An Introduction To Optoelectronic Sensors


Book Description

This invaluable book offers a comprehensive overview of the technologies and applications of optoelectronic sensors. Based on the R&D experience of more than 70 engineers and scientists, highly representative of the Italian academic and industrial community in this area, this book provides a broad and accurate description of the state-of-the-art optoelectronic technologies for sensing. The most innovative approaches, such as the use of photonic crystals, squeezed states of light and microresonators for sensing, are considered. Application areas range from environment to medicine and healthcare, from aeronautics, space, and defence to food and agriculture.Written in a self-contained manner, this volume presents both the sensing methodologies and the fundamentals of the various technologies, as well as their applications in the real world.




Fiber Bragg Grating Interrogation Systems


Book Description

This thesis work deals with the development of three different categories of interrogation techniques for Fiber Bragg Grating based sensor networks. Such networks are used for structural health monitoring and other applications. A bulk grating based interrogation system is described first, which includes an optical source, switch, circulator, embedded controller, and software. The center wavelength determination technique employed is detailed and is shown to be highly accurate from test data. The comparison with resistance strain gauges is presented which shows that the system developed provides an accurate strain reconstruction. The system is also compared with a commercial optical spectrum analyzer and is found to exhibit good accuracy and fidelity. The system has been field tested on an aircraft structure with 14 sensors spread over 4 channels. Strain data reconstruction from these tests is shown to accurately reproduce the loading conditions. A second system developed is based on the matched filter technique using a mechanical fiber stretcher; the details of this system are presented with a mathematical treatment of the technique. The design of the fiber stretcher is also described. This design is regarded to be novel since it tries to provide large interrogation bandwidths using a parallel topology. The results of tests have shown good resolution and comparative tests with resistance strain gauges have shown accurate reproduction of strain. Finally, an interrogation system based on a wavelength tunable source is presented. This system is a precursor to a time division multiplexed interrogation system, which has also been described. Three laser configurations have been set up and characterized. The laser sweep tests have been performed on two configurations and a sensor grating reconstruction test has also been carried out.




High Pressure Sensing and Dynamics Using High Speed Fiber Bragg Grating Interrogation Systems


Book Description

Fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) are developing into useful sensing tools for measuring high pressure dynamics in extreme environments under shock loading conditions. Approaches using traditional diode array coupled FBG interrogation systems are often limited to readout speeds in the sub-MHz range. For shock wave physics, required detection speeds approaching 100 MHz are desired. We explore the use of two types of FBG sensing systems that are aimed at applying this technology as embedded high pressure probes for transient shock events. Both approaches measure time resolved spectral shifts in the return light from short (few mm long) uniform FBGs at 1550 nm. In the first approach, we use a fiber coupled spectrometer to demultiplex spectral channels into an array (up to 12) of single element InGaAs photoreceivers. By monitoring the detectors during a shock impact event with high speed recording, we are able to track the pressure induced spectral shifting in FBG down to a time resolution of 20 ns. In the second approach, developed at the Special Technologies Lab, a coherent mode-locked fiber laser is used to illuminate the FBG sensor. After the sensor, wavelength-to-time mapping is accomplished with a chromatic dispersive element, and entire spectra are sampled using a single detector at the modelocked laser repetition rate of 50 MHz. By sampling with a 12 GHz InGaAs detector, direct wavelength mapping in time is recorded, and the pressure induced FBG spectral shift is sampled at 50 MHz. Here, the sensing systems are used to monitor the spectral shifts of FBGs that are immersed into liquid water and shock compressed using explosives. In this configuration, the gratings survive to pressures approaching 50 kbar. We describe both approaches and present the measured spectral shifts from the shock experiments.




Fiber Bragg Grating Based Sensors and Systems


Book Description

This book is a collection of papers that originated as a Special Issue, focused on some recent advances related to fiber Bragg grating-based sensors and systems. Conventionally, this book can be divided into three parts: intelligent systems, new types of sensors, and original interrogators. The intelligent systems presented include evaluation of strain transition properties between cast-in FBGs and cast aluminum during uniaxial straining, multi-point strain measurements on a containment vessel, damage detection methods based on long-gauge FBG for highway bridges, evaluation of a coupled sequential approach for rotorcraft landing simulation, wearable hand modules and real-time tracking algorithms for measuring finger joint angles of different hand sizes, and glaze icing detection of 110 kV composite insulators. New types of sensors are reflected in multi-addressed fiber Bragg structures for microwave–photonic sensor systems, its applications in load-sensing wheel hub bearings, and more complex influence in problems of generation of vortex optical beams based on chiral fiber-optic periodic structures. Original interrogators include research in optical designs with curved detectors for FBG interrogation monitors; demonstration of a filterless, multi-point, and temperature-independent FBG dynamical demodulator using pulse-width modulation; and dual wavelength differential detection of FBG sensors with a pulsed DFB laser.







