DEVELOPMENT OF CANNY OPERATOR BASED GUI FOR THE MEASUREMENT OF OPTICAL RETURN LOSS
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DEVELOPMENT OF CANNY OPERATOR BASED GUI FOR THE MEASUREMENT OF OPTICAL RETURN LOSS
Chapter One: Introduction 1.1 Background.
Communication might be considered one of the oldest human activities.
Communication has evolved significantly throughout history, including spoken words, sounds, hand gestures, and smoke signals. Throughout evolution, the communication model has stayed basically unchanged, with adjustments to each functional block as depicted in Figure 1.1 to capitalise on technology advancements.
INFORMATION (Message)
INFORMATION (Message)
RECEIVER (Decoder).
Channel (Medium)
TRANSMITTER (Encoder).
Figure 1.1: The Generic Communication Network Model (James, 2004).
In 1790, Claude Chappe, a French engineer, invented the optical telegraph, one of the most practical uses of light in communication (James, 2004). The optical telegraph relayed signals over 230km in around 15 minutes.
The optical telegraph was eventually supplanted by the copper telegraph. Theodore Maiman, an American physicist, developed the LASER (light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation), earning him the title of “Father of the Electro-optical Industry” (Amandeep et al., 2013).
Researchers remained determined to develop an optical communication system. Fibre optics are becoming increasingly used worldwide due to their high capacity, resilience to electromagnetic interference, and attenuation (Casimer, 2002).
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Nigeria has made significant investments in fibre optic technology, including the South Atlantic 3/West Africa Submarine Cable (SAT3/WASC) in Lagos by Nigerian Telecommunication Ltd (NITEL) and the installation of backbone fibre rings in Lagos, Abuja, and Kaduna (Vivien, 2011).
The SAT3/WASC 120Gbits/second undersea cable connects Asia and Europe (Philip, 2011). Several privately owned fibre optic cables have been deployed, including the GLO-1, Main ONE, and Ahmadu Bello University’s 10 Gigabit Campus Fibre Network in Zaria.
1.1.1 Introduction to the Optical Fibre Communication System.
Optical fibre communications use total internal reflection to transmit modulated light over a fibre optic waveguide. Modulation occurs at the transmitter segment (Figure 1.2), where electrical signals are transformed to light pulses using LEDs or LASERS. Photo detectors then demodulate the signals at the receiver.
Electrical Signal (in) Connectors.
Transmitter Receiver
Electrical Optical Signal (Out) Fiber Link
Figure 1.2. A typical fibre optic link (Bill and Emile, 2005).
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As light pulses travel, they are prone to back reflections or return loss. Laser-diode transmitters perform better than LEDs, although they are more sensitive to light reflected back into them by the fibre optic communication system.
The reflected light can alter the wavelength of the transmitting laser and introduce noise into the sent signal (destructive interference).
Reflections that enter a Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL) interfere with the cavity’s lasing operation and contribute noise to the optical signal (Bill & Emile, 2005).
The increased noise causes interference in the fibre optic network, resulting in data loss and lower information flow (Berdinskikh et al., 2002).
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