US 12,228,458 B2
Integrated fiber optic temperature measurement and control system
Ondrej Mecl, North Vancouver (CA); Noah John Joe Johnson, North Vancouver (CA); James William Wiltshire Garrow, North Vancouver (CA); and Benjamin Osborne, North Vancouver (CA)
Assigned to ACCELOVANT TECHNOLOGIES CORP., North Vancouver (CA)
Filed by ACCELOVANT TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION, North Vancouver (CA)
Filed on Oct. 3, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/905,860.
Application 18/905,860 is a continuation of application No. 18/817,218, filed on Aug. 28, 2024.
Application 18/817,218 is a continuation in part of application No. 18/256,876, previously published as PCT/CA2022/050069, filed on Jan. 19, 2022.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/139,483, filed on Jan. 20, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2025/0027823 A1, Jan. 23, 2025
Int. Cl. G01K 11/3213 (2021.01); G01K 1/08 (2021.01)
CPC G01K 11/3213 (2013.01) [G01K 1/08 (2013.01)] 10 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An integrated active fiber optic temperature measuring and control system comprising:
a fiber optic probe with a fiber bundle having a first end and a second end, and a sensor with an active material, the sensor being functionally coupled to the second end so that when the active material is illuminated with an excitation light it emits light in a wavelength different from an excitation light, the fiber bundle configured to transmit the excitation light and the emitted light;
a housing to house a temperature measuring circuitry and a temperature control circuitry permanently integrated with the fiber optic probe; and
a connector permanently connecting the fiber optic probe and the housing;
wherein the temperature measuring circuitry comprises an optoelectronic circuitry including a light source aligned with the fiber bundle and configured to provide the excitation light to the active material that is operatively coupled to a heater; a driver operatively coupled to the light source to trigger the light source; a detector aligned with the fiber bundle to detect the emitted light; a processing unit operatively coupled to the driver of the light source and the detector, the processing unit determining a temperature of the heater based on a change in an emission intensity at a single wavelength range or a change in an intensity ratio of two or more wavelength ranges, a lifetime decay, or a shift in emission wavelength peak of the emitted light; and a calibration means coupled to the processing unit and configured to calibrate the integrated active fiber optic temperature measuring and control system by compensating for any differences in photonic behaviors of the active material and variability in optical coupling losses in the optoelectronic circuitry to correct for a relationship of a thermal input and an electrical output of the system,
wherein the integrated active fiber optic temperature measuring and control system is individually calibrated by the calibration means to achieve higher accuracy, and wherein the temperature control circuitry comprises a temperature controller circuitry coupled to the optoelectronic circuitry such that the temperature controller circuitry controls the temperature of the heater and triggers a control signal to shutdown a power source of the heater when an overtemperature measuring protection system detects an overheating of the heater and/or a failure of the integrated active fiber optic temperature measuring and control system.