Optical sensing network

A method comprising:

• attaching an optical network to an item to be monitored, where in the optical network comprises:
• a plurality of optical waveguides that are deformable without blocking transmission of light;
• a plurality of I/O terminals, wherein each I/O terminal is configured to have an output mode in which light is emitted into an associated optical waveguide and an input mode in which light is received from the associated optical waveguide, and wherein the I/O terminal is switchable between the input mode and output mode;
• three or more optical junctions, wherein said optical junctions are formed from at least a portion of the optical waveguides and split light received into the optical junction to form multiple pathways between the I/O terminals such that light emitted into the optical network from one of the I/O terminals will have multiple pathways to each of two or more of the other I/O terminals;
• a controller;
• and
• one or more sensors operably connected to the I/O terminal and the controller, and wherein at least one of the sensors connect to each I/O terminal is a time-of-flight sensor and the controller is configured to receive time-of-flight data from the time-of-flight sensor and determine the amount of time light travels through at least one of the pathways, and wherein the multiple pathways overlap and intersect at the optical junctions so as to form a plurality of pathway segments for each pathway and such that deformation in the segments based on the time-of-flight data can be determined;
• and
• determining deformation in the segments based on time-of-flight data received by the controller.

An optical network comprising:

• a plurality of deformable optical waveguides capable of transmitting light when deformed;
• a plurality of I/O terminals, each I/O terminal having a light pulse source and a light detector;
• at least two optical junctions, each optical junction configured to split light received into the optical junction and direct the light into multiple pathways, the multiple pathways connecting to at least one additional optical junction, wherein the optical junctions are also deformable;
• a controller, the controller in data communication with each I/O terminal and the controller including programming such that the controller is configured to control each I/O terminal thereby directing the activation of the light pulse source or the activation of the light detector of each I/O terminal;
• and,
• wherein the controller further includes programming for interpreting a transmission of a pulse of light from an active light pulse source to an active light detector.