Fiber Bragg Grating vibration sensor with DFB laser diode

Science.gov (United States)

Siska, Petr; Brozovic, Martin; Cubik, Jakub; Kepak, Stanislav; Vitasek, Jan; Koudelka, Petr; Latal, Jan; Vasinek, Vladimir

2012-01-01

The Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors are nowadays used in many applications. Thanks to its quite big sensitivity to a surrounding environment, they can be used for sensing of temperature, strain, vibration or pressure. A fiber Bragg grating vibration sensor, which is interrogated by a distributed feedback laser diode (DFB) is demonstrated in this article. The system is based on the intensity modulation of the narrow spectral bandwidth of the DFB laser, when the reflection spectrum of the FBG sensor is shifted due to the strain that is applied on it in form of vibrations caused by acoustic wave pressure from loud speaker. The sensor's response in frequency domain and strain is measured; also the factor of sensor pre-strain impact on its sensitivity is discussed.

Photobiological effects of helium neon laser on hematologic and biochemical factors of rabbit blood

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J Rahmani Kahnamoei

2008-11-01

Full Text Available Low-level helium neon laser has many applications due to its photobiostimulatory effects. Although the therapeutic effects of low-level laser radiation of different wavelengths and doses are well known, but the exact mechanism of action of the laser radiation on living cells is not yet determined. The present study is designed to evaluate the photobiological effects of 2 mw helium neon laser with wavelength of 632.8 nm on hematologic and biochemical factors of rabbit blood for this purpose, 30 male New Zealand white rabbits with the body weight of 1/5-2 kg were randomly allocated into two groups of control and laser treatment. Animals of both groups were anesthetized and those of laser treatment group were subjected to irradiation with helium neon laser at a                        wavelength of 632.8 nm and output 2 mw for 30 minutes. Finally blood samples were collected from all animals and the biochemical and hematologic factors evaluated. Significant difference (p

Focused-laser interferometric position sensor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Friedman, Stephen J.; Barwick, Brett; Batelaan, Herman

2005-01-01

We describe a simple method to measure the position shifts of an object with a range of tens of micrometers using a focused-laser (FL) interferometric position sensor. In this article we examine the effects of mechanical vibration on FL and Michelson interferometers. We tested both interferometers using vibration amplitudes ranging from 0 to 20 μm. Our FL interferometer has a resolution much better than the diffraction grating periodicities of 10 and 14 μm used in our experiments. A FL interferometer provides improved mechanical stability at the expense of spatial resolution. Our experimental results show that Michelson interferometers cannot be used when the vibration amplitude is more than an optical wavelength. The main purpose of this article is to demonstrate that a focused-laser interferometric position sensor can be used to measure the position shifts of an object on a less sensitive, micrometer scale when the vibration amplitude is too large to use a Michelson interferometer

An improved triangulation laser rangefinder using a custom CMOS HDR linear image sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Liscombe, Michael

3-D triangulation laser rangefinders are used in many modern applications, from terrain mapping to biometric identification. Although a wide variety of designs have been proposed, laser speckle noise still provides a fundamental limitation on range accuracy. These works propose a new triangulation laser rangefinder designed specifically to mitigate the effects of laser speckle noise. The proposed rangefinder uses a precision linear translator to laterally reposition the imaging system (e.g., image sensor and imaging lens). For a given spatial location of the laser spot, capturing N spatially uncorrelated laser spot profiles is shown to improve range accuracy by a factor of N . This technique has many advantages over past speckle-reduction technologies, such as a fixed system cost and form factor, and the ability to virtually eliminate laser speckle noise. These advantages are made possible through spatial diversity and come at the cost of increased acquisition time. The rangefinder makes use of the ICFYKWG1 linear image sensor, a custom CMOS sensor developed at the Vision Sensor Laboratory (York University). Tests are performed on the image sensor's innovative high dynamic range technology to determine its effects on range accuracy. As expected, experimental results have shown that the sensor provides a trade-off between dynamic range and range accuracy.

Fiber Laser methane sensor with the function of self-diagnose

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yan-fang; Wei, Yu-bin; Shang, Ying; Wang, Chang; Liu, Tong-yu

2012-02-01

Using the technology of tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy and the technology of micro-electronics, a fiber laser methane sensor based on the microprocessor C8051F410 is given. In this paper, we use the DFB Laser as the light source of the sensor. By tuning temperature and driver current of the DFB laser, we can scan the laser over the methane absorption line, Based on the Beer-Lambert law, through detect the variation of the light power before and after the absorption we realize the methane detection. It makes the real-time and online detection of methane concentration to be true, and it has the advantages just as high accuracy, immunity to other gases , long calibration cycle and so on. The sensor has the function of adaptive gain and self-diagnose. By introducing digital potentiometers, the gain of the photoelectric conversion operational amplifier can be controlled by the microprocessor according to the light power. When the gain and the conversion voltage achieve the set value, then we can consider the sensor in a fault status, and then the software will alarm us to check the status of the probe. So we improved the dependence and the stability of the measured results. At last we give some analysis on the sensor according the field application and according the present working, we have a look of our next work in the distance.

Characterization of silicon microstrip sensors with a pulsed infrared laser system for the CBM experiment at FAIR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ghosh, Pradeep [Goethe Univ., Frankfurt (Germany); GSI (Germany); Eschke, Juergen [GSI (Germany); FAIR (Germany); Collaboration: CBM-Collaboration

2014-07-01

The Silicon Tracking System (STS) for the Compressed Baryonic Matter (CBM) experiment at FAIR will comprise more than 1200 double-sided silicon microstrip sensors. For the quality assurance of the prototype sensors a laser test system has been built up. The aim of the sensor scans with the pulsed infrared laser system is to determine the charge sharing between strips and to measure the uniformity of the sensor response over the whole active area. The laser system measures the sensor response in an automatized procedure at several thousand positions across the sensor with focused infrared laser light (σ∼15 μm, λ=1060 nm). The duration (5 ns) and power (few mW) of the laser pulses are selected such, that the absorption of the laser light in the 300 μm thick silicon sensors produces a number of about 24k electrons, which is similar to the charge created by minimum ionizing particles in these sensors. Results from the characterization of monolithic active pixel sensors, to understand the spot-size of the laser, and laser scans for different sensors are presented.

Flexible temperature and flow sensor from laser-induced graphene

KAUST Repository

Marengo, Marco; Marinaro, Giovanni; Kosel, Jü rgen

2017-01-01

Herein we present a flexible temperature sensor and a flow speed sensor based on laser-induced graphene. The main benefits arise from peculiar electrical, thermal and mechanical performances of the material thus obtained, along with a cheap

Development of a diamond waveguide sensor for sensitive protein analysis using IR quantum cascade lasers

Science.gov (United States)

Piron, P.; Vargas Catalan, E.; Haas, J.; Österlund, L.; Nikolajeff, F.; Andersson, P. O.; Bergström, J.; Mizaikoff, B.; Karlsson, M.

2018-02-01

Microfabricated diamond waveguides, between 5 and 20 μm thick, manufactured by chemical vapor deposition of diamond, followed by standard lithographic techniques and inductively coupled plasma etching of diamond, are used as bio-chemical sensors in the mid infrared domain: 5-11 μm. Infrared light, emitted from a broadly tunable quantum cascade laser with a wavelength resolution smaller than 20 nm, is coupled through the diamond waveguides for attenuated total reflection spectroscopy. The expected advantages of these waveguides are a high sensitivity due to the high number of internal reflections along the propagation direction, a high transmittance in the mid-IR domain, the bio-compatibility of diamond and the possibility of functionalizing the surface layer. The sensor will be used for analyzing different forms of proteins such as α-synuclein which is relevant in understanding the mechanism behind Parkinson's disease. The fabrication process of the waveguide, its characteristics and several geometries are introduced. The optical setup of the biosensor is described and our first measurements on two analytes to demonstrate the principle of the sensing method will be presented. Future use of this sensor includes the functionalization of the diamond waveguide sensor surface to be able to fish out alpha-synuclein from cerebrospinal fluid.

Flow Type Bio-Chemical Calorimeter with Micro Differential Thermopile Sensor.

Science.gov (United States)

Saito, Masataka; Nakabeppu, Osamu

2015-04-01

Bio-chemical calorimeters with a MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) thermopile sensor have been studied for monitoring detailed processes of the biochemical reactions of a minute sample with a high temporal resolution. The bio-calorimeters are generally divided into a batch-type and a flow-type. We developed a highly sensitive batch-type calorimeter which can detect a 100 nW level thermal reaction. However it shows a long settling time of 2 hours because of the heat capacity of a whole calorimeter. Thus, the flow-type calorimeters in passive and active mode have been studied for measuring the thermal reactions in an early stage after starting an analysis. The flow-type calorimeter consists of the MEMS differential thermopile sensor, a pair of micro channel reactor in a PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane) sheet in a three-fold thermostat chamber. The calorimeter in the passive mode was tested with dilution reactions of ethanol to water and NaCl aqueous solution to water. It was shown that the calorimeter detects exo- and endothermic reaction over 250 nW at solution flow rate of 0.05 ~ 1 µl/min with a settling time of about 4 minutes. In the active mode, a response test was conducted by using heat removal by water flow from the reactor channel. The active calorimetry enhances the response time about three to four times faster.

Design and Performance Analysis of Laser Displacement Sensor Based on Position Sensitive Detector (PSD)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Song, H X; Wang, X D; Ma, L Q; Cai, M Z; Cao, T Z

2006-01-01

By using PSD as sensitive element, and laser diode as emitting element, laser displacement sensor based on triangulation method has been widely used. From the point of view of design, sensor and its performance were studied. Two different sensor configurations were described. Determination of the dimension, sensing resolution and comparison of the two different configurations were presented. The factors affecting the performance of the laser displacement sensor were discussed and two methods, which can eliminate the affection of dark current and environment light, are proposed

Photodiode-based cutting interruption sensor for near-infrared lasers.

Science.gov (United States)

Adelmann, B; Schleier, M; Neumeier, B; Hellmann, R

2016-03-01

We report on a photodiode-based sensor system to detect cutting interruptions during laser cutting with a fiber laser. An InGaAs diode records the thermal radiation from the process zone with a ring mirror and optical filter arrangement mounted between a collimation unit and a cutting head. The photodiode current is digitalized with a sample rate of 20 kHz and filtered with a Chebyshev Type I filter. From the measured signal during the piercing, a threshold value is calculated. When the diode signal exceeds this threshold during cutting, a cutting interruption is indicated. This method is applied to sensor signals from cutting mild steel, stainless steel, and aluminum, as well as different material thicknesses and also laser flame cutting, showing the possibility to detect cutting interruptions in a broad variety of applications. In a series of 83 incomplete cuts, every cutting interruption is successfully detected (alpha error of 0%), while no cutting interruption is reported in 266 complete cuts (beta error of 0%). With this remarkable high detection rate and low error rate, the possibility to work with different materials and thicknesses in combination with the easy mounting of the sensor unit also to existing cutting machines highlight the enormous potential for this sensor system in industrial applications.

Characterization of FBG sensor interrogation based on a FDML wavelength swept laser

Science.gov (United States)

Jung, Eun Joo; Kim, Chang-Seok; Jeong, Myung Yung; Kim, Moon Ki; Jeon, Min Yong; Jung, Woonggyu; Chen, Zhongping

2012-01-01

In this study, we develop an ultra-fast fiber Bragg grating sensor system that is based on the Fourier domain mode-locked (FDML) swept laser. A FDML wavelength swept laser has many advantages compared to the conventional wavelength swept laser source, such as high-speed interrogation, narrow spectral sensitivity, and high phase stability. The newly developed FDML wavelength swept laser shows a superior performance of a high scan rate of 31.3 kHz and a broad scan range of over 70 nm simultaneously. The performance of the grating sensor interrogating system using a FDML wavelength swept laser is characterized in both static and dynamic strain responses. PMID:18852764

State-of-the-Art of (Bio)Chemical Sensor Developments in Analytical Spanish Groups

Science.gov (United States)

Plata, María Reyes; Contento, Ana María; Ríos, Angel

2010-01-01

(Bio)chemical sensors are one of the most exciting fields in analytical chemistry today. The development of these analytical devices simplifies and miniaturizes the whole analytical process. Although the initial expectation of the massive incorporation of sensors in routine analytical work has been truncated to some extent, in many other cases analytical methods based on sensor technology have solved important analytical problems. Many research groups are working in this field world-wide, reporting interesting results so far. Modestly, Spanish researchers have contributed to these recent developments. In this review, we summarize the more representative achievements carried out for these groups. They cover a wide variety of sensors, including optical, electrochemical, piezoelectric or electro-mechanical devices, used for laboratory or field analyses. The capabilities to be used in different applied areas are also critically discussed. PMID:22319260

Airborne Laser Polarization Sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Kalshoven, James, Jr.; Dabney, Philip

1991-01-01

Instrument measures polarization characteristics of Earth at three wavelengths. Airborne Laser Polarization Sensor (ALPS) measures optical polarization characteristics of land surface. Designed to be flown at altitudes of approximately 300 m to minimize any polarizing or depolarizing effects of intervening atmosphere and to look along nadir to minimize any effects depending on look angle. Data from measurements used in conjunction with data from ground surveys and aircraft-mounted video recorders to refine mathematical models used in interpretation of higher-altitude polarimetric measurements of reflected sunlight.

Urinary incontinence monitoring system using laser-induced graphene sensors

KAUST Repository

Nag, Anindya

2017-12-25

This paper presents the design and development of a sensor patch to be used in a sensing system to deal with the urinary incontinence problem primarily faced by women and elderly people. The sensor patches were developed from laser-induced graphene from low-cost commercial polyimide (PI) polymers. The graphene was manually transferred to a commercial tape, which was used as sensor patch for experimentation. Salt solutions with different concentrations were tested to determine the most sensitive frequency region of the sensor. The results are encouraging to further develop this sensor in a platform for a fully functional urinary incontinence detection system.

Experimental Implementation of a Biometric Laser Synaptic Sensor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexander N. Pisarchik

2013-12-01

Full Text Available We fabricate a biometric laser fiber synaptic sensor to transmit information from one neuron cell to the other by an optical way. The optical synapse is constructed on the base of an erbium-doped fiber laser, whose pumped diode current is driven by a pre-synaptic FitzHugh–Nagumo electronic neuron, and the laser output controls a post-synaptic FitzHugh–Nagumo electronic neuron. The implemented laser synapse displays very rich dynamics, including fixed points, periodic orbits with different frequency-locking ratios and chaos. These regimes can be beneficial for efficient biorobotics, where behavioral flexibility subserved by synaptic connectivity is a challenge.

Bullet Design and Fabrication of Dual Mode Pyroelectric Sensor: High Sensitive Energymeter for Nd: YAG Laser and Detector for Chopped He-Ne Laser

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. SATAPATHY

2008-05-01

Full Text Available Pyroelectric sensor using TGS has been designed and fabricated which can be operated in laser energy meter mode as well as pyroelectric detector mode. The amplifying circuit configuration has very good signal to noise ratio, very high input impedance and low drift. The pyroelectric sensor has been tested using Q-switched Nd: YAG laser and chopped He-Ne laser. The sensitivity of pyroelectric sensor in energymeter mode is 421.7V/J and the voltage responsivity of the pyroelectric sensor is 3.27 V/W in detector mode.

Optical Fiber Sensors Based on Fiber Ring Laser Demodulation Technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Wen-Ge; Zhang, Ya-Nan; Wang, Peng-Zhao; Wang, Jian-Zhang

2018-02-08

A review for optical fiber sensors based on fiber ring laser (FRL) demodulation technology is presented. The review focuses on the principles, main structures, and the sensing performances of different kinds of optical fiber sensors based on FRLs. First of all, the theory background of the sensors has been discussed. Secondly, four different types of sensors are described and compared, which includes Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) typed sensors, Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) typed sensors, Sagnac typed sensors, and fiber Bragg grating (FBG) typed sensors. Typical studies and main properties of each type of sensors are presented. Thirdly, a comparison of different types of sensors are made. Finally, the existing problems and future research directions are pointed out and analyzed.

Laser sensor with Bragg gratings of fiber optics to physics parameter measuring

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vazquez, R.; Garcia, C.; May, M.; Camas, J.

2009-01-01

We present the operation of a fiber laser sensor made by an Erbium Doped Fiber pumped at 980nm, an 4.23 km passive fiber and two fiber Bragg gratings placed at the ends of the laser cavity. Under normal conditions, the Bragg gratings have different reflection wavelengths and laser emission is not generated. The two Bragg gratings can be placed at the same reflection wavelength when the Bragg grating with the lowest reflective wavelength increases their temperature which can be used as a sensor element. The laser generation thus shows that the Bragg grating is increasing their temperature. We used a Peltier cell for to change gradually the temperature. (Author)

Multi-image acquisition-based distance sensor using agile laser spot beam.

Science.gov (United States)

Riza, Nabeel A; Amin, M Junaid

2014-09-01

We present a novel laser-based distance measurement technique that uses multiple-image-based spatial processing to enable distance measurements. Compared with the first-generation distance sensor using spatial processing, the modified sensor is no longer hindered by the classic Rayleigh axial resolution limit for the propagating laser beam at its minimum beam waist location. The proposed high-resolution distance sensor design uses an electronically controlled variable focus lens (ECVFL) in combination with an optical imaging device, such as a charged-coupled device (CCD), to produce and capture different laser spot size images on a target with these beam spot sizes different from the minimal spot size possible at this target distance. By exploiting the unique relationship of the target located spot sizes with the varying ECVFL focal length for each target distance, the proposed distance sensor can compute the target distance with a distance measurement resolution better than the axial resolution via the Rayleigh resolution criterion. Using a 30 mW 633 nm He-Ne laser coupled with an electromagnetically actuated liquid ECVFL, along with a 20 cm focal length bias lens, and using five spot images captured per target position by a CCD-based Nikon camera, a proof-of-concept proposed distance sensor is successfully implemented in the laboratory over target ranges from 10 to 100 cm with a demonstrated sub-cm axial resolution, which is better than the axial Rayleigh resolution limit at these target distances. Applications for the proposed potentially cost-effective distance sensor are diverse and include industrial inspection and measurement and 3D object shape mapping and imaging.

Quality assurance tests of the CBM silicon tracking system sensors with an infrared laser

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Teklishyn, Maksym [FAIR GmbH, Darmstadt (Germany); KINR, Kyiv (Ukraine); Collaboration: CBM-Collaboration

2016-07-01

Double-sided 300 μm thick silicon microstrip sensors are planned to be used in the Silicon Tracking System (STS) of the future CBM experiment. Different tools, including an infrared laser, are used to induce charge in the sensor medium to study the sensor response. We use present installation to develop a procedure for the sensor quality assurance during mass production. The precise positioning of the laser spot allows to make a clear judgment about the sensor interstrip gap response which provides information about the charge distribution inside the sensor medium. Results are compared with the model estimations.

A novel laser alignment system for tracking detectors using transparent silicon strip sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blum, W.; Kroha, H.; Widmann, P.

1995-02-01

Modern large-area precision tracking detectors require increasing accuracy of the geometrical alignment over large distances. A novel optical multi-point alignment system has been developed for the muon spectrometer of the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The system uses collimated laser beams as alignment references which are monitored by semi-transparent optical position sensors. The custom designed sensors provide very precise and uniform position information on the order of 1 μm over a wide measurement range. At suitable laser wavelengths, produced by laser diodes, transmission rates above 90% have been achieved which allow to align more than 30 sensors along one laser beam. With this capability and equipped with integrated readout electronics, the alignment system offers high flexibility for precision applications in a wide range of detector systems. (orig.)

