A PC-based method for the localisation and quantization of faults in passive tree-structured optical networks using the OTDR technique

The method presented showed that the optical time domain reflectometry can be used to facilitate the maintenance of multistaged tree-structured passive optical networks at a lowcost. This method has been implemented in a user-friendly software, and the results obtained proved its effectiveness. We also showed that it is possible to estimate the loss of a fault only on the basis of OTDR traces acquired at the network's head despite the fact that such traces result in the combination of the reflected and backscattered signals coming from the different optical paths.