Phase-sensitive optical time domain reflectometer for distributed fence-perimeter intrusion detection

Abstract

In this paper, we demonstrate a distributed fence-perimeter intrusion detection system using a phase-sensitive optical time domain reflectometer (Φ-OTDR) with several advantages, such as high spatial resolution, large detection range, single-end measurement and immunity from electromagnetic interference. By the effort of generating a high-extinction-ratio optical pulse, optimizing the incident optical power and utilizing a differential algorithm, a home-made Φ-OTDR system, as a distributed vibration sensor, is implemented with a spatial resolution of 10 meter. Nowadays, a fence-perimeter intrusion detection system is desired for the security monitor. We set up a fence perimeter using a fiber cable containing only one fiber and a field experiment is carried out based on our Φ-OTDR system. Various vibration events are recorded and analyzed, including wind blowing, personal climbing and knocking. The experiment results reveal unique vibration characteristics of different events in the frequency domain and confirm the effectiveness of the homemade Φ-OTDR system in the application of the distributed fence-perimeter intrusion detection.