Optical Cutting Interruption Sensor for Fiber Lasers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Benedikt Adelmann

2015-09-01

Full Text Available We report on an optical sensor system attached to a 4 kW fiber laser cutting machine to detect cutting interruptions. The sensor records the thermal radiation from the process zone with a modified ring mirror and optical filter arrangement, which is placed between the cutting head and the collimator. The process radiation is sensed by a Si and InGaAs diode combination with the detected signals being digitalized with 20 kHz. To demonstrate the function of the sensor, signals arising during fusion cutting of 1 mm stainless steel and mild steel with and without cutting interruptions are evaluated and typical signatures derived. In the recorded signals the piercing process, the laser switch on and switch off point and waiting period are clearly resolved. To identify the cutting interruption, the signals of both Si and InGaAs diodes are high pass filtered and the signal fluctuation ranges being subsequently calculated. Introducing a correction factor, we identify that only in case of a cutting interruption the fluctuation range of the Si diode exceeds the InGaAs diode. This characteristic signature was successfully used to detect 80 cutting interruptions of 83 incomplete cuts (alpha error 3.6% and system recorded no cutting interruption from 110 faultless cuts (beta error of 0. This particularly high detection rate in combination with the easy integration of the sensor, highlight its potential for cutting interruption detection in industrial applications.

Polymeric turbidity sensor fabricated by laser direct writing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Shu; Lin, Qiao; Wu, George; Chen, Liuhua; Wu, X

2011-01-01

The design of a miniature-sized turbidity sensor fabricated by laser direct writing was proposed and tested. A dual-beam dual-detector sensing structure was written by a 488 nm laser from UV curable optical polymer to form a 4 mm diameter turbidity sensing probe, with the fabrication process being shortened to a few seconds. Experimental tests on prototypes were conducted by using standard turbidity solutions, and the data were processed with a self-adapting neural network based on a single input single output algorithm. The scattering coefficient for normalized turbidity of the standards was obtained, and system accuracy was validated by an error analysis. Experimental results indicated that in the testing situation presented in this paper, the sensor was capable of responding to turbidity with a relative error of about 3%

All-fiber-coupled laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy sensor for hazardous materials analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bohling, Christian [Institut fuer Physik und Physikalische Technologien, Technische Universitaet Clausthal, Leibnizstrasse 4, 38678 Clausthal-Zellerfeld (Germany); SECOPTA GmbH, Ostendstr. 25, 12459 Berlin (Germany)], E-mail: c.bohling@pe.tu-clausthal.de; Hohmann, Konrad [Institut fuer Physik und Physikalische Technologien, Technische Universitaet Clausthal, Leibnizstrasse 4, 38678 Clausthal-Zellerfeld (Germany)], E-mail: k.hohmann@pe.tu-clausthal.de; Scheel, Dirk [Systektum GmbH, Arnold-Sommerfeld-Str. 6, 38678 Clausthal-Zellerfeld (Germany)], E-mail: d.scheel@systektum.de; Bauer, Christoph [LaserAnwendungsCentrum (LAC) Technische Universitaet Clausthal, Arnold-Sommerfeld-Strasse 6, 38678 Clausthal-Zellerfeld (Germany)], E-mail: c.bauer@pe.tu-clausthal.de; Schippers, Wolfgang [Institut fuer Physik und Physikalische Technologien, Technische Universitaet Clausthal, Leibnizstrasse 4, 38678 Clausthal-Zellerfeld (Germany)], E-mail: w.schippers@pe.tu-clausthal.de; Burgmeier, Joerg [LaserAnwendungsCentrum (LAC) Technische Universitaet Clausthal, Arnold-Sommerfeld-Strasse 6, 38678 Clausthal-Zellerfeld (Germany)], E-mail: j.burgmeier@pe.tu-clausthal.de; Willer, Ulrike [Institut fuer Physik und Physikalische Technologien, Technische Universitaet Clausthal, Leibnizstrasse 4, 38678 Clausthal-Zellerfeld (Germany); LaserAnwendungsCentrum (LAC) Technische Universitaet Clausthal, Arnold-Sommerfeld-Strasse 6, 38678 Clausthal-Zellerfeld (Germany)], E-mail: u.willer@pe.tu-clausthal.de; Holl, Gerhard [Wehrwissenschaftliches Institut fuer Werk-, Explosiv- und Betriebsstoffe (WIWEB), Grosses Cent, 53913, Swisttal (Germany)], E-mail: gerhardholl@bwb.orgd; Schade, Wolfgang [Institut fuer Physik und Physikalische Technologien, Technische Universitaet Clausthal, Leibnizstrasse 4, 38678 Clausthal-Zellerfeld (Germany); LaserAnwendungsCentrum (LAC) Technische Universitaet Clausthal, Arnold-Sommerfeld-Strasse 6, 38678 Clausthal-Zellerfeld (Germany)], E-mail: w.schade@pe.tu-clausthal.de

2007-12-15

An all-fiber-coupled laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) sensor device is developed. A passively Q-switched Cr{sup 4+}Nd{sup 3+}:YAG microchip laser is amplified within an Yb fiber amplifier, thus generating high power laser pulses (pulse energy E{sub p} = 0.8 mJ, wavelength {lambda} = 1064 nm, repetition rate f{sub rep.} = 5 kHz, pulse duration t{sub p} = 1.2 ns). A passive (LMA) optical fiber is spliced to the active fiber of an Yb fiber amplifier for direct guiding of high power laser pulses to the sensor tip. In front of the sensor a plasma is generated on the surface to be analyzed. The plasma emission is collected by a set of optical fibers also integrated into the sensor tip. The spectrally resolved LIBS spectra are processed by application of principal component analysis (PCA) and analyzed together with the time-resolved spectra with neural networks. Such procedure allows accurate analysis of samples by LIBS even for materials with similar atomic composition. The system has been tested successfully during field measurements at the German Armed Forces test facility at Oberjettenberg. The LIBS sensor is not restricted to anti-personnel mine detection but has also the potential to be suitable for analysis of bulk explosives and surface contaminations with explosives, e.g. for the detection of improvised explosive devices (IEDs)

Application of the laser scanning confocal microscope in fluorescent film sensor research

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Hongyan; Liu, Wei-Min; Zhao, Wen-Wen; Dai, Qing; Wang, Peng-Fei

2010-10-01

Confocal microscopy offers several advantages over conventional optical microscopy; we show an experimental investigation laser scanning confocal microscope as a tool to be used in cubic boron nitride (cBN) film-based fluorescent sensor research. Cubic boron nitride cBN film sensors are modified with dansyl chloride and rhodamine B isothiocyanate respectively. Fluorescent modification quality on the cubic boron nitride film is clearly express and the sensor ability to Hg2+ cations and pH are investigated in detail. We evidence the rhodamine B isothiocyanate modified quality on cBN surface is much better than that of dansyl chloride. And laser scanning confocal microscope has potential application lighttight fundus film fluorescent sensor research.

Laser deposition of sulfonated phthalocyanines for gas sensors

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Fitl, Přemysl; Vrňata, M.; Kopecký, D.; Vlček, J.; Škodová, J.; Bulíř, Jiří; Novotný, Michal; Pokorný, Petr

2014-01-01

Roč. 302, MAY (2014), s. 37-41 ISSN 0169-4332. [European-Materials-Research-Society Symposium on Laser Material Interactions for Micro- and Nano- Applications /5./. Strasbourg, 27.05.2013-31.05.2013] R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GAP108/11/1298 Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : Matrix Assisted Pulsed Laser Evaporation * substituted phthalocyanine s * gas sensors * impedance measurements Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 2.711, year: 2014

Experiment of Laser Pointing Stability on Different Surfaces to validate Micrometric Positioning Sensor

CERN Document Server

AUTHOR|(SzGeCERN)721924; Mainaud Durand, Helene; Piedigrossi, Didier; Sandomierski, Jacek; Sosin, Mateusz; Geiger, Alain; Guillaume, Sebastien

2014-01-01

CLIC requires 10 μm precision and accuracy over 200m for the pre-alignment of beam related components. A solution based on laser beam as straight line reference is being studied at CERN. It involves camera/shutter assemblies as micrometric positioning sensors. To validate the sensors, it is necessary to determine an appropriate material for the shutter in terms of laser pointing stability. Experiments are carried out with paper, metal and ceramic surfaces. This paper presents the standard deviations of the laser spot coordinates obtained on the different surfaces, as well as the measurement error. Our experiments validate the choice of paper and ceramic for the shutter of the micrometric positioning sensor. It also provides an estimate of the achievable precision and accuracy of the determination of the laser spot centre with respect to the shutter coordinate system defined by reference targets.

Adaptive Pulsed Laser Line Extraction for Terrain Reconstruction using a Dynamic Vision Sensor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christian eBrandli

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Mobile robots need to know the terrain in which they are moving for path planning and obstacle avoidance. This paper proposes the combination of a bio-inspired, redundancy-suppressing dynamic vision sensor with a pulsed line laser to allow fast terrain reconstruction. A stable laser stripe extraction is achieved by exploiting the sensor’s ability to capture the temporal dynamics in a scene. An adaptive temporal filter for the sensor output allows a reliable reconstruction of 3D terrain surfaces. Laser stripe extractions up to pulsing frequencies of 500Hz were achieved using a line laser of 3mW at a distance of 45cm using an event-based algorithm that exploits the sparseness of the sensor output. As a proof of concept, unstructured rapid prototype terrain samples have been successfully reconstructed with an accuracy of 2mm.

Short-Range Sensor for Underwater Robot Navigation using Line-lasers and Vision

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Peter Nicholas; Nielsen, Mikkel Cornelius; Christensen, David Johan

2015-01-01

This paper investigates a minimalistic laser-based range sensor, used for underwater inspection by Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV). This range detection system system comprise two lasers projecting vertical lines, parallel to a camera’s viewing axis, into the environment. Using both lasers...

A wireless laser displacement sensor node for structural health monitoring.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Hyo Seon; Kim, Jong Moon; Choi, Se Woon; Kim, Yousok

2013-09-30

This study describes a wireless laser displacement sensor node that measures displacement as a representative damage index for structural health monitoring (SHM). The proposed measurement system consists of a laser displacement sensor (LDS) and a customized wireless sensor node. Wireless communication is enabled by a sensor node that consists of a sensor module, a code division multiple access (CDMA) communication module, a processor, and a power module. An LDS with a long measurement distance is chosen to increase field applicability. For a wireless sensor node driven by a battery, we use a power control module with a low-power processor, which facilitates switching between the sleep and active modes, thus maximizing the power consumption efficiency during non-measurement and non-transfer periods. The CDMA mode is also used to overcome the limitation of communication distance, which is a challenge for wireless sensor networks and wireless communication. To evaluate the reliability and field applicability of the proposed wireless displacement measurement system, the system is tested onsite to obtain the required vertical displacement measurements during the construction of mega-trusses and an edge truss, which are the primary structural members in a large-scale irregular building currently under construction. The measurement values confirm the validity of the proposed wireless displacement measurement system and its potential for use in safety evaluations of structural elements.

A Wireless Laser Displacement Sensor Node for Structural Health Monitoring

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Se Woon Choi

2013-09-01

Full Text Available This study describes a wireless laser displacement sensor node that measures displacement as a representative damage index for structural health monitoring (SHM. The proposed measurement system consists of a laser displacement sensor (LDS and a customized wireless sensor node. Wireless communication is enabled by a sensor node that consists of a sensor module, a code division multiple access (CDMA communication module, a processor, and a power module. An LDS with a long measurement distance is chosen to increase field applicability. For a wireless sensor node driven by a battery, we use a power control module with a low-power processor, which facilitates switching between the sleep and active modes, thus maximizing the power consumption efficiency during non-measurement and non-transfer periods. The CDMA mode is also used to overcome the limitation of communication distance, which is a challenge for wireless sensor networks and wireless communication. To evaluate the reliability and field applicability of the proposed wireless displacement measurement system, the system is tested onsite to obtain the required vertical displacement measurements during the construction of mega-trusses and an edge truss, which are the primary structural members in a large-scale irregular building currently under construction. The measurement values confirm the validity of the proposed wireless displacement measurement system and its potential for use in safety evaluations of structural elements.

Characterization of silicon micro-strip sensors with a pulsed infra-red laser system for the CBM experiment at FAIR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ghosh, Pradeep [Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main (Germany); GSI Helmholtz Center for Heavy Ion Research GmbH, Darmstadt (Germany); Eschke, Juergen [GSI Helmholtz Center for Heavy Ion Research GmbH, Darmstadt (Germany); Facility for Anti-proton and Ion Research, GmbH, Darmstadt (Germany); Collaboration: CBM-Collaboration

2015-07-01

The Silicon Tracking System (STS) of the CBM experiment at FAIR is composed of 8 tracking stations comprising of 1292 double-sided silicon micro-strip sensors. A Laser Test System (LTS) has been developed for the quality assurance of prototype sensors. The aim is to scan sensors with a pulsed infra-red laser driven by step motor to determine the charge sharing in-between strips and to measure qualitative uniformity of the sensor response over the whole active area. Several prototype sensors with strip pitch of 50 and 58 μm have been tested, as well as a prototype module with realistic mechanical arrangement of sensor and read-out cables. The LTS is designed to measure sensor response in an automatized procedure across the sensor with focused laser beam (spot-size ∼ 12 μm, wavelength = 1060 nm). The pulse with duration (∼ 10 ns) and power (∼ 5 mW) of the laser pulses is selected such, that the absorption of the laser light in the 300 μm thick silicon sensors produces a number of about 24000 electrons, which is similar to the charge created by minimum ionizing particles (MIP) in these sensors. Results from laser scans of prototype sensors and detector module are reported.

Laser of optical fiber composed by two coupled cavities: application as optical fiber sensor; Laser de fibra optica compuesto por dos cavidades acopladas: aplicacion como sensor de fibra optica

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vazquez S, R.A.; Kuzin, E.A.; Ibarra E, B. [Instituto Nacional de Astrofisica, Optica y Electronica (INAOE), A.P. 51 y 216, 72000 Puebla (Mexico); May A, M. [Universidad Autonoma del Carmen (UNACAR) Av. 56 No. 4 por Av. Concordia, Campeche (Mexico); Shlyagin, M.; Marquez B, I. [Centro de Investigacion Cientifica y de Ensenanza Superior de Ensenada (CICESE), 22860 Ensenada, Baja California (Mexico)]. e-mail: ravsa100@hotmail.com

2004-07-01

We show an optical fiber laser sensor which consist of two cavities coupled and three fiber Bragg gratings. We used one Bragg grating (called reference) and two Bragg gratings (called sensors), which have the lower reflection wavelength. The reference grating with the two sensors grating make two cavities: first one is the internal cavity which has 4230 m of length and the another one is the external cavity which has 4277 m of length. Measuring the laser beating frequency for a resonance cavity and moving the frequency peaks when the another cavity is put in resonance, we prove that the arrangement can be used as a two points sensor for determining the difference of temperature or stress between these two points. (Author)

Characterization of silicon micro-strip sensors with a pulsed infra-red laser system for the CBM experiment at FAIR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghosh, P.

2015-01-01

The Compressed Baryonic Matter (CBM) experiment at FAIR is composed of 8 tracking stations consisting of 1292 double sided silicon micro-strip sensors. For the quality assurance of produced prototype sensors a laser test system (LTS) has been developed. The aim of the LTS is to scan sensors with a pulsed infra-red laser driven by step motor to determine the charge sharing in-between strips and to measure qualitative uniformity of the sensor response over the whole active area. The prototype sensors which are tested with the LTS so far have 256 strips with a pitch of 50 μm on each side. They are read-out using a self-triggering prototype read-out electronic ASIC called n-XYTER. The LTS is designed to measure sensor response in an automatized procedure at several thousand positions across the sensor with focused infra-red laser light (spot size ≈ 12 μm , wavelength = 1060 nm). The pulse with duration (≈ 10 ns) and power (≈ 5 mW) of the laser pulses is selected such, that the absorption of the laser light in the 300 μm thick silicon sensors produces a number of about 24000 electrons, which is similar to the charge created by minimum ionizing particles (MIP) in these sensors. Laser scans different prototype sensors is reported

Design and implementation of a laser-based absorption spectroscopy sensor for in situ monitoring of biomass gasification

Science.gov (United States)

Viveros Salazar, David; Goldenstein, Christopher S.; Jeffries, Jay B.; Seiser, Reinhard; Cattolica, Robert J.; Hanson, Ronald K.

2017-12-01

Research to demonstrate in situ laser-absorption-based sensing of H2O, CH4, CO2, and CO mole fraction is reported for the product gas line of a biomass gasifier. Spectral simulations were used to select candidate sensor wavelengths that optimize sensitive monitoring of the target species while minimizing interference from other species in the gas stream. A prototype sensor was constructed and measurements performed in the laboratory at Stanford to validate performance. Field measurements then were demonstrated in a pilot scale biomass gasifier at West Biofuels in Woodland, CA. The performance of a prototype sensor was compared for two sensor strategies: wavelength-scanned direct absorption (DA) and wavelength-scanned wavelength modulation spectroscopy (WMS). The lasers used had markedly different wavelength tuning response to injection current, and modern distributed feedback lasers (DFB) with nearly linear tuning response to injection current were shown to be superior, leading to guidelines for laser selection for sensor fabrication. Non-absorption loss in the transmitted laser intensity from particulate scattering and window fouling encouraged the use of normalized WMS measurement schemes. The complications of using normalized WMS for relatively large values of absorbance and its mitigation are discussed. A method for reducing adverse sensor performance effects of a time-varying WMS background signal is also presented. The laser absorption sensor provided measurements with the sub-second time resolution needed for gasifier control and more importantly provided precise measurements of H2O in the gasification products, which can be problematic for the typical gas chromatography sensors used by industry.

Autonomous Kinematic Calibration of the Robot Manipulator with a Linear Laser-Vision Sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Kang, Hee-Jun; Jeong, Jeong-Woo; Shin, Sung-Weon; Suh, Young-Soo; Ro, Young-Schick

This paper presents a new autonomous kinematic calibration technique by using a laser-vision sensor called "Perceptron TriCam Contour". Because the sensor measures by capturing the image of a projected laser line on the surface of the object, we set up a long, straight line of a very fine string inside the robot workspace, and then allow the sensor mounted on a robot to measure the point intersection of the line of string and the projected laser line. The data collected by changing robot configuration and measuring the intersection points are constrained to on a single straght line such that the closed-loop calibration method can be applied. The obtained calibration method is simple and accurate and also suitable for on-site calibration in an industrial environment. The method is implemented using Hyundai VORG-35 for its effectiveness.

Robotic tool positioning process using a multi-line off-axis laser triangulation sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Pinto, T. C.; Matos, G.

2018-03-01

Proper positioning of a friction stir welding head for pin insertion, driven by a closed chain robot, is important to ensure quality repair of cracks. A multi-line off-axis laser triangulation sensor was designed to be integrated to the robot, allowing relative measurements of the surface to be repaired. This work describes the sensor characteristics, its evaluation and the measurement process for tool positioning to a surface point of interest. The developed process uses a point of interest image and a measured point cloud to define the translation and rotation for tool positioning. Sensor evaluation and tests are described. Keywords: laser triangulation, 3D measurement, tool positioning, robotics.

Oil spill sensing in marine and coastal environments using laser-based sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, C. E.; Fingas, M. F.

1998-01-01

A prototype laser environmental airborne fluorosensor (LEAF) under development by the Environmental Protection Service of Environment Canada, which has the ability to detect and classify oil on water, land and conditions of snow and ice, real-time from an airborne platform, was described. Also under development are a scanning laser environmental airborne fluorosensor (SLEAF) to detect and map oil in complex marine and shoreline environments where other nonspecific sensors are not effective, and a laser ultrasonic remote sensing of oil thickness (LURSOT) sensor, which is expected to provide a measurement of oil thickness from an airborne platform. Details of each of these remote sensing technologies are provided, along with a discussion of expected benefits to the oil spill response community. 12 refs

Localized Temperature Variations in Laser-Irradiated Composites with Embedded Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors

OpenAIRE

R. Brian Jenkins; Peter Joyce; Deborah Mechtel

2017-01-01

Fiber Bragg grating (FBG) temperature sensors are embedded in composites to detect localized temperature gradients resulting from high energy infrared laser radiation. The goal is to detect the presence of radiation on a composite structure as rapidly as possible and to identify its location, much the same way human skin senses heat. A secondary goal is to determine how a network of sensors can be optimized to detect thermal damage in laser-irradiated composite materials or structures. Initia...

