Distributed optical fibre smart sensors for Structural Health Monitoring: A Smart Transducer Interface Module

Abstract

Abstract-In this paper, we present a Smart Transducer Interface Module (STIM) for distributed optical fibre smart sensors. The STIM is a general purpose interface that has been designed to be used with intensiometric optical fibre sensors. The interface is made up of 2 optical fibre PIN receivers, a differential amplifier and a digital signal processor. The two received signals are differentially amplified to increase sensitivity and the signal-to-noise ratio. A DSP evaluation board is used as the intelligence of the STIM, which has onboard ADC. The STIM was successfully used as an embedded system monitoring both temperature and strain, and to simply switch on the onboard LED when these measurands exceeded a predetermined threshold value. The sensing system, without the DSP, was also used to successfully detect dynamic strain signals. We also present the future directions for work on distributed optical fibre smart sensors.

Fibre Optic Sensors for Structural Health Monitoring of Aircraft Composite Structures: Recent Advances and Applications

“…Indeed, any damage to the fibre or optoelectronic components can hinder the full operation of the SHM system. In order to overcome this lack of redundancy, Wild et al [ 55 ] developed a sensing architecture called Distributed Optical Fibre Smart Sensing (DOFSS) in which a large number of Smart Transducer Interface Modules (STIMs) [ 56 ] are positioned at the nodes of an all-fibre sensor network for the simultaneous distribution of sensing, power and communication.…”

Distributed sensing, communications, and power in optical Fibre Smart Sensor networks for structural health monitoring

“…The Smart Transducer Interface Module (STIM) has previously been reported [4]. It is made up of a TI Digital Signal Processor (DSP), on an eZdsp general purpose evaluation board.…”

“…The use of a local processor then requires an interface to the OFSs monitored by the processor. To realise OFSSs, a Smart Transducer Interface Module (STIM) was developed [4].…”

Distributed modular temperature-strain sensor based on optical fiber embedded in laminated composites

“…This technology actually allows monitoring some given physical variables (e.g. strain) using a single optical fiber over tens of kilometers, thus enabling continuous distributed monitoring of large composite structures [14][15][16]. However, embedding a very small and brittle optical fiber inside CFRP structures is a time-consuming process [17,18], and, moreover, it typically results in very low survival rates.…”