System, device, and method for detecting perturbations
AssigneeVirginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.
InventorsKenith Meissner, II, William B. Spillman, Jr.
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Abstract
Certain exemplary embodiments comprise a system comprising a spatially distributed multimode optical fiber; a pixelated photodetector configured to detect a plurality of optical signals provided from said fiber, a first portion of the optical signals indicative of modal conversion and a second portion of the optical signals indicative of modal interference, a predetermined area of said pixelated photodetector adapted to be illuminated by the first portion of the optical signals; and a signal processing module adapted to decode and interpret a plurality of detected variables related to the optical signals.
Claims42
A system, comprising:
- a spatially distributed multimode optical fiber;
- a pixelated photodetector configured to detect a plurality of optical signals provided from said fiber, the optical signals related to perturbations applied to said optical fiber, a first portion of the optical signals indicative of modal conversion and a second portion of the optical signals indicative of modal interference, a predetermined central area of said pixelated photodetector adapted to be illuminated only by the first portion of the optical signals;
- and
- a signal processing module adapted to decode and interpret a plurality of detected variables related to the optical signals.
A method, comprising:
- transmitting from a wireless digital pixelated photodetector coupled to a spatially distributed multimode optical fiber a signal encoding a plurality of detected variables of optical signals emerging from the optical fiber, a first portion of the optical signals related to a first plurality of perturbations applied to the optical fiber, indicative of modal conversion, and illuminating only a predetermined central area of the photodetector, and a second portion of the optical signals related to a second plurality of perturbations applied to the optical fiber, indicative of modal interference, and illuminating other than the predetermined central area of the photodetector;
- receiving the signal at a wireless receiver;
- decoding the signal at a signal processing module coupled to the wireless receiver;
- and
- interpreting the plurality of detected variables of the decoded signal.
A method, comprising:
- spatially distributing a multimode optical fiber in a predetermined pattern for facilitating sensing of a predetermined type of perturbation;
- transmitting optical signals from the spatially distributed integrating multimode optical fiber;
- detecting the optical signals at a pixelated photodetector, the optical signals related to perturbations applied to the optical fiber, a first portion of the optical signals indicative of modal conversion and a second portion of the optical signals indicative of modal interference, a predetermined central area of said pixelated photodetector adapted to be illuminated only by the first portion of the optical signals;
- and
- transmitting a wireless signal encoding a plurality of detected variables of the optical signals.
A machine-readable medium comprising instructions for activities comprising:
- decoding a wireless signal obtained from a wireless digital pixelated photodetector coupled to an optical fiber spatially distributed in a predetermined pattern for facilitating sensing of a predetermined type of perturbation, the wireless signal encoding a plurality of detected variables of optical signals emerging from the spatially distributed optical fiber, a first portion of the optical signals related to a first plurality of perturbations applied to the optical fiber, indicative of modal conversion, and illuminating only a predetermined central area of the photodetector, and a second portion of the optical signals related to a second plurality of perturbations applied to the optical fiber, indicative of modal interference, and illuminating other than the predetermined central area of the photodetector;
- and
- interpreting the plurality of detected variables of the decoded signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.