Localized Temperature Variations in Laser-Irradiated Composites with Embedded Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. Brian Jenkins

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Fiber Bragg grating (FBG temperature sensors are embedded in composites to detect localized temperature gradients resulting from high energy infrared laser radiation. The goal is to detect the presence of radiation on a composite structure as rapidly as possible and to identify its location, much the same way human skin senses heat. A secondary goal is to determine how a network of sensors can be optimized to detect thermal damage in laser-irradiated composite materials or structures. Initial tests are conducted on polymer matrix composites reinforced with either carbon or glass fiber with a single optical fiber embedded into each specimen. As many as three sensors in each optical fiber measure the temporal and spatial thermal response of the composite to high energy radiation incident on the surface. Additional tests use a 2 × 2 × 3 array of 12 sensors embedded in a carbon fiber/epoxy composite to simultaneously measure temperature variations at locations on the composite surface and through the thickness. Results indicate that FBGs can be used to rapidly detect temperature gradients in a composite and their location, even for a direct strike of laser radiation on a sensor, when high temperatures can cause a non-uniform thermal response and FBG decay.

Localized Temperature Variations in Laser-Irradiated Composites with Embedded Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors.

Science.gov (United States)

Jenkins, R Brian; Joyce, Peter; Mechtel, Deborah

2017-01-27

Fiber Bragg grating (FBG) temperature sensors are embedded in composites to detect localized temperature gradients resulting from high energy infrared laser radiation. The goal is to detect the presence of radiation on a composite structure as rapidly as possible and to identify its location, much the same way human skin senses heat. A secondary goal is to determine how a network of sensors can be optimized to detect thermal damage in laser-irradiated composite materials or structures. Initial tests are conducted on polymer matrix composites reinforced with either carbon or glass fiber with a single optical fiber embedded into each specimen. As many as three sensors in each optical fiber measure the temporal and spatial thermal response of the composite to high energy radiation incident on the surface. Additional tests use a 2 × 2 × 3 array of 12 sensors embedded in a carbon fiber/epoxy composite to simultaneously measure temperature variations at locations on the composite surface and through the thickness. Results indicate that FBGs can be used to rapidly detect temperature gradients in a composite and their location, even for a direct strike of laser radiation on a sensor, when high temperatures can cause a non-uniform thermal response and FBG decay.

Research on sensor design for internet of things and laser manufacturing

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Tao; Yao, Jianquan; Guo, Ling; Zhang, Yanchun

2010-12-01

In this paper, we will introduce the research on sensor design for IOT (Internet of Things) and laser manufacturing, and supporting the establishment of local area IOT. The main contents include studying on the structure designing of silicon micro tilt sensor, data acquisition and processing, addressing implanted and building Local Area IOT with wireless sensor network technology. At last, it is discussed the status and trends of the Internet of Things from the promoters, watchers, pessimists and doers.

Vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser vapor sensor using swelling polymer reflection modulation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ansbæk, Thor; Nielsen, Claus Højgård; Dohn, Søren

2012-01-01

Vapor detection using a low-refractive index polymer for reflection modulation of the top mirror in a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) is demonstrated. The VCSEL sensor concept presents a simple method to detect the response of a sensor polymer in the presence of volatile organic...

Stabilizing operation point technique based on the tunable distributed feedback laser for interferometric sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Mao, Xuefeng; Zhou, Xinlei; Yu, Qingxu

2016-02-01

We describe a stabilizing operation point technique based on the tunable Distributed Feedback (DFB) laser for quadrature demodulation of interferometric sensors. By introducing automatic lock quadrature point and wavelength periodically tuning compensation into an interferometric system, the operation point of interferometric system is stabilized when the system suffers various environmental perturbations. To demonstrate the feasibility of this stabilizing operation point technique, experiments have been performed using a tunable-DFB-laser as light source to interrogate an extrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometric vibration sensor and a diaphragm-based acoustic sensor. Experimental results show that good tracing of Q-point was effectively realized.

Nanoimprinted distributed feedback dye laser sensor for real-time imaging of small molecule diffusion

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vannahme, Christoph; Dufva, Martin; Kristensen, Anders

2014-01-01

Label-free imaging is a promising tool for the study of biological processes such as cell adhesion and small molecule signaling processes. In order to image in two dimensions of space current solutions require motorized stages which results in low imaging frame rates. Here, a highly sensitive...... distributed feedback (DFB) dye laser sensor for real-time label-free imaging without any moving parts enabling a frame rate of 12 Hz is presented. The presence of molecules on the laser surface results in a wavelength shift which is used as sensor signal. The unique DFB laser structure comprises several areas...

Burr formation detector for fiber laser cutting based on a photodiode sensor system

Science.gov (United States)

Schleier, Max; Adelmann, Benedikt; Neumeier, Benedikt; Hellmann, Ralf

2017-11-01

We report a unique sensor system based on a InGaAs photodiode to detect the formation of burr during near infrared fiber laser cutting. The sensor approach encompasses the measurement of the thermal radiation form the process zone, optical filtering, digitalized sampling at 20 kHz, digital filtering using an elliptical band-pass filter 12th order and calculation of the standard deviation. We find a linear correlation between the deduced sensor signal and the generated burr height with this functionality being experimentally confirmed for laser cutting of mild and stainless steel of different thicknesses. The underlying mechanism of this transducer concept is attributed to the melt flow dynamics inside the cut kerf.

Laser of optical fiber composed by two coupled cavities: application as optical fiber sensor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vazquez S, R.A.; Kuzin, E.A.; Ibarra E, B.; May A, M.; Shlyagin, M.; Marquez B, I.

2004-01-01

We show an optical fiber laser sensor which consist of two cavities coupled and three fiber Bragg gratings. We used one Bragg grating (called reference) and two Bragg gratings (called sensors), which have the lower reflection wavelength. The reference grating with the two sensors grating make two cavities: first one is the internal cavity which has 4230 m of length and the another one is the external cavity which has 4277 m of length. Measuring the laser beating frequency for a resonance cavity and moving the frequency peaks when the another cavity is put in resonance, we prove that the arrangement can be used as a two points sensor for determining the difference of temperature or stress between these two points. (Author)

Development of Laser LEDs Based a Programmable Optical Sensor for Detection of Environmental Pollutants

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amit K. Sharma

2009-01-01

Full Text Available The laser LED based optical sensor and its multifunctional operation for detection of environmental pollutants are described. The work will provide the instructions to design of circuitry for optical sensor instrument with a program based on a microcontroller (8902051-24PI, and to allow this program to communicate via RS-232 with computer. An algorithm is outlined by which the sensor instrument can use three laser LEDs (blue, Green and red to quantify the composition of pollutant. The operation of measurement through optical sensor has been applied to the study of detection and rate of reaction of pollutant i.e. methyl parathion and the produced informative data were also correlated with UV-vis spectrophotometry for the validation of results. The purpose of designed optical sensor is that the sophisticated analytical techniques show costly impact, time taking process, high consumable solvents and not suit for field application purpose which focuses the merits of the optical sensor.

Optical fiber sensor for the detection of laser-generated ultrasound in arterial tissues

Science.gov (United States)

Beard, Paul C.; Mills, Timothy N.

1995-02-01

Theoretical and experimental aspects of an extrinsic Fabry-Perot optical fiber ultrasound sensor for use in a photoacoustic-guided laser angioplasty system are described. The sensor has been characterized using laser generated thermoelastic waves as a source of wideband ultrasound. A system sensitivity of 25 mV/MPa and an acoustic noise floor of 2 Pa/Hz1/2 are reported using a transparent polymer film as the sensing element. The system demonstrates the required bandwidth for sensing thermoelastic waves containing frequency components up to 20 MHz.

Chemical sensors based on quantum cascade lasers

Science.gov (United States)

Tittel, Frank K.; Kosterev, Anatoliy A.; Rochat, Michel; Beck, Mattias; Faist, Jerome

2002-09-01

There is an increasing need in many chemical sensing applications ranging from industrial process control to environmental science and medical diagnostics for fast, sensitive, and selective gas detection based on laser spectroscopy. The recent availability of novel pulsed and cw quantum cascade distributed feedback (QC-DFB) lasers as mid-infrared spectroscopic sources address this need. A number of spectroscopic techniques have been demonstrated. For example, the authors have employed QC-DFB lasers for the monitoring and quantification of several trace gases and isotopic species in ambient air at ppmv and ppbv levels by means of direct absorption, wavelength modulation, cavity enhanced and cavity ringdown spectroscopy. In this work, pulsed thermoelectrically cooled QC-DFB lasers operating at ~15.6 μm were characterized for spectroscopic gas sensing applications. A new method for wavelength scanning based on the repetition rate modulation was developed. A non-wavelength-selective pyroelectric detector was incorporated in the gas sensor giving an advantage of room-temperature operation and low cost. Absorption lines of CO2 and H2O were observed in ambient air providing information about the concentration of these species.

Optical Graphene Gas Sensors Based on Microfibers: A Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yu Wu

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Graphene has become a bridge across optoelectronics, mechanics, and bio-chemical sensing due to its unique photoelectric characteristics. Moreover, benefiting from its two-dimensional nature, this atomically thick film with full flexibility has been widely incorporated with optical waveguides such as fibers, realizing novel photonic devices including polarizers, lasers, and sensors. Among the graphene-based optical devices, sensor is one of the most important branch, especially for gas sensing, as rapid progress has been made in both sensing structures and devices in recent years. This article presents a comprehensive and systematic overview of graphene-based microfiber gas sensors regarding many aspects including sensing principles, properties, fabrication, interrogating and implementations.

Temperature monitoring with FBG sensor during diffuser-assisted laser-induced interstitial thermotherapy (Conference Presentation)

Science.gov (United States)

Pham, Ngot T.; Lee, Seul Lee; Lee, Yong Wook; Kang, Hyun Wook

2017-02-01

Temperature variations are often monitored by using sensors operating at the site of treatment during Laser-induced Interstitial Thermotherapy (LITT). Currently, temperature measurements during LITT have been performed with thermocouples (TCs). However, TCs could directly absorb laser light and lead to self-heating (resulting in an over-estimation). Fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors can instead overcome this limitation of the TCs due to its insensitivity to electromagnetic interference. The aim of the current study was to quantitatively evaluate the FBG temperature sensor with a K-type thermocouple to real-time monitor temperature increase in ex vivo tissue during diffuser-assisted LITT. A 4-W 980-nm laser was employed to deliver optical energy in continuous mode through a 600-µm core-diameter diffusing applicator. A goniometric measurement validated the uniform light distribution in polar and longitudinal directions. The FBG sensor showed a linear relationship (R2 = 0.995) between wavelength shift and temperature change in air and tissue along with a sensitivity of 0.0114 nm/˚C. Regardless of sensor type, the measured temperature increased with irradiation time and applied power but decreased with increasing distance from the diffuser surface. The temperature elevation augmented the degree of thermal coagulation in the tissue during LITT (4.0±0.3-mm at 99˚C after 120-s). The temperature elevation augmented the degree of thermal coagulation in the tissue during LITT s irradiation). The FBG-integrated diffuser was able to monitor the interstitial temperature in tubular tissue (porcine urethra) real-time during laser treatment. However, the thermal coagulation thickness of the porcine urethra was measured to be 1.5 mm that was slightly thicker ( 20%) than that of the bovine liver after 4-W 980-nm laser for 48 s. The FBG temperature sensor can be a feasible tool to real-time monitor the temporal development of the temperature during the diffuser-assisted LITT to

Study on robot motion control for intelligent welding processes based on the laser tracking sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Bin; Wang, Qian; Tang, Chen; Wang, Ju

2017-06-01

A robot motion control method is presented for intelligent welding processes of complex spatial free-form curve seams based on the laser tracking sensor. First, calculate the tip position of the welding torch according to the velocity of the torch and the seam trajectory detected by the sensor. Then, search the optimal pose of the torch under constraints using genetic algorithms. As a result, the intersection point of the weld seam and the laser plane of the sensor is within the detectable range of the sensor. Meanwhile, the angle between the axis of the welding torch and the tangent of the weld seam meets the requirements. The feasibility of the control method is proved by simulation.

Assessment of laser ablation techniques in a-si technologies for position-sensor development

Science.gov (United States)

Molpeceres, C.; Lauzurica, S.; Ocana, J. L.; Gandia, J. J.; Urbina, L.; Carabe, J.

2005-07-01

Laser micromachining of semiconductor and Transparent Conductive Oxides (TCO) materials is very important for the practical applications in photovoltaic industry. In particular, a problem of controlled ablation of those materials with minimum of debris and small heat affected zone is one of the most vital for the successful implementation of laser micromachining. In particular, selective ablation of thin films for the development of new photovoltaic panels and sensoring devices based on amorphous silicon (a-Si) is an emerging field, in which laser micromachining systems appear as appropriate tools for process development and device fabrication. In particular, a promising application is the development of purely photovoltaic position sensors. Standard p-i-n or Schottky configurations using Transparent Conductive Oxides (TCO), a-Si and metals are especially well suited for these applications, appearing selective laser ablation as an ideal process for controlled material patterning and isolation. In this work a detailed study of laser ablation of a widely used TCO, Indium-tin-oxide (ITO), and a-Si thin films of different thicknesses is presented, with special emphasis on the morphological analysis of the generated grooves. The profiles of ablated grooves have been studied in order to determine the best processing conditions, i.e. laser pulse energy and wavelength, and to asses this technology as potentially competitive to standard photolithographic processes. The encouraging results obtained, with well defined ablation grooves having thicknesses in the order of 10 μm both in ITO and a-Si, open up the possibility of developing a high-performance double Schottky photovoltaic matrix position sensor.

Distributed Intrusion Sensor Using DFB Laser with Optical Feedback and Saturable Absorber

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kyoo Nam Choi

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Characteristics of a distributed intrusion sensor using a coherent DFB laser diode with an external optical feedback and saturable absorber were experimentally investigated. The stimulus at a location of 2 km using a PZT transducer placed the location of a simulated intruder in Φ-OTDR trace after averaging 32 times. Field trials demonstrated the detection of a vehicle and a pedestrian crossing above the sensing line and a loop in a burial depth of 50 cm. This distributed intrusion sensor using a coherent DFB laser diode as the light source had the advantages of a simple structure and intruder detection capability at the underground burial location.

Design Parameter Optimization of a Silicon-Based Grating Waveguide for Performance Improvement in Biochemical Sensor Application.

Science.gov (United States)

Hong, Yoo-Seung; Cho, Chun-Hyung; Sung, Hyuk-Kee

2018-03-05

We performed numerical analysis and design parameter optimization of a silicon-based grating waveguide refractive index (RI) sensor. The performance of the grating waveguide RI sensor was determined by the full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) and the shift in the resonance wavelength in the transmission spectrum. The transmission extinction, a major figure-of-merit of an RI sensor that reflects both FWHM and resonance shift performance, could be significantly improved by the proper determination of three major grating waveguide parameters: duty ratio, grating period, and etching depth. We analyzed the transmission characteristics of the grating waveguide under various design parameter conditions using a finite-difference time domain method. We achieved a transmission extinction improvement of >26 dB under a given bioenvironmental target change by the proper choice of the design procedure and parameters. This design procedure and choice of appropriate parameters would enable the widespread application of silicon-based grating waveguide in high-performance RI biochemical sensor.

Control of the positional relationship between a sample collection instrument and a surface to be analyzed during a sampling procedure using a laser sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Van Berkel, Gary J [Clinton, TN; Kertesz, Vilmos [Knoxville, TN

2012-02-21

A system and method utilizes distance-measuring equipment including a laser sensor for controlling the collection instrument-to-surface distance during a sample collection process for use, for example, with mass spectrometric detection. The laser sensor is arranged in a fixed positional relationship with the collection instrument, and a signal is generated by way of the laser sensor which corresponds to the actual distance between the laser sensor and the surface. The actual distance between the laser sensor and the surface is compared to a target distance between the laser sensor and the surface when the collection instrument is arranged at a desired distance from the surface for sample collecting purposes, and adjustments are made, if necessary, so that the actual distance approaches the target distance.

Current and emerging laser sensors for greenhouse gas sensing and leak detection

Science.gov (United States)

Frish, Michael B.

2014-05-01

To reduce atmospheric accumulation of the greenhouse gases methane and carbon dioxide, networks of continuously operating sensors that monitor and map their sources are desirable. In this paper, we discuss advances in laser-based open-path leak detectors, as well as technical and economic challenges inhibiting widespread sensor deployment for "ubiquitous monitoring". We describe permanently-installed, wireless, solar-powered sensors that overcome previous installation and maintenance difficulties while providing autonomous real-time leak reporting without false alarms.

RGB-D, Laser and Thermal Sensor Fusion for People following in a Mobile Robot

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Loreto Susperregi

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Detecting and tracking people is a key capability for robots that operate in populated environments. In this paper, we used a multiple sensor fusion approach that combines three kinds of sensors in order to detect people using RGB-D vision, lasers and a thermal sensor mounted on a mobile platform. The Kinect sensor offers a rich data set at a significantly low cost, however, there are some limitations to its use in a mobile platform, mainly that the Kinect algorithms for people detection rely on images captured by a static camera. To cope with these limitations, this work is based on the combination of the Kinect and a Hokuyo laser and a thermopile array sensor. A real-time particle filter system merges the information provided by the sensors and calculates the position of the target, using probabilistic leg and thermal patterns, image features and optical flow to this end. Experimental results carried out with a mobile platform in a Science museum have shown that the combination of different sensory cues increases the reliability of the people following system.

Compact, diode-pumped, solid-state lasers for next generation defence and security sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Silver, M.; Lee, S. T.; Borthwick, A.; McRae, I.; Jackson, D.; Alexander, W.

2015-06-01

Low-cost semiconductor laser diode pump sources have made a dramatic impact in sectors such as advanced manufacturing. They are now disrupting other sectors, such as defence and security (D&S), where Thales UK is a manufacturer of sensor systems for application on land, sea, air and man portable. In this talk, we will first give an overview of the market trends and challenges in the D&S sector. Then we will illustrate how low cost pump diodes are enabling new directions in D&S sensors, by describing two diode pumped, solid- state laser products currently under development at Thales UK. The first is a new generation of Laser Target Designators (LTD) that are used to identify targets for the secure guiding of munitions. Current systems are bulky, expensive and require large battery packs to operate. The advent of low cost diode technology, merged with our novel solid-state laser design, has created a designator that will be the smallest, lowest cost, STANAG compatible laser designator on the market. The LTD delivers greater that 50mJ per pulse up to 20Hz, and has compact dimensions of 125×70×55mm. Secondly, we describe an ultra-compact, eye-safe, solid-state laser rangefinder (LRF) with reduced size, weight and power consumption compared to existing products. The LRF measures 100×55×34mm, weighs 200g, and can range to greater than 10km with a single laser shot and at a reprate of 1Hz. This also leverages off advances in laser pump diodes, but also utilises low cost, high reliability, packaging technology commonly found in the telecoms sector. As is common in the D&S sector, the products are designed to work in extreme environments, such as wide temperature range (-40 to +71°C) and high levels of shock and vibration. These disruptive products enable next- generation laser sensors such as rangefinders, target designators and active illuminated imagers.

Sensor Fusion of Cameras and a Laser for City-Scale 3D Reconstruction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yunsu Bok

2014-11-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a sensor fusion system of cameras and a 2D laser sensorfor large-scale 3D reconstruction. The proposed system is designed to capture data on afast-moving ground vehicle. The system consists of six cameras and one 2D laser sensor,and they are synchronized by a hardware trigger. Reconstruction of 3D structures is doneby estimating frame-by-frame motion and accumulating vertical laser scans, as in previousworks. However, our approach does not assume near 2D motion, but estimates free motion(including absolute scale in 3D space using both laser data and image features. In orderto avoid the degeneration associated with typical three-point algorithms, we present a newalgorithm that selects 3D points from two frames captured by multiple cameras. The problemof error accumulation is solved by loop closing, not by GPS. The experimental resultsshow that the estimated path is successfully overlaid on the satellite images, such that thereconstruction result is very accurate.

