Fiber Bragg Grating Array Research Articles

Enhancing the performance of DAS using a dual-wavelength UWFBG array with alternating arrangement

We propose a novel distributed acoustic sensor (DAS) based on a dual-wavelength ultra-weak fiber Bragg grating (UWFBG) array. The UWFBGs in the array have two wavelengths that are arranged alternately. Two double-pulses with different wavelengths and staggered launching times are used for sensing in the UWFBG array. This approach successfully overcomes the trade-off between spatial resolution and sensing distance in the traditional UWFBG-based DAS and effectively doubles the maximum achievable sampling rate constrained by the sensing distance. The crosstalk of different wavelengths is avoided by time division multiplexing. Comprehensive analyses and simulations are conducted to validate the performance enhancements, compared to the traditional method. In our proof-of-concept experiments, employing a 2 km alternating arranged dual-wavelength UWFBG array, we achieve a spatial resolution enhancement from 10 m to 5 m, expand the dynamic strain measurement range from 34.2 rad to 68.2 rad, and increase the frequency response from 9 kHz to 19 kHz.

Epidural pressure measurement using a fiber-optic sensor (proof-of-principle invivo animal trial).

An increase in epidural pressure around the stenosis has been observed in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) with positive signs of sedimentation or redundant nerve roots. Further analysis of the pressure conditions in the stenotic area would be of great interest. We hypothesized that it would be possible to determine the physiological parameters of the epidural pulse wave and its course in pathological stenosis as a basis for objective identification of LSS based on pressure using a new measuring method with continuous spatial and temporal resolution. We performed a single-case proof-of-principle invivo animal trial and used a newly developed hybrid pressure-measurement probe with a fiber-tip Fabry-Pérot interferometer and several fiber Bragg gratings (FBG). With reproducible precision, we determined the mean epidural pressure to be 7.5 mmHg and the peak-to-peak value to be 4-5 mmHg. When analyzing the pressure measured by an FBG array, both the heart and respiratory rates can be precisely determined. This study was the first to measure the pulse wave velocity of the cerebrospinal fluid pressure wave as 0.97 m/s using the newly developed pressure probe. A simulated LSS was detected in real time and located exactly. The developed fiber-optic pressure sensor probe enables a new objective measurement of epidural pressure. We confirmed our hypothesis that physiological parameters of the epidural pulse wave can be determined and that it is possible to identify an LSS.

Demonstration of standing cavity Brillouin random fiber lasers using double fiber Bragg grating arrays

Bidirectional feedback by fiber Bragg grating arrays (FBGAs) reduced the loss of the cavity and increased stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) gain by bi-directional Stokes wave through FBGA associated Rayleigh feedback of the pump wave. As a result, the Q value of the Brillouin random fiber laser (BRFL) increased significantly, which leads to narrow linewidth. This is different from the ring configuration with unidirectional SBS gain versus dual SBS gain of the same fiber length. Highly efficient use of the SBS gain fiber for coherent SBS amplification suppressed thermal noise associated Stokes wave. Such an efficient SBS laser is realized by a standing cavity BRFL based on double FBGAs. Multiple scattering of light traveling in strong scattering FBGAs enables light localization and the generation of high-Q reflection peaks. Coherent SBS amplification with high Q help to reduce laser relative intensity noise (RIN) and laser linewidth. Experimental results demonstrate that the BRFL supports localized modes by increasing the scattering strength of the FBGA random feedback, resulting in long lifetime and single-frequency emission with 20 dB noise floor reduction. The BRFL with a 1 km Brillouin gain fiber exhibits lower RIN and narrower linewidth than that with a 10 km Brillouin gain fiber due to the stronger gain competition of more modes in the longer cavity length. The optimized standing caivty BRFL with 1 km gain fiber leads to 3.5 kHz linewidth versus 40 kHz from the pump laser. These findings provide experimental evidence that double FBGAs offer a unique setting to control mode dynamics, realizing low-noise single-frequency lasing.

