Measuring fiber insertion losses in an optical fiber sensing system
AssigneeLuna Innovations Incorporated
InventorsJoel Leslie Mock, Stephen Tod Kreger, Justin Lee Stay
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An optical fiber has at least one optical sensor with at least two interconnects with associated insertion losses. A first optical sensing interrogator is coupled through an interconnect to one end of the optical fiber with the sensors, and a second optical sensing interrogator is coupled through an interconnect to an opposite end of the optical fiber on an opposite side of the sensors. The first optical sensing interrogator and the second optical sensing interrogator determine one or more fiber insertion losses associated with the optical path in between the sensors and the interrogators, and between sensors if there are two or more sensors, without foreknowledge of the sensor reflectivity.
Claims20
Apparatus comprising:
- an optical fiber;
- at least one optical sensor included with the optical fiber at a first location;
- a first fiber interconnect in the optical fiber, the first fiber interconnect associated with an insertion loss;
- a first optical sensing interrogator coupled by the interconnect to one end of the optical fiber on one side of the at least one optical sensor;
- and
- a second optical sensing interrogator coupled to an opposite end of the optical fiber on an opposite side of the at least one optical sensor and the first fiber interconnect,
- wherein the first optical sensing interrogator and the second optical sensing interrogator are configured to determine one or more fiber insertion loss values associated with at least the first fiber interconnect.
A method comprising:
- coupling a first optical sensing interrogator one end of an optical fiber on one side of at least one optical sensor included with the optical fiber at a first location and a first fiber interconnect in the optical fiber, the first fiber interconnect associated with an insertion loss;
- coupling a second optical sensing interrogator coupled to an opposite end of the optical fiber on an opposite side of the at least one optical sensor and the first fiber interconnect;
- and
- determining one or more fiber insertion loss values associated with at least the first fiber interconnect using the first optical sensing interrogator and the second optical sensing interrogator.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.