruction from the monitoring system to begin a monitoring function for the fiber cable, and may provide a first optical signal to the fiber cable. The fiber sensing device may receive, from the fiber cable, a second optical signal, based on the first optical signal, and may detect a risk to the fiber cable based on the second optical signal. The fiber sensing device may send an alert about the risk to the fiber cable to the monitoring system, and the monitoring system may send the alert over the network to the user device.

Inventors

• Jun Shan Wey
• Denis A. Khotimsky
• Tiejun J. XIA
• Gregory K. Sherrill

Assignees

• VERIZON PATENT AND LICENSING INC.

Dates

Publication Date

20260505

Application Date

20231120

Claims (20)

1. 1 . A method, comprising: receiving, at a monitoring system and from a user device associated with a cellular network, a request to monitor a fiber cable, wherein the request includes a geographic location associated with a potential risk event; sending, in response to receiving the request and based on determining the fiber cable based on the geographic location, an instruction from the monitoring system to a device serving the fiber cable to begin a monitoring function; providing, by the device, a first optical signal to the fiber cable; receiving, by the device and from the fiber cable, a second optical signal based on the first optical signal; detecting, by the device, a risk to the fiber cable based on the second optical signal; sending, by the device and to the monitoring system, an alert about the risk to the fiber cable; causing, by the monitoring system and via the cellular network, the alert to be provided to the user device; and causing, by the monitoring system, acknowledgement of the alert from the user device to be provided to the device.
2. 2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the request from the user device includes an identifier of one or more user devices to receive alerts regarding the monitoring of the fiber cable; and wherein causing the alert to be provided to the user device includes causing the alert to be sent to the one or more user devices.
3. 3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein providing the first optical signal to the fiber cable includes providing a sensing signal over a wavelength of the fiber cable, and wherein receiving the second optical signal includes receiving the second optical signal over the wavelength.
4. 4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein detecting the risk to the fiber cable based on the second optical signal comprises: comparing the second optical signal with a risk assessment table; and detecting the risk to the fiber cable based on comparing the second optical signal with the risk assessment table.
5. 5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the risk assessment table includes one or more risk thresholds associated with risk to the fiber cable and detecting the risk to the fiber cable based on comparing the second optical signal with the risk assessment table includes comparing the second optical signal to the one or more risk thresholds.
6. 6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the fiber cable includes one of a single fiber cable or a fiber cable pair.
7. 7 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising: receiving, at the monitoring system and from the user device, a request to stop monitoring the fiber cable; and sending an instruction from the monitoring system and to the device to end the monitoring function.
8. 8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the monitoring system determines the fiber cable and a different fiber cable than the fiber cable based on the geographic location, and the method further comprises: sending an instruction from the monitoring system to a device serving the different fiber cable to begin a monitoring function; providing, by the device serving the different fiber cable, a third optical signal to the different fiber cable; receiving, by the device serving the different fiber cable and from the different fiber cable, a fourth optical signal based on the third optical signal; detecting, by the device serving the different fiber cable, a risk to the different fiber cable based on the fourth optical signal; sending, by the device serving the different fiber cable and to the monitoring system, an alert about the risk to the different fiber cable; and causing, by the monitoring system, the alert to be provided to the user device.
9. 9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the request to monitor the fiber cable is generated by a user.
10. 10 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising: determining the fiber cable prior to detecting the risk.
11. 11 . A system, comprising: one or more memories; and one or more processors, configured to: receive, at a monitoring system connected to a cellular network and from a first user device associated with the cellular network, a first request to monitor a first fiber cable, wherein the first request includes a geographic location associated with a potential risk event; end, by the monitoring system, to a first fiber sensing device connected to the monitoring system, in response to receiving the first request, and based on determining the first fiber cable based on the geographic location, an instruction to begin a monitoring function for the first fiber cable; provide by the fiber sensing device, a first optical signal to the first fiber cable; receive, by the fiber sensing device and from the first fiber cable, a second optical signal, based on the first optical signal; detect, by the fiber sensing device, a risk to the first fiber cable based on the second optical signal; send, by the fiber sensing device, to the monitoring system, and via the cellular network, an alert about the risk to the first fiber cable; cause, by the monitoring system and via the cellular network, the alert to be provided to the first user device; and cause, by the monitoring system, acknowledgement of the alert from the first user device to be provided to the fiber sensing device.
12. 12 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the first request from the first user device includes an identifier of one or more user devices to receive alerts regarding the monitoring of the first fiber cable; and wherein the monitoring system causes the alert to be sent to the one or more user devices.
13. 13 . The system of claim 11 , wherein providing the first optical signal to the first fiber cable includes providing a sensing signal over a wavelength of the fiber cable, and wherein receiving the second optical signal includes receiving the second optical signal over the wavelength.
14. 14 . The system of claim 11 , wherein, when detecting the risk to the first fiber cable based on the second optical signal, the first fiber sensing device is configured to: compare the second optical signal with a risk assessment table; and detect the risk to the first fiber cable based on comparing the second optical signal with the risk assessment table.
15. 15 . The system of claim 14 , wherein the risk assessment table includes one or more risk thresholds associated with risk to the first fiber cable, and, when detecting the risk to the first fiber cable based on comparing the second optical signal with the risk assessment table, the first fiber sensing device is configured to: compare the second optical signal to the one or more risk thresholds.
16. 16 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the first fiber cable includes one of a single fiber cable or a fiber cable pair.
17. 17 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the monitoring system receives from the first user device a request to stop monitoring the first fiber cable, and the monitoring system sends an instruction to the first fiber sensing device to end the monitoring function for the first fiber cable.
18. 18 . The system of claim 11 , further comprising a second fiber sensing device connected to the monitoring system to communicate messages with the monitoring system and connected to a second fiber cable; and wherein the monitoring system receives, from a second user device and via the cellular network, a second request to monitor the second fiber cable, and sends an instruction to begin a monitoring function for the second fiber cable.
19. 19 . The system of claim 18 , wherein the second user device and the first user device are the same user device.
20. 20 . The system of claim 19 , wherein the first request and the second request are part of a same message from the same user device, and wherein the message includes the geographic location, and wherein the monitoring system determines the first fiber cable and the second fiber cable from the geographic location.

