Fibre-optic interferometric measurement device comprising a ring resonator, gyrometer and inertial attitude or navigation unit comprising such a device

1. A fibre-optic interferometric measurement device intended to measure a physical parameter and comprising:

a wide-spectrum light source emitting a source light signal,

a fibre-optic S AGNAC interferometer, in which propagate a first light wave and a second light wave, which are counter-propagating, said S AGNAC interferometer comprising:

an input port receiving, in a forward direction, an input light signal,

a splitter connected to said input port and, respectively, to a first arm and to a second arm of said S AGNAC interferometer,

measurement means sensitive to said physical parameter to be measured, said physical parameter generating a non-reciprocal phase difference Δφ p , which is function of said physical parameter, between said two counter-propagating light waves, and

an output port, common with said input port, transmitting, in a return direction opposite to the forward direction, an output light signal having an output light power P OUT that is function of the total phase difference Δφ t between said two counter-propagating light waves,

an optical radiation detector, receiving said output light power P OUT exiting from said S AGNAC interferometer and delivering an electric signal representative of the output light power P OUT and of the physical parameter to be measured, and

a source coupler that couples, in said forward direction, said light source to said input port of the S AGNAC interferometer, and in said return direction, to said output port of the S AGNAC interferometer to said detector,

wherein said measurement means of the S AGNAC interferometer include a transmission-mode fibre-optic ring resonator, said ring resonator comprising a first coupler, respectively a second coupler, which couples the first arm, respectively the second arm, of said S AGNAC interferometer to said ring resonator, so that said first and second light waves in said ring resonator circulate in opposite directions of circulation, and

wherein said ring resonator comprises at least one first fibre-optic coil of length L located in a first portion of the ring resonator, between said first coupler and said second coupler.

2. The interferometric measurement device according to claim 1 , wherein said ring resonator comprises a second fibre-optic coil, of same length as the first fibre-optic coil, located in a second portion of said ring resonator, said first and second fibre-optic coils being separated by said first coupler and said second coupler.

3. The interferometric measurement device according to claim 2 , wherein said ring resonator comprises two additional portions of optical fibre, whose length sum is equal to 2L′, L′ being the sum of the lengths of said first and second arms of the S AGNAC interferometer determined between said splitter and said first and second couplers, respectively, said two additional portions being arranged on either side of said second fibre-optic coil, between said second coil and one of said first and second couplers.

4. The interferometric measurement device according to claim 1 , including a modulation chain adapted to modulate said output light power P OUT exiting from said S AGNAC interferometer, said modulation chain comprising a phase modulator arranged at the splitter, in the first and the second arms of the S AGNAC interferometer, to introduce, between said forward direction and said return direction, a modulation phase-shift φ m on each of said first and second light waves propagating in said first and second arms.

5. The interferometric measurement device according to claim 1 , including a modulation chain adapted to modulate said output light power P OUT exiting from said S AGNAC interferometer, said modulation chain comprising a phase modulator arranged at the splitter, in the first and the second arms of the S AGNAC interferometer, to introduce, between said forward direction and said return direction, a modulation phase-shift φ m on each of said first and second light waves propagating in said first and second arms.

6. The interferometric measurement device according to claim 2 , including a modulation chain adapted to modulate said output light power P OUT exiting from said S AGNAC interferometer, said modulation chain comprising a phase modulator arranged at the splitter, in the first and the second arms of the S AGNAC interferometer, to introduce, between said forward direction and said return direction, a modulation phase-shift φ m on each of said first and second light waves propagating in said first and second arms.

7. The interferometric measurement device according to claim 3 , including a modulation chain adapted to modulate said output light power P OUT exiting from said S AGNAC interferometer, said modulation chain comprising a phase modulator arranged at the splitter, in the first and the second arms of the S AGNAC interferometer, to introduce, between said forward direction and said return direction, a modulation phase-shift φ m on each of said first and second light waves propagating in said first and second arms.

8. The interferometric measurement device according to claim 5 , wherein said modulation phase-shift φ m has a biasing phase-shift component φ b , which is periodic at a proper frequency f p (L), function of the length L of said first fibre-optic coil.

9. The interferometric measurement device according to claim 6 , wherein said modulation phase-shift φ m has a biasing phase-shift component φ b , which is periodic at a proper frequency f p (L), function of the length L of said first fibre-optic coil.

10. The interferometric measurement device according to claim 7 , wherein said modulation phase-shift φ m has a biasing phase-shift component φ b , which is periodic at a proper frequency f p (L), function of the length L of said first fibre-optic coil.

11. The interferometric measurement device according to claim 7 , wherein said modulation phase-shift φ m has a biasing phase-shift component φ b , which is periodic at a proper frequency f p (L+L′), function of the length L+L′.

12. The interferometric measurement device ( 100 ) according to claim 4 , wherein said modulation phase-shift φ m has a counter-reaction phase-shift component φ r , which is a stair-step modulation of duration τ g (L), function of the length L of said first fibre-optic coil.

13. The interferometric measurement device ( 100 ) according to claim 5 , wherein said modulation phase-shift φ m has a counter-reaction phase-shift component φ r , which is a stair-step modulation of duration τ g (L), function of the length L of said first fibre-optic coil.

14. The interferometric measurement device ( 100 ) according to claim 8 , wherein said modulation phase-shift φ m has a counter-reaction phase-shift component φ r , which is a stair-step modulation of duration τ g (L), function of the length L of said first fibre-optic coil.

15. The interferometric measurement device ( 100 ) according to claim 11 , wherein said modulation phase-shift φ m has a counter-reaction phase-shift component φ r , which is a stair-step modulation of duration τ g (L), function of the length L of said first fibre-optic coil.

16. A gyrometer including an interferometric measurement device according to claim 1 , the physical parameter to be measured being a component of the rotational speed of said gyrometer about an axis of rotation, the variation of the non-reciprocal phase difference Δφ p being produced by the physical parameter to be measured by S AGNAC effect.

17. An electric current or magnetic field sensor including an interferometric measurement device according to claim 1 , the variation of the non-reciprocal phase difference Δφ p being produced by the physical parameter to be measured by F ARADAY effect.