Method for active sensor signal optimization
View Patent ↗A system and method for optimizing a fiber optic sensor by properly clocking or rotationally orienting a window with a fiber optic focuser. This method may include shining light through the focuser into the window and receiving with a reflectometer a first reflection from a first surface of the window and a second reflection from a second surface of the window. Next, the method may include calculating a delta of intensities between the first and second reflections, and then rotating an orientation of the window to a next rotational orientation. The steps of rotating the orientation of the window, receiving reflections, and calculating their delta may be repeated any plurality of times to solve for a plurality of deltas. Then, the method may include the steps of determining which one of the deltas is the largest and fixing the window to the focuser at a rotational orientation associated therewith.
1. A method of optimizing a fiber optic sensor having a fiber optic focuser and a window, the method comprising:
(a) shining light through the fiber optic focuser into the window;
(b) receiving with a sensing device a first reflection from a first surface of the window and a second reflection from a second surface of the window;
(c) calculating a delta between a sensed value of the first reflection and a sensed value of the second reflection, as sensed with the sensing device;
(d) rotating an orientation of the window relative to the fiber optic focuser;
(e) repeating steps (b) through (d) to solve for a plurality of deltas;
(f) determining which one of the plurality of deltas is the largest; and
(g) fixing the window in the orientation associated with a largest one of the plurality of deltas.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein a holding fixture holds the window and is actuatable to rotate the orientation of the polymer window.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein rotating the orientation of the window is performed in successively smaller increments.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the window is rotated about an axis extending substantially perpendicular to the first surface or the second surface thereof.
5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising a step of fixing the fiber optic focuser to the window at the orientation associated with the largest one of the plurality of deltas.
6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising a step of removing the holding fixture from the window.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second surface of the window is texturized and covered with a reflective material, such that the second surface produces a diffuse reflection of the light shining thereon.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the window is a polymer window.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sensing device is a reflectometer.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sensing device measures intensity or compressions of the window based on Doppler effects.