Feasibility Demonstration of Fiber Optic Digital Status Monitoring Devices.

摘要

This report covers the development and testing of feasibility models of a family of inherently digital fiber optic status-monitoring sensors which sense liquid level, linear displacement, fluid flow rate, strain, pressure and temperature as well as count physical events. In all cases, the sensors are electrically passive. All excitation is in the form of optical power supplied via fiber optics. All response signals are in the form of optical power transmitted via fiber optics. All response signals are inherently digital, i.e. they do not employ analog/digital conversion. Design considerations, performance data and recommendations for further investigation are included. Optical fibers, because of their very small geometry, offer a whole new approach to the precise sensing of small changes in various physical parameters. Sensors employing fiber optics enjoy the many inherent advantages of fiber optics, which include interference immunity, resistance to environmental conditions, small physical size and light weight. Digital fiber optic sensors are a natural adjunct to digital data systems for the above reasons and because no analog/digital conversion is required. (Author)