Fibre-optic measurement device, rate gyro, and inertial stabilisation and navigation unit

1. A fibre-optic measurement device ( 10 ) in which a parameter to be measured generates a phase difference Δφ p between two counter-propagating waves ( 24 , 25 ), comprising:

a light source ( 11 ),

a fiber-optic SAGNAC ring interferometer ( 20 ), including a coil ( 21 ) and a splitting element ( 23 ), in which said two counter-propagating waves ( 24 , 25 ) propagate, said ring interferometer ( 20 ) having a proper frequency f p ,

an electromagnetic radiation detector ( 14 ), receiving the luminous power exiting from said ring interferometer ( 20 ) and delivering a modulated electrical signal representative of the luminous power, which is function of the total phase difference Δφ t between said two counter-propagating waves ( 24 , 25 ) at the output of said ring interferometer ( 20 ),

a modulation chain ( 30 ) adapted to modulate said luminous power exiting from said ring interferometer ( 20 ), said modulation chain ( 30 ) including at least one phase modulator ( 33 ) placed in said ring interferometer ( 20 ) and adapted to generate at the output of said modulation chain ( 30 ) a phase-shift modulation φ m (t), introducing between said two counter-propagating waves a phase-difference modulation Δφ m (t) such that: Δφ m (t)=φ m (t)−φ m (t−Δτ g ), Δτ g =1/(2 f p ) being the transit time difference between said two counter-propagating waves ( 24 , 25 ) determined between said phase modulator ( 33 ) and said splitting element ( 23 ), and

an electronic module ( 100 ) comprising:

i) signal processing means ( 110 ) including: an analog/digital converter ( 111 ) digitizing said modulated electrical signal received from the detector ( 14 ) and representative of said luminous power received by said detector ( 14 ) to deliver a digital electrical signal, and a digital processing unit ( 112 ) adapted to process said digital electrical signal to deliver a signal function of said phase difference Δφ p and of said parameter to be measured,

ii) a biasing module ( 130 ) providing a first biasing signal, producing at the output of the modulation chain ( 30 ), a first, square pulse-wave, biasing phase-shift modulation component φ b1 (t) of amplitude π/a 1 ,a 1 being a non-zero real number, periodic at a first biasing modulation frequency f b1 such that f b1 =(2k 1 +1)f p , k 1 being a natural number and f p being the proper frequency,

iii) feedback means ( 120 ) adapted to process said signal function of said phase difference Δφ p to generate a first feedback signal, producing at the output of the modulation chain ( 30 ), a first, stair-step, feedback phase-shift modulation component φ cr1 (t), each step having a duration Δτ g /(2k 1 +1), said first feedback phase-shift modulation component φ cr1 (t) introducing between said two counter-propagation waves ( 24 , 25 ) a first feedback phase-difference modulation component Δφ cr1 (t)=φ cr1 (t)−φ cr1 (t−Δτ g ) that is function of said phase difference Δφ p , and

iv) a control module ( 140 ) for controlling said modulation chain ( 30 ), the control module ( 140 ) receiving said first biasing signal from the biasing module ( 130 ) and said first feedback signal from said feedback means ( 120 ), the control module ( 140 ) being adapted to process said first biasing signal and said first feedback signal to deliver at least one first control signal at the input of said modulation chain ( 30 ), the at least one first control signal producing at the output of the modulation chain ( 30 ) a first phase-shift modulation component φ m1 (t) that is the phase sum of said first biasing phase-shift modulation component φ b1 (t) and of said first feedback phase-shift modulation component φ cr1 (t), such that φ m1 (t)=φ b1 (t)+φ cr1 (t),

wherein the control module ( 140 ) is arranged so that said first phase-shift modulation component φ m1 (t) operates a transition of twice the amplitude of the first biasing phase-shift modulation component φ b1 (t) when the level of said first phase-shift modulation component φ m1 (t) exceeds the amplitude of the first biasing phase-shift modulation component φ b1 (t).

2. The fibre-optic measurement device ( 10 ) according to claim 1 , wherein said first feedback phase-shift modulation component φ cr1 (t) has stair steps of height −Δφ p /(2k 1 +1), such that said first feedback phase-difference modulation component Δφ cr1 (t) is such that Δφ cr1 (t)=−Δφ p , to compensate for said phase difference Δφ p due to the parameter to be measured.

