Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US7961331?dq=6188988
Timestamp: 2017-01-19 11:49:24
Document Index: 599003823

Matched Legal Cases: ['Application No. 06251017', 'Application No. 05733029', 'Application No. 05826466', 'Application No. 2007', 'Application No. 200580009905', 'Application No. 200580009905', 'Application No. 200580009905']

Patent US7961331 - Sensing a disturbance along an optical path - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inPatentsThe present invention relates to a system for sensing a disturbance in a sensing region along an optical path. The sensing system includes: a source of optical radiation; an upstream junction for channelling light along a first path and along a second path, the first and second paths each extending through...http://www.google.com/patents/US7961331?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US7961331 - Sensing a disturbance along an optical pathAdvanced Patent SearchTry the new Google Patents, with machine-classified Google Scholar results, and Japanese and South Korean patents.Publication numberUS7961331 B2Publication typeGrantApplication numberUS 12/280,051PCT numberPCT/GB2007/000359Publication dateJun 14, 2011Filing dateFeb 1, 2007Priority dateFeb 24, 2006Fee statusPaidAlso published asCA2643345A1, EP1987317A1, EP1987317B1, US20090135428, WO2007096579A1Publication number12280051, 280051, PCT/2007/359, PCT/GB/2007/000359, PCT/GB/2007/00359, PCT/GB/7/000359, PCT/GB/7/00359, PCT/GB2007/000359, PCT/GB2007/00359, PCT/GB2007000359, PCT/GB200700359, PCT/GB7/000359, PCT/GB7/00359, PCT/GB7000359, PCT/GB700359, US 7961331 B2, US 7961331B2, US-B2-7961331, US7961331 B2, US7961331B2InventorsPeter HealeyOriginal AssigneeBritish Telecommunications Public Limited CompanyExport CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (165), Non-Patent Citations (45), Referenced by (8), Classifications (8), Legal Events (2) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetSensing a disturbance along an optical path
US 7961331 B2Abstract
The present invention relates to a system for sensing a disturbance in a sensing region along an optical path. The sensing system includes: a source of optical radiation; an upstream junction for channelling light along a first path and along a second path, the first and second paths each extending through the sensing region in an acoustically coupled relationship, such that, in use, a disturbance experienced at one of the first and second paths is experienced at the other of the first and second paths; and, a downstream junction for combining light from the first path with light from the second path so as to provide an interferometric signal from which the presence of a disturbance can be inferred.
This application is the U.S. national phase of International Application No. PCT/GB2007/000359 filed 1 Feb. 2007 which designated the U.S. and claims priority to European Patent Application No. 06251017.7 filed 24 Feb. 2006, the entire contents of each of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
The present invention relates to the sensing of a disturbance, in particular to the sensing of a disturbance along an optical path.
According to the present invention, there is provided a sensing system for sensing a disturbance in a sensing region, the sensing system including: a source of optical radiation; an upstream junction for channelling light along a first path and along a second path, the first and second paths each extending through the sensing region in an acoustically coupled relationship, such that, in use, a disturbance experienced at one of the first and second paths is experienced at the other of the first and second paths; and, a downstream junction for combining light from the first path with light from the second path so as to provide an interferometric signal from which the presence of a disturbance can be inferred.
Preferably, there is provided a first delay stage and a second delay stage along the first and second optical paths respectively for imposing a temporal delay to signals travelling along each path, the first delay stage being situated at an upstream location relative to the sensing region, and the second delay stage being located at a downstream location relative to the sensing region (here, the terms “upstream” and “downstream” relate to the direction of light propagation along the paths).
FIG. 1 shows a sensing system for sensing a disturbance or other environmental effect. The system includes a first optical path 2 and a second optical path 4, each of which extend between an upstream coupler 6 and a downstream coupler B. An optical source 16 is coupled to the upstream coupler for providing optical signals onto the first and second paths. The upstream coupler 6 acts as a intensity splitter, here a 50:50 splitter, sharing between the first and second paths the radiation intensity from the source. The downstream coupler 8 acts as a combiner, combining the radiation from the first and second paths, and providing an output optical signal that is the interferometric combination of the light from the first and second paths. A receiver such as a photodiode 40 is coupled to the downstream coupler, so as to convert optical signals from the downstream coupler into electrical signals. The electrical signals from the receiver 40 are passed to a signal processing stage 49 for processing.
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