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Published on: September 30, 2019
One-dimensional single-mode fiber-optic displacement sensors for submillimeter measurements
Vincent Trudel1, Yves St-Amant
1Mechanical Engineering Department, Université Laval, Pavillon Adrien-Pouliot, Quebec G1K 7P4, Canada.
Applied Optics
|September 12, 2009
Summary
This study presents a linear fiber-optic displacement sensor with low nonlinearity error (0.1-2%) over a broad travel range (up to 860 microm). Experimental and numerical results confirm its precise performance for various gap distances.
Area of Science:
- Optoelectronics
- Fiber Optics
- Sensor Technology
Background:
- Fiber-optic sensors offer advantages in harsh environments and for remote measurements.
- Accurate displacement sensing is crucial in various industrial and scientific applications.
- Intensity-based sensors provide a simple yet effective method for displacement measurement.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate the working principle of a one-dimensional intensity-based fiber-optic displacement sensor.
- To numerically and experimentally validate the sensor's linearity and performance characteristics.
- To develop a design chart for optimizing sensor parameters like nonlinearity, travel, sensitivity, and gap distance.
Main Methods:
- Numerical simulation of sensor response based on lateral movement of a receiving fiber within the optical field of an emitting fiber.
- Experimental validation using a high-precision robot to simulate sensor operation.
- Systematic determination of linearity, travel range, and sensitivity across varying fiber optic gap distances (10 microm to 10 mm).
Main Results:
- Numerical analysis shows high linearity with nonlinearity error between 0.1% and 2% for a travel range of 2.24 to 860 microm.
- Experimental results closely match numerical simulations, confirming the sensor's reliable performance.
- A design chart is proposed, detailing nonlinearity error (0.5%–2%), travel (2.78–860 microm), sensitivity (0.032–0.37 dB/microm), and gap distance (1–10 mm).
Conclusions:
- The developed intensity-based fiber-optic sensor exhibits excellent linearity and a wide operational travel range.
- The sensor's performance is accurately predicted through numerical simulations and validated experimentally.
- The proposed design chart serves as a valuable tool for practical implementation and optimization of fiber-optic displacement sensors.
