초록 ▼

Optical interferometric sensors exhibiting enhanced measurand sensitivity and complete common-mode compensation. The sensors add two additional light couplers and two optical paths with predetermined path lengths to known optical sensors such as the Mach-Zehnder, Recirculating Delay Line, Michelson-

Optical interferometric sensors exhibiting enhanced measurand sensitivity and complete common-mode compensation. The sensors add two additional light couplers and two optical paths with predetermined path lengths to known optical sensors such as the Mach-Zehnder, Recirculating Delay Line, Michelson-Morley, and Fabry-Perot sensors to produce sensors which exhibit complete common-mode compensation thereby greatly improving measured signal-to-noise ratio. An electronic feedback circuit can be employed in any of the sensors resulting in enhanced measured sensitivity.

대표청구항 ▼

An optical sensor comprising: a light source; an optical sensing circuit connected to said light source and including an optrode for converting a change in a measurand into a change in a characteristic of light passing through said optrode, said optical sensing circuit having at least one optical ou

An optical sensor comprising: a light source; an optical sensing circuit connected to said light source and including an optrode for converting a change in a measurand into a change in a characteristic of light passing through said optrode, said optical sensing circuit having at least one optical output indicative of said measurand; means for controlling phase shifts of light propagating in said optical sensing circuit, including means for controlling phase shifts dependent upon said at least one optical output to maximize sensitivity of said at least one optical output to changes in said measurand; an optical compensating circuit, including a plurality of optical paths, connected to said light source and said optical sensing circuit; and means for controlling phase shifts of light propagating in said optical compensating circuit, including means for controlling phase shifts in at least one of said plurality of optical paths to minimize changes in said at least one optical output due to common-mode noise other than said measurand.