US 7,543,982 B2
Sensor and disturbance measurement method using the same
Yoshinori Yamamoto, Yokohama (Japan); Itaru Sakabe, Yokohama (Japan); Eisuke Sasaoka, Yokohama (Japan); and Hisashi Tanji, Yokohama (Japan)
Assigned to Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd., Osaka (Japan)
Appl. No. 11/665,823
PCT Filed Sep. 29, 2006, PCT No. PCT/JP2006/319451
§ 371(c)(1), (2), (4) Date Apr. 19, 2007,
PCT Pub. No. WO2007/037366, PCT Pub. Date Apr. 05, 2007.
Claims priority of application No. 2005-283315 (JP), filed on Sep. 29, 2005; and application No. 2005-316872 (JP), filed on Oct. 31, 2005.
Prior Publication US 2008/0084914 A1, Apr. 10, 2008
Int. Cl. G01K 3/00 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 374—131  [385/12; 356/32] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A sensor comprising:
a laser light source emitting a laser light with a predetermined wavelength;
a sensor section including at least first and second waveguides each transmitting part of the laser light from said laser light source therethrough, and having a holding structure for holding both said first and second waveguides while said first and second waveguides are arranged in parallel, wherein a spectrum change of Brillouin scattering light occurring in said first waveguide is different from a spectrum change of Brillouin scattering light occurring in second waveguide while a disturbance is applied thereto;
a detecting section detecting the spectra of Brillouin scattering light that is outputted from said first and second waveguides respectively in response to the input of the laser light; and
an analyzing section determining a measurement value of at least one of a temperature in said sensor section and a strain generated in said sensor section under the effect of disturbance, based on fluctuations of parameters defining the respective spectra of Brillouin scattering light from said first and second waveguides detected by said detecting section.