Reflectometry Architecture for Enhanced Fault Localization Based on Low PAPR Chirp-OMTDR

This paper presents a novel method for generating a Chirp-based Orthogonal Multi-Tone Time-Domain Reflectometry (Chirp-OMTDR) signal. The proposed approach effectively reduces the Peak-to-Average Power Ratio (PAPR) compared to conventional OMTDR signals, enabling increased transmission power in cables under test, and extending the cable analysis range. Additionally, the chirp structure exhibits sparsity properties in the time-frequency domain, making it well-suited for compressed sensing applications. This leads to enhanced spatial resolution and more precise fault localization, while also enabling the use of lower-frequency, less expensive, and less noisy Analog-to-Digital Converters (ADCs).