Patent ID: 9395242
Filing Date: 2016-07-19
CPC Classification: G01J,G01K,G01N,G02F

Claim Text:
1. A broadband fiber sensor array formed along a length of optical fiber, said sensor array for measuring at least one sensing parameter at a plurality of separate locations along the length of optical fiber and comprising: an input optical signal source coupled to a first end termination of the optical fiber for supplying an optical input signal to the broadband fiber sensor array; an optical detector coupled to the output of the single mode fiber for measuring the output transmission spectrum; and a plurality of N sensing elements formed along the length of the optical fiber for measuring a plurality of N local values of the at least one sensing parameter, each sensing element including local perturbations created in the optical fiber to form a local Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) therein, the local perturbations being different in each sensing element such that a plurality of initial calibration spectra associated with the plurality of N sensing elements are linearly independent, where the plurality of local values of the at least one sensing parameter are determined from a comparison of the output transmission spectrum of the broadband fiber sensor array to the plurality of N initial calibration spectra.