Segmented fiber optic sensor and method
First Claim
1. An apparatus for analyte surveillance over a distance comprising;
- a plurality of optical fibers, each optical fiber of the plurality of optical fibers having a distributed intrinsic chemical fiber optic sensing segment responsive to the same analyte and each sensing segment having a length and being disposed in sequential lengthwise offset relationship over a distance to provide a substantially continuous analyte sensing length over the distance.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A fiber optic sensor for sensing the presence of an analyte has a plurality of optical fibers each of which has an analyte sensing segment and the fibers are deployed so that the analyte sensing segments are arranged in sequential offset relationship over a distance such that each segment is available for detecting the analyte over a part of the distance. This has the advantage that detection of an analyte can be spatially resolved to the location of the one or more segments that have responded to the presence of the analyte. It also has the advantage that the high attenuation of sensing segments is reduced due to the smaller distance traversed by each sensing segment. Also multiple sets of such fibers may be deployed in order to detect multiple analytes, each set being constructed for a particular analyte. Also a fiber carrying structure is shown that allows the sensing segments to be available for detection of analytes and to conduct lead portions of the fibers to and from the sensing segments. A system also employs light energy sources and detectors and a processor for determining response of a sensing segment to an analyte exposure.
-
Citations
56 Claims
-
1. An apparatus for analyte surveillance over a distance comprising;
a plurality of optical fibers, each optical fiber of the plurality of optical fibers having a distributed intrinsic chemical fiber optic sensing segment responsive to the same analyte and each sensing segment having a length and being disposed in sequential lengthwise offset relationship over a distance to provide a substantially continuous analyte sensing length over the distance. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
-
24. An apparatus for analyte surveillance at selected locations comprising;
a plurality of optical fibers, each optical fiber of the plurality of optical fibers having a distributed intrinsic chemical fiber optic sensing segment for the same analyte the sensing segments each having a length and being disposed in sequential spaced apart relationship over a distance to provide a sensing segment at each of selected locations whereby the presence of the analyte may be detected at one or more of the selected locations at which one or more sensing segments respond to the analyte presence by detecting the response of the one or more sensing segments to the presence of the analyte. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
-
37. A method for sensing the presence of one or more analytes, the method comprising:
-
disposing a plurality of distributed intrinsic chemical optical fiber sensing segments at desired locations; providing lead portions to transmit optical energy into the sensing segments; and providing lead portions to receive optical energy from the optical fiber sensing segments the lead portions having low attenuation relative to the attenuation of the sensing segments; wherein the sensing segments, the optical fiber input segments, and the lead segments comprise a plurality of optical fibers disposed lengthwise adjacently and each optical fiber has one sensing segment that is offset from the sensing segments of the adjacent optical fibers to provide a substantially continuous analyte-sensing length over a distance. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39, 40, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46)
-
-
41. A method for sensing the presence of one or more analytes, the method comprising:
-
disposing a plurality of distributed intrinsic optical fiber chemical sensing segments at desired locations; providing lead portions to transmit optical energy into the sensing segments; and providing lead portions to receive optical energy from the optical fiber sensing segments the lead portions having low attenuation relative to the attenuation of the sensing segments; wherein the sensing segments, the optical fiber input segments, and the lead segments comprise a plurality of optical fibers disposed lengthwise adjacently, wherein each optical fiber has one or more sensing segments and the one or more sensing segments of each optical fiber are linearly spaced apart from the one or more sensing segments of the adjacent optical fibers, whereby there is at least one non-analyte-sensing gap between the adjacent sensing segments.
-
-
47. A chemical sensing apparatus comprising:
-
a plurality of optical fibers, each optical fiber comprising;
one or more distributed intrinsic chemical analyte responsive fiber optic segments and one or more low loss lead portions,wherein the analyte responsive segments are disposed at desired locations;
means for providing optical energy to the optical fibers; andmeans for detecting optical energy propagating within the optical fibers. - View Dependent Claims (48, 49, 50, 51, 52)
-
-
53. An apparatus for sensing and locating the presence of an analyte comprising:
-
a plurality of optical fibers disposed lengthwise adjacently and extending either integrally continuously or through connection over a determined length, wherein each optical fiber has a distributed intrinsic analyte-sensing fiber optic segment responsive to the same analyte and each segment being of a determined length less than the entire determined length of the optical fiber; the analyte-sensing segments of designated adjacent ones of the optical fibers being ordered in sequential lengthwise relationship to each other; whereby each optical fiber may sense the presence of the analyte along the determined length of the analyte-sensing segment thereof. - View Dependent Claims (54, 55)
-
-
56. An apparatus for sensing and locating the presence of an analyte comprising;
-
a plurality of fiber carriers, each having a plurality of peripheral fiber receptacles extending lengthwise thereof and passive structure extending lengthwise thereof and wherein the fiber carriers are end-to-end adjacent; a plurality of optical fibers, each optical fiber having a distributed intrinsic chemical fiber optic sensing segment and at least one lead portion extending from one or both terminal ends of the sensing segment; the sensing portion of each optical fiber disposed in a peripheral receptacle of a spine portion and the lead portions of each optical fiber disposed in a passive structure of an adjacent fiber carrier.
-
Specification