Characteristics of the distributed Bragg reflector fiber laser sensor for lateral force measurement

Characteristics of the distributed Bragg reflector fiber laser sensor for lateral force measurement are investigated. The distributed Bragg reflector fiber laser operates in dual-polarization modes and converts the lateral force into a corresponding shift in the beat frequency generated by the fiber laser. The sensitivity dependence on the angle between the force direction and the polarization axis orientation of the fiber is investigated theoretically and experimentally. The impact of the force action location and force length on the sensor response is also discussed. Good agreement between the theoretical data and the experimental results was obtained. A maximal sensitivity magnitude of ∼10 GHz/(N/mm) is recorded.     

Self-mixing instrument for simultaneous distance and speed measurement

A novel instrument based on Self-mixing interferometry is proposed to simultaneously measure absolute distance and velocity. The measurement method is designed for working directly on each kind of surface, in industrial environment, overcoming also problems due to speckle pattern effect. The laser pump current is modulated at quite high frequency (40 kHz) and the estimation of the induced fringes frequency allows an almost instantaneous measurement (measurement time equal to 25 µs). A real time digital elaboration processes the measurement data and discards unreliable measurements. The simultaneous measurement reaches a relative standard deviation of about 4·10⁻⁴ in absolute distance, and 5·10⁻³ in velocity measurement. Three different laser sources are tested and compared. The instrument shows good performances also in harsh environment, for example measuring the movement of an opaque iron tube rotating under a running water flow.     

Self-mixing interference in distributed feedback laser diode with multiple external cavities

The self-mixing interference in distributed feedback laser diode (DFB-LD) with multiple external cavities is analyzed. Each external cavity is considered to be an optical thin film, and the equivalent reflectivity can be got from the theory of the thin film optics, the general expressions of gain and frequency in compound laser cavity are theoretically deduced. This principle is helpful to build the fiber-coupled self-mixing interference system. Considering that different parameters have influence on self-mixing interference, we make some simulation analysis at different conditions. The output of self-mixing interference is analyzed in numerical analysis, and the amplitude variations of the output gain is discussed along with different parameters, e.g., the coupling coefficient, the linewidth enhancement factor, and the reflection coefficient of external reflector.     

Photonic generation of microwave signal using a dual-wavelength single-longitudinal-mode distributed Bragg reflector fiber laser

In this paper, a novel all-optical microwave generation technique based on a dual-wavelength single-longitudinal-mode (SLM) distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) fiber laser is proposed and demonstrated. By exploiting spatial hole burning (SHB) effect, this laser could provide stable dual-wavelength SLM operation with a wavelength separation of 0.088 nm corresponding to the microwave signal at 10.484 GHz with a 3 dB bandwidth of 28 kHz. By appropriately adjusting the pump power, dual-wavelength oscillation could be maintained at different temperatures. We have theoretically analyzed the mechanism for microwave generation of the proposed DBR laser, and the calculated microwave frequency is in good agreement with our experimental results. Furthermore, experimental observation shows both of the laser wavelengths and generated microwave signals have good stability at room temperature.     

Optical fiber sensor for temperature measurement based on Silicon thermo-optics effect

A temperature sensor based on the thermo-optics effect of single crystal silicon diaphragm was proposed and studied. The temperature measurement mechanism by using single crystal silicon diaphragm was theoretically analyzed and found the relation between temperature measurement range and the thickness of single crystal diaphragm. It was found that when the temperature changed from 20 °C to 48 °C, the reflected resonant peak wavelength was shifted which was detected by using the dual-wavelength signal demodulation method. Experimental results for temperature measurement demonstrated reasonable linearity and repeatability, related linear regression coefficient of the experimental result is 99.94%. The study would be of utility value for the design and fabrication of silicon-based sensors which were used to measure pressure or the other physical quantities.     