Current Trends in Short- and Long-period Fiber Gratings


Book Description

In this book the reader will find a collection of chapters written by different experts around the world, describing the current research trends in both short- and long-period fiber grating technology. This work is mainly addressed to researchers already working in this area, but it is also accessible to anyone with a scientific background who desires to have an updated overview of the recent progress in this domain. It will also be valuable to scientist and engineers who have become newly involved in this field. Each chapter is self-contained and can be read independently of the others. This book intends to provide highlights of the current research in this area, showing the recent advances in the field of fiber gratings.







Interrogation system of fiber bragg grating sensors using time division multiplexing and waveleght division multiplexing


Book Description

Um sistema de interrogação de sensores a rede de Bragg utilizando multiplexação no tempo e multiplexação no comprimento de onda é proposto e demonstrado. O sistema apresenta uma solução para a medição de grandezas associadas ao espectro de reflexão de redes de Bragg, possibilitando o aumento do número de sensores a rede de Bragg monitorados através de grandes distâncias em uma mesma fibra óptica, sem um aumento significativo dos custos. O aspecto inovador deste sistema reside na particular associação das seguintes características: o uso de fonte pulsada de banda larga, a disposição, em série, de um grande número de sensores a rede de Bragg de baixa refletividade, a técnica de reutilização dos mesmos comprimentos de onda nominais em grupos contendo vários sensores com comprimentos de onda nominais distintos e um processo de filtragem espectral e análise de sinais pulsados utilizando o filtro DWDM comercial. Aspectos teóricos e experimentais considerando os princípios de trabalho desta técnica são discutidos. Comparações entre resultados simulados e experimentais do sistema implantado mostram boa concordância. Resultados experimentais apontam uma faixa dinâmica de 1,7 nm, podendo encontrar aplicações em medição de temperatura com uma faixa de 150°C. Incertezas com valores médios abaixo de 20 picometros foram obtidas. Simulações experimentais apontam a possibilidade de utilização de um número de aproximadamente 70 sensores com 0,4% de refletividade, por comprimento de onda. Considerando a largura de banda do dispositivo DWDM (1539-1565 nm) utilizado neste sistema, e um espaçamento de 7 nm por comprimento de onda nominal de sensor, extrapolações mostram que este número pode chegar a 210 sensores em três diferentes comprimentos de onda nominais de sensor. Considerando as bandas C e L este número pode chegar a aproximadamente 1000 sensores em 14 diferentes comprimentos de onda nominais de sensor.







Ultrafast Fiber Bragg Grating Interrogation for Sensing in Detonation and Shock Wave Experiments


Book Description

Chirped fiber Bragg grating (CFBG) sensors coupled to high speed interrogation systems are described as robust diagnostic approaches to monitoring shock wave and detonation front propagation tracking events for use in high energy density shock physics applications. Taking advantage of the linear distributed spatial encoding of the spectral band in single-mode CFBGs, embedded fiber systems and associated photonic interrogation methodologies are shown as an effective approach to sensing shock and detonation-driven loading processes along the CFBG length. Two approaches, one that detects spectral changes in the integrated spectrum of the CFBG and another coherent pulse interrogation approach that fully resolves its spectral response, shows that 100-MHz-1-GHz interrogation rates are possible with spatial resolution along the CFBG in the 50 μm to sub-millimeter range depending on the combination of CFBG parameters (i.e., length, chirp rate, spectrum) and interrogator design specifics. In conclusion, results from several dynamic tests are used to demonstrate the performance of these high speed systems for shock and detonation propagation tracking under strong and weak shock pressure loading: (1) linear detonation front tracking in the plastic bonded explosive (PBX) PBX-9501; (2) tracking of radial decaying shock with crossover to non-destructive CFBG response; (3) shock wave tracking along an aluminum cylinder wall under weak loading accompanied by dynamic strain effects in the CFBG sensor.