IP Library Granted Patent US 12663338
Granted Patent B2
US 12663338 · App. 18/688,116 · Granted Jun 23, 2026

Optical reflectometry device and method

Inventor: Shingo Ono (Musashino, JP)
Assignee: NTT, Inc.
G01M11/31
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12663338
App. No.
18/688,116
Granted
Jun 23, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

The present disclosure is a light reflection measurement device including: a first light source for outputting first continuous light; a second light source for outputting second continuous light as local light; and a signal processing unit for performing digital signal processing on a light reception signal I(t) obtained by multiplexing reflected light that is obtained by irradiating a measurement target with one branched light of the first continuous light, reference light that is the other branched light of the first continuous light, and the local light, in which the signal processing unit calculates an autocorrelation function between the light reception signal I (t) and a light reception signal I (t+τ) obtained by shifting the light reception signal by time τ, and measures reflection on the measurement target by using a position of a peak of the autocorrelation function.

Claims (23)

1 . A light reflection measurement device comprising:

a first light source for outputting first continuous light;

a second light source for outputting second continuous light as local light; and

a signal processing unit for performing digital signal processing on a light reception signal obtained by multiplexing reflected light that is obtained by irradiating a measurement target with one branched light of the first continuous light, reference light that is the other branched light of the first continuous light, and the local light,

wherein the signal processing unit calculates an autocorrelation function between the light reception signal and a light reception signal obtained by shifting the light reception signal, and measures reflection on the measurement target by using a peak of the autocorrelation function.

2 . The light reflection measurement device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the signal processing unit determines a position of the measurement target, in a light propagation direction, based on a position of the peak of the autocorrelation function.

3 . The light reflection measurement device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the signal processing unit calculates a square of the autocorrelation function, and obtains a reflectance on the measurement target by using intensity of a peak of the square of the autocorrelation function.

4 . The light reflection measurement device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the signal processing unit obtains a reflectance distribution on the measurement target from the intensity and a position of the peak of the square of the autocorrelation function.

5 . The light reflection measurement device according to claim 1 , wherein:

a light propagation speed in the measurement target is v,

a first coherence time of the first continuous light is shorter than a 2Δz/v where Δz is a spatial resolution necessary for measuring a reflectance distribution on the measurement target, and

a second coherence time of the second continuous light is longer than 2z max /v where z max is a measurement distance range measurable by a low coherence light reflection measurement method.

6 . The light reflection measurement device according to claim 1 ,

wherein a first intensity of the reference light is greater than a second intensity of the reflected light.

7 . A light reflection measurement method comprising:

branching first continuous light and irradiating a measurement target with one branched light thereof;

multiplexing reflected light on the measurement target, the other branched light of the first continuous light, and local light output from a second light source different from the first continuous light;

receiving multiplexed light obtained by the multiplexing;

calculating an autocorrelation function between a light reception signal obtained by the receiving and a light reception signal obtained by shifting the light reception signal; and

measuring reflection on the measurement target by using a peak of the autocorrelation function.