Method and system for fabricating an optical fiber device for shape sensing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11249248-B2
Application number	US-201916666719-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 29, 2019
Priority date	Oct 29, 2018
Publication date	Feb 15, 2022
Grant date	Feb 15, 2022

Abstract

There is described a method of fabricating an optical fiber device, the method comprising: positioning longitudinal portions of a plurality of optical fibers alongside each other in a given geometrical relationship, depositing liquid coating material around the longitudinal portions of the plurality of optical fibers; and the liquid coating material setting up around the longitudinal portions of the plurality of optical fibers thereby maintaining said given geometrical relationship along the longitudinal portions.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An optical device comprising:
a length of optical fiber configured for propagating an optical signal; and
an optical grating inscribed along a portion of the length of optical fiber, the optical grating having a random continuous distribution such that a return signal caused by said propagating has a full width at half maximum bandwidth ranging between about 0.1 THz and about 40 THz.

2. The optical device of claim 1 wherein said full width at half maximum bandwidth ranges between about 0.35 THz and about 7 THz.

3. The optical device of claim 1 wherein the grating has a coherence length ranging between about 2 λ and about 500 λ when the return signal has a scattering spectrum with a Gaussian shape, wherein λ denotes a wavelength of the optical signal.

4. The optical device of claim 1 wherein the random continuous distribution is a random phase distribution.

5. The optical device of claim 1 wherein the random continuous distribution is a random period distribution.

6. The optical device of claim 1 wherein the random continuous distribution is a random amplitude distribution.

7. The optical device of claim 1 wherein the random continuous distribution is one or more from the group consisting of: a random phase distribution, a random period distribution and a random amplitude distribution.

8. The optical device of claim 1 wherein the optical grating has a length being at least in the centimeter range.

Assignees

• Polyvalor Lp

Inventors

• Kashyap Raman
• Loranger Sébastien
• Monet Frédéric
• Kadoury Samuel
• Lorre Pierre

Classifications

• G02B6/0208

  characterised by their structure, wavelength response (G02B6/02114, G02B6/02171, G02B6/02195 take precedence; multiple layer cores or claddings G02B6/036, protective coverings G02B6/4429) · CPC title

• G02B6/02347 Primary

  Longitudinal structures arranged to form a regular periodic lattice, e.g. triangular, square, honeycomb unit cell repeated throughout cladding · CPC title

• G02B6/02142 Primary

  based on illuminating or irradiating an amplitude mask, i.e. a mask having a repetitive intensity modulating pattern · CPC title

• G02B6/4266

  Thermal aspects, temperature control or temperature monitoring (thermal aspect of electrical circuits H05K7/20, H05K5/0213, temperature control in general G05D23/19) · CPC title

• G02B6/06

  the relative position of the fibres being the same at both ends, e.g. for transporting images · CPC title