ECE5320 Mechatronics

Assignment#01: Literature Survey on Sensors and Actuators

Topic: Optical Fiber Sensors

Prepared by: Saurabh Bhalerao

Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Utah State University
E: s.bhalerao@aggiemail.usu.edu

3/1/2009
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Outline
– Reference list
– Overview
– Major applications
– Basic working principle illustrated
– Major specifications
– Limitations

12/08/21 ECE5320 Mechatronics. Assignment#1 Survey on sensors and actuators

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Reference list
• Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Study Institute on Optical Fiber
Sensors, Erice, Italy, May 2-10, 1986

• Blue Road Research, ‘Overview of Fiber Optic Sensors’,

www.bluerr.com/papers/Overview_of_FOS2.pdf

• K.T.V Grattan and B.T. Meggit, ‘Optical Fiber Sensor Technology,

Advanced Applications – Bragg Gratings and Distributed Sensors’
Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2000

• 1. E. Udd, Editor, ‘Fiber Optic Sensors: An Introduction for Engineers

and Scientists’,Wiley, New York, 1991.

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Reference list continued

• Ghosh, S.K.; Sarkar, S.K.; Chakraborty, S. (2002). "Design
and development of a fiber optic intrinsic voltage sensor".
Proceedings of the 12th IMEKO TC4 international
symposium Part 2 (Zagreb, Croatia): 415–41

• Sensornet. "Upstream oil & gas case study" (pdf).

http://www.sensornet.co.uk/download.cfm?
casestudy_id=41&type=casestudy.

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To explore further
(survival pointers of web references etc)
• http://www.bluerr.com/
– Blue Road Research, good information in the Applications and
Publications section.
• http://www.boulder.nist.gov/div815/81503_pubs/ofs.htm
- List of NIST publications
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optical_fiber#Fiber_optic_sensors
- Basic Definitons
• http://www.opticalfibersenors.org
• http://www.osa.org/meetings/topicalmeetings/ofs/

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Overview
• Two major types of fiber optic sensor:
– Extrinsic or Hybrid
– Intrinsic or All Fiber
• Light in optical fibers can be modulated by
amplitude, frequency, phase or polarization to
carry signals.

12/08/21 ECE5320 Mechatronics. Assignment#1 Survey on sensors and actuators

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Overview - Extrinsic
An optical fiber leads up
to a "black box" which
impresses information
onto the
light beam in response to
an environmental effect.
The information could be
impressed in
terms of intensity, phase,
frequency, polarization,
spectral content or other
Diagram from: methods.
http://www.bluerr.com/images/Overview
_of_FOS2.pdf

12/08/21 ECE5320 Mechatronics. Assignment#1 Survey on sensors and actuators

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Overview - Intrinsic

An optical fiber to
carry the light beam and
Diagram from: the environmental effect
Fiber Optic Sensor Workbook, Eric Udd
impresses information
onto the light beam while
it is in the fiber.

12/08/21 ECE5320 Mechatronics. Assignment#1 Survey on sensors and actuators

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Major Applications
• Measure:
– Acceleration
– Acoustics
– Chemical measurements
– Electric and magnetic field strengths
– Linear and angular position
– Humidity
– Pressure
– Rotations
– Strain
– Temperature
– Vibrations
– Viscosity
– And more…
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Major Advantages
• Small
• Lightweight
• Passive
• Low power
• Wide bandwidth
• Rugged
• Resistant to EM interference
• High sensitivity

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Major Advantages
• Multiplexing
– Optical fiber sensors can be multiplexed in a variety of ways
allowing multiple sensors to be attached to a single fiber. This
allows for large, distributed sensor networks.

12/08/21 ECE5320 Mechatronics. Assignment#1 Survey on sensors and actuators

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Principle – Simple Extrinsic

Light is injected into one of
the optical fibers and when
it exits the light expands into
a cone of light whose angle
depends on the difference
between the index of
refraction of the core
and cladding of the optical
fiber. The amount of light
captured by the second Diagram from:
Fiber Optic Sensor Workbook, Eric Udd
optical fiber
depends on its acceptance
angle and the distance d
between the optical fibers

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Principle –Extrinsic#2
• Here a mirror is used that is flexibly mounted to respond to an
external effect such as pressure. As the mirror position shifts the
effective separation between the optical fibers shift with a
resultant intensity modulation.

Diagram from:
Fiber Optic Sensor
Workbook, Eric Udd

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Principle – Angular Position

Diagram from:
Fiber Optic Sensor Workbook, Eric Udd

A rotary position sensor that consists of a code plate with

variable reflectance patches placed so that each position has
a unique code. A series of optical fibers are used to
determine the presence or absence of a patch.

12/08/21 ECE5320 Mechatronics. Assignment#1 Survey on sensors and actuators

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Principle – Intrinsic #1
An optical fiber ends
with a right angle as
shown which reflects all
of the light back through
total internal reflection.
When the probe is placed
in a medium other than
the reference, the index
of refraction changes and Diagram from:
Fiber Optic Sensor Workbook, Eric Udd

some of the light escapes

the probe, decreasing the
Courtesy: Andrew Moss optic fiber
amplitude. sensors

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Principle – Intrinsic #2
Two simple optical fibers
are placed in close
proximity. Some of the
light leaks from one to
Diagram from:
Fiber Optic Sensor Workbook, Eric Udd the other, ie cross
coupling occurs. The
amount of evanescence
Courtesy: Andrew Moss
caused depends on
optic fiber
sensors
several factors which can
be sensed through the
measured coupling.

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Principle – Spectrally Based

Diagram from:
Fiber Optic Sensor Workbook, Eric Udd

When the blackbody’s temperature increases it begins to glow, acting as a light

source. This is transmitted to detectors where the blackbody is measured and
used to determine the temperature. A blackbody cavity is placed at the end of an
optical fiber. When the cavity rises in temperature it starts to glow and act as a
light source.

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Principle – Interferometer Based

Fiber optic gyroscope.
Light is injected into a
fiber coil from both
Diagram from:
directions. The phase
Fiber Optic Sensor Workbook, Eric Udd
difference of the two
signals is then detected.
If the coil is stationary
the phase difference is
0, but if it is rotating the
phase difference is
proportional to the
rotation rate.
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Major Specifications
• Accuracy
• Designed measurement parameters
• Dynamic range
• External sensors required (if any)
• Operating wavelengths
• Response time

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Limitations
• Generally have to be tuned to a specific
wavelength to function properly.
– This can be used to limit noise susceptibility but limits
the general application of any given sensor.

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Limitations
• Multiple potential error sources (connectors,
splices, microbending, misalignment, etc)
– May be circumvented by using two wavelengths in the
sensor, one of which is used to calibrate out the noise.

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Other Considerations
• Research area
– Optical fiber sensors are relatively new for most
applications because the cost of lasers and optical fibers
has only recently become practical for most things.
This means that new research is still being conducted to
find new ways to apply optical sensors. It is a changing
area at this time.
• Robustness
– The robustness of optical fibers makes them usable in
many conditions(high temperature, EM interference,
etc) which exclude other sensors.
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Other Considerations
• Generally Optical fiber sensors are found at most
major suppliers of electronic sensors.
• They are classified specifically by the parameter
they are designed to sense and not as Optical fi

12/08/21 ECE5320 Mechatronics. Assignment#1 Survey on sensors and actuators