Enhancement of methane gas sensing characteristics of graphene oxide sensor by heat treatment and laser irradiation.

Science.gov (United States)

Assar, Mohammadreza; Karimzadeh, Rouhollah

2016-12-01

The present study uses a rapid, easy and practical method for cost-effective fabrication of a methane gas sensor. The sensor was made by drop-casting a graphene oxide suspension onto an interdigital circuit surface. The electrical conductivity and gas-sensing characteristics of the sensor were determined and then heat treatment and in situ laser irradiation were applied to improve the device conductivity and gas sensitivity. Real-time monitoring of the evolution of the device current as a function of heat treatment time revealed significant changes in the conductance of the graphene oxide sensor. The use of low power laser irradiation enhanced both the electrical conductivity and sensing response of the graphene oxide sensor. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Ultracompact low-threshold organic laser.

Science.gov (United States)

Deotare, Parag B; Mahony, Thomas S; Bulović, Vladimir

2014-11-25

We report an ultracompact low-threshold laser with an Alq3:DCM host:guest molecular organic thin film gain layer. The device uses a photonic crystal nanobeam cavity which provides a high quality factor to mode volume (Q/V) ratio and increased spontaneous emission factor along with a small footprint. Lasing is observed with a threshold of 4.2 μJ/cm(2) when pumped by femtosecond pulses of λ = 400 nm wavelength light. We also model the dynamics of the laser and show good agreement with the experimental data. The inherent waveguide geometry of the structure enables easy on-chip integration with potential applications in biochemical sensing, inertial sensors, and data communication.

Nanosecond-laser induced crosstalk of CMOS image sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Rongzhen; Wang, Yanbin; Chen, Qianrong; Zhou, Xuanfeng; Ren, Guangsen; Cui, Longfei; Li, Hua; Hao, Daoliang

2018-02-01

The CMOS Image Sensor (CIS) is photoelectricity image device which focused the photosensitive array, amplifier, A/D transfer, storage, DSP, computer interface circuit on the same silicon substrate[1]. It has low power consumption, high integration,low cost etc. With large scale integrated circuit technology progress, the noise suppression level of CIS is enhanced unceasingly, and its image quality is getting better and better. It has been in the security monitoring, biometrice, detection and imaging and even military reconnaissance and other field is widely used. CIS is easily disturbed and damaged while it is irradiated by laser. It is of great significance to study the effect of laser irradiation on optoelectronic countermeasure and device for the laser strengthening resistance is of great significance. There are some researchers have studied the laser induced disturbed and damaged of CIS. They focused on the saturation, supersaturated effects, and they observed different effects as for unsaturation, saturation, supersaturated, allsaturated and pixel flip etc. This paper research 1064nm laser interference effect in a typical before type CMOS, and observring the saturated crosstalk and half the crosstalk line. This paper extracted from cmos devices working principle and signal detection methods such as the Angle of the formation mechanism of the crosstalk line phenomenon are analyzed.

High frame rate multi-resonance imaging refractometry with distributed feedback dye laser sensor

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vannahme, Christoph; Dufva, Martin; Kristensen, Anders

2015-01-01

imaging refractometry without moving parts is presented. DFB dye lasers are low-cost and highly sensitive refractive index sensors. The unique multi-wavelength DFB laser structure presented here comprises several areas with different grating periods. Imaging in two dimensions of space is enabled...... by analyzing laser light from all areas in parallel with an imaging spectrometer. With this multi-resonance imaging refractometry method, the spatial position in one direction is identified from the horizontal, i.e., spectral position of the multiple laser lines which is obtained from the spectrometer charged...

Radiological (MRI and Biochemical effects of Low Level LASER therapy in chronic Osteo arthritis in Al-Kharj, Saudi Arabia: A Randomized Control Trial

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gopal Nambi S

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Osteoarthritis is one of the degenerative diseases and Low level laser therapy (LLLT has been prescribed as nonoperative treatment in physiotherapy. But the available evidences of finding the radiological and biochemical effectiveness of LLLT are very few. So, the purpose of this study is to find the radiological and biochemical effect of Low level laser therapy (LLLT in the treatment of Osteoarthritis. 34 subjects who fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria were divided into two groups (Active Laser group – ALG & Placebo Laser group - PLG with randomized sampling method. ALG was treated with active laser head, whereas PLG treated same like ALG but without emission of energy. Both groups were applied with kinesio tape for 4 weeks. The frequency of the treatment was three times per week for 4 weeks in both groups. Subjects were assessed at baseline, 4th and 8th week. Contact area (mm2 – medial & lateral and cartilage thickness (percentage - medial & lateral was measured by Magnetic resonance image (MRI and CTX-II (μmg/mmol was measured by urine analysis. A statistically significant (p ≤0.05 difference between both groups were noted at the period of 8 week for contact area (lateral and CTX-II and insignificant (p ≥ 0.05 difference in contact area (medial and cartilage thickness (medial & lateral were noted. In conclusion, the low level laser therapy is helpful in modifying the biochemical components and leads to make changes in the cartilage which subsequently improve the quality of life of OA patients.

Two transparent optical sensors for the positioning of detectors using a reference laser beam

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barriere, J.Ch.; Blumenfeld, H.; Bourdinaud, M.; Cloue, O.; Guyot, C.; Molinie, F.; Ponsot, P.; Saudemont, J.C.; Schuller, J.P.; Schune, Ph.; Sube, S. [CEA Saclay, 91 - Gif sur Yvette (France). Dept. d' Astrophysique, de la Physique des Particules, de la Physique Nucleaire et de l' Instrumentation Associee

1999-07-01

We have developed two different optical systems in order to position detectors with respect to a reference laser beam. The first system, a telescope, permits the absolute positioning of an element with respect to a reference laser beam. The resolution is of the order of 10 {mu}m in translation and 50 {mu}rad in rotation. It is highly transparent (-90%) permitting several elements to be aligned. A calibration procedure has also been studied and is currently being tested in order to obtain an absolute alignment information. The second system is a highly transparent (95%) two dimensional position sensor which allows the accurate positioning (below 20 {mu}m) of several (up to ten) elements to which each sensor is attached, transversally to a laser beam used as a reference straight line. The present useful area of the first sensor is 20 x 20 mm{sup 2} and is 15 x 15 mm{sup 2} for the second. In both case it can be further increased to meet the experiment's requirement. (authors)

Two transparent optical sensors for the positioning of detectors using a reference laser beam

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barriere, J.Ch.; Blumenfeld, H.; Bourdinaud, M.; Cloue, O.; Guyot, C.; Molinie, F.; Ponsot, P.; Saudemont, J.C.; Schuller, J.P.; Schune, Ph.; Sube, S.

1999-01-01

We have developed two different optical systems in order to position detectors with respect to a reference laser beam. The first system, a telescope, permits the absolute positioning of an element with respect to a reference laser beam. The resolution is of the order of 10 μm in translation and 50 μrad in rotation. It is highly transparent (-90%) permitting several elements to be aligned. A calibration procedure has also been studied and is currently being tested in order to obtain an absolute alignment information. The second system is a highly transparent (95%) two dimensional position sensor which allows the accurate positioning (below 20 μm) of several (up to ten) elements to which each sensor is attached, transversally to a laser beam used as a reference straight line. The present useful area of the first sensor is 20 x 20 mm 2 and is 15 x 15 mm 2 for the second. In both case it can be further increased to meet the experiment's requirement. (authors)

Laser beam welding quality monitoring system based in high-speed (10 kHz) uncooled MWIR imaging sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Linares, Rodrigo; Vergara, German; Gutiérrez, Raúl; Fernández, Carlos; Villamayor, Víctor; Gómez, Luis; González-Camino, Maria; Baldasano, Arturo; Castro, G.; Arias, R.; Lapido, Y.; Rodríguez, J.; Romero, Pablo

2015-05-01

The combination of flexibility, productivity, precision and zero-defect manufacturing in future laser-based equipment are a major challenge that faces this enabling technology. New sensors for online monitoring and real-time control of laserbased processes are necessary for improving products quality and increasing manufacture yields. New approaches to fully automate processes towards zero-defect manufacturing demand smarter heads where lasers, optics, actuators, sensors and electronics will be integrated in a unique compact and affordable device. Many defects arising in laser-based manufacturing processes come from instabilities in the dynamics of the laser process. Temperature and heat dynamics are key parameters to be monitored. Low cost infrared imagers with high-speed of response will constitute the next generation of sensors to be implemented in future monitoring and control systems for laser-based processes, capable to provide simultaneous information about heat dynamics and spatial distribution. This work describes the result of using an innovative low-cost high-speed infrared imager based on the first quantum infrared imager monolithically integrated with Si-CMOS ROIC of the market. The sensor is able to provide low resolution images at frame rates up to 10 KHz in uncooled operation at the same cost as traditional infrared spot detectors. In order to demonstrate the capabilities of the new sensor technology, a low-cost camera was assembled on a standard production laser welding head, allowing to register melting pool images at frame rates of 10 kHz. In addition, a specific software was developed for defect detection and classification. Multiple laser welding processes were recorded with the aim to study the performance of the system and its application to the real-time monitoring of laser welding processes. During the experiments, different types of defects were produced and monitored. The classifier was fed with the experimental images obtained. Self

A Fiber Bragg Grating Sensor Interrogation System Based on a Linearly Wavelength-Swept Thermo-Optic Laser Chip

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Hyung-Seok; Lee, Hwi Don; Kim, Hyo Jin; Cho, Jae Du; Jeong, Myung Yung; Kim, Chang-Seok

2014-01-01

A linearized wavelength-swept thermo-optic laser chip was applied to demonstrate a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor interrogation system. A broad tuning range of 11.8 nm was periodically obtained from the laser chip for a sweep rate of 16 Hz. To measure the linear time response of the reflection signal from the FBG sensor, a programmed driving signal was directly applied to the wavelength-swept laser chip. The linear wavelength response of the applied strain was clearly extracted with an R-squared value of 0.99994. To test the feasibility of the system for dynamic measurements, the dynamic strain was successfully interrogated with a repetition rate of 0.2 Hz by using this FBG sensor interrogation system. PMID:25177803

Biochemical and topological analysis of bovine sperm cells induced by low power laser irradiation

Science.gov (United States)

Dreyer, T. R.; Siqueira, A. F. P.; Magrini, T. D.; Fiorito, P. A.; Assumpção, M. E. O. A.; Nichi, M.; Martinho, H. S.; Milazzotto, M. P.

2011-07-01

Low-level laser irradiation (LLLI) increases ATP production and energy supply to the cell which could increase sperm motility, acrossomal reaction and consequently the fertilizing potential. The aim of this study was to characterize the biochemical and topological changes induced by low power laser irradiation on bull sperm cells. Post-thawing sperm were irradiated with a 633nm laser with fluence rates of 30, 150 and 300mJ.cm-2 (power of 5mW for 1, 5 and 10minutes, respectively); 45, 230, and 450mJ.cm-2 (7.5mW for 1, 5 and 10 minutes); and 60, 300 and 600mJ.cm-2 (10mW for 1, 5 and 10 minutes). Biochemical and metabolical changes were analyzed by FTIR and flow cytometry; oxygen reactive species production was assessed by TBARS and the morphological changes were evaluated by AFM. Motility had no difference among times or powers of irradiation. Increasing in ROS generation was observed with power of 5mW compared to 7.5 and 10mW, and with 10min of irradiation in comparison with 5 and 1min of irradiation. This higher ROS generation was related to an increase in acrossomal and plasma membrane damage. FTIR results showed that the amount of lipids was inversely proportional to the quantity of ROS generated. AFM images showed morphological differences in plasma/acrossomal membrane, mainly on the equatorial region. We conclude that LLLI is an effective method to induce changes on sperm cell metabolism but more studies are necessary to establish an optimal dose to increase the fertility potential of these cells.

Experiments of Laser Pointing Stability in Air and in Vacuum to Validate Micrometric Positioning Sensor

CERN Document Server

Stern, G; Piedigrossi, D; Sandomierski, J; Sosin, M; Geiger, A; Guillaume, S

2014-01-01

Aligning accelerator components over 200m with 10 μm accuracy is a challenging task within the Compact Linear Collider (CLIC) study. A solution based on laser beam in vacuum as straight line reference is proposed. The positions of the accelerator’s components are measured with respect to the laser beam by sensors made of camera/shutter assemblies. To validate these sensors, laser pointing stability has to be studied over 200m. We perform experiments in air and in vacuum in order to know how laser pointing stability varies with the distance of propagation and with the environment. The experiments show that the standard deviations of the laser spot coordinates increase with the distance of propagation. They also show that the standard deviations are much smaller in vacuum (8 μm at 35m) than in air (2000 μm at 200m). Our experiment validates the concept of laser beam in vacuum with camera/shutter assembly for micrometric positioning over 35m. It also gives an estimation of the achievable precision.

Characterization of a Low-Cost Optical Flow Sensor When Using an External Laser as a Direct Illumination Source

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jordi Palacín

2011-12-01

Full Text Available In this paper, a low cost optical flow sensor is combined with an external laser device to measure surface displacements and mechanical oscillations. The measurement system is based on applying coherent light to a diffuser surface and using an optical flow sensor to analyze the reflected and transferred light to estimate the displacement of the surface or the laser spot. This work is focused on the characterization of this measurement system, which can have the optical flow sensor placed at different angles and distances from the diffuser surface. The results have shown that the displacement of the diffuser surface is badly estimated when the optical mouse sensor is placed in front of the diffuser surface (angular orientation >150° while the highest sensitivity is obtained when the sensor is located behind the diffuser surface and on the axis of the laser source (angular orientation 0°. In this case, the coefficient of determination of the measured displacement, R2, was very high (>0.99 with a relative error of less than 1.29%. Increasing the distance between the surface and the sensor also increased the sensitivity which increases linearly, R2 = 0.99. Finally, this measurement setup was proposed to measure very low frequency mechanical oscillations applied to the laser device, up to 0.01 Hz in this work. The results have shown that increasing the distance between the surface and the optical flow sensor also increases the sensitivity and the measurement range.

Real-time trace gas sensor using a multimode diode laser and multiple-line integrated cavity enhanced absorption spectroscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Karpf, Andreas; Rao, Gottipaty N

2015-07-01

We describe and demonstrate a highly sensitive trace gas sensor based on a simplified design that is capable of measuring sub-ppb concentrations of NO2 in tens of milliseconds. The sensor makes use of a relatively inexpensive Fabry-Perot diode laser to conduct off-axis cavity enhanced spectroscopy. The broad frequency range of a multimode Fabry-Perot diode laser spans a large number of absorption lines, thereby removing the need for a single-frequency tunable laser source. The use of cavity enhanced absorption spectroscopy enhances the sensitivity of the sensor by providing a pathlength on the order of 1 km in a small volume. Off-axis alignment excites a large number of cavity modes simultaneously, thereby reducing the sensor's susceptibility to vibration. Multiple-line integrated absorption spectroscopy (where one integrates the absorption spectra over a large number of rovibronic transitions of the molecular species) further improves the sensitivity of detection. Relatively high laser power (∼400  mW) is used to compensate for the low coupling efficiency of a broad linewidth laser to the optical cavity. The approach was demonstrated using a 407 nm diode laser to detect trace quantities of NO2 in zero air. Sensitivities of 750 ppt, 110 ppt, and 65 ppt were achieved using integration times of 50 ms, 5 s, and 20 s respectively.

Disruptive laser diode source for embedded LIDAR sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Canal, Celine; Laugustin, Arnaud; Kohl, Andreas; Rabot, Olivier

2017-02-01

Active imaging based on laser illumination is used in various fields such as medicine, security, defense, civil engineering and in the automotive sector. In this last domain, research and development to bring autonomous vehicles on the roads has been intensified these last years with an emphasis on lidar technology that is probably the key to achieve full automation level. Based on time-of-flight measurements, the profile of objects can be measured together with their location in various conditions, creating a 3D mapping of the environment. To be embedded on a vehicle as advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), these sensors require compactness, low-cost and reliability, as it is provided by a flash lidar. An attractive candidate, especially with respect to cost reduction, for the laser source integrated in these devices is certainly laser diodes as long as they can provide sufficiently short pulses with a high energy. A recent breakthrough in laser diode and diode driver technology made by Quantel (Les Ulis, France) now allows laser emission higher than 1 mJ with pulses as short as 12 ns in a footprint of 4x5 cm2 (including both the laser diode and driver) and an electrical-to-optical conversion efficiency of the whole laser diode source higher than 25% at this level of energy. The components used for the laser source presented here can all be manufactured at low cost. In particular, instead of having several individual laser diodes positioned side by side, the laser diodes are monolithically integrated on a single semiconductor chip. The chips are then integrated directly on the driver board in a single assembly step. These laser sources emit in the range of 800-1000 nm and their emission is considered to be eye safe when taking into account the high divergence of the output beam and the aperture of possible macro lenses so that they can be used for end consumer applications. Experimental characterization of these state-of-the-art pulsed laser diode sources

Design and Implementation of a Laser-Based Ammonia Breath Sensor for Medical Applications

KAUST Repository

Owen, Kyle

2012-06-01

Laser-based sensors can be used as non-invasive monitoring tools to measure parts per billion (ppb) levels of trace gases. Ammonia sensors are useful for applications in environmental pollutant monitoring, atmospheric and combustion kinetic studies, and medical diagnostics. This sensor was specifically designed to measure ammonia in exhaled breath to be used as a medical diagnostic and monitoring tool, however, it can also be extended for use in other applications. Although ammonia is a naturally occurring species in exhaled breath, abnormally elevated levels can be an indication of adverse medical conditions. Laser-based breath diagnostics have many benefits since they are cost effective, non-invasive, painless, real time monitors. They have the potential to improve the quality of medical care by replacing currently used blood tests and providing immediate feedback to physicians. This sensor utilizes a Quantum Cascade Laser and Wavelength Modulation Spectroscopy with second harmonic normalized by first harmonic detection in a 76 m multi-pass absorption cell to measure ppb levels of ammonia with improved sensitivity over previous sensors. Initial measurements to determine the ammonia absorption line parameters were performed using direct absorption spectroscopy. This is the first experimental study of the ammonia absorption line transitions near 1103.46 cm1 with absorption spectroscopy. The linestrengths were measured with uncertainties less than 10%. The collisional broadening coefficients for each of the ammonia lines with nitrogen, oxygen, water vapor, and carbon dioxide were also measured, many of which had uncertainties less than 5%. The sensor was characterized to show a detectability limit of 10 ppb with an uncertainty of less than 5% at typical breath ammonia levels. Initial breath test results showed that some of the patients with chronic kidney disease had elevated ammonia levels while others had ammonia levels in the same range as expected for healthy

Laser-based sensors on UAVs for quantifying local emissions of greenhouse gases

Science.gov (United States)

Zondlo, Mark; Tao, Lei; O'Brien, Anthony; Ross, Kevin; Khan, Amir; Pan, Da; Golston, Levi; Sun, Kang; DiGangi, Josh

2015-04-01

Small unmanned aerial systems (UAS) provide an ideal platform to sample both locally near an emission source as well as within the atmospheric boundary layer. However, small UAS (those with wingspans or rotors on the order of a meter) place severe constraints on sensor size (~ liter volume), mass (~ kg), and power (10s W). Laser-based sensors employing absorption techniques are ideally suited for such platforms due to their high sensitivity, high selectivity, and compact footprint. We have developed and flown compact sensors for water vapor, carbon dioxide and methane using new advances in open-path, laser-based spectroscopy on a variety of platforms ranging from remote control helicopters to long-duration UAS. Open-path spectroscopy allows for high frequency sampling (10-25 Hz) while avoiding the size/mass/power of sample delays, inlet lines, and pumps. To address the challenges of in-flight stability in changing environmental conditions and any associated flight artifacts on the measurement itself (e.g. vibrations), we use an in-line reference cell at a reduced pressure (10 hPa) to account for systematic drift continuously while in flight. Wavelength modulation spectroscopy is used at different harmonics to isolate the narrow linewidth of the in-line reference signal from the ambient, pressure-broadened absorption lineshape of the trace gas of interest. As a result, a metric of in-flight performance is achieved in real-time on the same optical pathlength as the ambient signal. To demonstrate the great potential of laser-based sensors on UAS, we deployed a 1.65 micron-based methane sensor (4 kg, 50 W, 100 ppbv precision at 10 Hz) on a UT-Dallas remote control aircraft for two weeks around gas/oil extraction activities as part of the EDF Barnett Coordinated Campaign in October 2013. We conducted thirty-four flights around a compressor station to examine the spatial and temporal characteristics of its emissions. Leaks of methane were typically lofted to altitudes

Measurement of drill grinding parameters using laser sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Yanping, Peng; Kumehara, Hiroyuki; Wei, Zhang; Nomura, Takashi

2005-12-01

To measure the grinding parameters and geometry parameters accurately for a drill point is essential to its design and reconditioning. In recent years, a number of non-contact coordinate measuring apparatuses, using CCD camera or laser sensors, are developed. But, a lot work is to be done for further improvement. This paper reports another kind of laser coordinate meter. As an example of its application, the method for geometry inspection of the drill flank surface is detailed. Measured data from laser scanning on the flank surface around some points with several 2-dimensional curves are analyzed with mathematical procedure. If one of these curves turns to be a straight line, it must be the generatrix of the grinding cone. Thus, the grinding parameters are determined by a set of three generatrices. Then, the measurement method and data processing procedure are proposed. Its validity is assessed by measuring a sample with given parameters. The point geometry measured agrees well with the known values. In comparison with other methods in the published literature, it is simpler in computation and more accurate in results.

