Opto-Electronic System and Method for Detecting Perturbations

• US 20080291460A1
• Filed: 12/28/2005
• Published: 11/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Bioscan, Inc
• Original Assignee: Bioscan, Inc
• Inventors: Matcovitch, Avram, Voitsechov, Uri, Khatchaturov, Arkady
• Application Number:
  US12/159,141
• Publication Number:
  US 20080291460A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 356/478
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/35383 using multiple sensor devices using multiplexing techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/04 Optical or mechanical part supplementary adjustable parts
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/0425 using optical fibers
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/4228 arrangements with two or more detectors, e.g. for sensitivity compensation

Abstract

A method for detecting and measuring physical perturbations sensed by a multi-mode waveguide, through which a number of modes of a coherent electromagnetic wave propagates through and exit from. The method comprises irradiating the exiting electromagnetic wave on one or more two-dimensional sensing arrays comprising a plurality of sensing elements that are sensitive to the irradiated electromagnetic wave; determining, simultaneously, in a parallel manner, absolute values of sensed changes across different zones of the two-dimensional sensing arrays, each zone comprising one or more sensing elements; and summing the absolute values of different groups of different zones to obtain a representation of the perturbations.

Claims

1. A method for detecting and measuring physical perturbations sensed by a multi-mode waveguide, through which a number of modes of a coherent electromagnetic wave propagates through and exit from, the method comprising:

irradiating the exiting electromagnetic wave on at least one two-dimensional sensing array comprising a plurality of sensing elements that are sensitive to the irradiated electromagnetic wave;

determining, simultaneously, in a parallel manner, absolute values of sensed changes across different zones of said at least one two-dimensional sensing array, each zone comprising one or more sensing elements; and

summing the absolute values of different groups of different zones to obtain a representation of the perturbations.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one sensing array comprises a single sensing array, and wherein the different zones are on the single sensing array.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the number of zones substantially matches to the number of modes.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising:

splitting the exiting electromagnetic wave into at least two arms to obtain different path lengths;

irradiating the arms on different groups of sensing zones; and

comparing the sums of absolute values of sensed changes across said different groups.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising:

splitting the exiting electromagnetic wave into at least two arms to obtain different path lengths;

irradiating, while preserving geometrical similitude, the arms on different groups of sensing zones; and

summing the absolute values of subtractions between pairs of corresponding zones of the different groups.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the waveguide comprises an optical fiber.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said at least one sensing array comprises an array of photo-sensing elements.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the photo-sensing elements are selected from a group containing:

photo-diodes, photo-multipliers.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising shaping the exiting electromagnetic wave and spatially filtering it.

10. A device for detecting and measuring physical perturbations sensed by a multi-mode waveguide, through which a number of modes of a coherent electromagnetic wave propagates through and exit from, the device comprising:

at least one two-dimensional sensing array comprising a plurality of sensing elements that are sensitive to the electromagnetic wave, for irradiating the exiting modes of the electromagnetic wave on; and

at least one processor for determining, simultaneously, in a parallel manner, absolute values of sensed changes across different zones of said at least one two-dimensional sensing array, each zone comprising one or more sensing elements, and for summing the absolute values of different groups of different zones to obtain a representation of the perturbations.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein said at least one sensing array comprises a single sensing array, and wherein the different zones are on the single sensing array.

12. The device of claim 10, wherein the number of zones substantially matches to the number of modes.

13. The device of claim 10, further comprising:

a splitter for splitting the exiting electromagnetic wave into at least two arms to obtain different path lengths.

14. The device of claim 10, wherein the waveguide comprises an optical fiber.

15. The device of claim 10, wherein said at least one sensing array comprises an array of photo-sensing elements.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the photo-sensing elements are selected from a group containing:

photo-diodes, photo-multipliers.

17. The device of claim 15, further comprising at least one optical element for shaping the exiting electromagnetic wave and spatially filtering it.