3. The fibre-optic measurement device ( 10 ) according to claim 2 , wherein said biasing module ( 130 ) is adapted to generate a second biasing signal, producing at the output of the modulation chain ( 30 ) a second component of biasing phase-shift modulation φ b2 (t), said second biasing phase-shift modulation component φ b2 (t) being:

a square pulse-wave modulation of amplitude π/a 2 ,a 2 being a non-zero real number different from a 1 ,

periodic at a second biasing modulation frequency f b2 such that f b2 =(2k 2 +1)f p , k 2 being a natural number such that (2k+1) and (2k 2 +1) are multiples of each other, and f p being the proper frequency,

in quadrature relative to the first biasing phase-shift modulation component φ b1 (t).

4. The fibre-optic measurement device ( 10 ) according to claim 3 , wherein a 1 =1.

5. The fibre-optic measurement device ( 10 ) according to claim 4 , also comprising a gain-control module ( 150 ) that controls the gain of said modulation chain ( 30 ) allowing to keep adjusted the transfer function of said modulation chain ( 30 ).

6. The fibre-optic measurement device ( 10 ) according to claim 3 , wherein a 2 =1.

7. The fibre-optic measurement device ( 10 ) according to claim 6 , also comprising a gain-control module ( 150 ) that controls the gain of said modulation chain ( 30 ) allowing to keep adjusted the transfer function of said modulation chain ( 30 ).

8. The fibre-optic measurement device ( 10 ) according to claim 3 , also comprising a gain-control module ( 150 ) that controls the gain of said modulation chain ( 30 ) to keep adjusted the transfer function of said modulation chain ( 30 ).

9. The fibre-optic measurement device ( 10 ) according to claim 3 , wherein k 2 =0.

10. The fibre-optic measurement device ( 10 ) according to claim 1 , wherein,

a 1 =1,

said first feedback phase-shift modulation component φ cr1 (t) has stair steps of height [a 2 /(a 2 −1)][−Δφ p /(2k 1 +1)], a 2 being a real number strictly higher than a 1 =1,

said biasing module ( 130 ) is adapted to generate a second biasing signal producing at the output of the modulation chain ( 30 ) a second biasing phase-shift modulation component φ b2 (t), said second biasing phase-shift modulation component φ b2 (t) being:

a square pulse-wave modulation of amplitude π/a 2 ,

periodic at a second biasing modulation frequency f b2 such that f b2 =f b1 =(2k 1 +1) f p , f b1 being the first biasing modulation frequency and f p being the proper frequency, and

in lagging quadrature relative to the first biasing phase-shift modulation component φ b1 (t),

said feedback means ( 120 ) are adapted to generate a second feedback signal, producing at the output of the modulation chain a second feedback phase-shift modulation component φ cr2 (t), said second feedback phase-shift modulation component φ cr2 (t) being:

a stair-step modulation, each step having a duration Δτ g /(2k 1 +1), and a height [1/(a 2 −1)][−Δφ p /(2k 1 +1)],

in lagging quadrature relative to the first feedback phase-shift modulation component φ cr1 (t), and

said second feedback phase-shift modulation component φ cr2 (t) introducing a second feedback phase-difference modulation component Δφ cr2 (t)=φ cr2 (t)−φ cr2 (t−Δτ g ) between said two counter-propagating waves ( 24 , 25 ), such that the difference between the first feedback phase-difference modulation component Δφ cr1 (t) and the second feedback phase-difference modulation component Δφ cr2 (t) compensates for the phase difference Δφ p

said control module ( 140 ) is adapted to process said second biasing signal and said second feedback signal to deliver at least one second control signal at the input of said modulation chain ( 30 ), producing at the output of the modulation chain ( 30 ) a second phase-shift modulation component φ m2 (t) that is the sum of said second biasing phase-shift modulation component φ b2 (t) and said second feedback phase-shift modulation component Δφ cr2 (t), so that φ m2 (t)=φ b2 (t)+φ cr2 (t), and

the control module ( 140 ) is arranged so that said second phase-shift modulation component φ m2 (t) operates a transition of twice the amplitude of the second biasing phase-shift modulation component φ b2 (t) when its level exceeds the amplitude of the second biasing phase-shift modulation component φ b2 (t), the phase-shift modulation φ m (t) being equal to the difference between the first phase-shift modulation component φ m1 (t) and the second phase-shift modulation component φ m2 (t), so that φ m (t)=φ m1 (t)−φ m2 (t).

11. The fibre-optic measurement device ( 10 ) according to claim 1 , wherein k 1 =0.

12. The fiber-optical measurement device ( 10 ) according to claim 1 , wherein said fiber-optic measurement device is a gyrometer, the parameter to be measured being a component of the rotational speed of the ring interferometer ( 20 ).