Improved optical fibre sensing
AssigneeVictoria Link Limited
InventorsRodney Alan Badcock, Xiyong Huang
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Abstract
Aspects of the technology provide a method/system of sensing a change in temperature and/or strain in an optical fibre comprising a substantially continuous or quasi-continuous fibre Bragg grating. A difference spectrum is determined between a reference reflected spectrum of the fibre Bragg grating and a monitored reflected spectrum. The difference spectrum is analysed to determine whether the optical fibre is experiencing a change of type a)—a temperature increase or an extension—or of type b)—a temperature decrease or a contraction. The technology may be applied to sensing a change in temperature and/or strain in a superconductor or detecting a risk of a quench in a superconductor.
Claims22
A processor-implemented method of sensing a change in temperature and/or strain in an optical fibre comprising a substantially continuous or quasi-continuous fibre Bragg grating, the method comprising:
- receiving a reference reflected spectrum indicative of a reference reflection by the fibre Bragg grating of incident light provided into an end of the optical fibre;
- receiving a monitored reflected spectrum, wherein the monitored reflected spectrum is detected by the sensor from reflection by the fibre Bragg grating of incident light provided into the end of the optical fibre during monitoring;
- determining a difference spectrum between the reference reflected spectrum and the monitored reflected spectrum;
- and
- analysing the difference spectrum to determine whether the optical fibre is experiencing a change of type a) or b),
- wherein a) is a temperature increase or an extension, and
- wherein b) is a temperature decrease or a contraction.
A processor-implemented method as claimed in 1, wherein analysing the difference spectrum comprises detecting a shape of the difference spectrum and determining from the shape of the difference spectrum whether the change is type a) or b).
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An optical fibre sensing system comprising:
- an optical fibre comprising a substantially continuous or quasi-continuous fibre Bragg grating;
- a light source for providing incident light to an end of the optical fibre;
- and
- a sensor for detecting a reflected spectrum of the incident light from the optical fibre;
- and
- a processor configured to monitor the optical fibre by performing a method comprising:
- receiving a reference reflected spectrum of the incident light from the optical fibre;
- receiving a monitored reflected spectrum of the incident light from the optical fibre;
- determining a difference spectrum between the reference reflected spectrum and the monitored reflected spectrum;
- and
- analysing the difference spectrum to determine whether the optical fibre is experiencing a change of type a) or b),
- wherein a) is a temperature increase or an extension, and
- wherein b) is a temperature decrease or a contraction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.