Abstract:
A pressure sensing pad includes a flexible planar layer having a two-dimensional sensing area, and an optical fiber embedded in the plane of the flexible planar layer traversing the two-dimensional sensing area in a particular configuration. At least one end of the fiber optic strain sensor has a connector that is connectable to an interferometric-based fiber optic interrogation and processing system. When the connector is connected to the an interferometric-based fiber optic interrogation and processing system and pressure is applied to the pressure sensing pad, a signal from the optical fiber is provided to and processed by the interferometric-based fiber optic interrogation and processing system to determine a two-dimensional pressure map for the two-dimensional sensing area.
Abstract:
An optical frequency domain reflectometry (OFDR) measurement is produced from an OFDR apparatus that includes a tunable laser source coupled to a sensing interferometer and a monitor interferometer. The sensing interferometer is also coupled to a waveguide, e.g., an optical sensing fiber. Sensor interferometric data obtained by the OFDR measurement is processed in the spectral domain (e.g., frequency) with one or more parameters to compensate for the optical dispersion associated with the sensing interferometer data. A Fourier Transform of the dispersion-compensated sensing interferometric data in the spectral domain is performed to provide a dispersion-compensated OFDR measurement information in the temporal (e.g., time) domain.