A Real-Time In Situ Wafer Temperature Measurement System Based on Fiber Bragg Grating Array

A Real-Time In Situ Wafer Temperature Measurement System Based on Fiber Bragg Grating Array

Design of an enhanced spatial resolution indoor plantar strain and gait analysis setup for biomedical applications

In the recent years, measurement of plantar strain and gait analysis has gained huge attention and plays a pivotal role in monitoring posture related ailments or Diabetic Foot Ulcer (DFU). Fibre Bragg Grating Arrays (closely spaced FBGs), another category of optical sensors, are employed in this study to understand the strain and gait of human foot. These arrays offer critical advantages such as enhanced sensitivity, data acquisition, multiplexing abilities, and sensor location effect compensation. For experimentation, five arrays were distributed among different regions (Upper, Medial, and Heel) of foot and their strain patterns for six volunteers (three male and three female) were recorded for eighty seconds. The data was analysed in two ways, Combined (data of array sensors were averaged to target the whole area) and Individual (for independent analysis of each sensor in array). Incoherent transitions and strain patterns of FBGs within the same arrays observed in individual analysis, explains enhanced resolution capabilities of the arrays. Strain mapping of sensor behaviour also confirmed the identification of various forms of gait i.e., Heel Strike, Flat Foot, Heel Off, and Zero Contact. The average standard deviation values for the arrays was reported below 0.16.

Temperature field reconstruction based on femtosecond laser prepared of multiwavelength fibre bragg grating array

Temperature field measurements are of great significance in industrial production, scientific research, and other fields. Contact temperature measurements usually achieve high spatial resolution by increasing the layout density of the sensors. However, in practical applications, achieving high-density sensor placement is often difficult. Therefore, when the number of sensors is limited, it is necessary to perform function fitting or interpolation of the temperature of the sampling points to reconstruct the temperature field distribution. This study proposed a temperature field reconstruction method based on femtosecond laser prepared multiwavelength fibre Bragg grating (FBG) array. A multiwavelength FBG array was prepared using the femtosecond laser phase mask method combined with stress stretching, and applied for measuring the temperature field distribution in a tubular high-temperature furnace. Cubic spline interpolation and backpropagation (BP) neural networks were used to construct two-dimensional temperature field models for the temperature field distribution data measured by the FBGs, and the prediction accuracies of the two models were compared. The test results show that the root mean square error of the temperature field distribution constructed using the BP neural network is 0.7333 °C, which is approximately 23.18% of the predicted results of the cubic spline interpolation model, indicating that it is a high-precision temperature field reconstruction method.

Temperature and strain gradient monitoring of the buoyancy material curing reaction with a submillimeter spatial resolution fs-FBG array

Millimeter-scale temperature and strain gradient measurements are crucial for understanding the mechanical properties of buoyancy materials. In this paper, we successfully fabricated ultrashort and high-density fiber Bragg grating (FBG) array based on femtosecond laser point-by-point writing technology. By optimizing the energy and number of femtosecond laser pulse, and introducing secondary tilt apodization technology, submillimeter-spatial-resolution FBG arrays were prepared. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first application of femtosecond FBG array for high spatial resolution temperature and strain gradient in situ monitoring of buoyancy materials. FBGs exhibit excellent anti-chirp performance and achieve submillimeter spatial resolution curing monitoring under temperature and strain monitoring gradients of 2.6 °C/mm and 231 με/mm, respectively.

Strain and Temperature Sensing Based on Different Temperature Coefficients fs-FBG Arrays for Intelligent Buoyancy Materials.

The temperature and strain fields monitoring during the preparation process of buoyancy materials, as well as the health status after molding, are important for mastering the mechanical properties of buoyancy materials and ensuring the safety of operators and equipment. This paper proposes a short and high-density femtosecond fiber Bragg grating (fs-FBG) array based on different temperature coefficients fibers. By optimizing the parameters of femtosecond laser point-by-point writing technology, high-performance fs-FBG arrays with millimeter level gating length and millimeter level spatial resolution were prepared on two types of fibers. These were successfully embedded in buoyancy materials to achieve in-situ online monitoring of the curing process and after molding. The experimental results show that the fs-FBG array sensor has good anti-chirp performance and achieves online monitoring of millimeter-level spatial resolution. Intelligent buoyancy materials can provide real-time feedback on the health status of equipment in harsh underwater environments. The system can achieve temperature monitoring with an accuracy of 0.56 °C and deformation monitoring with sub-millimeter accuracy; the error is in the order of micrometers, which is of great significance in the field of deep-sea exploration.

