Optical reflectometry and optical reflectometer

An optical reflectometer that measures a reflectance distribution of a measurement target in a propagation direction by Optical Frequency Domain Reflectometry (OFDR),

• the optical reflectometer comprising:
• a frequency sweep light source whose optical frequency is swept;
• a monitor unit that monitors a coherence property of output light emitted from the frequency sweep light source;
• a measuring unit that detects an interference beat signal between the output light and light backscattered from the measurement target;
• and
• an analysis unit that corrects measurement result based on the interference beat signal using the coherence property of the output light.

An optical reflectometry that is of Optical Frequency Domain Reflectometry (OFDR) in which output light emitted from a frequency sweep light source is inputted to a measurement target to measure a reflectance distribution of the measurement target in a propagation direction, an optical frequency being swept in the frequency sweep light source,

• the optical reflectometry comprising:
• a monitor step of producing a reference signal reflecting nonlinearity of the sweep from a monitoring light obtained by branching the output light;
• a detection step of obtaining sampled data by sampling an interference beat signal between the output light and light backscattered from the measurement target in a constant period;
• and
• a correction step of correcting the reflectance distribution measured based on the interference beat signal using the reference signal,
• wherein the monitor step includes:
• delaying one of two pieces of light, into which the monitoring light is branched, with a delay unit;
• inputting both the pieces of branched light on an optical 90-degree hybrid to perform delayed self-homodyne detection;
• producing first and second monitoring beat signals that are orthogonal to each other;
• computing an error of a branch ratio of a branch unit in the optical 90-degree hybrid based on variances of pieces of data obtained by sampling the first and second monitoring beat signals in the constant period;
• computing an error of 90-degree orthogonality in the optical 90-degree hybrid by statistical computation processing in which the variances are used;
• producing the reference signal using the computed error of the branch ratio, the computed error of the 90-degree orthogonality, and the first and second monitoring beats;
• and
• calculating a sequence in which the reference signal takes a defined value, and
• the correction step includes:
• producing a continuous function from the sampled data using a sampling theorem;
• obtaining a value by substituting the time sequence for the continuous function;
• and
• performing Fourier transform to the obtained value to obtain a value in which the reflectance distribution is corrected.

An optical reflectometer that measures a reflectance distribution of a measurement target in a propagation direction by Optical Frequency Domain Reflectometry (OFDR),

• the optical reflectometer comprising:
• a frequency sweep light source whose optical frequency is swept;
• a monitor unit on which a monitoring light is inputted, the monitoring light being obtained by branching an output light emitted from the frequency sweep light source;
• a measuring unit that obtains sampled data by sampling an interference beat signal between the output light and light backscattered from the measurement target in a constant period;
• and
• an analysis unit that corrects the reflectance distribution measured based on the interference beat signal using the reference signal,
• wherein the monitor unit includes:
• a branching unit that branches the monitoring light into two;
• a delay unit that delays one of the two pieces of branched light;
• an optical 90-degree hybrid that produces first and second monitoring beat signals, which are orthogonal to each other, by inputting the delayed branched light and the other piece of branched light thereon;
• and
• a sampling device that obtains sampled data by sampling the first and second monitoring beat signals in the constant period, and
• the analysis unit computes an error of a branch ratio of the branching unit in the optical 90-degree hybrid based on variances of pieces of data obtained by sampling the first and second monitoring beat signals in the constant period,
• the analysis unit computes an error of 90-degree orthogonality in the optical 90-degree hybrid by statistical computation processing in which the variances are used,
• the analysis unit produces a reference signal reflecting nonlinearity of the sweep using the computed error of the branch ratio, the computed error of the 90-degree orthogonality, and the first and second monitoring beats,
• the analysis unit computes a time sequence in which the reference signal takes a defined value,
• the analysis unit produces a continuous function from the sampled data using a sampling theorem,
• the analysis unit obtains a value by substituting the time sequence for the continuous function, and
• the analysis unit performs Fourier transform to the obtained value to obtain a value in which the reflectance distribution is corrected.

An optical reflectometry in which output light emitted from a frequency sweep light source is inputted to a measurement target to measure a reflectance distribution to a position of the measurement target, an optical frequency being swept in the frequency sweep light source,

• the optical reflectometry comprising:
• a monitor step of obtaining a monitoring beat signal from a monitoring light, the monitoring light being obtained by branching the output light;
• a measurement step of obtaining an interference beat signal between a signal light and a reference light, the signal light being backscattered from the measurement target, the reference light being obtained by branching the output light;
• and
• a correction step of generating a reference signal reflecting nonlinearity of the sweep and a phase noise of the frequency sweep light source from the monitoring beat signal obtained in the monitor step and correcting the reflectance distribution using the reference signal, the reflectance distribution being computed from the interference beat signal obtained in the measurement step,
• wherein, in the monitor step, the monitoring light is branched into two and inputted to a first coherence monitor unit and a second coherence monitor unit,
• the inputted light is branched into two,
• one of the pieces of branched light is delayed with delay amounts in which the first coherence monitor unit differs from the second coherence monitor unit, and
• the other piece of branched light and one of pieces of delayed branched light are multiplexed to obtain the monitoring beat signal.

An optical reflectometer that inputs output light whose optical frequency is swept on a measurement target to measure a reflectance distribution to a position of the measurement target,

• the optical reflectometer comprising:
• a frequency sweep light source that emits the output light;
• a first coherence monitor unit and a second coherence monitor unit that obtain monitoring beat signals from pieces of monitoring light, the pieces of monitoring light being obtained by branching the output light from the frequency sweep light source;
• a measuring unit that obtains an interference beat signal between signal light and reference light, the signal light being backscattered from the measurement target, the reference light being obtained by branching the output light from the frequency sweep light source;
• and
• an analysis unit that generates a reference signal reflecting nonlinearity of the sweep and a phase noise of the frequency sweep light source from the monitoring beat signals obtained by the first coherence monitor unit and the second coherence monitor unit and corrects the reflectance distribution using the reference signal, the reflectance distribution being computed from the interference beat signal obtained by the measuring unit,
• wherein the first coherence monitor unit and the second coherence monitor unit includes:
• a branching unit that branches the monitoring light into two;
• a delay unit that delays one of the pieces of branched light branched by the branching unit with delay amounts in which the first coherence monitor unit differs from the second coherence monitor unit;
• and
• a receiver that multiplexes the other piece of branched light branched by the branching unit and one of the pieces of delayed branched light of the delay unit to obtain the monitoring beat signal.