Optical integrated voltage sensor for optically measuring the magnitude of a voltage
US5969341A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 10, 1997 |
| Grant date | Oct 19, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 10, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01R13/347
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A compact voltage sensor with stable characteristics is provided. A measuring beam that is incident from an optical fiber is branched into first and second modulation-inducing waveguides of a wave branching/combining section within an optical integrated circuit. Phase changes of opposite sign are induced in the measuring beams propagating within the first and second modulation waveguides by applying voltages of mutually opposite sign to modulation-inducing electrodes, to induce a phase difference between the two. By reflecting the measuring beams from a reflective surface, propagating them back in the opposite direction within the first and second modulation waveguides, and passing them through the optical intensity modulation section again, thus applying a further phase modulation thereto, the phase difference between the measuring beams proceeding in the opposite direction within the first and second modulation waveguides can be made to be substantially twice the phase difference of the measuring beams before they are reflected by the reflective surface. The sensor also has a function to protect a sensor section thereof from dielectric breakdown caused by the accidental input of …
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.