# US 2010/0166357 A1 · Remote Optical Fiber Surveillance System and Method

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- Number: US 2010/0166357 A1
- Document ID: US20100166357A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 12/344,979
- Filed: 2008-12-29
- Published: 2010-07-01
- Earliest claimed: 2008-12-29
- Assignees: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
- Inventors: John Sinclair Huffman; Gerald Frank Laszakovits; James Kirkpatrick
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20100166357A1

## CPC

- G01M 5/0091: {by using electromagnetic excitation or detection}
- G01M 5/00: Investigating the elasticity of structures, e.g. deflection of bridges or air-craft wings (G01M9/00 takes precedence)
- G08B 13/186: using light guides, e.g. optical fibres
- G01M: TESTING STATIC OR DYNAMIC BALANCE OF MACHINES OR STRUCTURES; TESTING OF STRUCTURES OR APPARATUS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G08B: SIGNALLING SYSTEMS, e.g. PERSONAL CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS

## Abstract

In accordance with one aspect of the disclosed technology, wireless communications are used in a fiber surveillance system to enable monitoring of remote locations for vibrations, acoustic signals, stresses, stress fatigue or other detectable characteristics. A fiber that is deployed in the structure or region being monitored is connected a wireless transmitter that is used to transmit, to a receiving system, return optical signals obtained with the surveillance system. The return signals can be transmitted in raw form or after partial or total analysis.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An optical fiber surveillance system, comprising:
a first optical fiber;
a source of optical energy configured to inject optical energy into the fiber;
an optical detector configured to detect a return optical signal from the fiber, the return optical signal associated with an acoustic signal impinging on the fiber; and
a wireless transmitter connected to the optical detector and configured to transmit signals representative of the return optical signal.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1 wherein the fiber is oriented in a two dimensional topology.

### Claim 3 (depends on 3)

The system of claim 3 further comprising a second fiber overlapping the first optical fiber.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1 wherein the optical fiber is deployed in an airplane, bus, train, ship or submarine.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1 wherein the transmitter is floating on a water surface.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The system of claim 1 further comprising a database of stored historical signals.

### Claim 7 (depends on 4)

The system of claim 4 further comprising a database of stored historical signals associated with the airplane, bus, train or submarine.

### Claim 8

A method for determining the location of a source of acoustic energy comprising:
receiving, from an optical fiber, a return optical signal associated with the acoustic energy; and
wirelessly transmitting signals representative of the return optical signal.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8 wherein the fiber is oriented in a two dimensional topology.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8 further comprising:
receiving, from a second optical fiber, a return optical signal associated with the acoustic energy; and
wirelessly transmitting signals representative of the return optical signal associated with the second optical fiber.

### Claim 11 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8 wherein the optical fiber is deployed in an airplane, bus, train, ship or submarine.

### Claim 12 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8 wherein the signals are transmitted wirelessly by a transmitter that is floating on a water surface.

### Claim 13 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8 further comprising comparing the transmitted signals with data in a database of stored historical signals.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13 wherein the database includes stored historical signals associated with the airplane, bus, train or submarine.

### Claim 15 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8 further comprising deploying the optical fiber from an airplane.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15 wherein the fiber includes a source of optical energy, a detector of return signals and a wireless transmitter.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16 wherein the airplane is a drone.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17 wherein a plurality of fibers are deployed.

### Claim 19

A wireless detector configured to receive signals from an optical fiber surveillance system.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The wireless detector of claim 19 in which the optical fiber surveillance system comprises an optical fiber oriented in a two dimensional topology.