I3N and Physics Department, Campus of Santiago, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal.
IT-Instituto de Telecomunicações, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal.
Sensors (Basel). 2021 Nov 20;21(22):7737. doi: 10.3390/s21227737.
Developing technologies capable of constantly assessing and optimizing day-to-day activities has been a research priority for several years. A key factor in such technologies is the use of highly sensitive sensors to monitor in real-time numerous parameters, such as temperature and load. Due to their unique features, optical fiber sensors became one of the most interesting and viable solutions for applications dependent on those parameters. In this work, we present an optical fiber load sensor, called load cell, based on Fabry-Pérot hollow cavities embedded in a polymeric material. By using the load cells in a parallel configuration with a non-embedded hollow cavity, the optical Vernier effect was generated, allowing maximum sensitivity values of 0.433 nm N and 0.66 nm °C to be attained for vertical load and temperature, respectively. The proposed sensor's performance, allied with the proposed configuration, makes it a viable and suitable device for a wide range of applications, namely those requiring high thermal and load sensitivities.
多年来，开发能够持续评估和优化日常活动的技术一直是研究重点。此类技术的一个关键因素是使用高度灵敏的传感器实时监测诸如温度和负载等众多参数。由于其独特的特性，光纤传感器成为依赖于这些参数的应用的最有趣和可行的解决方案之一。在这项工作中，我们提出了一种基于嵌入聚合物材料中的法布里-珀罗空心腔的光纤负载传感器，称为称重传感器。通过将称重传感器与非嵌入式空心腔平行配置，可以产生光学游标效应，从而分别实现 0.433nm/N 和 0.66nm/°C 的最大垂直负载和温度灵敏度值。所提出的传感器的性能与所提出的配置相结合，使其成为广泛应用的可行和合适的设备，特别是那些需要高热和负载灵敏度的应用。