Broadband external cavity quantum cascade laser based sensor for gasoline detection

Science.gov (United States)

Ding, Junya; He, Tianbo; Zhou, Sheng; Li, Jinsong

2018-02-01

A new type of tunable diode spectroscopy sensor based on an external cavity quantum cascade laser (ECQCL) and a quartz crystal tuning fork (QCTF) were used for quantitative analysis of volatile organic compounds. In this work, the sensor system had been tested on different gasoline sample analysis. For signal processing, the self-established interpolation algorithm and multiple linear regression algorithm model were used for quantitative analysis of major volatile organic compounds in gasoline samples. The results were very consistent with that of the standard spectra taken from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) database. In future, The ECQCL sensor will be used for trace explosive, chemical warfare agent, and toxic industrial chemical detection and spectroscopic analysis, etc.

From chemical or biochemical microsensors to fast detection systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pistre, J.; Dejous, C.; Rebiere, D.

2011-01-01

The market of chemical and biochemical sensors is increasing and represents a large opportunity. The problem of chemical and biochemicaldetection involves the use of one/several transducing layer/interface. Several types of detection exist. Among them, acoustic wave devices present many advantages. The paper deals with surface acoustic waves devices and their implementation. The role and properties of the sensing layer are discussed for chemical sensors and biochemical sensors as well. Examples of realizations are presented taking into account the microfluidic approach.

Integration of High-Resolution Laser Displacement Sensors and 3D Printing for Structural Health Monitoring

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shu-Wei Chang

2017-12-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a novel experimental design for complex structural health monitoring (SHM studies achieved by integrating 3D printing technologies, high-resolution laser displacement sensors, and multiscale entropy SHM theory. A seven-story structure with a variety of composite bracing systems was constructed using a dual-material 3D printer. A wireless Bluetooth vibration speaker was used to excite the ground floor of the structure, and high-resolution laser displacement sensors (1-μm resolution were used to monitor the displacement history on different floors. Our results showed that the multiscale entropy SHM method could detect damage on the 3D-printed structures. The results of this study demonstrate that integrating 3D printing technologies and high-resolution laser displacement sensors enables the design of cheap, fast processing, complex, small-scale civil structures for future SHM studies. The novel experimental design proposed in this study provides a suitable platform for investigating the validity and sensitivity of SHM in different composite structures and damage conditions for real life applications in the future.

Integration of High-Resolution Laser Displacement Sensors and 3D Printing for Structural Health Monitoring.

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Shu-Wei; Lin, Tzu-Kang; Kuo, Shih-Yu; Huang, Ting-Hsuan

2017-12-22

This paper presents a novel experimental design for complex structural health monitoring (SHM) studies achieved by integrating 3D printing technologies, high-resolution laser displacement sensors, and multiscale entropy SHM theory. A seven-story structure with a variety of composite bracing systems was constructed using a dual-material 3D printer. A wireless Bluetooth vibration speaker was used to excite the ground floor of the structure, and high-resolution laser displacement sensors (1-μm resolution) were used to monitor the displacement history on different floors. Our results showed that the multiscale entropy SHM method could detect damage on the 3D-printed structures. The results of this study demonstrate that integrating 3D printing technologies and high-resolution laser displacement sensors enables the design of cheap, fast processing, complex, small-scale civil structures for future SHM studies. The novel experimental design proposed in this study provides a suitable platform for investigating the validity and sensitivity of SHM in different composite structures and damage conditions for real life applications in the future.

Low Cost Multi-Sensor Robot Laser Scanning System and its Accuracy Investigations for Indoor Mapping Application

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, C.; Zou, X.; Tian, M.; Li, J.; Wu, W.; Song, Y.; Dai, W.; Yang, B.

2017-11-01

In order to solve the automation of 3D indoor mapping task, a low cost multi-sensor robot laser scanning system is proposed in this paper. The multiple-sensor robot laser scanning system includes a panorama camera, a laser scanner, and an inertial measurement unit and etc., which are calibrated and synchronized together to achieve simultaneously collection of 3D indoor data. Experiments are undertaken in a typical indoor scene and the data generated by the proposed system are compared with ground truth data collected by a TLS scanner showing an accuracy of 99.2% below 0.25 meter, which explains the applicability and precision of the system in indoor mapping applications.

Development and characterization of a semi-conductor laser sensor for real time measurement and identification of atmospheric pollutants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boulos, F.; Zaatar, Y.; Atanas, J.P.; Bechara, J.

2004-01-01

Full text.Tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) in the near infrared (NIR) using semiconductor lasers of compounds between elements of group III (Ga, Al and In) and group V (P, As and Sb) is being increasingly used in various environmental and industrial process control applications. This technique exploits the unique properties of these laser materials i.e., high coherence, high monochromaticity, low divergence and high brightness to permit rapid sensitive detection with high selectivity and spectral resolution. A computer-interfaced near infrared semiconductor laser sensor has been developed in our laboratory for spectroscopic applications in air pollution monitoring. The sensor can be operated in two configurations: open path free beam coupled to a multiple pass White cell and fiber optic guided beam coupled to an evanescent wave sensor. This paper will present an overview of the system's modulation, sensing and data acquisition methods and some recent measurement results, together with a description of ongoing research and development for the improvement of the system's performance and sensitivity

An Improved Measurement Method for the Strength of Radiation of Reflective Beam in an Industrial Optical Sensor Based on Laser Displacement Meter

OpenAIRE

Youngchul Bae

2016-01-01

An optical sensor such as a laser range finder (LRF) or laser displacement meter (LDM) uses reflected and returned laser beam from a target. The optical sensor has been mainly used to measure the distance between a launch position and the target. However, optical sensor based LRF and LDM have numerous and various errors such as statistical errors, drift errors, cyclic errors, alignment errors and slope errors. Among these errors, an alignment error that contains measurement error for the stre...

Magnetic field sensor based on the Ampere's force using dual-polarization DBR fiber laser

Science.gov (United States)

Yao, Shuang; Zhang, Yang; Guan, Baiou

2015-08-01

A novel magnetic field sensor using distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) fiber laser by Ampere's force effect is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. The key sensing element, that is the dual-polarization DBR fiber laser, is fixed on the middle part of two copper plates which carry the current. Ampere's force is applied onto the coppers due to an external magnetic field generated by a DC solenoid. Thus, the lateral force from the coppers is converted to a corresponding beat frequency signal shift produced by the DBR laser. The electric current sensing is also realized by the same configuration and same principle simultaneously in an intuitive manner. Good agreement between the theory calculation and the experimental results is obtained, which shows a good linearity. This sensor's sensitivity to the magnetic field and to the electric current finally reaches ~258.92 kHz/mT and ~1.08727 MHz/A, respectively.

Wearable bio and chemical sensors

OpenAIRE

Coyle, Shirley; Curto, Vincenzo F.; Benito-Lopez, Fernando; Florea, Larisa; Diamond, Dermot

2014-01-01

Chemical and biochemical sensors have experienced tremendous growth in the past decade due to advances in material chemistry combined with the emergence of digital communication technologies and wireless sensor networks (WSNs) [1]. The emergence of wearable chemical and biochemical sensors is a relatively new concept that poses unique challenges to the field of wearable sensing. This is because chemical sensors have a more complex mode of operation, compared to physical transducers, in that t...

Simultaneous Intrinsic and Extrinsic Parameter Identification of a Hand-Mounted Laser-Vision Sensor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Taikyeong Jeong

2011-09-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we propose a simultaneous intrinsic and extrinsic parameter identification of a hand-mounted laser-vision sensor (HMLVS. A laser-vision sensor (LVS, consisting of a camera and a laser stripe projector, is used as a sensor component of the robotic measurement system, and it measures the range data with respect to the robot base frame using the robot forward kinematics and the optical triangulation principle. For the optimal estimation of the model parameters, we applied two optimization techniques: a nonlinear least square optimizer and a particle swarm optimizer. Best-fit parameters, including both the intrinsic and extrinsic parameters of the HMLVS, are simultaneously obtained based on the least-squares criterion. From the simulation and experimental results, it is shown that the parameter identification problem considered was characterized by a highly multimodal landscape; thus, the global optimization technique such as a particle swarm optimization can be a promising tool to identify the model parameters for a HMLVS, while the nonlinear least square optimizer often failed to find an optimal solution even when the initial candidate solutions were selected close to the true optimum. The proposed optimization method does not require good initial guesses of the system parameters to converge at a very stable solution and it could be applied to a kinematically dissimilar robot system without loss of generality.

Laser Cladding of Embedded Sensors for Thermal Barrier Coating Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yanli Zhang

2018-05-01

Full Text Available The accurate real-time monitoring of surface or internal temperatures of thermal barrier coatings (TBCs in hostile environments presents significant benefits to the efficient and safe operation of gas turbines. A new method for fabricating high-temperature K-type thermocouple sensors on gas turbine engines using coaxial laser cladding technology has been developed. The deposition of the thermocouple sensors was optimized to provide minimal intrusive features to the TBC, which is beneficial for the operational reliability of the protective coatings. Notably, this avoids a melt pool on the TBC surface. Sensors were deposited onto standard yttria-stabilized zirconia (7–8 wt % YSZ coated substrates; subsequently, they were embedded with second YSZ layers by the Atmospheric Plasma Spray (APS process. Morphology of cladded thermocouples before and after embedding was optimized in terms of topography and internal homogeneity, respectively. The dimensions of the cladded thermocouple were in the order of 200 microns in thickness and width. The thermal and electrical response of the cladded thermocouple was tested before and after embedding in temperatures ranging from ambient to approximately 450 °C in a furnace. Seebeck coefficients of bared and embedded thermocouples were also calculated correspondingly, and the results were compared to that of a commercial standard K-type thermocouple, which demonstrates that laser cladding is a prospective technology for manufacturing microsensors on the surface of or even embedded into functional coatings.

Speckle reduction for a laser light sectioning sensor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tutsch Rainer

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Automated optical inspection is an important test procedure in electronic circuits assembly. Frequently 3d information is required and laser light sectioning sensors are often applied. However, some effects complicate the reliable automatic detection of the shape of such assemblies and their components. The packages of electronic components often are made of black plastics or ceramics so that the intensity available for the optical detection is quite low, especially in comparison to the surface of the PCBs where the components are mounted on. In addition due to rough surfaces of the components and the coherence length of the laser light speckle structures arise. In the work presented here a piezo actuator is used to oscillate the illuminating laser lines along the direction of the lines. The aim is to reduce the visibility of the speckle structures by averaging while maintaining the geometrical shape of the lines. In addition, image processing methods like segmentation and skeletonization are used to allow the detection of the shape of components and assemblies also if materials with distinct differences in the reflectivity are involved. Investigations include the influence of the parameters amplitude and frequency of the piezo actuator.

Camera-laser fusion sensor system and environmental recognition for humanoids in disaster scenarios

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Inho; Oh, Jaesung; Oh, Jun-Ho; Kim, Inhyeok

2017-01-01

This research aims to develop a vision sensor system and a recognition algorithm to enable a humanoid to operate autonomously in a disaster environment. In disaster response scenarios, humanoid robots that perform manipulation and locomotion tasks must identify the objects in the environment from those challenged by the call by the United States’ Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, e.g., doors, valves, drills, debris, uneven terrains, and stairs, among others. In order for a humanoid to undertake a number of tasks, we con- struct a camera–laser fusion system and develop an environmental recognition algorithm. Laser distance sensor and motor are used to obtain 3D cloud data. We project the 3D cloud data onto a 2D image according to the intrinsic parameters of the camera and the distortion model of the lens. In this manner, our fusion sensor system performs functions such as those performed by the RGB-D sensor gener- ally used in segmentation research. Our recognition algorithm is based on super-pixel segmentation and random sampling. The proposed approach clusters the unorganized cloud data according to geometric characteristics, namely, proximity and co-planarity. To assess the feasibility of our system and algorithm, we utilize the humanoid robot, DRC-HUBO, and the results are demonstrated in the accompanying video.

Camera-laser fusion sensor system and environmental recognition for humanoids in disaster scenarios

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Inho [Institute for Human and Machine Cognition (IHMC), Florida (United States); Oh, Jaesung; Oh, Jun-Ho [Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Inhyeok [NAVER Green Factory, Seongnam (Korea, Republic of)

2017-06-15

This research aims to develop a vision sensor system and a recognition algorithm to enable a humanoid to operate autonomously in a disaster environment. In disaster response scenarios, humanoid robots that perform manipulation and locomotion tasks must identify the objects in the environment from those challenged by the call by the United States’ Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, e.g., doors, valves, drills, debris, uneven terrains, and stairs, among others. In order for a humanoid to undertake a number of tasks, we con- struct a camera–laser fusion system and develop an environmental recognition algorithm. Laser distance sensor and motor are used to obtain 3D cloud data. We project the 3D cloud data onto a 2D image according to the intrinsic parameters of the camera and the distortion model of the lens. In this manner, our fusion sensor system performs functions such as those performed by the RGB-D sensor gener- ally used in segmentation research. Our recognition algorithm is based on super-pixel segmentation and random sampling. The proposed approach clusters the unorganized cloud data according to geometric characteristics, namely, proximity and co-planarity. To assess the feasibility of our system and algorithm, we utilize the humanoid robot, DRC-HUBO, and the results are demonstrated in the accompanying video.

Numerical investigations of the potential for laser focus sensors in micrometrology

Science.gov (United States)

Bischoff, Jörg; Mastylo, Rostyslav; Manske, Eberhard

2017-06-01

Laser focus sensors (LFS)1 attached to a scanning nano-positioning and measuring machine (NPMM) enable near diffraction limit resolution with very large measuring areas up to 200 x 200 mm1. Further extensions are planned to address wafer sizes of 8 inch and beyond. Thus, they are preferably suited for micro-metrology on large wafers. On the other hand, the minimum lateral features in state-of-the-art semiconductor industry are as small as a few nanometer and therefore far beyond the resolution limits of classical optics. New techniques such as OCD or ODP3,4 a.k.a. as scatterometry have helped to overcome these constraints considerably. However, scatterometry relies on regular patterns and therefore, the measurements have to be performed on special reference gratings or boxes rather than in-die. Consequently, there is a gap between measurement and the actual structure of interest which becomes more and more an issues with shrinking feature sizes. On the other hand, near-field approaches would also allow to extent the resolution limit greatly5 but they require very challenging controls to keep the working distance small enough to stay within the near field zone. Therefore, the feasibility and the limits of a LFS scanner system have been investigated theoretically. Based on simulations of laser focus sensor scanning across simple topographies, it was found that there is potential to overcome the diffraction limitations to some extent by means of vicinity interference effects caused by the optical interaction of adjacent topography features. We think that it might be well possible to reconstruct the diffracting profile by means of rigorous diffraction simulation based on a thorough model of the laser focus sensor optics in combination with topography diffraction 6 in a similar way as applied in OCD. The difference lies in the kind of signal itself which has to be modeled. While standard OCD is based on spectra, LFS utilizes height scan signals. Simulation results are

Laser light and magnetic field stimulation effect on biochemical, enzymes activities and chlorophyll contents in soybean seeds and seedlings during early growth stages.

Science.gov (United States)

Asghar, Tehseen; Jamil, Yasir; Iqbal, Munawar; Zia-Ul-Haq; Abbas, Mazhar

2016-12-01

Laser and magnetic field bio-stimulation attracted the keen interest of scientific community in view of their potential to enhance seed germination, seedling growth, physiological, biochemical and yield attributes of plants, cereal crops and vegetables. Present study was conducted to appraise the laser and magnetic field pre-sowing seed treatment effects on soybean sugar, protein, nitrogen, hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) ascorbic acid (AsA), proline, phenolic and malondialdehyde (MDA) along with chlorophyll contents (Chl "a" "b" and total chlorophyll contents). Specific activities of enzymes such as protease (PRT), amylase (AMY), catalyst (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxides (POD) were also assayed. The specific activity of enzymes (during germination and early growth), biochemical and chlorophyll contents were enhanced significantly under the effect of both laser and magnetic pre-sowing treatments. Magnetic field treatment effect was slightly higher than laser treatment except PRT, AMY and ascorbic acid contents. However, both treatments (laser and magnetic field) effects were significantly higher versus control (un-treated seeds). Results revealed that laser and magnetic field pre-sowing seed treatments have potential to enhance soybean biological moieties, chlorophyll contents and metabolically important enzymes (degrade stored food and scavenge reactive oxygen species). Future study should be focused on growth characteristics at later stages and yield attributes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Process control of stainless steel laser welding using an optical spectroscopie sensor

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Konuk, A.R.; Aarts, Ronald G.K.M.; Huis in 't Veld, Bert; Sibillano, T.; Rizzi, D.; Ancona, A.

2011-01-01

The in-process monitoring and real-time control of the penetration depth during laser welding is evaluated. An optical collimator collects the optical emission for measurement with a fast spectrometer. The sensor data are used to calculate the electron temperature and subsequently to determine the

An Improved Measurement Method for the Strength of Radiation of Reflective Beam in an Industrial Optical Sensor Based on Laser Displacement Meter.

Science.gov (United States)

Bae, Youngchul

2016-05-23

An optical sensor such as a laser range finder (LRF) or laser displacement meter (LDM) uses reflected and returned laser beam from a target. The optical sensor has been mainly used to measure the distance between a launch position and the target. However, optical sensor based LRF and LDM have numerous and various errors such as statistical errors, drift errors, cyclic errors, alignment errors and slope errors. Among these errors, an alignment error that contains measurement error for the strength of radiation of returned laser beam from the target is the most serious error in industrial optical sensors. It is caused by the dependence of the measurement offset upon the strength of radiation of returned beam incident upon the focusing lens from the target. In this paper, in order to solve these problems, we propose a novel method for the measurement of the output of direct current (DC) voltage that is proportional to the strength of radiation of returned laser beam in the received avalanche photo diode (APD) circuit. We implemented a measuring circuit that is able to provide an exact measurement of reflected laser beam. By using the proposed method, we can measure the intensity or strength of radiation of laser beam in real time and with a high degree of precision.

Synthesis of nano-structured materials by laser-ablation and their application to sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Okada, T.; Suehiro, J.

