Characterization of integrated fiber optic sensors in smart textiles

Abstract

Smart textiles with integrated fiber optic sensors have been studied for various applications including in-situ measurement of load/deformation on the textiles. Two types of silica multimode optical fibers were successfully integrated into 4/4 Twill-woven and Plain-woven textiles along the warp direction of the textile structures for sensing of applied load conditions. The sensing mechanism is based on the MPD (Modal Power Distribution) technique, which employs the principle of intensity modulation based on modal power redistribution of the propagating light within multimode fibers caused by external perturbations. In the presence of transverse load applied to an integrated optical fiber, the redistribution of the modal power is an indication of the applied load. The spatial modal power redistribution was clearly recorded as a function of the optical intensity profile. Based on the uni-axial tensile test results, the relationship between the mechanical behavior of the textile and the output of the embedded fiber-optic sensor was established and understood. It is clearly demonstrated that the sensitivity and dynamic range of this type of intensity-based sensor is determined by the interaction between the fabric yarns and optical fibers, which are closely related with the textile structure and the type of optical fiber.