Description

BACKGROUND Distributed fiber optic sensing (DFOS) has recently been introduced into the telecommunications industry. DFOS allows optical fiber to support new services, such as determination of cable locations, cable cut prevention, perimeter intrusion detection, and other sensing-based services. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGS. 1A-1H are diagrams of an example associated with utilizing distributed fiber optic sensing to detect risks to fibers. FIG. 2 is a diagram of an example environment in which systems and/or methods described herein may be implemented. FIG. 3 is a diagram of example components of one or more devices of FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an example process for utilizing distributed fiber optic sensing to detect risks to fibers. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS The following detailed description of example implementations refers to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numbers in different drawings may identify the same or similar elements. By leveraging a relative phase shift of a reflectance of Rayleigh, Brillouin, and Raman scattering of a light wave, an ambient environmental vibration, acoustic effects, temperature, and fiber/cable strain can be detected with DFOS. Current techniques utilize a DFOS system with an optical fiber network. However, when a risk to a fiber cable is detected by the DFOS system, the DFOS system is unable to provide notice of the risk to devices associated with other networks (e.g., a user device associated with a radio access network (RAN) and a core network). Furthermore, the devices associated with the other networks are unable to request that the DFOS system monitor a fiber cable. Thus, current techniques for monitoring fiber network cables consume computing resources (e.g., processing resources, memory resources, communication resources, and/or the like), networking resources, and/or other resources associated with failing to notify devices associated with other network about DFOS detected risks to fiber cables, failing to enable the devices associated with the other networks to request DFOS monitoring of fiber cables, failing to support new services, such as determination of cable locations, cable cut prevention, perimeter intrusion detection, and/or other sensing-based services for fibers, and/or the like. Some implementations described herein relate to utilizing distributed fiber optic sensing to detect risks to fibers. For example, a monitoring system connected to a network may receive a request from a user device over the network to monitor a fiber cable. A fiber sensing device (e.g., a DFOS device) may connect to the monitoring system, may communicate messages with the monitoring system, and may connect to the fiber cable. The fiber sensing device may receive an instruction from the monitoring system to begin a monitoring function for the fiber cable, and may provide a first optical signal to the fiber cable. The fiber sensing device may receive, from the fiber cable, a second optical signal, based on the first optical signal, and may detect a risk to the fiber cable based on the second optical signal. The fiber sensing device may send an alert about the risk to the fiber cable to the monitoring system, and the monitoring system may send the alert over the network to the user device. In this way, the sensor device utilizes distributed fiber optic sensing to detect risks to fibers. For example, when a risk to a fiber cable is detected by the sensor device, the sensor device may provide notice of the risk to devices associated with other networks (e.g., a user device associated with a RAN and a core network). Furthermore, the devices associated with the other networks may request that the sensor device monitor a fiber cable. Thus, the sensor device may conserve computing resources, networking resources, and/or other resources that would have otherwise been consumed by failing to notify devices associated with other network about DFOS detected risks to fiber cables, failing to enable the devices associated with the other networks to request DFOS monitoring of fiber cables, failing to support new services, such as determination of cable locations, cable cut prevention, perimeter intrusion detection, and/or other sensing-based services for fibers, and/or the like. FIGS. 1A-1H are diagrams of an example 100 associated with utilizing distributed fiber optic sensing to detect risks to fibers. As shown in FIGS. 1A-1H, example 100 includes a central office with a DFOS device 105, a data channel card 110, and a wavelength multiplexer/demultiplexer 115. The central office may be associated with an optical fiber network, a control and management system (CMS) 120, an orchestrator 125, a core network 130, a radio access network (RAN) 135, and a user device 140. Further details of the central office, the DFOS device 105, the data channel card 110, the wavelength multiplexer/demultiplexer 115, the optical fiber network, the CMS 120, the orche