Overview

The most of the benefit from the project roots from its use in the field. To interact with the real world the appropriate system had to be developed to control appropriate functioning. The signals from the optic fiber have to be interpreted through a computing machinery, but before that it has to undergo an analysis from the optical frequency domain reflectometer(OFDR). In our work, we put together a mechanism compact enough to be used in the field conditions.

Problem

The principle of work with optic fibers implies thorough analysis and data collection, and that cannot be done without proper equipment. There are certain versions of OFDR in the market, but their complectation is abundant for the case of our project. The concept of work with LUNA (by LUNA Innovations), however, proved itself to be efficient and reliable, but the actual drawback of it is the price and complication of a simple structure needed in our project.

Solution

To minimize the amount of power and resources used, as well as increasing the availability, in the course of the project, we constructed a model of the hardware fulfilling the specific requirements of our system. Optical frequency domain reflectometer with a tunable laser in combination with a multiplexer for better accuracy and greater range of detection increases the utility of the workflow, simplifies the process and makes it more accessible. It uses the same principle as existing reflectometers do, but targets a specific desired functionality needed.

The components of it include:

Tunable laser - creates the wavelength of light to be used as a prompt and precedent for tracking changes.

Interferometer - tracks the reflected frequency of impulses.

Amplifier - makes the signals and impulses strong enough for a more accurate analysis.

1 to N multiplexer - takes in the signals from multiple fibers, enlarging the range of detection.

And the whole setup needs to have a computing machinery and the fibers themselves.

Work principle

The optical frequency domain reflectometer is the most suitable for the analysis of the information from the optic fiber, due to its range of sensitivity and accuracy. As the light frequency coming from the fiber is incredibly hard to get a measurement of, the setup used also includes an amplifier. Aiming for a better and wider range of detection, and the higher number of sensors used for the same purpose, a scattering multiplexer is also used to connect the fibers to the apparatus. Thus, we get the information for further analysis by the software. The general setup of the project could be used in the scale of bigger infrastructural systems, e.g. cities. The only thing needed for that is the length of the optic fibers themselves, which is totally flexible and the flexibility of it comes with a low cost. However, the thing that is unique to the piece of hardware constructed is the portability of it and this lets the system be used in different remote areas and field conditions.