The distributed dynamic combined-stresses measurement of ship thruster inner-skin using fiber Bragg grating sensor rosette array

The use of a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor array for the measurement of dynamic combined stress of ship thruster inner-skin is presented. The triaxial stress is detected using improved three-element rectangular rosette consisting of FBG sensors. Phase lag effect among triaxial stress sensor is considered and eliminated by employing multi-channel demodulation and improving the layout of sensor rosette array and connection layout. The tests are carried on to measure the distributed combined-stress change of ship thruster duct when ship thruster work at different rotate speed and pitch of angle. The test result are analyzed which show that measured stress are acceptable and in accord with predicted result.     

Experimental verification of response of embedded optical fiber Bragg grating sensors in non-homogeneous strain fields

One of the advantages of optical fiber sensors is their ease of embedment within a structure for non-destructive strain monitoring. In particular, Bragg grating sensors are written directly into an optical fiber hence remaining unobtrusive. In addition, several gratings can be written in series along a single fiber, permitting sensing at discrete points throughout the strain field. However, in regions of strong strain gradients, measuring the strain at discrete points may not be sufficient. One solution is to write a Bragg grating longer than the strain region of interest and use the change in its spectral response to determine the applied strain field as a function of position along the fiber. This paper presents an experimental verification of the response of an embedded optical fiber Bragg grating (OFBG) to applied non-homogeneous strain fields. Optical fiber Bragg grating sensors were embedded in four epoxy specimens of different forms so as to apply known strain functions along the gauge length when the specimen is under uniaxial tension. The complete spectral response of the Bragg gratings was then measured as a function of increasing load. The results are compared with analytical calculations, based on the piecewise-uniform period assumption for chirped gratings. Finally, the use of these spectra is discussed as possible basis functions for the resolution of an arbitrary applied strain distribution.     

Elimination of environmental noise in interferometric wavelength shift demodulation for dynamic fiber Bragg grating sensor array

We present a novel reference compensation method for eliminating environmental noise in interferometric wavelength shift demodulation for dynamic fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors. By employing a shielded wavelength-division-multiplexed reference FBG in the system, the environmental noise is measured from the reference channel, and then subtracted from the demodulation result of each sensor channel. An approximate 40 dB reduction of the environmental noise has been experimentally achieved over a frequency range from 20 Hz to 2 kHz. This method is also suitable for the elimination of broadband environmental noise. The corresponding FBG sensor array system proposed in this paper has shown a wavelength resolution of .     

Statistics of the self-mixing speckle interference in a laser diode and its application to the measurement of flow velocity

The statistical analysis of self-mixing speckles interference using Fabry-Perot cavity is described based on the theory of the speckle and the self-mixing interference in a laser diode. Speckle signal processing based on Fourier transform is presented in this paper. The linear dependence between the spectrum mean frequency and velocity of solution is given by simulation and proved by experiment. The experimental results show that this speckle signal processing can be used to measure velocity of target.     

半导体激光自混频干涉技术对振幅的测量

激光自混频干涉是一种非常特别的现象 ,在许多应用中 ,通常都尽可能地避开来自各种各样的光器件反馈到激光器腔内的光 ,把它看成是有害的 ,例如 :来自光纤端面、或大型光学系统中的各个小光学镜面表面的反射光 ,这些光都能增加噪声及改变半导体激光的一些特性 ,这种性质的惊人影响已由Lenstra[1] 等人详尽描述过。然而 ,激光自混频干涉技术正是应用这种外反馈光携带的可被提取的信息对振动振幅和频率进行测量。     

Dual-resonance long-period grating in fiber loop mirror structure for liquid refractive index measurement

An interferometric structure based on a Dual-Resonance Long-Period Grating (DRLPG) within a Fiber Loop Mirror (FLM) is presented in this paper. Its purpose is to measure the refractive index (RI) of liquid analytes. The grating is the RI sensing probe, while the FLM serves as a band-pass filter. Due to the high extinction ratio of the FLM, amplitude measurements can be obtained, allowing implementation of the differential interrogation method to establish the sensitivity of the device. The use of a polarization controller makes it possible to fine-tune the interferometric peaks with respect to the two notches of the DRLPG. Precisely aligned configuration produces a maximum sensitivity of 3871.5?dB/RIU within the RI range of 1.3333 up to 1.3419 with linear sensor response.     

