Mobile fiber-optic laser Doppler anemometer

A laser Doppler anemometer (LDA) has been developed that combines the compactness and low power consumption of laser diodes and avalanche photodiodes with the flexibility and possibility of miniaturization by using fiber-optic probes. The system has been named DFLDA for laser diode fiber LDA and is especially suited for mobile applications, for example, in trains, airplanes, or automobiles. Optimization considerations of fiber-optic probes are put forward and several probe examples are described in detail. Measurement results from three typical applications are given to illustrate the use of the DFLDA. Finally, a number of future configurations of the DFLDA concept are discussed.