Kalman filter based demodulation in a dual-pulse phase-OTDR

Abstract In the present paper, we propose an approach based on the Kalman filter for demodulation in a dual-pulse phase-OTDR. Although the Kalman filter is well-developed and widely used method for the state estimation of a dynamic system, its use for demodulation in a phase-OTDR is proposed for the first time, to our best knowledge. Two main algorithms are considered and described in detail: the extended Kalman filter (EKF) and the unscented Kalman filter (UKF), the first one is fast and simple, but the second one is more accurate. A qualitative comparison of these algorithms with the differentiate and cross-multiply (DCM) algorithm is performed. The efficiency of the EKF and the UKF algorithms is experimentally verified.