Bragg Grated Fiber Optic Fluctuation Sensing and Monitoring System

ChangeBridge: Patent Grants - Diagnosis & Surgery (A61B)

Published March 24th, 2026

Detected March 26th, 2026

Summary

The USPTO has granted patent US12584807B2 for a Bragg grated fiber optic fluctuation sensing and monitoring system to Bard Access Systems, Inc. The patent covers a system designed to detect damage to optical fibers used in medical devices by analyzing reflected light signals for strain-induced fluctuations.

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What changed

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued patent US12584807B2, titled 'Bragg grated fiber optic fluctuation sensing and monitoring system.' This patent grants exclusive rights for a system, apparatus, and method that detects damage to optical fibers by analyzing reflected light signals for strain-induced fluctuations. The system is designed to identify the location of damage or defects affecting a vessel in which the optical fiber is disposed, with a particular focus on the distal tip of the fiber.

This patent grant is primarily relevant to medical device manufacturers and healthcare providers involved in the development or use of fiber optic sensing technology. While this is a patent grant and not a regulatory rule imposing new compliance obligations, entities operating in this space should be aware of the intellectual property landscape. Companies developing similar technologies may need to consider licensing or design-around strategies to avoid infringement. The patent's effective date is March 24, 2026.

Source document (simplified)

← USPTO Patent Grants

Bragg grated fiber optic fluctuation sensing and monitoring system

Grant US12584807B2 Kind: B2 Mar 24, 2026

Assignee

Bard Access Systems, Inc.

Inventors

Anthony K. Misener, Steffan Sowards, Shayne Messerly, William Robert McLaughlin

Abstract

A system, apparatus and method directed to detecting damage to an optical fiber. The optical fiber includes core fibers including a plurality of sensors configured to (i) reflect a light signal based on received incident light, and (ii) change a characteristic of the reflected light signal based on experienced strain. The system can include a console having memory storing logic that, when executed, causes operations of providing receiving reflected light signals of different spectral widths of the broadband incident light by one or more of the plurality of sensors, processing the reflected light signals to detect fluctuations of a portion of the optical fiber, and determining a location of the portion of the optical fiber or a defect affecting a vessel in which the portion is disposed based on the detected fluctuations. The portion may be a distal tip of the optical fiber.