Fiber Bragg grating-based thermometer for drill bit temperature monitoring

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Surgical Instrumentation
• Optical Sensing Technologies

Background:

• Accurate temperature monitoring of surgical drill bits is critical in implantology to prevent thermal damage to bone tissue.
• Existing methods for temperature measurement are often invasive or lack the precision required for intraoperative feedback.
• The rotational nature of drilling presents significant challenges for signal transmission in sensor systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) based system for real-time temperature measurement of an implantology drill bit.
• To address and mitigate signal integrity issues arising from the use of a fiber-optic rotary joint in a high-speed rotational environment.
• To demonstrate the feasibility of the system through experimental measurements during simulated implantology procedures.

Main Methods:

• Integration of an FBG sensor within the implantology drill bit.
• Utilization of a free-space fiber-optic rotary joint for interrogating the FBG sensor.
• Implementation of fiber lensing and advanced signal processing techniques to counteract interferometric noise and mechanical interference.
• Experimental validation by drilling holes in a pork jaw sample and analyzing the temperature data.

Main Results:

• Successful implementation of an FBG sensor system for drill bit temperature monitoring.
• Demonstration of effective noise reduction and signal compensation techniques for the rotary joint.
• Acquisition of reliable temperature data during simulated implantology drilling on a biological sample.
• Correlation of drilling parameters with measured drill bit temperatures.

Conclusions:

• The proposed FBG-based system offers a viable solution for accurate intraoperative temperature measurement during implantology procedures.
• The developed signal processing methods effectively overcome the limitations of fiber-optic rotary joints in dynamic environments.
• This technology has the potential to enhance surgical safety and improve clinical outcomes in dental implantology.