Fiberoptic apparatus for measuring electromagnetic field intensity with an electro-optic sensor

• US 5,278,499 A
• Filed: 11/04/1991
• Issued: 01/11/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota Chuo Kenkyusho (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota Chuo Kenkyusho (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Kato, Satoru, Ito, Hiroshi, Ichikawa, Tadashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Snow, Walter E.
• Application Number:
  US07/787,791
• Time in Patent Office: 799 Days
• Field of Search: 324/244.1, 324/96, 324/260, 250/227.11, 250/227.14, 356/351, 356/352
• US Class Current: 324/244.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 29/0885 using optical probes, e.g. electro-optical, luminescent, glow discharge, or optical interferometers
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/032 using magneto-optic devices, e.g. Faraday or Cotton-Mouton effect

Abstract

An electromagnetic field intensity measuring apparatus comprises a sensor located in the electromagnetic field measuring place for receiving the measuring light from the optical fiber, the sensor being adapted to modulate the measuring light entering the sensor depending on the intensity of the electromagnetic field, the modulated light being then re-applied to the optical fiber; a polarization rotating device located between the measuring light generating device and the optical fiber, the polarization rotation device being operative to cause the polarized wavefront of the measuring light passed therethrough to rotate a given angle in the direction of passage; and a polarization beam splitter disposed between the measuring light generating device and the polarization rotating device, the polarization beam splitter being operative to permit only the measuring light from said measuring light generating device to pass through said polarization beam splitter and also to reflect the modulated measuring light inputted through the polarization rotating device in a predetermined direction. The electromagnetic field intensity in the measuring place can be calculated, based on the amplitude of the measuring light reflected by the polarization beam splitter.

Claims

1. An electromagnetic field intensity measuring apparatus comprising:

measuring light generating means for emitting a coherent measuring light linearly polarized in a given direction;

optical fiber means for conducting said measuring light to an electromagnetic field measuring place;

sensor means located in said electromagnetic field measuring place for receiving the measuring light from said optical fiber means, said sensor means being adapted to modulate the amplitude of the measuring light entering the sensor means depending on the intensity of the electromagnetic field, the modulated light being then re-applied to said optical fiber means;

polarization rotating means located between said measuring light generating means and said optical fiber means, said polarization rotation means being operative to cause the polarized wavefront of the, measuring light passed therethrough to rotate a given angle relative to the direction of passage;

a polarization beam splitter disposed between said measuring light generating means and said polarization rotating means, said polarization beam splitter being operative to permit only the measuring light from said measuring light generating means to pass through said polarization beam splitter and also to reflect the modulated measuring light inputted through said polarization rotating means in a predetermined direction; and

calculator means for calculating the intensity of electromagnetic field in the electromagnetic field measuring place, based on the amplitude of the measuring light reflected by said polarization beam splitter,

said sensor means comprising;

antenna section for detecting the electromagnetic field and also for outputting a voltage corresponding to the intensity of the detected electromagnetic field;

an integrated optics, said integrated optics being separate from said optical fiber means, said integrated optics including a waveguide formed therein, one end of said waveguide being a measuring light entering section and the other end thereof being a measuring light reflecting section, and

optical amplitude modulator means operative to apply a voltage signal outputted from said antenna section to said waveguide and also to modulate the amplitude of the measuring light Propagated through the waveguide depending on the intensity of the electromagnetic field before the modulated measuring light is outputted therefrom.

2. An electromagnetic field intensity measuring apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said optical amplitude modulator means is of a Mack-Zehnder interferometer type.

3. An electromagnetic field intensity measuring apparatus as defined in claim 2 wherein said waveguide includes first and second modulating waveguide portions branched at a branching and combining point, the other end of each of said first and second modulating waveguide portions including said measuring light reflecting portion formed therein, said optical amplitude modulator means including electrode means formed therein such that the voltage signal from said antenna section will be applied to said first and second modulating waveguide portions as voltage signals having the opposite polarities to each other, the measuring light parts propagating through the respective modulating waveguide portions being changed in phase before they are re-combined and caused to interfere with each other at said branching and combining point, whereby the measuring light having its amplitude modulated depending on the electromagnetic field intensity can be outputted from said optical amplitude modulator means.

4. An electromagnetic field intensity measuring apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said measuring light generating means comprises a source of laser light for emitting a coherent laser beam and an optical system for collimating and linearly polarizing the emitted laser beam in a given direction, the collimated and polarized laser beam being then outputted from said optical system to said polarization beam splitter.

