Plessey Overseas Limited

Christopher Lamb

Michael L Henning

Philip J Nash

An optical sensing system comprising single light source and a series of phase shifting switching devices positioned linearly aligned with the light source. Each phase shifting device is driven by a driving device with pulses at different frequencies and sequentially from the most proximately located phase switching device to the most distant phase switching device so that light eventually passes through each of the phase switching devices. Fiber sensor arrays are aligned with each of the phase switching devices and light reflected from the fiber sensor arrays is detected by a plurality of photodetector devices each associated with a fiber sensor array.

Optical sensing systems

Many optical sensing systems include an interferometer comprising a plurality of contiguous optical fibre sensor lengths with partially reflecting discontinuities therebetween. An inherent problem with these systems is however that the number of sensors that can be configured is limited by the pulse repetition or sensor interrogation rate. In the present system the pulse repetition rate is effectively increased without having to reduce optical fibre sensor lengths or numbers by interleaving several interrogating signals.

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Dorset, United Kingdom

Christopher Lamb