Fiber optic resonant ring sensor and source
US5394242A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 15, 1989 |
| Grant date | Feb 28, 1995 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 15, 2009 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01S5/065
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
Light from a laser diode is coupled into a fiber ring to narrow the line width. In one embodiment, Rayleigh backscattered light from the fiber is returned to the laser diode, and has the effect of greatly narrowing the diode output. In another embodiment the fiber ring is a double core ring, or a ring of plural spatially contiguous fibers. The laser diode is coupled into one core to narrow its line width, while the line-narrowed output is applied to another core which serves as a sensing device such as a gyro. Minimal or no compensation is needed to track the laser frequency to the ring resonance. In one embodiment, the first core is doped to produce a gain medium which lases at a center frequency that tracks the resonance of the sensing core as it drifts due to environmental effects.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.