US 12,345,554 B2
Fiber identification without cut point using distributed fiber optic sensing
Ming-Fang Huang, Princeton, NJ (US); Philip Ji, Cranbury, NJ (US); Shaobo Han, Princeton, NJ (US); and Ting Wang, West Windsor, NJ (US)
Assigned to NEC Corporation, Tokyo (JP)
Filed by NEC Laboratories America, Inc., Princeton, NJ (US)
Filed on Nov. 15, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/987,805.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/291,567, filed on Dec. 20, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/280,715, filed on Nov. 18, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0152130 A1, May 18, 2023
Int. Cl. G01D 5/353 (2006.01); G01H 9/00 (2006.01)
CPC G01D 5/35358 (2013.01) [G01H 9/004 (2013.01)] 10 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for determining fiber identification using distributed fiber optic sensing (DFOS), said method comprising:
a) providing a distributed fiber optic sensing/distributed vibration sensing system (DFOS/DVS), said DFOS/DVS system including
a length of optical sensor fiber, wherein the optical sensor fiber is an individual fiber among a plurality of optical fibers in an optical fiber cable;
a DFOS/DVS interrogator in optical communication with the optical sensor fiber, said DFOS/DVS interrogator configured to generate optical pulses, introduce the generated pulses into the length of optical sensor fiber, and receive backscattered signals from the length of the optical sensor fiber; and
an intelligent analyzer configured to analyze DFOS/DVS data received by the DFOS/DVS interrogator and determine from the backscattered signals, vibrational activity occurring at locations along the length of the optical sensor fiber;
b) operating the DFOS/DVS system;
c) separating, at a field location, the plurality of optical fibers in the cable into individual groups of optical fibers;
d) mechanically vibrating the individual groups of optical fibers at the field location one-by-one, until a candidate group including the optical sensor fiber is indicated by the DFOS/DVS system;
e) mechanically vibrating individual optical fibers in the candidate group one-by-one, until the optical sensor fiber is indicated by the DFOS/DVS system; and
f) identify the indicated optical sensor fiber.