Electro-optic voltage sensor with beam splitting

Patent · Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2002

OSTI ID:874936

Woods, Gregory K ^[1]; Renak, Todd W ^[2]; Davidson, James R ^[2]; Crawford, Thomas M ^[2]

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1. Cornelius, OR
2. Idaho Falls, ID

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.

• Research Organization: Idaho National Laboratory (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: AC07-94ID13223
• Assignee: Bechtel BWXT Idaho, LLC (Idaho Falls, ID)
• Patent Number(s): US 6492800
• OSTI ID: 874936
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

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
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