Patent ID: 7012245

Claim:
A method, a sensor array that employs a parameter to induce a time-varying phase angle φ on an optical signal that comprises a phase generated carrier, the method comprising the steps of: calculating a quadrature term Q through employment of one or more of a plurality of samples that are based on the optical signal; calculating a peak value Q p of the quadrature term Q; calculating an in-phase term I through employment of one or more of the plurality of samples that are based on the optical signal; calculating a peak value I n of the in-phase term I; I p ⁡ ( M , β ) = 2 · B · ( cos ⁡ ( M · sin ⁢ ⁢ β ) - cos ⁡ ( M · sin ⁡ ( π 2 + β ) ) ) . wherein M is a modulation depth and β is a demodulation phase offset of the phase generated carrier; calculating an operating point that comprises the modulation depth M and the demodulation phase offset β of the phase generated carrier through employment of the peak value I p of the in-phase term I and the peak value Q p of the quadrature term Q; and calculating the phase angle φ through employment of the quadrature term Q; and the in-phase term, wherein the quadrature term Q and the in-phase term I are based on the optical signal.