2007-01-01

We describe the synthesis of nano-structured materials of ZnO and Pd by laser ablation and their applications to sensors. The synthesis of ZnO nano-wires was performed by nano-particle assisted deposition (NPAD) where nano-crystals were grown with nano-particles generated by laser-ablating a ZnO sintered target in an Ar background gas. The synthesized ZnO nano-wires were characterized with a scanning electron microscopy and the photoluminescent characteristics were examined under an excitation with the third harmonics of a Nd:YAG laser. The nano-wires with a diameter in the range from 50 to 150 nm and a length of up to 5 μm were taken out of the substrate by laser blow-off technique and/or sonication. It was confirmed that the nano-wires showed the stimulated emission under optical pumping, indicating a high quality of the crystalinity. Pd nano-particles were generated by laser-ablating a Pd plate in pure water. The transmission electron microscope observation revealed that Pd nano-particles with a diameter in the range from 3 nm to several tens of nanometers were produced. Using these nano-structured materials, we successfully fabricated sensors by the dielectrophoresis techniques. In the case of the ultraviolet photosensor, a detection sensitivity of 10 nW/cm 2 was achieved and in the case of hydrogen sensing, the response time of less than 10 s has been demonstrated with Pd nano-particles

Brain machine interfaces combining microelectrode arrays with nanostructured optical biochemical sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Hajj-Hassan, Mohamad; Gonzalez, Timothy; Ghafer-Zadeh, Ebrahim; Chodavarapu, Vamsy; Musallam, Sam; Andrews, Mark

2009-02-01

Neural microelectrodes are an important component of neural prosthetic systems which assist paralyzed patients by allowing them to operate computers or robots using their neural activity. These microelectrodes are also used in clinical settings to localize the locus of seizure initiation in epilepsy or to stimulate sub-cortical structures in patients with Parkinson's disease. In neural prosthetic systems, implanted microelectrodes record the electrical potential generated by specific thoughts and relay the signals to algorithms trained to interpret these thoughts. In this paper, we describe novel elongated multi-site neural electrodes that can record electrical signals and specific neural biomarkers and that can reach depths greater than 8mm in the sulcus of non-human primates (monkeys). We hypothesize that additional signals recorded by the multimodal probes will increase the information yield when compared to standard probes that record just electropotentials. We describe integration of optical biochemical sensors with neural microelectrodes. The sensors are made using sol-gel derived xerogel thin films that encapsulate specific biomarker responsive luminophores in their nanostructured pores. The desired neural biomarkers are O2, pH, K+, and Na+ ions. As a prototype, we demonstrate direct-write patterning to create oxygen-responsive xerogel waveguide structures on the neural microelectrodes. The recording of neural biomarkers along with electrical activity could help the development of intelligent and more userfriendly neural prosthesis/brain machine interfaces as well as aid in providing answers to complex brain diseases and disorders.

Laser Doppler perfusion imaging with a complimentary metal oxide semiconductor image sensor

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Serov, Alexander; Steenbergen, Wiendelt; de Mul, F.F.M.

2002-01-01

We utilized a complimentary metal oxide semiconductor video camera for fast f low imaging with the laser Doppler technique. A single sensor is used for both observation of the area of interest and measurements of the interference signal caused by dynamic light scattering from moving particles inside

Structural Integration of Sensors/Actuators by Laser Beam Melting for Tailored Smart Components

Science.gov (United States)

Töppel, Thomas; Lausch, Holger; Brand, Michael; Hensel, Eric; Arnold, Michael; Rotsch, Christian

2018-03-01

Laser beam melting (LBM), an additive laser powder bed fusion technology, enables the structural integration of temperature-sensitive sensors and actuators in complex monolithic metallic structures. The objective is to embed a functional component inside a metal part without losing its functionality by overheating. The first part of this paper addresses the development of a new process chain for bonded embedding of temperature-sensitive sensor/actuator systems by LBM. These systems are modularly built and coated by a multi-material/multi-layer thermal protection system of ceramic and metallic compounds. The characteristic of low global heat input in LBM is utilized for the functional embedding. In the second part, the specific functional design and optimization for tailored smart components with embedded functionalities are addressed. Numerical and experimental validated results are demonstrated on a smart femoral hip stem.

Improved response time of laser etched polymer optical fiber Bragg grating humidity sensor

OpenAIRE

Zhang, Wei; Chen, Xianfeng; Liu, Chen; Lu, Yuanfu; Cardoso, Marcos; Webb, David J.

2015-01-01

The humidity sensor made of polymer optical fiber Bragg grating (POFBG) responds to the water content change in fiber induced by the change of environmental condition. The response time strongly depends on fiber size as the water change is a diffusion process. The ultra short laser pulses have been providing an effective micro fabrication method to achieve spatial localized modification in materials. In this work we used the excimer laser to create different microstructures (slot, D-shape) in...

Sensing System for Salinity Testing Using Laser-induced Graphene Sensors

KAUST Repository

Nag, Anindya

2017-08-05

The paper presents the development and implementation of a low-cost salinity sensing system. Commercial polymer films were laser ablated at specific conditions to form graphene-based sensors on flexible Kapton substrates. Sodium chloride was considered as the primary constituent for testing due to its prominent presence in water bodies. The sensor was characterized by testing different concentrations of sodium chloride. A standard curve was developed to perform real-time testing with a sample taken from sea water of unknown concentration. The sensitivity and resolution of these graphene sensors for the experimental solutions were 1.07Ω/ppm and 1ppm respectively. The developed system was validated by testing it with a real sample and cross checking it on the calibration curve. The signal conditioning circuit was further enhanced by embedding a microcontroller to the designed system. The obtained results did provide a platform for implementation of a low-cost salinity sensing system that could be used in marine applications.

Sensing System for Salinity Testing Using Laser-induced Graphene Sensors

KAUST Repository

Nag, Anindya; Mukhopadhyay, Subhas Chandra; Kosel, Jü rgen

2017-01-01

The paper presents the development and implementation of a low-cost salinity sensing system. Commercial polymer films were laser ablated at specific conditions to form graphene-based sensors on flexible Kapton substrates. Sodium chloride was considered as the primary constituent for testing due to its prominent presence in water bodies. The sensor was characterized by testing different concentrations of sodium chloride. A standard curve was developed to perform real-time testing with a sample taken from sea water of unknown concentration. The sensitivity and resolution of these graphene sensors for the experimental solutions were 1.07Ω/ppm and 1ppm respectively. The developed system was validated by testing it with a real sample and cross checking it on the calibration curve. The signal conditioning circuit was further enhanced by embedding a microcontroller to the designed system. The obtained results did provide a platform for implementation of a low-cost salinity sensing system that could be used in marine applications.

A calibration-free ammonia breath sensor using a quantum cascade laser with WMS 2f/1f

KAUST Repository

Owen, Kyle; Farooq, Aamir

2013-01-01

modulation spectroscopy with second harmonic normalized by the first harmonic (WMS 2f/1f) is a sensitive technique used in the development of calibration-free sensors. An ammonia gas sensor is designed and developed that uses a quantum cascade laser operating

Tunable Diode Laser Sensor for Monitoring and Control of Harsh Combustion Environments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

VonDrasek, William; Melsio-Pubill, Anna

2006-05-30

This work represents the collaborative effort between American Air Liquide and Physical Sciences, Inc. for developing a sensor based on near-IR tunable diode lasers (TDL). The multi-species capability of the sensor for simultaneous monitoring of CO, O2, and H2O concentration as well as gas temperature is ideal for in-situ monitoring on industrial furnaces. The chemical species targeted are fundamental for controlling the combustion space for improved energy efficiency, reduced pollutants, and improved product quality, when coupling the measurement to a combustion control system. Several add-on modules developed provide flexibility in the system configuration for handling different process monitoring applications. For example, the on-Demand Power Control system for the 1.5 ?m laser is used for high particle density exhaust streams where laser transmission is problematic. For long-distance signal collection a fiber optic communication system is used to reduce noise pick-up. Finally, hardened modules to withstand high ambient temperatures, immune to EMF interference, protection from flying debris, and interfaced with pathlength control laser beam shielding probes were developed specifically for EAF process monitoring. Demonstration of these different system configurations was conducted on Charter Steel's reheat furnace, Imco Recycling, Inc. (now Aleris International, Inc.) aluminum reverberatory furnace, and Gerdau Ameristeel's EAF. Measurements on the reheat furnace demonstrated zone monitoring with the measurement performed close to the steel billet. Results from the aluminum furnace showed the benefit of measuring in-situ near the bath. In this case, low-level furnace optimization was performed and demonstrated 5% fuel savings. Monitoring tests on the EAF off-gas demonstrated the level of industrialization of the sensor to survive the harsh EAF environment. Long-term testing on the EAF has been on-going for over 6 months with essentially zero maintenance

A wearable biochemical sensor for monitoring alcohol consumption lifestyle through Ethyl glucuronide (EtG) detection in human sweat.

Science.gov (United States)

Selvam, Anjan Panneer; Muthukumar, Sriram; Kamakoti, Vikramshankar; Prasad, Shalini

2016-03-21

We demonstrate for the first time a wearable biochemical sensor for monitoring alcohol consumption through the detection and quantification of a metabolite of ethanol, ethyl glucuronide (EtG). We designed and fabricated two co-planar sensors with gold and zinc oxide as sensing electrodes. We also designed a LED based reporting for the presence of EtG in the human sweat samples. The sensor functions on affinity based immunoassay principles whereby monoclonal antibodies for EtG were immobilized on the electrodes using thiol based chemistry. Detection of EtG from human sweat was achieved through chemiresistive sensing mechanism. In this method, an AC voltage was applied across the two coplanar electrodes and the impedance across the sensor electrodes was measured and calibrated for physiologically relevant doses of EtG in human sweat. EtG detection over a dose concentration of 0.001-100 μg/L was demonstrated on both glass and polyimide substrates. Detection sensitivity was lower at 1 μg/L with gold electrodes as compared to ZnO, which had detection sensitivity of 0.001 μg/L. Based on the detection range the wearable sensor has the ability to detect alcohol consumption of up to 11 standard drinks in the US over a period of 4 to 9 hours.

An Improved Measurement Method for the Strength of Radiation of Reflective Beam in an Industrial Optical Sensor Based on Laser Displacement Meter

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Youngchul Bae

2016-05-01

Full Text Available An optical sensor such as a laser range finder (LRF or laser displacement meter (LDM uses reflected and returned laser beam from a target. The optical sensor has been mainly used to measure the distance between a launch position and the target. However, optical sensor based LRF and LDM have numerous and various errors such as statistical errors, drift errors, cyclic errors, alignment errors and slope errors. Among these errors, an alignment error that contains measurement error for the strength of radiation of returned laser beam from the target is the most serious error in industrial optical sensors. It is caused by the dependence of the measurement offset upon the strength of radiation of returned beam incident upon the focusing lens from the target. In this paper, in order to solve these problems, we propose a novel method for the measurement of the output of direct current (DC voltage that is proportional to the strength of radiation of returned laser beam in the received avalanche photo diode (APD circuit. We implemented a measuring circuit that is able to provide an exact measurement of reflected laser beam. By using the proposed method, we can measure the intensity or strength of radiation of laser beam in real time and with a high degree of precision.

Redox Cycling Realized in Paper-Based Biochemical Sensor for Selective Detection of Reversible Redox Molecules Without Micro/Nano Fabrication Process.

Science.gov (United States)

Yamamoto, So; Uno, Shigeyasu

2018-02-28

This paper describes a paper-based biochemical sensor that realizes redox cycling with close interelectrode distance. Two electrodes, the generator and collector electrodes, can detect steady-state oxidation and reduction currents when suitable potential is held at each electrode. The sensor has two gold plates on both sides of a piece of chromatography paper and defines the interelectrode distance by the thickness of the paper (180 μm) without any micro-fabrication processes. Our proposed sensor geometry has successfully exhibited signatures of redox cycling. As a result, the concentration of ferrocyanide as reversible redox molecules was successfully quantified under the interference by ascorbic acid as a strong irreversible reducing agent. This was possible because the ascorbic acids are completely consumed by the irreversible reaction, while maintaining redox cycling of reversible ferrocyanide. This suggests that a sensor based on the redox cycling method will be suitable for detecting target molecules at low concentration.

Tunable, multiwavelength-swept fiber laser based on nematic liquid crystal device for fiber-optic electric-field sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Hyun Ji; Kim, Sung-Jo; Ko, Myeong Ock; Kim, Jong-Hyun; Jeon, Min Yong

2018-03-01

We propose a tunable multiwavelength-swept laser based on a nematic liquid crystal (NLC) Fabry-Perot (FP) etalon, which is embedded in the resonator of a wavelength-swept laser. We achieve the continuous wavelength tuning of the multiwavelength-swept laser by applying the electric field to the NLC FP etalon. The free spectral range of the fabricated NLC FP etalon is approximately 7.9 nm. When the electric field applied to the NLC FP etalon exceeds the threshold value (Fréedericksz threshold voltage), the output of the multiwavelength-swept laser can be tuned continuously. The tuning range of the multiwavelength-swept laser can be achieved at a value greater than 75 nm, which has a considerably wider tunable range than a conventional multiwavelength laser based on an NLC FP etalon. The slope efficiencies in the spectral and temporal domains for the tunable multiwavelength-swept laser are 22.2 nm/(mVrms / μm) and 0.17 ms/(mVrms / μm), respectively in the linear region. Therefore, the developed multiwavelength-swept laser based on the NLC FP etalon can be applied to an electric-field sensor. Because the wavelength measurement and time measurement have a linear relationship, the electric-field sensor can detect a rapid change in the electric-field intensity by measuring the peak change of the pulse in the temporal domain using the NLC FP etalon-based multiwavelength-swept laser.

Femtosecond Laser Processing of Membranes for Sensor Devices on different Bulk Materials

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Johann Zehetner

2017-01-01

Full Text Available We demonstrate that diaphragms for sensor applications can be fabricated by laser ablation in a~variety of substrates such as ceramics, glass, sapphire or SiC. However, ablation can cause pinholes in membranes made of SiC, Si and metals. Our experiments indicate that pinhole defects in the ablated membranes are affected by ripple structures related to the polarization of the laser. From our simulation results on light propagation in Laser-Induced Periodic Surface Structures (LIPSS we find out that they are acting as a slot waveguide in SiC material. The results further show that field intensity is enhanced inside LIPSS and spreads out at surface distortions promoting the formation of pinholes. The membrane corner area is most vulnerable for pinhole formation. Pinholes funnel laser radiation into the bulk material causing structural damage and stress in the membrane. We show that a~polarization flipping technique inhibits the formation of pin holes caused by LIPSS.

Sensor-Topology Based Simplicial Complex Reconstruction from Mobile Laser Scanning

Science.gov (United States)

Guinard, S.; Vallet, B.

2018-05-01

We propose a new method for the reconstruction of simplicial complexes (combining points, edges and triangles) from 3D point clouds from Mobile Laser Scanning (MLS). Our main goal is to produce a reconstruction of a scene that is adapted to the local geometry of objects. Our method uses the inherent topology of the MLS sensor to define a spatial adjacency relationship between points. We then investigate each possible connexion between adjacent points and filter them by searching collinear structures in the scene, or structures perpendicular to the laser beams. Next, we create triangles for each triplet of self-connected edges. Last, we improve this method with a regularization based on the co-planarity of triangles and collinearity of remaining edges. We compare our results to a naive simplicial complexes reconstruction based on edge length.

A widely tunable, near-infrared laser-based trace gas sensor for hydrogen cyanide (HCN) detection in exhaled breath

Science.gov (United States)

Azhar, M.; Mandon, J.; Neerincx, A. H.; Liu, Z.; Mink, J.; Merkus, P. J. F. M.; Cristescu, S. M.; Harren, F. J. M.

2017-11-01

A compact, cost-effective sensor is developed for detection of hydrogen cyanide (HCN) in exhaled breath within seconds. For this, an off-axis integrated cavity output spectroscopy setup is combined with a widely tunable compact near-infrared laser (tunability 1527-1564 nm). For HCN a detection sensitivity has been obtained of 8 ppbv in nitrogen (within 1 s), equal to a noise equivalent absorption sensitivity of 1.9 × 10-9 cm-1 Hz-1/2. With this sensor we demonstrated the presence of HCN in exhaled breath; its detection could be a good indicator for bacterial lung infection. Due to its compact, cost-effective and user-friendly design, this laser-based sensor has the potential to be implemented in future clinical applications.

Progress Toward Measuring CO2 Isotopologue Fluxes in situ with the LLNL Miniature, Laser-based CO2 Sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Osuna, J. L.; Bora, M.; Bond, T.

2015-12-01

One method to constrain photosynthesis and respiration independently at the ecosystem scale is to measure the fluxes of CO2­ isotopologues. Instrumentation is currently available to makes these measurements but they are generally costly, large, bench-top instruments. Here, we present progress toward developing a laser-based sensor that can be deployed directly to a canopy to passively measure CO2 isotopologue fluxes. In this study, we perform initial proof-of-concept and sensor characterization tests in the laboratory and in the field to demonstrate performance of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) tunable diode laser flux sensor. The results shown herein demonstrate measurement of bulk CO2 as a first step toward achieving flux measurements of CO2 isotopologues. The sensor uses a Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL) in the 2012 nm range. The laser is mounted in a multi-pass White Cell. In order to amplify the absorption signal of CO2 in this range we employ wave modulation spectroscopy, introducing an alternating current (AC) bias component where f is the frequency of modulation on the laser drive current in addition to the direct current (DC) emission scanning component. We observed a strong linear relationship (r2 = 0.998 and r2 = 0.978 at all and low CO2 concentrations, respectively) between the 2f signal and the CO2 concentration in the cell across the range of CO2 concentrations relevant for flux measurements. We use this calibration to interpret CO2 concentration of a gas flowing through the White cell in the laboratory and deployed over a grassy field. We will discuss sensor performance in the lab and in situ as well as address steps toward achieving canopy-deployed, passive measurements of CO2 isotopologue fluxes. This work performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344. LLNL-ABS-675788

Optical fiber laser sensor with a cavity of 8.6 Km formed by two fiber Bragg gratings used as mirrors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

May A, M.; Kuzin, E.A.; Vazquez S, R.A. [Instituto Nacional de Astrofisica, Optica y Electronica, A. P. 51 y 216, C.P. 72000 Puebla (Mexico); Basurto P, M.A. [Universidad Autonoma del Estado de Morelos, Av. Universidad No. 1001, Col. Chamilpa, C.P. 62210 Cuernavaca, Morelos (Mexico); Shlyagin, M.G.; Marquez B, I. [Centro de Investigacion Cientifica y de Ensenanza Superior de Ensenada, C.P. 22860 Ensenada, Baja California (Mexico)

2002-07-01

We report the operation of a fiber laser sensor made by an Erbium Doped Fiber pumped at 980 nm, an 8.67 km passive fiber and two fiber Bragg gratings placed at the ends of the laser cavity. Under normal conditions, the Bragg gratings have different reflection wavelengths and laser emission is not generated. The two Bragg gratings can be placed at the same reflection wavelength when the Bragg grating with the lowest reflective wavelength is strained which can be used as a sensor element. The laser generation thus shows that the Bragg grating is under strain. Furthermore, our configuration give us the possibility for knowing the distance between two Bragg gratings when the laser beating frequency is measured. A measurement precision better than 25 m in 8.67 Km is shown to be feasible. (Author)

Optical fiber laser sensor with a cavity of 8.6 Km formed by two fiber Bragg gratings used as mirrors

CERN Document Server

May, M; Vázquez, R A; Basurto, M A; Shlyagin, M G; Márquez, I

2002-01-01

We report the operation of a fiber laser sensor made by an Erbium Doped Fiber pumped at 980 nm, an 8.67 km passive fiber and two fiber Bragg gratings placed at the ends of the laser cavity. Under normal conditions, the Bragg gratings have different reflection wavelengths and laser emission is not generated. The two Bragg gratings can be placed at the same reflection wavelength when the Bragg grating with the lowest reflective wavelength is strained which can be used as a sensor element. The laser generation thus shows that the Bragg grating is under strain. Furthermore, our configuration give us the possibility for knowing the distance between two Bragg gratings when the laser beating frequency is measured. A measurement precision better than 25 m in 8.67 Km is shown to be feasible. (Author)

A wearable biochemical sensor for monitoring alcohol consumption lifestyle through Ethyl glucuronide (EtG) detection in human sweat

Science.gov (United States)

Panneer Selvam, Anjan; Muthukumar, Sriram; Kamakoti, Vikramshankar; Prasad, Shalini

2016-03-01

We demonstrate for the first time a wearable biochemical sensor for monitoring alcohol consumption through the detection and quantification of a metabolite of ethanol, ethyl glucuronide (EtG). We designed and fabricated two co-planar sensors with gold and zinc oxide as sensing electrodes. We also designed a LED based reporting for the presence of EtG in the human sweat samples. The sensor functions on affinity based immunoassay principles whereby monoclonal antibodies for EtG were immobilized on the electrodes using thiol based chemistry. Detection of EtG from human sweat was achieved through chemiresistive sensing mechanism. In this method, an AC voltage was applied across the two coplanar electrodes and the impedance across the sensor electrodes was measured and calibrated for physiologically relevant doses of EtG in human sweat. EtG detection over a dose concentration of 0.001-100 μg/L was demonstrated on both glass and polyimide substrates. Detection sensitivity was lower at 1 μg/L with gold electrodes as compared to ZnO, which had detection sensitivity of 0.001 μg/L. Based on the detection range the wearable sensor has the ability to detect alcohol consumption of up to 11 standard drinks in the US over a period of 4 to 9 hours.

