Composite single-mode/multimode optical fiber
AssigneeFibercore Limited
InventorRogerio Tadeu Ramos
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A composite optical fiber is provided for permitting sensing of multiple parameters. The optical fiber is for incorporation into a sensing system, the optical fiber comprising: a single mode optical fiber core, a multimode optical fiber core, and an optical fiber cladding layer surrounding the single mode optical fiber core and the multimode optical fiber core. The optical fiber provided preferably enables multiple sensing and/or measurements to take place at a single location and at a single time.
Claims17
An optical fiber for incorporation into a sensing system to perform more than one type of measurement at a same time, the optical fiber comprising:
- a single mode optical fiber core having a single mode optical fiber core diameter of from 3 μm to 20 μm and a numerical aperture of from 0.1 to 0.18, said single mode optical fiber core being provided as a sensor for sensing a single mode parameter using a Rayleigh scattering technique,
- a multimode optical fiber core having a multimode optical fiber core diameter of from 30 μm to 100 μm and a numerical aperture of from 0.15 to 0.3, said multimode optical fiber core being provided as a sensor for sensing a multimode parameter different than said single mode parameter using a Raman scattering technique, and
- an optical fiber cladding layer having a cladding layer diameter, the cladding layer surrounding the single mode optical fiber core and the multimode optical fiber core.
A sensing system comprising an optical fiber, the optical fiber comprising:
- a single mode optical fiber core having a diameter of from 3 μm to 20 μm and a numerical aperture of from 0.1 to 0.18,
- a multimode optical fiber core diameter of from 30 μm to 100 μm and a numerical aperture of from 0.15 to 0.3, and
- an optical fiber cladding layer surrounding the single mode optical fiber core and the multimode optical fiber core;
- wherein the single mode optical fiber core measures vibration using a Rayleigh scattering technique and the multimode optical fiber core measures temperature using a Raman scattering technique at a same time with the optical fiber.
A method of sensing performed at a same time along an optical fiber, the method comprising the steps of:
- i) providing an optical fiber comprising:
- a single mode optical fiber core having a diameter of from 3 μm to 20 μm and a numerical aperture of from 0.1 to 0.18,
- a multimode optical fiber core diameter of from 30 μm to 100 μm and a numerical aperture of from 0.15 to 0.3, and
- an optical fiber cladding layer surrounding the single mode optical fiber core and
- the multimode optical fiber core;
- and
- ii) using said optical fiber for sensing a plurality of parameters along the optical fiber at the same time, wherein at least one of said parameters is a single mode parameter sensed by the single mode optical fiber core using a Rayleigh scattering technique and at least one of said parameters is a multimode parameter sensed by the multimode optical fiber core using a Raman scattering technique;
- and
- wherein the single mode parameter and the multimode parameter are different.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.