PHYSICAL QUANTITY MEASURING APPARATUS UTILIZING OPTICAL FREQUENCY DOMAIN REFLECTOMETRY AND METHOD FOR TEMPERATURE AND STRAIN MEASUREMENT USING THE APPARATUS

• US 20100134783A1
• Filed: 02/04/2010
• Published: 06/03/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujikura Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujikura Limited
• Inventors: OMICHI, Koji, HIRAFUNE, Shunichirou, SAKAMOTO, Akira
• Granted Patent: US 7,973,914 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 356/33
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/18 using photoelastic elements
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/35303 using a reference fibre, e.g. interferometric devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/35316 using a Bragg gratings
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/35354 Sensor working in reflection
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 11/3206 at discrete locations in the fibre, e.g. using Bragg scattering
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 2007/166 Electrical time domain reflectometry
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 1/246 using integrated gratings, e.g. Bragg gratings

Abstract

A physical quantity measuring apparatus utilizing optical frequency domain reflectometry includes a tunable laser; a first polarization maintaining fiber; a polarization maintaining coupler; a second polarization maintaining fiber; a third polarization maintaining fiber; a sensor consists of a fiber Bragg grating formed in a core of the third polarization maintaining fiber; a fourth polarization maintaining fiber; a photodiode detects Bragg reflected light from the sensor and reference light from the referential reflecting end; a controller that detects modulation of an interference intensity between the Bragg reflected light and the reference light; and an incidence part that inputs the measuring light, wherein the incidence part being provided on the first polarization maintaining fiber or on both the second polarization maintaining fiber and the third polarization maintaining fiber.

Claims

1. A physical quantity measuring apparatus utilizing optical frequency domain reflectometry, comprising:

a tunable laser that emits measuring light;

a first polarization maintaining fiber with one end thereof connected with the tunable laser;

a polarization maintaining coupler connected with another end of the first polarization maintaining fiber;

a second polarization maintaining fiber with one end thereof connected with the polarization maintaining coupler, and another end thereof being a referential reflecting end;

a third polarization maintaining fiber with one end thereof connected with the polarization maintaining coupler;

a sensor consists of a fiber Bragg grating formed at a core of the third polarization maintaining fiber;

a fourth polarization maintaining fiber with one end thereof connected with the polarization maintaining coupler;

a photodiode connected with the polarization maintaining coupler via the fourth polarization maintaining fiber, and detects Bragg reflected light from the sensor and reference light from the referential reflecting end;

a controller that detects modulation of an interference intensity between the Bragg reflected light and the reference light, based on an intensity change of multiplexed light of the Bragg reflected light and the reference light detected by the photodiode; and

an incidence part α

that inputs the measuring light to both two orthogonal polarization axes of the second polarization maintaining fiber and two orthogonal polarization axes of the third polarization maintaining fiber,

wherein the incidence part α

being provided on the first polarization maintaining fiber, or on both the second polarization maintaining fiber and the third polarization maintaining fiber.

2. The physical quantity measuring apparatus utilizing optical frequency domain reflectometry according to claim 1, wherein:

the incidence part α

is a 45-degree polarization axis offset angle fusion splice part on the first polarization maintaining fiber, while the incidence part α

is provided on the first polarization maintaining fiber; and

the incidence part α

is a 45-degree polarization axis offset angle fusion splice part on each the second polarization maintaining fiber and the third polarization maintaining fiber, while the incidence part α

is provided on both the second polarization maintaining fiber and the third polarization maintaining fiber.

3. The physical quantity measuring apparatus utilizing optical frequency domain reflectometry according to claim 1, wherein a polarization beam splitter that splits the Bragg reflected light from the sensor being provided in the fourth polarization maintaining fiber.

4. The physical quantity measuring apparatus utilizing optical frequency domain reflectometry according to claim 2, wherein a polarization beam splitter that splits the Bragg reflected light from the sensor being provided in the fourth polarization maintaining fiber.

5. The physical quantity measuring apparatus utilizing optical frequency domain reflectometry according to claim 1, wherein an extension fiber that makes an optical path-length difference of the Bragg reflected light from the two orthogonal polarization axes in the sensor longer than an optical path-length corresponding to a length of the sensor being provided between the sensor and the polarization maintaining coupler in the third polarization maintaining fiber.

6. The physical quantity measuring apparatus utilizing optical frequency domain reflectometry according to claim 2, wherein an extension fiber that makes an optical path-length difference of the Bragg reflected light from the two orthogonal polarization axes in the sensor longer than an optical path-length corresponding to a length of the sensor being provided between the sensor and the polarization maintaining coupler in the third polarization maintaining fiber.

7. The physical quantity measuring apparatus utilizing optical frequency domain reflectometry according to claims 3, wherein an extension fiber that makes an optical path-length difference of the Bragg reflected light from the two orthogonal polarization axes in the sensor longer than an optical path-length corresponding to a length of the sensor being provided between the sensor and the polarization maintaining coupler in the third polarization maintaining fiber.

