The resilient hybrid fiber sensor network with self-healing function.

Area of Science:

• Photonics and Optical Sensing
• Network Engineering
• Materials Science

Background:

• Fiber sensor networks (FSNs) are crucial for real-time monitoring but often lack resilience.
• Existing FSNs can be vulnerable to single points of failure, limiting their operational viability.
• Measuring multiple physical parameters (measurands) simultaneously often requires complex and separate sensor systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel resilient fiber sensor network (FSN) with a multi-ring architecture.
• To integrate an intelligent control system for self-healing and real-time monitoring of network components.
• To propose and validate a hybrid fiber sensor capable of measuring multiple parameters with minimal crosstalk.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of a multi-ring FSN architecture with an intelligent control system.
• Development of software processes and emergency mechanisms for failure response.
• Design and integration of a hybrid sensor combining distributed sensing and Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) arrays.
• Experimental demonstration of network resilience and hybrid sensor functionality under induced fiber failure.

Main Results:

• The proposed FSN demonstrated effective self-healing and real-time monitoring capabilities.
• The hybrid sensor successfully measured temperature and vibrations simultaneously with negligible crosstalk.
• The network and hybrid sensors proved resilient to destructive failures, maintaining functionality.

Conclusions:

• The novel resilient FSN enhances the viability and reliability of fiber optic sensing systems.
• The integrated hybrid sensor expands the diversity of measurable parameters within a single fiber.
• The intelligent control system and network architecture provide robust fault tolerance for critical monitoring applications.