5. An electromagnetic field intensity measuring apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said polarization rotating means includes a Farady rotator for rotating the polarized wavefront of the light waves passed therethrough by a given angle.

6. An electromagnetic field intensity measuring apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said optical fiber means includes a polarization-maintaining fiber.

7. An electromagnetic field intensity measuring apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said integrated optics is formed of LiNbO₃.

8. An electromagnetic field intensity measuring apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said antenna section is in the form of an integrated antenna unit formed on the same substrate as that of said integrated optics by the use of photolithography.

9. An electromagnetic field intensity measuring apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein the measuring light reflecting section formed in said integrated optics is in the form of a thin film of metal or ferroelectric material which is formed on the ground end face of the substrate in said integrated optics.

10. An electromagnetic field intensity measuring apparatus as defined in claim 1, further comprising a polarizer located between said polarization rotating means and said optical fiber means, said polarizer being operative to permit only the measuring light having its polarized wavefront rotated by said polarization rotating means through the given angle to pass therethrough, whereby the measuring light inputted from said integrated optics through said optical fiber means to said polarizer can be outputted to said polarization rotating means after any noise component has been removed therefrom.

14. An electromagnetic field intensity measuring apparatus as defined in claim 3 wherein said measuring light generating section includes a source of laser beam for emitting a coherent laser beam and an optical system for collimating and linearly polarizing said laser beams for said source in a given direction before said laser beam is outputted to said polarization beam splitter.

15. An electromagnetic field intensity measuring apparatus as defined in claim 3 wherein said integrated optics is made of LiNbO₃.

16. An electromagnetic field intensity measuring apparatus as defined in claim 3 wherein said antenna section is in the form of an integrated antenna unit formed on the same substrate as that of said integrated optics by the use of photolithography.

18. An electromagnetic field intensity measuring apparatus as defined in claim 3 wherein said calculator means comprises:

an optical detector for converting the inputted measuring light into an electric signal;

a first signal processing section for extracting and outputting a signal component used to detect the electromagnetic field intensity from said electric signal;

a second signal processing section for extracting and outputting a low-frequency component signal containing any disturbance component from said electric signal; and

a calculating section for removing any disturbance component from the electromagnetic field intensity detection signal outputted from said first signal processing section and for calculating the electromagnetic field intensity in the electromagnetic field measuring place, based on the signal outputted from said second signal processing section, whereby the electromagnetic field intensity can be measured without affection of any disturbance.

19. An electromagnetic field intensity measuring apparatus as defined in claim 18 wherein said calculator means further comprises:

a polarizer located between said polarization rotating means and said optical fiber means, said polarizer being operative to permit only the measuring light having its polarized wavefront rotated by said polarization rotating means through the given angle to pass therethrough, whereby the measuring light inputted from said integrated optics through said optical fiber means to said polarizer can be outputted to said polarization rotating means after any noise component has been removed therefrom.

20. An electromagnetic field intensity measuring apparatus as defined in claim 19 wherein said first signal processing section includes a band pass filter for extracting and outputting a signal used to measure the electromagnetic field intensity as a detection signal and wherein said second signal processing section includes a low-pass filter for extracting a component approximate to DC from said electric signal and for outputting the extracted signal component as a signal used to detect the disturbance.

11. An electromagnetic field intensity measuring apparatus comprising:

measuring light generating means for emitting a coherent measuring light lineraly polarized in a given direction;

optical fiber means for conducting said measuring light to an electromagnetic field measuring place;

sensor means located in said electromagnetic field measuring place for receiving the measuring light from said optical fiber means, said sensor means being adapted to modulate the amplitude of the measuring light entering the sensor means depending on the intensity of the electromagnetic field, the modulated light being then re-applied to said optical fiber means;

polarization rotating means located between said measuring light generating means and said optical fiber means, said polarization rotation means being operative to cause the polarized wavefront of the measuring light passed therethrough to rotate a given angle relative to the direction of passage;

a polarization beam splitter disposed between said measuring light generating means and said polarization rotating means, said polarization beam splitter being operative to permit only the measuring light from said measuring light generating means to pass through said polarization beam splitter and also to reflect the modulated measuring light inputted through said polarization rotating means in a predetermined direction;

calculator means for calculating the intensity of electromagnetic field in the electromagnetic field measuring place, based on the amplitude of the measuring light reflected by said polarization beam splitter;

