Accurate Measurement of Propagation Delay in a Multi-Span Optical Link

TL;DR

This paper introduces a correlation-based optical time domain reflectometry method to precisely measure propagation delays in multi-span optical fibers, combining reflective and transmissive modes for improved accuracy.

Contribution

It presents a novel C-OTDR technique that accurately measures delays in multi-span optical links by integrating reflective and transmissive measurement modes.

Findings

Accurate delay measurement over multi-span fibers achieved

Reflective and transmissive modes effectively combined

Method enables precise fiber characterization

Abstract

The principle of Correlation Optical Time Domain Reflectometry (C-OTDR) is proposed to accurately measure the propagation delay over a multi-span optical fiber link. The delay of the transmission fiber is measured in the reflective mode, while uni-directional node components are measured in a transmissive mode. Delimiting reflectors are required between the sections for accurate demarcation.