8. The physical quantity measuring apparatus utilizing optical frequency domain reflectometry according to claim 4, wherein an extension fiber that makes an optical path-length difference of the Bragg reflected light from the two orthogonal polarization axes in the sensor longer than an optical path-length corresponding to a length of the sensor being provided between the sensor and the polarization maintaining coupler in the third polarization maintaining fiber.

9. The physical quantity measuring apparatus utilizing optical frequency domain reflectometry according to claim 5, wherein, while a length of the extension fiber being L, a difference of an effective refractive indices of the two orthogonal polarization axes being (n_slow−

n_fast), and the length of the sensor being 1, the length L satisfying following Equation (1).

11. The physical quantity measuring apparatus utilizing optical frequency domain reflectometry according to claim 1, wherein, among the first polarization maintaining fiber to the fourth polarization maintaining fiber, a difference of an effective refractive indices of the two orthogonal polarization axes in at least the third polarization maintaining fiber being 4.4×

10<sup>−

4</sup> or more.

12. A method for temperature and strain measurement using a physical quantity measuring apparatus utilizing optical frequency domain reflectometry according to claim 1, comprising:

measuring a wavelength of a Bragg reflected light from two orthogonal polarization axes at one or a plurality of sensors;

calculating an amount of change in the wavelength of the Bragg reflected light at the sensor caused by temperature and strain, based on the measured wavelength of the Bragg reflected light; and

calculating the temperature and strain at a location where the sensor is provided, based on the calculated amount of change.

13. A method for temperature and strain measurement using a physical quantity measuring apparatus utilizing optical frequency domain reflectometry according to claim 3, comprising:

performing a short-time Fourier transform analysis for identifying a position of a sensor on each interference signal of two orthogonal polarization axes detected by a controller; and

obtaining the position of the sensor in each polarization axis, by substituting each effective refractive index of the polarization axis in each optical path-length of Bragg reflected light from the two orthogonal polarization axes in the sensor.

14. A method for temperature and strain measurement using a physical quantity measuring apparatus utilizing optical frequency domain reflectometry according to claim 5, comprising:

performing a short-time Fourier transform analysis for identifying a position of a sensor on a summation of interference signals from two orthogonal polarization axes detected by a controller; and

obtaining a distance to the sensor from a reference position in each polarization axis, by substituting one arbitrary effective refractive index in each optical path-length of Bragg reflected light from the two orthogonal polarization axes in the sensor.

15. The method for temperature and strain measurement according to claim 12, further comprises calculating temperature distribution and strain distribution along a long direction of a location where the sensor is provided on a third polarization maintaining fiber.

16. The method for temperature and strain measurement according to claim 13, further comprises calculating temperature distribution and strain distribution along a long direction of a location where the sensor is provided on a third polarization maintaining fiber.

17. The method for temperature and strain measurement according to claim 14, further comprises calculating temperature distribution and strain distribution along a long direction of a location where the sensor is provided on a third polarization maintaining fiber.

10. A physical quantity measuring apparatus utilizing optical frequency domain reflectometry, comprising:

a tunable laser that emits measuring light;

a first polarization maintaining fiber with one end thereof connected with the tunable laser;

a polarization maintaining coupler connected with another end of the first polarization maintaining fiber;

a second polarization maintaining fiber with one end thereof connected with the polarization maintaining coupler, and another end thereof being a referential reflecting end;

a third polarization maintaining fiber with one end thereof connected with the polarization maintaining coupler;

a sensor consists of a fiber Bragg grating formed at a core of the third polarization maintaining fiber;

a fourth polarization maintaining fiber with one end thereof connected with the polarization maintaining coupler;

a photodiode connected with the polarization maintaining coupler via the fourth polarization maintaining fiber, and detects Bragg reflected light from the sensor and reference light from the referential reflecting end;

a controller that detects modulation of an interference intensity between the Bragg reflected light and the reference light, based on an intensity change of multiplexed light of the Bragg reflected light and the reference light detected by the photodiode; and

an incidence part β

that inputs measuring light to either polarization axis among two orthogonal polarization axes in the third polarization maintaining fiber,

wherein the incidence part β

being provided on the third polarization maintaining fiber.

18. A method for temperature and strain measurement using a physical quantity measuring apparatus utilizing optical frequency domain reflectometry according to claim 10, comprising:

measuring a wavelength of a Bragg reflected light from two orthogonal polarization axes at one or a plurality of sensors;

calculating an amount of change in the wavelength of the Bragg reflected light at the sensor caused by temperature and strain, based on the measured wavelength of the Bragg reflected light; and

calculating the temperature and strain at a location where the sensor is provided, based on the calculated amount of change.

19. A method for temperature and strain measurement using a physical quantity measuring apparatus utilizing optical frequency domain reflectometry according to claim 10, comprising:

performing a short-time Fourier transform analysis for identifying a position of a sensor on each interference signal of two orthogonal polarization axes detected by a controller; and

obtaining the position of the sensor in each polarization axis, by substituting each effective refractive index of the polarization axis in each optical path-length of Bragg reflected light from the two orthogonal polarization axes in the sensor.