Folded sagnac sensor array
US6034924A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 19, 1999 |
| Grant date | Mar 7, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 19, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01S3/80
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A folded Sagnac fiber optic acoustic sensor array operates in a manner similar to a Sagnac interferometer but uses a common delay path to reduce distributed pickup in downlead fibers. The fiber optic acoustic sensor array is used to detect acoustic waves in water. By basing the folded Sagnac sensor array on operating principles similar to the Sagnac interferometer rather than basing the array on a Mach-Zehnder interferometer, the sensor array has a stable bias point, has reduced phase noise, and allows a broadband signal source to be used rather than requiring a more expensive narrowline laser. A large number of acoustic sensors can be multiplexed into the architecture of the folded Sagnac fiber optic acoustic array.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.