Patent ID: 7502120

Claim:
Apparatus for multiplexing Fiber Optic Interferometric Sensors (FOISs), which apparatus comprises: means ( 1 ) forming an optical source for providing m*n distinct wavelengths λ 11 , λ 12 , . . . , λ 1n , λ 21 , λ 22 , . . . , λ 2n , . . . , λ m1 , λ m2 , . . . , λ mn , the optical source including means for generating m groups ( 111 , 112 , . . . , 11 m) of light pulses, each group 11 j (1≦j≦m) being made up of n light pulses P k (λ j1 ), P k (λ j2 ), . . . , P k (λ jn ) of distinct wavelengths λ j1 , λ j2 , . . . , λ jn , the n light pulses P k (λ j1 ), P k (λ j2 ), . . . , P k (λ jn ) being time delayed one from another, Fiber Optic Interferometric Sensors arranged to receive light pulses from the optical source, the sensors distributed in m groups ( 51 , 52 , . . . , 5 m) of n sensors each, the n sensors of a same group being located at the same point and set into a star like arrangement around the input point of the group, and each of the n sensors of a same group 5 j, 1≦j≦m, being associated with wavelength selective means so that it is interrogated by one light pulse only among the pulses P k (λ j1 ), P k (λ j2 ), . . . , P k (λ jn ) of distinct wavelengths respectively λ j1 , λ j2 , . . . , λ jn .