Patent ID: 7583371

Claim:
An apparatus for sensing reflected optical signals, comprising: a Bragg grating sensor, wherein the Bragg grating sensor comprises a large diameter optical waveguide having at least one core surrounded by a cladding, wherein the cladding has an outer dimension of at least 0.3 mm; an optical fiber coupled to the sensor; and an interrogator coupled to the optical fiber and configured to transmit and receive optical signals, wherein the received signals are reflected from the Bragg grating sensor and backscattered along a portion of the optical fiber, the received signals being indicative of environmental conditions at the Bragg grating sensor and along the portion of the optical fiber, wherein the interrogator is configured to distinguish between the received signals reflected from the Bragg grating sensor and the received signals backscattered along the portion of the optical fiber, and wherein the interrogator is configured to operate an optical switch for diverting the received signals reflected from the Bragg grating sensor to a first return path and the received signals backscattered along the portion of the optical fiber to a second return path.