Tchnology Description

Veraphotonics is developing compact, light-weight, low-cost, real-time health monitoring systems with multiplexing sensor interrogation capability which meet these requirements for long-term, on-line damage monitoring of aircraft structures. Using a robust optical frequency demodulation technique to interrogate a network of fiber-optic Bragg Grating Array (BGA) sensors, the instrument is capable of simultaneously measuring strain, temperature, and acoustic fields with high resolution and high sensitivity, and is scalable for integrated, multipoint sensing.

The high detection sensitivity and accuracy are achieved by the inherently stable light frequency demodulation scheme which integrates the optical light source control electronics with photo-detector signals using a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA)-based data acquisition system to provide quasistatic and dynamic signal conditioning output for load and acoustic emission monitoring applications. Due to the inherent self-reference, high-resolution, and robust optical wavelength locking capabilities, the strain and acoustic emission signal outputs are extremely stable due to system and environmental noise, giving high signal to noise ratio.

The features, advantages, and benefits of the technology are highlighted in the table below:

 

Feature	Advantage	Benefit
Single fiber connecting all  sensing channels &  shared common light source	Reduced cabling needs, scalable to large number of sensing points	Better reliability, cost savings  for large area monitoring
Small sensor size & weight	Easy installation	Better compliance, less time for maintenance inspection
Optical fiber based: passive configuration, self calibrating	No EM interference, low power consumption,  easy to service in the field	Suitable for harsh environment, low operation cost, low maintenance cost
Integrated sensor (AE, P, T)	Compact design	Reduced instrument cost
Laser Frequency Demodulation	Robust, real-time monitoring	Long-term cost savings