Electro-optic high voltage sensor

Patent · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 2002

OSTI ID:874437

Davidson, James R ^[1]; Seifert, Gary D ^[1]

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1. Idaho Falls, ID

A small sized electro-optic voltage sensor capable of accurate measurement of high levels of voltages without contact with a conductor or voltage source is provided. When placed in the presence of an electric field, the sensor receives an input beam of electromagnetic radiation into the sensor. A polarization beam displacer serves as a filter to separate the input beam into two beams with orthogonal linear polarizations. The beam displacer is oriented in such a way as to rotate the linearly polarized beams such that they enter a Pockels crystal having at a preferred angle of 45 degrees. The beam displacer is therefore capable of causing a linearly polarized beam to impinge a crystal at a desired angle independent of temperature. The Pockels electro-optic effect induces a differential phase shift on the major and minor axes of the input beam as it travels through the Pockels crystal, which causes the input beam to be elliptically polarized. A reflecting prism redirects the beam back through the crystal and the beam displacer. On the return path, the polarization beam displacer separates the elliptically polarized beam into two output beams of orthogonal linear polarization representing the major and minor axes. The system may include a detector for converting the output beams into electrical signals, and a signal processor for determining the voltage based on an analysis of the output beams. The output beams are amplitude modulated by the frequency of the electric field and the amplitude of the output beams is proportional to the magnitude of the electric field, which is related to the voltage being measured.

• Research Organization: Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID
• DOE Contract Number: AC07-94ID13223
• Assignee: Bechtel BWXT Idaho, LLC (Idaho Falls, ID)
• Patent Number(s): US 6388434
• OSTI ID: 874437
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

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45
accurate
accurate measurement
amplitude
analysis
angle
axes
based
beam
beams
capable
causes
causing
conductor
contact
converting
crystal
degrees
detector
determining
differential
displacer
effect
electric
electric field
electrical
electrical signal
electro-optic
electro-optic voltage
electromagnetic
electromagnetic radiation
elliptically
enter
field
filter
frequency
impinge
independent
induces
input
levels
linear
linearly
magnitude
major
measured
measurement
minor
modulated
oriented
orthogonal
output
path
phase
phase shift
placed
pockels
polarization
polarizations
polarized
polarized beam
presence
prism
processor
proportional
provided
radiation
receives
redirects
reflecting
related
representing
return
rotate
sensor
separate
separates
serves
shift
signal
signals
sized
source
temperature
travels
voltage
voltage sensor
voltages