Fiber Bragg grating sensor system

• US 7,333,680 B2
• Filed: 09/02/2004
• Issued: 02/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fiberpro, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Fiberpro, Inc.
• Inventors: Kim, Jae Young, Yong, Jae Chul
• Primary Examiner(s): Healy; Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Anderson; Guy G
• Application Number:
  US10/570,907
• Publication Number:
  US 20070058897A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,265 Days
• Field of Search: 356/345, 356/477, 356/364, 356/352, 356/349, 25022714- 19, 250/227.23, 250/227.27, 250/205
• US Class Current: 385/12
• 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

Abstract

The present invention discloses a fiber Bragg grating sensor system. The system according to the present invention comprises a wavelength tunable laser; a coupler for splitting output light from the wavelength tunable laser into two directions; a reference wavelength generating unit for receiving one directional output light from the coupler and for generating reference wave-lengths and an absolute reference wavelength in order to measure real-time wavelengths of the wavelength tunable laser; a fiber Bragg grating array for receiving the other directional output light from the coupler and for reflecting lights at each of the wave-lengths of the grating therein; a fiber grating wavelength sensing unit for measuring the time when each of the reflected lights from the fiber Bragg grating array is detected; a signal processing unit for figuring wavelength variation information with the use of the measured signals from the reference wavelength generating unit and for obtaining each of wavelengths of the detected lights from the fiber grating wavelength sensing unit; and a laser wavelength control feedback unit for applying AC voltage and DC voltage to the wavelength tunable filter in the wavelength tunable laser. Also, polarization dependency in the sensor system can be removed further installing a depolarizer or a polarization scrambler at the output end of the wavelength tunable laser. By applying the present invention, measurement accuracy of the grating sensor system 20 can be improved due to enhanced wavelength stability and suppression of polarization dependency. Therefore, the fiber Bragg grating sensor system based on the present invention would replace conventional structure/construction diagnosis systems.

Claims

1. A fiber Bragg grating sensor system comprising:

a wavelength tunable laser including a wavelength tunable filter for outputting a tunable wavelength light;

a first coupler for receiving the light outputted from the wavelength tunable laser and for splitting the light into two directions;

a reference wavelength generating unit for receiving one of lights split by the first coupler, for generating reference wavelengths to measure real-time wavelengths of the light outputted from the wavelength tunable laser, and for defining one of the reference wavelengths as an absolute reference wavelength;

a fiber Bragg grating array for receiving the other of lights split by the first coupler and for reflecting the lights by each of wavelengths of the grating therein;

a fiber grating wavelength sensing unit for measuring times when each of lights reflected from the fiber Bragg grating array is detected;

a signal processing unit for receiving times of the reference wavelengths generated from the reference wavelength generating unit and times when lights are detected from the fiber grating wavelength sensing unit, for calculating wavelengths in each time period of light outputted from the wavelength tunable laser, and for calculating wavelengths of the lights detected from the fiber grating wavelength sensing unit; and

a laser wavelength control feedback unit for applying AC voltage to the wavelength tunable filter for output wavelength of the wavelength tunable laser to be periodically changed, and for receiving data of the wavelengths in each time period of the wavelength tunable filter from the signal processing unit and for applying DC voltage to the wavelength tunable filter in order that the wavelengths in each time period of the wavelength tunable filter are regularly repeated, wherein the DC voltage is applied in order to constantly maintain time when the absolute reference wavelength is located.

2. The fiber Bragg grating sensor system according to claim 1, wherein the wavelength tunable laser comprises:

a laser diode for providing pumping lights;

a wavelength-division multiplexer for injecting the light outputted from the laser diode to a gain medium;

an erbium-doped optical fiber used as a gain medium; and

a wavelength tunable filter controlled by the AC voltage for periodically scanning or tuning the laser wavelength.

3. The fiber Bragg grating sensor system according to claim 2, wherein the output of the wavelength tunable laser is mode-locked by tuning the magnitude and frequency of the AC voltage applied to the wavelength tunable filter.

4. The fiber Bragg grating sensor system according to claim 1, wherein the reference wavelength generating unit comprises:

a Fabry-Perot filter;

a reference fiber grating; and

a photodetector;

the reference wavelength generating unit characterized in that reflective wavelength of the reference fiber grating is matched with one of wavelengths transmitted through the Fabry-Perot filter thereby corresponding peak is vanished, and the following peak next to the vanished peak is used as an absolute reference wavelength.

5. The fiber Bragg grating sensor system according to claim 4, wherein the reference fiber grating is temperature-stabilization packaged and linewidth of the reflected wavelength is widely and flatly processed.

6. The fiber Bragg grating sensor system according to claim 4, wherein etalon gap of the Fabry-Perot filter consists of vacuum or air.

7. The fiber Bragg grating sensor system according to claim 4, wherein the Fabry-Perot filter is maintained at a predetermined temperature.

8. The fiber Bragg grating sensor system according to claim 1, wherein the first coupler;

a plurality of the fiber Bragg grating arrays; and

a plurality of the fiber grating wavelength sensing unit corresponding one by one to the fiber Bragg grating array are optically connected by a multi-channel splitter.

9. The fiber Bragg grating sensor system according to claim 1, wherein a depolarizer is further installed at an output end of the wavelength tunable laser, and the first coupler splits the light depolarized by the depolarizer into two directions.

10. The fiber Bragg grating sensor system according to claim 9, wherein the depolarizer comprises two pieces of polarization-maintaining optical fiber having a length ratio of 1:

2 and spliced at the angle of about 45°

between them.

11. The fiber Bragg grating sensor system according to claim 1, wherein the wavelength tunable laser further comprises a polarization scrambler at output end thereof, and the first coupler splits the light depolarized by the polarization scrambler into two directions.