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Title: Electro-optic voltage sensor with beam splitting

Abstract

The invention is a miniature electro-optic voltage sensor system capable of accurate operation at high voltages without use of the dedicated voltage dividing hardware typically found in the prior art. The invention achieves voltage measurement without significant error contributions from neighboring conductors or environmental perturbations. The invention employs a transmitter, a sensor, a detector, and a signal processor. The transmitter produces a beam of electromagnetic radiation which is routed into the sensor. Within the sensor the beam undergoes the Pockels electro-optic effect. The electro-optic effect produces a modulation of the beam's polarization, which is in turn converted to a pair of independent conversely-amplitude-modulated signals, from which the voltage of the E-field is determined by the signal processor. The use of converse AM signals enables the signal processor to better distinguish signal from noise. The sensor converts the beam by splitting the beam in accordance with the axes of the beam's polarization state (an ellipse) into at least two AM signals. These AM signals are fed into a signal processor and processed to determine the voltage between a ground conductor and the conductor on which voltage is being measured.

Inventors:
 [1];  [2];  [2];  [2]
  1. Cornelius, OR
  2. Idaho Falls, ID
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Idaho National Laboratory (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
OSTI Identifier:
874936
Patent Number(s):
US 6492800
Assignee:
Bechtel BWXT Idaho, LLC (Idaho Falls, ID)
DOE Contract Number:  
AC07-94ID13223
Resource Type:
Patent
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
electro-optic; voltage; sensor; beam; splitting; miniature; capable; accurate; operation; voltages; dedicated; dividing; hardware; typically; found; prior; achieves; measurement; significant; error; contributions; neighboring; conductors; environmental; perturbations; employs; transmitter; detector; signal; processor; produces; electromagnetic; radiation; routed; undergoes; pockels; effect; modulation; beams; polarization; converted; pair; independent; conversely-amplitude-modulated; signals; e-field; determined; converse; enables; distinguish; noise; converts; axes; ellipse; fed; processed; determine; ground; conductor; measured; electromagnetic radiation; modulated signal; electro-optic voltage; rate operation; /324/

Citation Formats

Woods, Gregory K, Renak, Todd W, Davidson, James R, and Crawford, Thomas M. Electro-optic voltage sensor with beam splitting. United States: N. p., 2002. Web.
Woods, Gregory K, Renak, Todd W, Davidson, James R, & Crawford, Thomas M. Electro-optic voltage sensor with beam splitting. United States.
Woods, Gregory K, Renak, Todd W, Davidson, James R, and Crawford, Thomas M. 2002. "Electro-optic voltage sensor with beam splitting". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/874936.
@article{osti_874936,
title = {Electro-optic voltage sensor with beam splitting},
author = {Woods, Gregory K and Renak, Todd W and Davidson, James R and Crawford, Thomas M},
abstractNote = {The invention is a miniature electro-optic voltage sensor system capable of accurate operation at high voltages without use of the dedicated voltage dividing hardware typically found in the prior art. The invention achieves voltage measurement without significant error contributions from neighboring conductors or environmental perturbations. The invention employs a transmitter, a sensor, a detector, and a signal processor. The transmitter produces a beam of electromagnetic radiation which is routed into the sensor. Within the sensor the beam undergoes the Pockels electro-optic effect. The electro-optic effect produces a modulation of the beam's polarization, which is in turn converted to a pair of independent conversely-amplitude-modulated signals, from which the voltage of the E-field is determined by the signal processor. The use of converse AM signals enables the signal processor to better distinguish signal from noise. The sensor converts the beam by splitting the beam in accordance with the axes of the beam's polarization state (an ellipse) into at least two AM signals. These AM signals are fed into a signal processor and processed to determine the voltage between a ground conductor and the conductor on which voltage is being measured.},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/874936}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2002},
month = {Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2002}
}