Method and apparatus for multiple localized interferometric measurements
AssigneeLuna Innovations Incorporated
InventorsEvan M. Lally, Justin W. Klein, Emily E. H. Templeton
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Abstract
An optical sensing fiber includes multiple reference reflectors spaced along a length of the fiber. Each of the multiple reference reflectors producing a reference scattering event having a known scattering profile including an elevated amplitude relative to scattering detected for neighboring segments of the optical fiber. Each of the segments is a length of contiguous fiber that is useable to initialize and perform a distributed Optical Frequency Domain Reflectometry (OFDR) sensing operation. An OFDR interrogation system is disclosed that measures a parameter using the optical sensing fiber.
Claims33
An Optical Frequency Domain Reflectometry (OFDR) interrogation system for measuring a parameter of an optical sensing light guide comprising:
- an optical interferometric interrogator;
- the optical sensing light guide manufactured to have one or more localized reference reflectors with at least one reference reflector being located in a segment of the optical sensing light guide between the ends of the optical sensing light guide, each reference reflector configured to produce a reference scattering event having a known scattering profile including elevated amplitude relative to scattering detected for neighboring segments of the optical sensing light guide, where each of the segments of the optical sensing light guide is a length of contiguous optical sensing light guide that is useable to initialize and perform a distributed OFDR sensing operation;
- optical detection circuitry, coupled to the optical interferometric interrogator, configured to detect optical interferometric measurement signals for a length of the optical sensing light guide;
- and
- data processing circuitry configured to:
- receive interferometric measurement signals from the optical detection circuitry,
- generate an interferometric measurement data set for the length of the optical sensing light guide;
- isolate the interferometric measurement data set in proximity of each of the one or more reference reflectors including the at least one reference reflector;
- determine an error signal from the isolated data set for each of the reference reflectors;
- provide the error signal for correction of the interferometric measurement data set and/or reporting of the error signal.
An optical sensor comprising:
- an optical fiber including multiple reference reflectors spaced along a length of the fiber, each of the multiple reference reflectors producing a reference scattering event having a known scattering profile including an elevated amplitude relative to scattering detected for neighboring segments of the optical fiber,
- wherein each of the segments is a length of contiguous fiber that is useable to initialize and perform a distributed Optical Frequency Domain Reflectometry (OFDR) sensing operation.
A method in an Optical Frequency Domain Reflectometry (OFDR) interrogation system for measuring a parameter of an optical sensing light guide, comprising:
- transmitting light via an optical interferometric interrogator to an optical sensing light guide manufactured to have one or more localized reference reflectors with at least one reference reflector being located in a segment of the optical sensing light guide between the ends of the optical sensing light guide;
- each reference reflector producing a reference scattering event in response to the transmitted light and having a known scattering profile including elevated amplitude relative to scattering detected for neighboring segments of the optical sensing light guide, where each of the neighboring segments of the optical sensing light guide is a length of contiguous optical sensing light guide that is useable to initialize and perform a distributed OFDR sensing operation;
- detecting optical interferometric measurement signals for a length of the optical sensing light guide;
- and
- receiving interferometric measurement signals from the optical detection circuitry,
- generating an interferometric measurement data set for the length of the optical sensing light guide;
- isolating the interferometric measurement data set in proximity of each of the one or more reference reflectors including the at least one reference reflector;
- determining a error signal from the isolated data set for each of the reference reflectors;
- and
- providing the error signal for correction of the interferometric measurement data set and/or reporting of the error signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.