Two-Stage DFOS Interrogator for Acoustic Signal Processing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Distributed fiber optic sensing systems require point sensors to send data at fixed intervals or continuously, leading to significant processing overhead and power consumption, especially in configurations with a large number of sensors, which limits their application in scenarios needing flexible data transmission.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a two-stage processing system in the interrogator, where point sensors can send data at any time using a transmitter with an alarm stage to trigger vibration detection and a data sending stage, employing coarse processing for vibration detection and fine processing for signal demodulation only when necessary, reducing processing complexity and power consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If point sensors send data at fixed intervals or continuously, then data transmission is reliable, but processing overhead and power consumption increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the data transmission process into two distinct stages: an alarm stage where sensors send brief alert signals when events occur, and a data sending stage where actual sensor data is transmitted. This segmentation allows the system to maintain reliable data transmission while significantly reducing processing overhead, as the interrogator only performs full demodulation processing during the data sending stage rather than continuously.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements periodic action by using fixed interval transmission in the alarm stage and event-triggered transmission in the data sending stage. The alarm signals are sent at predetermined intervals to maintain system readiness, while actual data transmission occurs periodically only when events are detected, reducing overall processing complexity while maintaining reliability.
2Loss of information
If point sensors send data at fixed intervals or continuously, then data availability is ensured, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments power consumption into two modes: low-power alarm monitoring mode and higher-power data transmission mode. Sensors remain in low-power mode during the alarm stage, only activating full data transmission capabilities when events occur, thereby ensuring data availability while minimizing overall power consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses periodic alarm signals at fixed intervals to maintain data availability, but only activates full data transmission periodically when events are detected. This periodic action ensures that data is available when needed while consuming minimal power during normal operation.
3Measurement precision
If the interrogator continuously processes data from all point sensors, then detection accuracy is maintained, but processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments processing into two stages: vibration detection processing that operates continuously on alarm signals, and full demodulation processing that operates only when events are detected. This segmentation maintains detection accuracy by continuously monitoring for events while reducing processing time by performing full demodulation only when necessary.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary vibration detection processing on alarm signals before committing to full demodulation processing. This preliminary action filters out false alarms and ensures that time-consuming demodulation processing is only performed when actual events are detected, maintaining accuracy while reducing overall processing time.
4Measurement precision
If the system uses full demodulation processing for all sensor data, then data accuracy is improved, but processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments processing complexity into two levels: simple vibration detection processing for alarm signals and full demodulation processing for event data. This segmentation ensures data accuracy by applying full demodulation only when events are detected, while avoiding unnecessary processing complexity during normal operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies partial processing (vibration detection) to all alarm signals and reserves full processing (demodulation) for specific events that require it. This partial action approach maintains data accuracy for critical events while avoiding excessive processing complexity for routine monitoring.
Data Source
AI summary
Distributed fiber optic sensing systems (DFOS) methods, and structures that employ DVS/DAS point sensors and a two-stage processing methodology/structure that advantageously enable point sensors to send sensor data at any time—thereby providing significant processing advantages over the prior art.