Abstract:
A pressure-sensitive sensor which is a load detecting device of the present invention is structured to include: an optical fiber of a predetermined length; a light-emitting element, disposed at a longitudinal direction one end side of the optical fiber, for emitting light and making the light incident from one end of the optical fiber; a light-receiving element, disposed at a longitudinal direction other end side of the optical fiber, for receiving light which has passed through the optical fiber and outputting a signal corresponding to an amount of received light; and a power source wire for light-emission and a ground wire for light-emission which are wound around an outer periphery of the optical fiber, and are formed in spiral forms along the outer periphery, and are connected to the light-emitting element. The power source wire for light-emission, which forms a spiral form at the outer periphery of the optical fiber, functions as a pressure element and improves sensitivity of the pressure-sensitive sensor.
Abstract:
The present invention relates to a method for determining crystallization in a very small amount of a material of interest (eg a chemical or biological material of interest).
Abstract:
A receiving device for cooperation with an optical fiber is provided with a sensor (3). The sensor (3) comprises two or more distinct sensor elements (4a, . . . , 4d) delivering an output signal with a strength that depends on the intensity applied to the sensor element (4a, . . . , 4d). A greatest dimension (a) of the sensor element (4a, . . . , 4d) is at most equal to half the diameter of a diffraction-limited spot (5) of the beam (2) exiting the optic fiber (1) at the location of the sensor elements (4a, . . . , 4d). A diametrical dimension (c) of the part of the sensor (3) provided with sensor elements (4a, . . . , 4d) is greater than the diameter of the beam (2) exiting from the optical fiber (1). Means (15) are present for determining the strength of the output signal from each sensor element (4a, . . . , 4d).
Abstract:
An apparatus in one example comprises a buffer layer located on a face that serves as a primary support for an optical fiber winding along a first general direction. The face is coupled with a body that serves as a primary support for the optical fiber winding along a second general direction. The optical fiber winding comprises an optical fiber wound about the body. The buffer layer serves to promote a decrease of one or more strain gradients among a plurality of portions of the optical fiber winding.
Abstract:
An infrared detector has a window in a cover having a cavity for exposing detector pixels to incident radiation. The window has an antireflective element formed within the cavity as a field of posts. The field of post structures is formed in a cavity by etching the posts in a desired pattern first, and forming the cavity by a general etch over the whole field afterward.
Abstract:
An infrared blurring array is formed of a substrate having thereon a surface array of blurlets whose foci vary in distance from a nominal focal surface location, and/or whose optical phases at the nominal focal surface location vary, in a pseudorandom but deterministic manner. The substrate may be made of a material transmissive to a waveband of incident infrared energy, and the blurlets are refractive lenslets in the substrate, or the blurlets may be mirrorlets in a reflective substrate. The blurlets are surfaces each defined by a curvature and an axial offset from a nominal focal surface location. At least one, and preferably both, of the curvature and the axial offset of each blurlet is a value that is randomly selected from a set of values defined by a respective distribution, preferably a truncated distribution.
Abstract:
An apparatus for varying the gain of a fiber optic sensor that non-intrusively senses the strain response of a pipe is provided. The apparatus includes a circumferential strain attenuator that has a annular land portion that mechanically couples the attenuator to the pipe. An annular web extends coaxially from the land portion and has a reduced cross sectional area relative to the land and an annular mandrel portion extends coaxially from the web portion and forms a gap between the pipe and the mandrel. The fiber optic sensor is wound on the circumferential strain attenuator. The web and mandrel cooperate to reduce the strain response of the fiber optic sensor relative to the strain response of the pipe.
Abstract:
An optoelectronic oscilloscope probe for measuring floating electrical signals of a test device, wherein the electrical signal in the sensor head of the probe is turned into an analog light signal. This light signal is transmitted to a receiver unit over a fiber optic cable, which converts it back into an equivalent electrical signal, and transfers it to an oscilloscope. The energy supply of the sensor head is provided entirely autonomously by means of a built-in battery/accumulator. The components of the sensor head are housed in a generally sealed metallic package.
Abstract:
An apparatus and method for determining a physical parameter affecting an optical sensor or a number of sensors in a network. The apparatus uses a narrow linewidth source at an emission wavelength nulle and an arrangement for varying the emission wavelength nulle of the radiation. An analysis module with curve fitting is used to generate a fit to the response signal obtained from the optical sensor. The physical parameter is determined form the fit rather than from the response signal. The apparatus can be employed with Bragg gratings, etalons, Fabry Perot elements or other optical sensors.