Patent ID: 11906334
Assignee: OPTASENSE HOLDINGS LIMITED
Field: Measurement (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G | IPC G

Claim 7:
8. A fibre optic cable structure comprising:
an optical fibre; and
a bend inducer that is responsive to an environmental parameter to control bending of the optical fibre, wherein the bend inducer comprises:
a first component with a longitudinal dimension that varies with the environmental parameter; and
a second component with a longitudinal dimension that varies with the environmental parameter; wherein the amount of variation in the longitudinal dimension of the first component to a given change in the environmental parameter differs from the amount of variation in the longitudinal dimension of the second component to the given change in the environmental parameter;

wherein the bend inducer is configured to adopt a first configuration at a first value of the environmental parameter that induces a first curvature of the optical fibre and to adopt a second configuration at a second, different, value of the environmental parameter that induces a second, different, curvature of the optical fibre such that a change in value of the environmental parameter imparts a bending force on the optical fibre,
wherein at least one of the first or second components of the bend inducer comprises a plurality of elements adjacent to one another along a longitudinal direction, with at least some of the plurality of elements being moveable with respect to one another in a transverse direction, and wherein the elements are shaped such that relative transverse movement of an element with respect to its neighbouring elements changes the configuration of the elements and results in a change in a distance between the elements.