Patent ID: 11940305
Assignee: INTUITIVE SURGICAL OPERATIONS, INC.
Field: Measurement (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G | IPC G

Claim 10:
11. A method for interrogating an optical sensing fiber comprising a multimode core, the method comprising:
generating laser light over a range of wavelengths;
coupling the laser light into multiple interferometers, the multiple interferometers including multiple reference branches and multiple measurement branches, the multiple measurement branches comprising an array of single-core, single-mode optical fibers, each fiber of the array of single-core, single-mode optical fibers having a different optical delay; and
using a micro lens array and a collimator lens to couple the laser light from the array of single-core, single-mode optical fibers into the multimode core, and to image backward traveling multimode light from the multimode core onto the array of single-core, single-mode optical fibers, wherein light from each mode of the backward traveling multimode light is directed into a corresponding fiber of the single-core, single-mode optical fibers.