Artificial Skin Based on Polymer Optical Fiber Bragg Grating Arrays for Robotic Tactile Perception

Artificial Skin Based on Polymer Optical Fiber Bragg Grating Arrays for Robotic Tactile Perception

Direct detection Φ-OTDR based on UWFBG array using linear-phase-modulated double-pulse

We propose what we believe to be a novel direct detection phase-sensitive optical time-domain reflectometry (Φ-OTDR) based on ultra-weak fiber Bragg grating (UWFBG) array to achieve distributed vibration measurements with exceptional sensitivity and remarkable stability. Our system employs a pulse modulator to generate a double pulse and achieves linear phase modulation of one pulse by one cycle through a phase modulator. The phase change can be quantitatively demodulated using our proposed N-step phase-shifted demodulation algorithm. This method effectively mitigates the influence of phase noise of the laser and the pulse modulator, while also eliminating fluctuations in the half-voltage of the phase modulator. Compared with the existing phase modulation methods, our method avoids stringent requirements for the stability and precision of phase modulation. Moreover, we propose a phase-shifted approximation method, breaking the limitation of sensing length on the traditional differential approximation method and improving the accuracy significantly. The technique's effectiveness is experimentally demonstrated on a 1 km UWFBG array with a reflectivity of −40 dB to −45 dB and a spatial resolution of 10 m. Vibrations with different amplitudes are measured quantitatively with good linearity. The low-frequency self-noise is greatly suppressed and the overall self-noise is −54.3 dB rad2/Hz.

Research on spacecraft in orbit perception based on artificial neural networks and digital twin technology using grating arrays

In order to improve the safety of spacecraft, the research on artificial neural network and digital twin technology based on, to our best knowledge, a novel fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor array is proposed for intelligent sensing monitoring of spacecraft on-orbit collisions. Femtosecond FBG arrays were fabricated on the novel oxide-doped fiber by point-by-point writing technique. The femtosecond FBG is analyzed using the time-dependent perturbation theory of quantum mechanics. The FBG array can achieve high-temperature measurement of 1100 °C and large strain measurement of 15000 µε. The sensing arrays were deployed on the surface of the spacecraft. Constructed the multi-layer perceptron neural network structure and convolutional neural network structure. 1200 samples were trained. Conducted model accuracy testing. The accuracy rate is above 98%, and accuracy verification has been implemented. The digital twin model was designed based on various data such as strain and temperature of the spacecraft structure under impact monitored by FBG sensors. A precise mapping has been formed between the physical entities of spacecraft and digital twins. Empower spacecraft with functions such as self-monitoring, judgment, and response. To ensure the stable and safe operation of spacecraft.

Research on distributed strain monitoring of a bridge based on a strained optical cable with weak fiber Bragg grating array.

The foundation of an intelligent highway network is the construction of a high-density distributed strain monitoring system, which is based on sensing elements that can sensitively capture external information. In this research, the development and application for the structure of a novel strained optical fiber cable based on the weak fiber Bragg grating (wFBG) arrays are discussed. A modulation and demodulation solution of wavelength division multiplexing combined with time division multiplexing is developed by utilizing the property by which the wavelength of the strained optical fiber cable is periodically switched. Further, the strain transfer model of the optical cable is analyzed hierarchically using the theory of elasticity. The strain transfer coefficients of the overhanging region and the gluing region are combined to deduce the sensitivity model of the strained optical fiber cable. Moreover, the finite element technique is integrated to optimize the structural parameters of the optical cable for high-sensitivity or large-scale range. The strained optical fiber cable based on wFBG arrays is applied to a steel-concrete composite bridge. The static and dynamic loading tests show that the sensing optical cable can be monitored for strain variation in order to realize the functions of lane identification, weighing vehicle tonnage as well as velocity discrimination.

OFDR shape sensor based on a femtosecond-laser-inscribed weak fiber Bragg grating array in a multicore fiber.

