Optical Fiber Coupled Photonic Crystal Slab Strain Sensor, System And Method Of Fabrication And Use
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsMichael A. Carralero, Ty Aaby Larsen, Priya Maratukulam
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Abstract
The present disclosure is generally directed to a strain sensor, system and method of fabrication and use that includes an optical fiber, an optical signal generator that transmits an optical signal through the optical fiber, at least two photonic crystal slabs within the optical fiber separated by a first segment of optical fiber, a photo-detector that detects a reflected optical signal from the at least two photonic crystal slabs, and a processor that computes a mechanical strain over the first segment of optical fiber based on the reflected optical signal detected by the photo-detector.
Claims22
A strain sensor system comprising:
- an optical fiber;
- an optical signal generator that transmits an optical signal through the optical fiber;
- at least two photonic crystal slabs within the optical fiber separated by a first segment of optical fiber;
- a photo-detector that detects a reflected optical signal from the at least two photonic crystal slabs;
- and
- a processor that computes a mechanical strain over the first segment of optical fiber based on the reflected optical signal detected by the photo-detector.
A photonic crystal strain sensor, comprising:
- an optical fiber having a first end and a second end;
- and
- at least one pair of photonic crystal lattices disposed between a segment of the optical fiber.
A method of fabricating an optical fiber photonic crystal strain sensor, comprising:
- providing a first fused silica communication grade optical fiber having a first end;
- joining a first photonic crystal lattice including a plurality of holes having a diameter between 0.25 μm to 1.0 μm to the first end of the first optical fiber;
- providing a second fused silica communication grade optical fiber having a first and a second end;
- joining one of the first end or the second end of the second optical fiber to the first photonic crystal lattice;
- and
- joining a second photonic crystal lattice including a plurality of holes having a diameter between 0.25 μm to 1.0 μm to the other end of the second optical fiber,
- where the first and second photonic crystal lattices form a Fabry-Perot (etalon) Interferometer within the optical fiber between the first end and second end of the second optical fiber.
A method of measuring strain using an optical fiber photonic crystal strain sensor, comprising:
- providing the optical fiber photonic crystal strain sensor including at least one pair of photonic crystal wafers disposed in an optical fiber, the at least one pair of photonic crystal wafers separated by a segment of optical fiber;
- affixing at least a first portion of optical fiber photonic crystal strain sensor to a first portion of a surface, the first portion of optical fiber photonic crystal strain sensor including a first photonic crystal wafer of the at least one pair of photonic crystal wafers;
- affixing at least a second portion of optical fiber photonic crystal strain sensor to a second portion of the surface, the second portion of optical fiber photonic crystal strain sensor including a second photonic crystal wafer of the at least one pair of photonic crystal wafers;
- transmitting a first optical signal having a first wavelength in a first direction corresponding to the at least one pair of photonic crystal wafers;
- receiving the first optical signal reflect back from the at least one pair of photonic crystal wafers in an opposite direction of the first direction in the optical fiber;
- and
- calculating a strain measurement based on the reflected first optical signal from each of the photonic crystal wafers from the at least one pair of photonic crystal wafers.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.