Simulation, implementation, and analysis of an optical fiber bundle distance sensor with single mode illumination

Area of Science:

• Optoelectronics
• Fiber Optics Sensing
• Optical Engineering

Background:

• Optical fiber sensors offer non-contact measurement capabilities.
• Distance sensing requires precise optical coupling and signal detection.
• Existing models may not fully capture the complexities of fiber bundle sensor performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a simulation model for an optical fiber bundle distance sensor.
• To analyze the sensor's performance based on varying design parameters.
• To provide design guidelines for optimizing distance sensing applications.

Main Methods:

• Developed a simulation model using a single-mode fiber for illumination and a multi-mode fiber for reception.
• Approximated the illumination light profile as Gaussian.
• Derived a closed-form solution for reflected light coupling.
• Implemented and experimentally validated the sensor model.

Main Results:

• The simulation model accurately predicted the sensor's output.
• Performance analysis revealed the impact of different design parameters.
• The derived closed-form solution provides a theoretical basis for sensor design.

Conclusions:

• The validated simulation model is a valuable tool for designing optical fiber bundle distance sensors.
• The study provides practical design guidelines for enhancing sensor performance.
• This work contributes to the advancement of fiber optic sensing technologies.