Optical Fiber-Based Remote Gas Leakage Monitoring

Abstract

The invention uses a point-to-multi-point (P2MP) discovery process conducted in a passive optical network PON system to identify each sensor that returns a probe pulse identified with a respective sensor without adding any equipment at the remote sensors. The sensors provide with the returned signal information indicative of measured gas leakage in the air in the sensor.

Description

RELATED APPLICATION INFORMATION[0001]This application claims priority to provisional application No. 61 / 978,044, filed Apr. 10, 2014, entitled “Optical Fiber-Based Remote gas leakage Monitoring with Sensor Identifier”, claims priority to provisional application 61 / 978,048, filed Apr. 10, 2014, entitled “Optical Fiber-Based Remote Gas Leakage Monitoring using Discovery Process in PON” and is related to co-pending patent application Ser. No. 14 / ______, filed Apr. 10, 2015, entitled “Optical Fiber-Based Remote Gas Leakage Monitoring”, the contents thereof are incorporated herein by reference.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates generally to optics, and more particularly, to optical fiber-based remote gas leakage monitoring with sensor identifier.[0003]Following the rapid growth of the internet traffic, optical fiber is exhaustively deployed especially in metropolitan area as the optical access network infrastructure. In the optical access network, multiple opt...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention is an apparatus that can analyze a probe signal in an optical network. It includes an analyzer and a sensor that is connected to an optical network unit, which is a device that can send and receive optical signals in the network. The sensor is optically responsive to the air surrounding it. The probe signal is a signal that can be reflected by the sensor and used to gather information about the matter in the air. The analyzer can convert the optical signal to electrical form for further processing. The analysis of the probe signal can be done based on information about the timing of the signals in the network. The technical effect of this invention is to provide a tool for analyzing the air in an optical network to gather valuable information about the surrounding environment.

Problems solved by technology

A challenge for fiber-based remote methane gas leakage monitoring in an optical network is how to identify a particular gas sensor.

Prior activity of remote methane gas leakage monitoring is limited to use of one optical fiber line for one sensor thereby avoiding a sensor identification problem.

Such one optical fiber line use for one sensor is severely limited and cannot be used in existing network infrastructures.

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