Patent · US Expired

Array topologies for implementing serial fiber Bragg grating interferometer arrays

US5987197A · kind A · utility

63Cited by
3References
17Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateNov 7, 1997
Grant dateNov 16, 1999
Priority date
Expiry dateNov 7, 2017

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01D5/35383
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

An interferometer array includes a plurality of interferometer sub-arrays, each sub-array including a plurality of interferometers. Each interferometer in a sub-array is implemented with a respective pair of fiber Bragg gratings and a sensing length of optical fiber positioned between the respective pair of fiber Bragg gratings. The fiber Bragg gratings in each respective pair of fiber Bragg gratings have the same characteristic wavelength that is different from the characteristic wavelength of every other pair of fiber Bragg gratings in the sub-array. The sub-arrays are interconnected to minimize the common-wavelength crosstalk between the sensors in the overall interferometer array. In one embodiment, the sub-arrays are connected in series along a common length of optical fiber such that the maximum common-wavelength crosstalk is limited by the number of sub-arrays connected in series. In a second embodiment of the invention, branches are interconnected to a common input/output optical fiber via optical couplers, and each branch has one or more sub-arrays connected in series. The common-wavelength crosstalk is limited by the number of arrays in each sub-array. In a third embodime…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.