IR laser sensors for the detection food adulteration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Giubileo, Gianfranco

2015-01-01

The paper reports the results of the project SAL@CQO aimed at the development of instrumentation Innovative optical, laser based sensors, for the improvement of the level of safety of products food and for the detection of food fraud. Through the developed prototypes, the project aims provide on the one hand a means of rapid screening, automated, and to facilitate the use of simplified Work of the Audit Institutions responsible for monitoring and repression of food frauds. On the other hand It intends to provide a method of production chains practical monitoring for the maintenance of a of the final product quality standards. [it

Laser Power Measurement Using Commercial MEMS Pressure Sensor along with PSoC Embedded Read-out

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Jayapandian

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Solid-state, gas, semiconductor and other types of lasers are extensively employed in industry for producing laser beams used in such wide ranging fields as machining, medicine and communications. In such applications, it is necessary to be able to accurately measure the power of the laser beam that is emitted by the laser. This paper describes a novel design technique which uses the diaphragm of a commercial MEMS pressure sensor as a target surface on which laser beam impinge, transfer heat and causes change in piezo resistance. The measured change in resistance was proportional to the intensity of laser beam in the range of 0 to 300 mW. The ratio metric embedded read-out design using a single chip programmable system on chip (PSoC has been used to acquire the resistance.

Improved laser-based triangulation sensor with enhanced range and resolution through adaptive optics-based active beam control.

Science.gov (United States)

Reza, Syed Azer; Khwaja, Tariq Shamim; Mazhar, Mohsin Ali; Niazi, Haris Khan; Nawab, Rahma

2017-07-20

Various existing target ranging techniques are limited in terms of the dynamic range of operation and measurement resolution. These limitations arise as a result of a particular measurement methodology, the finite processing capability of the hardware components deployed within the sensor module, and the medium through which the target is viewed. Generally, improving the sensor range adversely affects its resolution and vice versa. Often, a distance sensor is designed for an optimal range/resolution setting depending on its intended application. Optical triangulation is broadly classified as a spatial-signal-processing-based ranging technique and measures target distance from the location of the reflected spot on a position sensitive detector (PSD). In most triangulation sensors that use lasers as a light source, beam divergence-which severely affects sensor measurement range-is often ignored in calculations. In this paper, we first discuss in detail the limitations to ranging imposed by beam divergence, which, in effect, sets the sensor dynamic range. Next, we show how the resolution of laser-based triangulation sensors is limited by the interpixel pitch of a finite-sized PSD. In this paper, through the use of tunable focus lenses (TFLs), we propose a novel design of a triangulation-based optical rangefinder that improves both the sensor resolution and its dynamic range through adaptive electronic control of beam propagation parameters. We present the theory and operation of the proposed sensor and clearly demonstrate a range and resolution improvement with the use of TFLs. Experimental results in support of our claims are shown to be in strong agreement with theory.

Graphene functionalised by laser-ablated V2O5 for a highly sensitive NH3 sensor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Margus Kodu

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Graphene has been recognized as a promising gas sensing material. The response of graphene-based sensors can be radically improved by introducing defects in graphene using, for example, metal or metal oxide nanoparticles. We have functionalised CVD grown, single-layer graphene by applying pulsed laser deposition (PLD of V2O5 which resulted in a thin V2O5 layer on graphene with average thickness of ≈0.6 nm. From Raman spectroscopy, it was concluded that the PLD process also induced defects in graphene. Compared to unmodified graphene, the obtained chemiresistive sensor showed considerable improvement of sensing ammonia at room temperature. In addition, the response time, sensitivity and reversibility were essentially enhanced due to graphene functionalisation by laser deposited V2O5. This can be explained by an increased surface density of gas adsorption sites introduced by high energy atoms in laser ablation plasma and formation of nanophase boundaries between deposited V2O5 and graphene.

Quantum Cascade Laser-Based Photoacoustic Sensor for Trace Detection of Formaldehyde Gas

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pietro Mario Lugarà

2009-04-01

Full Text Available We report on the development of a photoacoustic sensor for the detection of formaldehyde (CH2O using a thermoelectrically cooled distributed-feedback quantum cascade laser operating in pulsed mode at 5.6 mm. A resonant photoacoustic cell, equipped with four electret microphones, is excited in its first longitudinal mode at 1,380 Hz. The absorption line at 1,778.9 cm-1 is selected for CH2O detection. A detection limit of 150 parts per billion in volume in nitrogen is achieved using a 10 seconds time constant and 4 mW laser power. Measurements in ambient air will require water vapour filters.

Performance of laser distance sensors for Atlas Micromegas production

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mueller, Ralph; Biebel, Otmar; Bortfeldt, Jonathan; Flierl, Bernhard; Hertenberger, Ralf; Loesel, Philipp; Pree, Elias [LMU Muenchen (Germany); Zibell, Andre [JMU Wuerzburg (Germany)

2015-07-01

During the second long LHC shutdown, 2018/19, the precision tracking detectors of the ATLAS muon spectrometer in the inner end caps will be replaced using Micromegas, a planar gas-detector technology. Modules of 2 m{sup 2} area are built in quadruplets from five precisely planar sandwich panels that define the anodes and the cathodes of the four active detector planes. Single plane spatial resolutions below 100 μ m are achievable when the deviation from planarity of the strip-anodes does not exceed 80 μ m RMS over the whole active area and the parallelism of the readout strips is within 30 μ m. In order to measure the dimensional accuracy of each panel, laser distance sensors to be combined with a coordinate measurement system have been investigated. One of them turned out to be capable to measure the planarity of the panels. It has a resolution of 0.3 μ m and a beam spot diameter of ∼50 μ m, which is well below 100 μ m the size of the smallest structures. For monitoring purposes during the construction process a less accurate but cheaper sensor turned out to be sufficient. We report on the performance of the sensors and their applicability to our tasks.

A sulfur hexafluoride sensor using quantum cascade and CO2 laser-based photoacoustic spectroscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Rocha, Mila; Sthel, Marcelo; Lima, Guilherme; da Silva, Marcelo; Schramm, Delson; Miklós, András; Vargas, Helion

2010-01-01

The increase in greenhouse gas emissions is a serious environmental problem and has stimulated the scientific community to pay attention to the need for detection and monitoring of gases released into the atmosphere. In this regard, the development of sensitive and selective gas sensors has been the subject of several research programs. An important greenhouse gas is sulphur hexafluoride, an almost non-reactive gas widely employed in industrial processes worldwide. Indeed it is estimated that it has a radiative forcing of 0.52 W/m(2). This work compares two photoacoustic spectrometers, one coupled to a CO(2) laser and another one coupled to a Quantum Cascade (QC) laser, for the detection of SF(6). The laser photoacoustic spectrometers described in this work have been developed for gas detection at small concentrations. Detection limits of 20 ppbv for CO(2) laser and 50 ppbv for quantum cascade laser were obtained.

SENSOR-TOPOLOGY BASED SIMPLICIAL COMPLEX RECONSTRUCTION FROM MOBILE LASER SCANNING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Guinard

2018-05-01

Full Text Available We propose a new method for the reconstruction of simplicial complexes (combining points, edges and triangles from 3D point clouds from Mobile Laser Scanning (MLS. Our main goal is to produce a reconstruction of a scene that is adapted to the local geometry of objects. Our method uses the inherent topology of the MLS sensor to define a spatial adjacency relationship between points. We then investigate each possible connexion between adjacent points and filter them by searching collinear structures in the scene, or structures perpendicular to the laser beams. Next, we create triangles for each triplet of self-connected edges. Last, we improve this method with a regularization based on the co-planarity of triangles and collinearity of remaining edges. We compare our results to a naive simplicial complexes reconstruction based on edge length.

Fabrication Quality Analysis of a Fiber Optic Refractive Index Sensor Created by CO2 Laser Machining

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wei-Te Wu

2013-03-01

Full Text Available This study investigates the CO2 laser-stripped partial cladding of silica-based optic fibers with a core diameter of 400 μm, which enables them to sense the refractive index of the surrounding environment. However, inappropriate treatments during the machining process can generate a number of defects in the optic fiber sensors. Therefore, the quality of optic fiber sensors fabricated using CO2 laser machining must be analyzed. The results show that analysis of the fiber core size after machining can provide preliminary defect detection, and qualitative analysis of the optical transmission defects can be used to identify imperfections that are difficult to observe through size analysis. To more precisely and quantitatively detect fabrication defects, we included a tensile test and numerical aperture measurements in this study. After a series of quality inspections, we proposed improvements to the existing CO2 laser machining parameters, namely, a vertical scanning pathway, 4 W of power, and a feed rate of 9.45 cm/s. Using these improved parameters, we created optical fiber sensors with a core diameter of approximately 400 μm, no obvious optical transmission defects, a numerical aperture of 0.52 ± 0.019, a 0.886 Weibull modulus, and a 1.186 Weibull-shaped parameter. Finally, we used the optical fiber sensor fabricated using the improved parameters to measure the refractive indices of various solutions. The results show that a refractive-index resolution of 1.8 × 10−4 RIU (linear fitting R2 = 0.954 was achieved for sucrose solutions with refractive indices ranging between 1.333 and 1.383. We also adopted the particle plasmon resonance sensing scheme using the fabricated optical fibers. The results provided additional information, specifically, a superior sensor resolution of 5.73 × 10−5 RIU, and greater linearity at R2 = 0.999.

Low power continuous wave-laser seed irradiation effect on Moringa oleifera germination, seedling growth and biochemical attributes.

Science.gov (United States)

Urva; Shafique, Hina; Jamil, Yasir; Haq, Zia Ul; Mujahid, Tamveel; Khan, Aman Ullah; Iqbal, Munawar; Abbas, Mazhar

2017-05-01

Recently, laser application in agriculture has gained much attention since plant characteristics were improved significantly in response of pre-sowing seed treatment. Pre-sowing laser seed treatment effects on germination, seedling growth and mineral profile were studied in Moringa olifera. M. olifera healthy seeds were exposed to 25, 50, 75mJ low power continuous wave laser light and grown under greenhouse conditions. The seedling growth and biochemical attributes were evaluated from 10-day-old seedlings. The germination parameters (percentage, mean germination time), vigor index, seedling growth (root length, seedling length, shoot fresh weight, root fresh weight, shoot dry weight, root dry weight) enhanced considerably. The laser energy levels used for seed irradiation showed variable effects on germination, seedling growth and mineral profile. The mineral contents were recorded to be higher in seedling raised from laser treated seeds, which were higher in roots versus shoots and leaves. The effect of laser treatment on seedling fat, nitrogen and protein content was insignificant and at higher energy level both nitrogen and protein contents decreased versus control. Results revealed that M. olifera germination, seedling growth and mineral contents were enhanced and optimum laser energy level has more acceleratory effect since at three laser energy levels the responses were significantly different. Overall the laser energy levels effect on germination and seedling growth was found in following order; 75mJ>50mJ>25mJ, where as in case of fat, protein and nitrogen contents the trend was as; 25mJ>50mJ and 75mJ. However, this technique could possibly be used to improve the M. olifera germination, seedling growth, and minerals contents where germination is low due to unfavorable conditions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

High-quality phase-shifted Bragg grating sensor inscribed with only one laser pulse in a polymer optical fiber

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Marques, C. A. F.; Pospori, A.; Pereira, L.

2017-01-01

We present the first phase-shifted polymer optical fiber Bragg grating sensor inscribed with only one KrF laser pulse. The phase shift defect was created directly during the grating inscription process by placing a very narrow blocking aperture, in the center of the UV beam. One laser pulse...

Development of a portable heavy-water leak sensor based on laser absorption spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Lim; Park, Hyunmin; Kim, Taek-Soo; Kim, Minho; Jeong, Do-Young

2016-01-01

Highlights: • We developed a compact and portable laser sensor for a detection of heavy water leakage. • The sensor is wearable and also easy to use to search for the leak point. • It is sensitive enough to find invisible very tiny leaks. - Abstract: A compact and portable leak sensor based on cavity enhanced absorption spectroscopy has been newly developed for a detection of heavy water leakage which may happen in the facilities using heavy water such as pressurized heavy water reactor (PHWR). The developed portable sensor is suitable as an individual instrument for the measuring leak rate and finding the leak location because it is sufficiently compact in size and weight and operated by using an internal battery. In the performance test, the minimum detectable leak rate was estimated as 0.05 g/day from the calibration curve. This new sensor is expected to be a reliable and promising device for the detection of heavy water leakage since it has advantages on real-time monitoring and early detection for nuclear safety.

Real-time measurements of endogenous CO production from vascular cells using an ultrasensitive laser sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Morimoto, Y.; Durante, W.; Lancaster, D. G.; Klattenhoff, J.; Tittel, F. K.

2001-01-01

Carbon monoxide (CO) has been implicated as a biological messenger molecule analogous to nitric oxide. A compact gas sensor based on a midinfrared laser absorption spectroscopy was developed for direct and real-time measurement of trace levels (in approximate pmol) of CO release by vascular cells. The midinfrared light is generated by difference frequency mixing of two nearinfrared lasers in a nonlinear optical crystal. A strong infrared absorption line of CO (4.61 microm) is chosen for convenient CO detection without interference from other gas species. The generation of CO from cultured vascular smooth muscle cells was detected every 20 s without any chemical modification to the CO. The sensitivity of the sensor reached 6.9 pmol CO. CO synthesis was measured from untreated control cells (0.25 nmol per 10(7) cells/h), sodium nitroprusside-treated cells (0.29 nmol per 10(7) cells/h), and hemin-treated cells (0.49 nmol per 10(7) cells/h). The sensor also detected decreases in CO production after the addition of the heme oxygenase (HO) inhibitor tin protoporphyrin-IX (from 0.49 to 0.02 nmol per 10(7) cells/h) and increases after the administration of the HO substrate hemin (from 0.27 to 0.64 nmol per 10(7) cells/h). These results demonstrate that midinfrared laser absorption spectroscopy is a useful technique for the noninvasive and real-time detection of trace levels of CO from biological tissues.

Laser self-mixing interferometry in VCSELs - an ultra-compact and massproduceable deflection detection system for nanomechanical polymer cantilever sensors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsson, David; Yvind, Kresten; Hvam, Jørn Märcher

2008-01-01

We have realised an ultra-compact deflection detection system based on laser self-mixing interferometry in a Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser (VCSEL). The system can be used together with polymer nanomechanical cantilevers to form chemical sensors capable of detecting less than 1nm deflection....

In-situ position and vibration measurement of rough surfaces using laser Doppler distance sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Czarske, J.; Pfister, T.; Günther, P.; Büttner, L.

2009-06-01

In-situ measurement of distances and shapes as well as dynamic deformations and vibrations of fast moving and especially rotating objects, such as gear shafts and turbine blades, is an important task at process control. We recently developed a laser Doppler distance frequency sensor, employing two superposed fan-shaped interference fringe systems with contrary fringe spacing gradients. Via two Doppler frequency evaluations the non-incremental position (i.e. distance) and the tangential velocity of rotating bodies are determined simultaneously. The distance uncertainty is in contrast to e.g. triangulation in principle independent of the object velocity. This unique feature allows micrometer resolutions of fast moved rough surfaces. The novel sensor was applied at turbo machines in order to control the tip clearance. The measurements at a transonic centrifugal compressor were performed during operation at up to 50,000 rpm, i.e. 586 m/s velocity of the blade tips. Due to the operational conditions such as temperatures of up to 300 °C, a flexible and robust measurement system with a passive fiber-coupled sensor, using diffractive optics, has been realized. Since the tip clearance of individual blades could be temporally resolved an analysis of blade vibrations was possible. A Fourier transformation of the blade distances results in an average period of 3 revolutions corresponding to a frequency of 1/3 of the rotary frequency. Additionally, a laser Doppler distance sensor using two tilted fringe systems and phase evaluation will be presented. This phase sensor exhibits a minimum position resolution of σz = 140 nm. It allows precise in-situ shape measurements at grinding and turning processes.

SnO.sub.2./sub. and SnAcAc thin film sensors created by laser

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Myslík, V.; Vysloužil, F.; Vrňata, M.; Jelínek, Miroslav; Lančok, Ján

2002-01-01

Roč. 374, - (2002), s. 285-288 ISSN 1058-725X Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z1010914 Keywords : laser deposition * thin films * gas sensors Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 0.457, year: 2002

Frequency-modulated laser ranging sensor with closed-loop control

Science.gov (United States)

Müller, Fabian M.; Böttger, Gunnar; Janeczka, Christian; Arndt-Staufenbiel, Norbert; Schröder, Henning; Schneider-Ramelow, Martin

2018-02-01

Advances in autonomous driving and robotics are creating high demand for inexpensive and mass-producible distance sensors. A laser ranging system (Lidar), based on the frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) method is built in this work. The benefits of an FMCW Lidar system are the low-cost components and the performance in comparison to conventional time-of-flight Lidar systems. The basic system consists of a DFB laser diode (λ= 1308 nm) and an asymmetric fiber-coupled Mach-Zehnder interferometer with a fixed delay line in one arm. Linear tuning of the laser optical frequency via injection current modulation creates a beat signal at the interferometer output. The frequency of the beat signal is proportional to the optical path difference in the interferometer. Since the laser frequency-to-current response is non-linear, a closed-loop feed-back system is designed to improve the tuning linearity, and consequently the measurement resolution. For fast active control, an embedded system with FPGA is used, resulting in a nearly linear frequency tuning, realizing a narrow peak in the Fourier spectrum of the beat signal. For free-space measurements, a setup with two distinct interferometers is built. The fully fiber-coupled Mach-Zehnder reference interferometer is part of the feed-back loop system, while the other - a Michelson interferometer - has a free-space arm with collimator lens and reflective target. A resolution of 2:0 mm for a 560 mm distance is achieved. The results for varying target distances show high consistency and a linear relation to the measured beat-frequency.

Low-Temperature Rapid Fabrication of ZnO Nanowire UV Sensor Array by Laser-Induced Local Hydrothermal Growth

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sukjoon Hong

2013-01-01

Full Text Available We demonstrate ZnO nanowire based UV sensor by laser-induced hydrothermal growth of ZnO nanowire. By inducing a localized temperature rise using focused laser, ZnO nanowire array at ~15 μm size consists of individual nanowires with ~8 μm length and 200~400 nm diameter is readily synthesized on gold electrode within 30 min at the desired position. The laser-induced growth process is consecutively applied on two different points to bridge the micron gap between the electrodes. The resultant photoconductive ZnO NW interconnections display 2~3 orders increase in the current upon the UV exposure at a fixed voltage bias. It is also confirmed that the amount of photocurrent can be easily adjusted by changing the number of ZnO NW array junctions. The device exhibits clear response to the repeated UV illumination, suggesting that this process can be usefully applied for the facile fabrication of low-cost UV sensor array.