said sensor means comprising an antenna section for detecting the electromagnetic field and also for outputting a voltage corresponding to the intensity of the detected electromagnetic field, an integrated optics including a waveguide formed therein, one end of said waveguide being a measuring light entering section and the outer end thereof being a measuring light reflecting section, and optical amplitude modulator means operative to apply a voltage signal outputted from said antenna section to said waveguide and also to modulate the amplitude of the measuring light propagated through the waveguide depending on the intensity of the electromanetic field before the modulated measuring light is outputted therefrom; and

wherein said calculator means comprises an optical detector for converting the inputted measuring light into an electric signal, a first signal processing section for extracting and outputting a signal component used to detect the electromagnetic field intensity from said electric signal, a second signal processing section for extracting and outputting a low-frequency component signal containing any disturbance component from said electric signal, and a calculating section for removing any disturbances component from the electromagnetic field intensity detection signal outputted from said first signal processing section and for calculating the electromagnetic field intensity in the electromagnetic field measuring place, based on the signal outputted from said second signal processing section, whereby the electromagnetic field intensity can be measured without affection of said disturbance.

12. An electromagnetic field intensity measuring apparatus as defined in claim 11 wherein said calculator means further comprises:

a polarizer located between said polarization rotating means and said optical fiber means, said polarizer being operative to permit only the measuring light having its polarized wavefront rotated by said polarization rotating means through the given angle to pass therethrough, whereby the measuring light inputted from said integrated optics through said optical fiber means to said polarizer can be outputted to said polarization rotating means after any noise component has been removed therefrom.

13. An electromagnetic field intensity measuring apparatus as defined in claim 12 wherein said first signal processing section includes a band pass filter for extracting and outputting a signal used to measure the electromagnetic field intensity as a detection signal and wherein said second signal processing section includes a low-pass filter for extracting a component approximate to DC from said electric signal and for outputting the extracted signal component as a signal used to detect the disturbance.

17. An electromagnetic field intensity measuring apparatus comprising:

measuring light generating means for emitting a coherent measuring light linearly polarized in a given direction;

optical fiber means for conducting said measuring light to an electromagnetic field measuring place;

sensor means located in said electromagnetic field measuring place for receiving the measuring light from said optical fiber means, said sensor means being adapted to modulate the amplitude of the measuring light entering the sensor means depending on the intensity of the electromagnetic field, the modulated light being then re-applied to said optical fiber means;

polarization rotating means located between said measuring light generating means and said optical fiber means, said polarization rotation means being operative to cause the polarized wavefront of the measuring light passed therethrough to rotate a given angle relative to the direction of passage;

a polarization beam splitter disposed between said measuring light generating means and said polarization rotating means, said polarization beam splitter being operative to permit only the measuring light from said measuring light generating means to pass through said polarization beam splitter and also to reflect the modulated measuring light inputted through said polarization rotating means in a predetermined direction;

calculator means for calculating the intensity of electromagnetic field in the electromagnetic field measuring place, based on the amplitude of the measuring light reflected by said polarization beam splitter;

wherein said sensor means comprises an antenna section for detecting the electromagnetic field and also for outputting a voltage corresponding to the intensity of the detected electromagnetic field, an integrated optics including a waveguide formed therein, one end of said waveguide being a measuring light entering section and the outer end thereof being a measuring light reflecting section, and optical amplitude modulator means operative to apply a voltage signal outputted from said antenna section to said waveguide and also to modulate the amplitude of the measuring light propagated through the waveguide depending on the intensity of the electromagnetic field before the modulated measuring light is outputted therefrom;

wherein said waveguide includes first and second modulating waveguide portions branched at a branching and combining point, the other end of each of said first and second modulating waveguide portions including said measuring light reflecting portion formed therein, said optical amplitude modulation means including electrode means formed therein such that the voltage signal from said antenna section will be applied to said first and second modulating waveguide portions as voltage signals having the opposite polarities to each other, the measuring light parts propagating through the respective modulating waveguide portions being changed in phase before they are re-combined and caused to interfere with each other at said branching and combining point, whereby the measuring light having its amplitude modulated depending on the electromagnetic field intensity can be outputted from said optical amplitude modulator means; and

a polarizer located between said polarization rotating means and said optical fiber means, said polarizer being operative to permit only the measuring light having its polarized wavefront rotated by the polarization rotating means through the given angle to pass therethrough, whereby the measuring light inputted from said integrated optics through said optical fiber means to said polarizer can be outputted to said polarization rotating means after any noise component has been removed.