Enhancement of measurement accuracy in fiber Bragg grating sensors by using digital signal processing

Wavelength detection accuracy in fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors can be increased by use of digital signal processing after photo-detection. Finite impulse response and infinite impulse response algorithms were implemented and used to improve the wavelength detection accuracy of peak detection and time-zero-crossing techniques. The wavelength detection resolution can be improved by an order of magnitude compared with that obtained directly from an optical spectrum analyzer/tunable laser.     

Radio-frequency interrogation of a fiber Bragg grating sensor in the configuration of a fiber laser with external cavities

A fiber laser sensor, which consists of two coupled cavities based on three fiber Bragg gratings (two of them acting as sensing elements) and is interrogated via the longitudinal mode beating frequency, is presented. The two resonant cavities have lengths of 4250 m and 4297 m, respectively. Their beating frequency is of the order of 24 kHz, and its shift as a function of the variation of the period of one (or both) of the sensing gratings, induced by strain or temperature changes, can be measured by a radio-frequency analyzer. The system is suitable for long-distance sensing with high spatial resolution and high sensitivity.     

Modeling of resistance characteristics of a continuously-graded distributed Bragg reflector in a 980-nm vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser

The resistance characteristics of a continuously-graded distributed Bragg reflector(DBR) in a 980-nm verticalcavity surface-emitting laser(VCSEL) are modeled in detail.The junction resistances between the layers of both the p-and n-DBR mirrors are analysed by combining the thermionic emission model and the finite difference method.In the meantime,the intrinsic resistance of the DBR material system is calculated to make a comparison with the junction resistance.The minimal values of series resistances of the graded p-and n-type DBR mirrors and the lateral temperature-dependent resistance variation are calculated and discussed.The result indicates the potential to optimize the design of the DBR reflectors of the 980-nm VCSELs.     

Correction and correlation formation of probing field in fiber laser Doppler anemometers and vibrometers

In this work we offer a method of field formation with given spatial features at the output of multimode fiber sensors using interference phenomena. The method consists of a field two-stage correlation transformation at a fiber output. Transformation is realized by a phase modulator and a hologram. The developed method is practically realized in the fiber Doppler anemometer and vibrometer scheme. Features of sensors are discussed in this work.     

Extension of sensing distance in a ROTDR with an optimized fiber

A sensing fiber, with a gradually increasing Raman-gain-coefficient (g_R/A_eff)along the fiber length, and which can keep the received Raman Stokes power constant in a distributed Raman-based Fiber-optic temperature Sensor, is proposed. This method can be an additional and easy way to further extend the sensing distance of the distributed Raman Fiber-optic temperature Sensor.     

Demonstration of two-point velocity measurement using diffraction grating elements for integrated multi-point differential laser Doppler velocimeter

We have proposed a configuration of an integrated multi-point differential laser Doppler velocimeter (LDV) using arrayed waveguide gratings (AWGs) as grating elements. This paper demonstrates two-point velocity measurement using the proposed configuration with diffraction grating elements. An experiment was conducted using a free-space optical setup with bulk diffraction gratings instead of AWGs. The experimental results indicate that velocities at different positions can be measured using the proposed configuration. The measured separation of the two measurement positions was about 20.5 mm, about 11% of the working distance.     

椭芯光纤干涉型多参量光纤传感技术

本文提出用椭圆纤芯高双折射光纤偏振干涉和双模干涉结合的双技术四参量以及双模干涉多参量同时测量的传感理论和实验原理，对交叉灵敏度作了分析，同时给出了误差分析，并结合理论模型对灵敏度矩阵的状态作了粗略估计。初步结果为：（１）灵敏度矩阵条件数不太大，可以采用迭代改善方法解线性方程组得到较好的解；（２）双模干涉传感器的灵敏度比偏振干涉传感器的灵敏度高两个数量级。