VIAVI Solutions has announced the launch of its next-generation fiber test head for distributed acoustic sensing (FTH-DAS), which powers the NITRO fiber sensing solution. FTH-DAS is a truth DAS interrogator with built-in AI and machine learning (ML) engines. Designed for the network edge, FTH-DAS interrogators enable multi-event detection and localization with real-time event classification across multiple fibers directly on the device.
“By combining on-device machine learning and patented Truth DAS technology, VIAVI FTH-DAS improves measurement accuracy and interpretation needed for real-time intelligence,” he said. Kevin Oliver, vice president and general manager of VIAVI Fiber and Access Solutions, said: “To put this in context, gas pipeline operators can now detect not only leaks, but also nearby excavations, vehicles, and even footsteps, and AI enables instant and precise alerts to prevent accidental damage before they occur. Traditional OTDR, temperature, strain, and acoustic monitoring are now possible in a single fiber core for both dark links and live fiber links.”
DAS fiber sensing uses traditional optical fibers as continuous microphones to detect and locate damage and potential threats over long distances. The number of applications for DAS technology has increased significantly in recent years and now includes critical infrastructure monitoring, from identifying threats in data centers and communications network cables, security monitoring national and sensitive perimeters, and identifying leaks in pipelines to detecting wear in undersea power cables.
VIAVI’s AI/ML event detection and classification models were developed based on decades of historical data. Tools and models run at the edge of FTH-DAS and update automatically, without the need for external, remote, central processing or manual intervention. The AI/ML engine analyzes data from fiber links under test in real-time to better identify, classify, and track events over time while minimizing commissioning time. Continuous and scalable model adaptation is implemented for automatic improvement of private or VIAVI-managed cloud-based ecosystems.
True Phase DAS employs VIAVI patented phase stepping interferometry technology to recover optical phase from Rayleigh backscatter. This approach allows for true measurements of physical quantities such as strain, vibration amplitude, frequency, and true acoustic power, rather than simply detecting disturbances. Results are reproducible, objective, and comparable across deployments, enabling applications beyond simple event detection and enabling robust ML training and inference.
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