An optical frequency domain reflectometry (OFDR) shape sensor was demonstrated based on a femtosecond-laser-inscribed weak fiber Bragg grating (WFBG) array in a multicore fiber (MCF). A WFBG array consisting of 60 identical WFBGs was successfully inscribed in each core along a 60 cm long MCF using the femtosecond-laser point-by-point technology, where the length and space of each WFBG were 2 and 8 mm, respectively. The strain distribution of each core in two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) shape sensing was successfully demodulated using the traditional cross correlation algorithm, attributed to the accurate localization of each WFBG. The minimum reconstruction error per unit length of the 2D and 3D shape sensors has been improved to 1.08% and 1.07%, respectively, using the apparent curvature vector method based on the Bishop frame.

Gas pipeline leakage detection and location by using w-FBG array based micro-strain sensing technology

In addressing the significant security concerns associated with urban natural gas transportation, particularly the potential catastrophic consequences of leaks, this paper introduces a novel approach for detecting and locating leaks in natural gas pipelines using weak fiber Bragg grating (w-FBG) array micro-strain sensing technology. The field pipeline model is established, w-FBG array is applied to pipeline leakage experiment, and the pipeline leakage is detected by analyzing the change trend of micro-strain. The pipeline leakage experiments under different pressures were carried out. The experimental results show that there is a good linear relationship between the pipeline leakage pressure and the wavelength change of w-FBG, and the linearity is greater than 0.99, which is consistent with the theoretical analysis and verifies the applicability of w-FBG. According to the characteristics of micro-strain transfer in pipeline leakage process, a ‘abrupt change point’ capturing method based on peak to peak slope and threshold judgment is proposed. Results indicate that the proposed algorithm effectively detects pipeline leaks and accurately locates the point of leakage, with a positioning error of approximately 0.5 m. Compared with the traditional method, the proposed method has higher precision.

Dynamic Deformation Measurement of Bionic Flapping-Wing Robot Based on Fiber Bragg Grating Array

Dynamic Deformation Measurement of Bionic Flapping-Wing Robot Based on Fiber Bragg Grating Array

Sensitivity Enhancement of Fiber-Optic Accelerometers Based on the Weak Fiber Bragg Grating Array by Inscribing in Thin-Cladding Fiber

Sensitivity Enhancement of Fiber-Optic Accelerometers Based on the Weak Fiber Bragg Grating Array by Inscribing in Thin-Cladding Fiber

Fast and High-Precision Shape Sensing based on Dual-Comb Fiber Bragg Grating Array Demodulation

Fast and High-Precision Shape Sensing based on Dual-Comb Fiber Bragg Grating Array Demodulation

Real-time Strain Field Measurement Based on Dense Fiber Bragg Gratings Array

Real-time Strain Field Measurement Based on Dense Fiber Bragg Gratings Array

Features of Fiber Bragg Grating Array Inscription for Sensing Applications

Features of Fiber Bragg Grating Array Inscription for Sensing Applications

Microwave-photonic Vernier effect enabled high-sensitivity fiber Bragg grating sensors for point-wise and quasi-distributed sensing

This paper reports a sensitivity-improved fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor system based on microwave-photonic interferometry and the Vernier effect. An incoherent microwave photonics system based on a broadband light source is employed to interrogate the FBG sensor using the wavelength-to-delay mapping technique combined with interferometry. Specifically, the sensing FBG together with a reference FBG is used to construct a microwave photonics Michelson interferometer (MI). Changes in the Bragg wavelength of the sensing FBG subject to external perturbations are encoded into the spectral shifts of the microwave interferogram of the MI. A virtual interferometer is then generated from the sensing MI based on a computational Vernier effect modality. By superimposing the spectra of the sensing MI and the virtual interferometer, the Vernier effect is generated. By tracking the spectral shift of the Vernier envelope, it is shown that the measurement sensitivity of the sensing FBG is remarkably enhanced with an expected factor. Moreover, a quasi-distributed sensor system with enhanced sensitivity based on cascaded FBGs and the proposed virtual microwave-photonic Vernier effect technique is implemented, representing the first demonstration of a Vernier effect-enhanced FBG array sensor. Additionally, the possibility of employing the harmonic Vernier effect for further sensitivity enhancement is investigated, where a remarkable sensitivity enhancement factor up to 685 with a strain sensitivity of 94 MHz/µε is successfully demonstrated.