Distributed Optical Fibre Sensors

A distributed optical fibre sensor for sensing an environment, as a function of position along each of a plurality of sensing optical fibres passing through the environment, from properties of probe light backscattered within the sensing optical fibres, the sensor comprising:

• a plurality of interrogators, each interrogator comprising a probe light source arranged to generate pulses of probe light for transmission to a sensing optical fibre coupled to the interrogator, and a detector arranged to receive and detect probe light backscattered within the sensing optical fibre and being arranged to output a signal corresponding to the detected probe light;
• a plurality of signal processors, each signal processor arranged to receive an output signal from one or more of the plurality of interrogators, and to derive from the output signal one or more parameters of the environment proximal to the coupled sensing optical fibre.

A method of operating a distributed optical fibre sensor to sense an environment as a function of position along each of a plurality of sensing optical fibres, from properties of probe light backscattered within the sensing optical fibres, comprising:

• using a plurality of interrogators such that each interrogator generates pulses of probe light for transmission to a different coupled sensing optical fibre, each interrogator receives and detects probe light backscattered in response to probe light propagating within the sensing optical fibre coupled to that interrogator, and each interrogator outputs a signal corresponding to the light detected by that interrogator;
• and
• using a plurality of signal processors, such that each signal processor receives the output signal from one or more of the plurality of interrogators, and derives from the received output signal one or more parameters of the environment proximal to the corresponding sensing optical fibre.