Fibre optic system for biochemical and microbiological sensing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Penwill, L A; Slater, J H; Hayes, N W; Tremlett, C J

2007-01-01

This poster will discuss state-of-the-art fibre optic sensors based on evanescent wave technology emphasising chemophotonic sensors for biochemical reactions and microbe detection. Devices based on antibody specificity and unique DNA sequences will be described. The development of simple sensor devices with disposable single use sensor probes will be illustrated with a view to providing cost effective field based or point of care analysis of major themes such as hospital acquired infections or bioterrorism events. This presentation will discuss the nature and detection thresholds required, the optical detection techniques investigated, results of sensor trials and the potential for wider commercial application

CO concentration and temperature sensor for combustion gases using quantum-cascade laser absorption near 4.7 μm

KAUST Repository

Ren, Wei; Farooq, Aamir; Davidson, David Frank; Hanson, Ronald Kenneth

2012-01-01

A sensor for sensitive in situ measurements of carbon monoxide and temperature in combustion gases has been developed using absorption transitions in the (v′ = 1 ← v″ = 0) and (v′ = 2 ← v″ = 1) fundamental bands of CO. Recent availability of mid-infrared quantum-cascade (QC) lasers provides convenient access to the CO fundamental band near 4.7 μm, having approximately 104 and 102 times stronger absorption line-strengths compared to the overtone bands near 1.55 μm and 2.3 μm used previously to sense CO in combustion gases. Spectroscopic parameters of the selected transitions were determined via laboratory measurements in a shock tube over the 1100-2000 K range and also at room temperature. A single-laser absorption sensor was developed for accurate CO measurements in shock-heated gases by scanning the line pair v″ = 0, R(12) and v″ = 1, R(21) at 2.5 kHz. To capture the rapidly varying CO time-histories in chemical reactions, two different QC lasers were then used to probe the line-center absorbance of transitions v″ = 0, P(20) and v″ = 1, R(21) with a bandwidth of 1 MHz using fixed-wavelength direct absorption. The sensor was applied in successful shock tube measurements of temperature and CO time-histories during the pyrolysis and oxidation of methyl formate, illustrating the capability of this sensor for chemical kinetic studies. © 2012 Springer-Verlag.

CO concentration and temperature sensor for combustion gases using quantum-cascade laser absorption near 4.7 μm

KAUST Repository

Ren, Wei

2012-05-25

A sensor for sensitive in situ measurements of carbon monoxide and temperature in combustion gases has been developed using absorption transitions in the (v′ = 1 ← v″ = 0) and (v′ = 2 ← v″ = 1) fundamental bands of CO. Recent availability of mid-infrared quantum-cascade (QC) lasers provides convenient access to the CO fundamental band near 4.7 μm, having approximately 104 and 102 times stronger absorption line-strengths compared to the overtone bands near 1.55 μm and 2.3 μm used previously to sense CO in combustion gases. Spectroscopic parameters of the selected transitions were determined via laboratory measurements in a shock tube over the 1100-2000 K range and also at room temperature. A single-laser absorption sensor was developed for accurate CO measurements in shock-heated gases by scanning the line pair v″ = 0, R(12) and v″ = 1, R(21) at 2.5 kHz. To capture the rapidly varying CO time-histories in chemical reactions, two different QC lasers were then used to probe the line-center absorbance of transitions v″ = 0, P(20) and v″ = 1, R(21) with a bandwidth of 1 MHz using fixed-wavelength direct absorption. The sensor was applied in successful shock tube measurements of temperature and CO time-histories during the pyrolysis and oxidation of methyl formate, illustrating the capability of this sensor for chemical kinetic studies. © 2012 Springer-Verlag.

Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Sensor on an Optical Fiber Probe Fabricated with a Femtosecond Laser

OpenAIRE

Ma, Xiaodong; Huo, Haibin; Wang, Wenhui; Tian, Ye; Wu, Nan; Guthy, Charles; Shen, Mengyan; Wang, Xingwei

2010-01-01

A novel fabrication method for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) sensors that used a fast femtosecond (fs) laser scanning process to etch uniform patterns and structures on the endface of a fused silica optical fiber, which is then coated with a thin layer of silver through thermal evaporation is presented. A high quality SERS signal was detected on the patterned surface using a Rhodamine 6G (Rh6G) solution. The uniform SERS sensor built on the tip of the optical fiber tip was small, l...

Hand-held Raman sensor head for in-situ characterization of meat quality applying a microsystem 671 nm diode laser

Science.gov (United States)

Schmidt, Heinar; Sowoidnich, Kay; Maiwald, Martin; Sumpf, Bernd; Kronfeldt, Heinz-Detlef

2009-05-01

A hand-held Raman sensor head was developed for the in-situ characterization of meat quality. As light source, a microsystem based external cavity diode laser module (ECDL) emitting at 671 nm was integrated in the sensor head and attached to a miniaturized optical bench which contains lens optics for excitation and signal collection as well as a Raman filter stage for Rayleigh rejection. The signal is transported with an optical fiber to the detection unit which was in the initial phase a laboratory spectrometer with CCD detector. All elements of the ECDL are aligned on a micro optical bench with 13 x 4 mm2 footprint. The wavelength stability is provided by a reflection Bragg grating and the laser has an optical power of up to 200 mW. However, for the Raman measurements of meat only 35 mW are needed to obtain Raman spectra within 1 - 5 seconds. Short measuring times are essential for the hand-held device. The laser and the sensor head are characterized in terms of stability and performance for in-situ Raman investigations. The function is demonstrated in a series of measurements with raw and packaged pork meat as samples. The suitability of the Raman sensor head for the quality control of meat and other products will be discussed.

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy - An emerging chemical sensor technology for real-time field-portable, geochemical, mineralogical, and environmental applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harmon, Russell S.; DeLucia, Frank C.; McManus, Catherine E.; McMillan, Nancy J.; Jenkins, Thomas F.; Walsh, Marianne E.; Miziolek, Andrzej

2006-01-01

Laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is a simple spark spectrochemical sensor technology in which a laser beam is directed at a sample surface to create a high-temperature microplasma and a detector used to collect the spectrum of light emission and record its intensity at specific wavelengths. LIBS is an emerging chemical sensor technology undergoing rapid advancement in instrumentation capability and in areas of application. Attributes of a LIBS sensor system include: (i) small size and weight; (ii) technologically mature, inherently rugged, and affordable components; (iii) real-time response; (iv) in situ analysis with no sample preparation required; (v) a high sensitivity to low atomic weight elements which are difficult to determine by other field-portable sensor techniques, and (vi) point sensing or standoff detection. Recent developments in broadband LIBS provide the capability for detection at very high resolution (0.1 nm) of all elements in any unknown target material because all chemical elements emit in the 200-980 nm spectral region. This progress portends a unique potential for the development of a rugged and reliable field-portable chemical sensor that has the potential to be utilized in variety of geochemical, mineralogical, and environmental applications

Intra-pulse laser absorption sensor with cavity enhancement for oxidation experiments in a rapid compression machine

KAUST Repository

Nasir, Ehson Fawad; Farooq, Aamir

2018-01-01

A sensor based on a mid-IR pulsed quantum cascade laser (QCL) and off-axis cavity enhanced absorption spectroscopy (OA-CEAS) has been developed for highly sensitive concentration measurements of carbon monoxide (CO) in a rapid compression machine

THE DEVELOPMENT OF BIOCHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND SENSOR USING LOCAL YEAST: Candida fukuyamaensis, UICC Y-247

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Endang Saepudin

2011-04-01

Full Text Available In order to shorten the measurement time of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD, a BOD sensor based on yeastmetabolism was developed. Local yeast, Indonesian Origin, Candida fukuyamaensis UICC Y-247, was used as atransducer. The yeast was immobilized as a thin film in agarose matrix with the auxiliary of Nafion® acting as themembrane for ion exchange process. The film was then attached to gold-modified glassy carbons and used as transduceron the working electrodes. The measurements were conducted by observing the depletion of glucose concentrationusing multipulse amperometric method and then converted to BOD values. Optimum condition was observed in awaiting measurement time of 30 min at an applied potential of 450 mV (vs. Ag/AgCl. Linearity was shown in glucoseconcentration range of 0.1–0.5 mM, which was equivalent to BOD concentration range of 10–50 mg/L. A detectionlimit of 1.13 mg/L BOD could be achieved. Good repeatability was shown by a relative standard deviation (RSD of2.7% (n = 15. However, decreasing current response of ~50% was found after 3 days. Comparing to the conventionalBOD measurement, this BOD sensor can be used as an alternative method for BOD measurements.

Nanoparticle Thin Films for Gas Sensors Prepared by Matrix Assisted Pulsed Laser Evaporation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Roberto Rella

2009-04-01

Full Text Available The matrix assisted pulsed laser evaporation (MAPLE technique has been used for the deposition of metal dioxide (TiO2, SnO2 nanoparticle thin films for gas sensor applications. For this purpose, colloidal metal dioxide nanoparticles were diluted in volatile solvents, the solution was frozen at the liquid nitrogen temperature and irradiated with a pulsed excimer laser. The dioxide nanoparticles were deposited on Si and Al2O3 substrates. A rather uniform distribution of TiO2 nanoparticles with an average size of about 10 nm and of SnO2 nanoparticles with an average size of about 3 nm was obtained, as demonstrated by high resolution scanning electron microscopy (SEM-FEG inspections. Gas-sensing devices based on the resistive transduction mechanism were fabricated by depositing the nanoparticle thin films onto suitable rough alumina substrates equipped with interdigitated electrical contacts and heating elements. Electrical characterization measurements were carried out in controlled environment. The results of the gas-sensing tests towards low concentrations of ethanol and acetone vapors are reported. Typical gas sensor parameters (gas responses, response/recovery time, sensitivity, and low detection limit towards ethanol and acetone are presented.

Nanoparticle thin films for gas sensors prepared by matrix assisted pulsed laser evaporation.

Science.gov (United States)

Caricato, Anna Paola; Luches, Armando; Rella, Roberto

2009-01-01

The matrix assisted pulsed laser evaporation (MAPLE) technique has been used for the deposition of metal dioxide (TiO(2), SnO(2)) nanoparticle thin films for gas sensor applications. For this purpose, colloidal metal dioxide nanoparticles were diluted in volatile solvents, the solution was frozen at the liquid nitrogen temperature and irradiated with a pulsed excimer laser. The dioxide nanoparticles were deposited on Si and Al(2)O(3) substrates. A rather uniform distribution of TiO(2) nanoparticles with an average size of about 10 nm and of SnO(2) nanoparticles with an average size of about 3 nm was obtained, as demonstrated by high resolution scanning electron microscopy (SEM-FEG) inspections. Gas-sensing devices based on the resistive transduction mechanism were fabricated by depositing the nanoparticle thin films onto suitable rough alumina substrates equipped with interdigitated electrical contacts and heating elements. Electrical characterization measurements were carried out in controlled environment. The results of the gas-sensing tests towards low concentrations of ethanol and acetone vapors are reported. Typical gas sensor parameters (gas responses, response/recovery time, sensitivity, and low detection limit) towards ethanol and acetone are presented.

A laser-based sensor for measurement of off-gas composition and temperature in basic oxygen steelmaking

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ottesen, D.; Allendorf, S.; Ludowise, P.; Hardesty, D.; Miller, T.; Goldstein, D.; Smith, C.; Bonin, M.

1999-01-01

We are developing an optical sensor for process control in basic oxygen steelmaking. The sensor measures gas temperature and relative CO/CO 2 concentration ratios in the furnace off-gas by transmitting the laser probe beam directly above the furnace lip and below the exhaust hood during oxygen blowing. Dynamic off-gas information is being evaluated for optimizing variables such as lance height, oxygen flow, post-combustion control, and prediction of final melt-carbon content. The non-invasive nature of the optical sensor renders it robust and relatively maintenance-free. Additional potential applications of the method are process control for electric arc furnace and bottom-blown oxygen steelmaking processes. (author)

Contactless respiratory monitoring system for magnetic resonance imaging applications using a laser range sensor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Krug Johannes W.

2016-09-01

Full Text Available During a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI exam, a respiratory signal can be required for different purposes, e.g. for patient monitoring, motion compensation or for research studies such as in functional MRI. In addition, respiratory information can be used as a biofeedback for the patient in order to control breath holds or shallow breathing. To reduce patient preparation time or distortions of the MR imaging system, we propose the use of a contactless approach for gathering information about the respiratory activity. An experimental setup based on a commercially available laser range sensor was used to detect respiratory induced motion of the chest or abdomen. This setup was tested using a motion phantom and different human subjects in an MRI scanner. A nasal airflow sensor served as a reference. For both, the phantom as well as the different human subjects, the motion frequency was precisely measured. These results show that a low cost, contactless, laser-based approach can be used to obtain information about the respiratory motion during an MRI exam.

Validez y fiabilidad del sensor láser del sistema BioLaserSport® para el análisis de la velocidad de la carrera. (Validity and reliability of the laser sensor of BioLaserSport® system for the analysis of the running velocity.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raquel Aguado-Gómez

2012-10-01

Full Text Available ResumenEl análisis de la velocidad de carrera mediante sensores láser permite la obtención de datos en tiempo real siendo ventajosos frente a otros sistemas. El objetivo de este estudio fue valorar la validez y fiabilidad del sensor láser del sistema BioLaserSportÒ para el cálculo de velocidades medias y máximas mediante estadísticos relativos y absolutos. Los participantes fueron 17 varones (20.85 ± 1.54 años. Se utilizó un sensor láser tipo 1 (LDM301, Jenoptik, Germany que registró posiciones de los deportistas a 2000 Hz. Los datos se trataron con la rutina DSL-30 creada con DasyLab v.10.0. Para la validación se utilizó un sistema de fotogrametría-2D con una cámara de alta velocidad (Exilim High Speed EX-F1, Casio y SkillSpector v.1.3.2. (Video4coach, Grubbemollevej. Además, se utilizaron foto-células de doble haz (Polifemo Light, Microgate, Italy y un cronómetro Racetime2 (Microgate, Italy. Se registraron, durante dos días, tres series de 30 m de carrera a máxima velocidad. El sensor láser proporcionó, con relación a la fotogrametría, diferencias en las velocidades medias y máximas de -0.11 m·s-1 y 0.14 m·s-1, respectivamente, con unos coeficientes de correlación superiores a 0.86, y mayores de 0.92 con las foto-células para las velocidades medias. Este mostró una excelente fiabilidad test-retest para las velocidades medias con un coeficiente de correlación intraclase (ICC entre 0.7-0.9 y un error estándar de la media (SEM y SEM%, intrasesión e intersesión, menor de 0.05 m·s-1 y 0.12 m·s-1, respectivamente, y menores de 0.75% y de 2%, respectivamente. Para las velocidades máximas, los valores fueron menores de 0.10 m·s-1 y 0.17 m·s-1, respectivamente, y en ambos casos menores a 1.36% y 1,89%. El láser fue capaz de identificar mínimos cambios detectables (MDC y MDC% intrasesión, para ambas variables, menores a 0.14 m·s-1 y 0.29 m·s-1, respectivamente (AbstractSpeed running analysis using laser

Learning probabilistic features for robotic navigation using laser sensors.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fidel Aznar

Full Text Available SLAM is a popular task used by robots and autonomous vehicles to build a map of an unknown environment and, at the same time, to determine their location within the map. This paper describes a SLAM-based, probabilistic robotic system able to learn the essential features of different parts of its environment. Some previous SLAM implementations had computational complexities ranging from O(Nlog(N to O(N(2, where N is the number of map features. Unlike these methods, our approach reduces the computational complexity to O(N by using a model to fuse the information from the sensors after applying the Bayesian paradigm. Once the training process is completed, the robot identifies and locates those areas that potentially match the sections that have been previously learned. After the training, the robot navigates and extracts a three-dimensional map of the environment using a single laser sensor. Thus, it perceives different sections of its world. In addition, in order to make our system able to be used in a low-cost robot, low-complexity algorithms that can be easily implemented on embedded processors or microcontrollers are used.

Learning probabilistic features for robotic navigation using laser sensors.

Science.gov (United States)

Aznar, Fidel; Pujol, Francisco A; Pujol, Mar; Rizo, Ramón; Pujol, María-José

2014-01-01

SLAM is a popular task used by robots and autonomous vehicles to build a map of an unknown environment and, at the same time, to determine their location within the map. This paper describes a SLAM-based, probabilistic robotic system able to learn the essential features of different parts of its environment. Some previous SLAM implementations had computational complexities ranging from O(Nlog(N)) to O(N(2)), where N is the number of map features. Unlike these methods, our approach reduces the computational complexity to O(N) by using a model to fuse the information from the sensors after applying the Bayesian paradigm. Once the training process is completed, the robot identifies and locates those areas that potentially match the sections that have been previously learned. After the training, the robot navigates and extracts a three-dimensional map of the environment using a single laser sensor. Thus, it perceives different sections of its world. In addition, in order to make our system able to be used in a low-cost robot, low-complexity algorithms that can be easily implemented on embedded processors or microcontrollers are used.

Tailored Algorithm for Sensitivity Enhancement of Gas Concentration Sensors Based on Tunable Laser Absorption Spectroscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Vargas-Rodriguez, Everardo; Guzman-Chavez, Ana Dinora; Baeza-Serrato, Roberto

2018-06-04

In this work, a novel tailored algorithm to enhance the overall sensitivity of gas concentration sensors based on the Direct Absorption Tunable Laser Absorption Spectroscopy (DA-ATLAS) method is presented. By using this algorithm, the sensor sensitivity can be custom-designed to be quasi constant over a much larger dynamic range compared with that obtained by typical methods based on a single statistics feature of the sensor signal output (peak amplitude, area under the curve, mean or RMS). Additionally, it is shown that with our algorithm, an optimal function can be tailored to get a quasi linear relationship between the concentration and some specific statistics features over a wider dynamic range. In order to test the viability of our algorithm, a basic C 2 H 2 sensor based on DA-ATLAS was implemented, and its experimental measurements support the simulated results provided by our algorithm.

Laser-engraved carbon nanotube paper for instilling high sensitivity, high stretchability, and high linearity in strain sensors

KAUST Repository

Xin, Yangyang

2017-06-29

There is an increasing demand for strain sensors with high sensitivity and high stretchability for new applications such as robotics or wearable electronics. However, for the available technologies, the sensitivity of the sensors varies widely. These sensors are also highly nonlinear, making reliable measurement challenging. Here we introduce a new family of sensors composed of a laser-engraved carbon nanotube paper embedded in an elastomer. A roll-to-roll pressing of these sensors activates a pre-defined fragmentation process, which results in a well-controlled, fragmented microstructure. Such sensors are reproducible and durable and can attain ultrahigh sensitivity and high stretchability (with a gauge factor of over 4.2 × 10(4) at 150% strain). Moreover, they can attain high linearity from 0% to 15% and from 22% to 150% strain. They are good candidates for stretchable electronic applications that require high sensitivity and linearity at large strains.

Laser fluorosensors : a survey of applications and developments of a versatile sensor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, C.E.; Fingas, M.F.; An, J.

2001-01-01

Recent advances in the development of laser fluorosensors were reviewed. Laser fluorosensors are used for several purposes including airborne monitoring of oil spills, the exploration of marine petroleum resources, and the monitoring of environmentally important substances such as chlorophyll. Since laser fluorosensors provide their own source of excitation, they can be used during daylight or darkness. Certain compounds such as chlorophyll found in plant material, plankton and in aromatic hydrocarbons from petroleum oils can absorb ultraviolet laser light and become electronically excited. This excitation is quickly removed by the process of fluorescence emission, mostly in the visible region of the spectrum. Natural substances such as chlorophyll can be differentiated from materials such as petroleum oils by careful choice of the excitation laser wavelength and range-gated detection at specific emission wavelengths. This paper described the different system components of laser fluorosensors such as excitation laser source, and detection schemes that make it possible for these sensors to be used for the detection and classification of a wide range of fluorescent compounds. Many fluorosensors have been used as research and development tools on both ship and aircraft to help determine the direction of oil spills. This real-time operating system provides information that can be rapidly transferred to personnel on the ground or at sea to mitigate the effects of an oil spill on marine and coastal environments. Environment Canada's Scanning Laser Environmental Airborne Fluorosensor (SLEAF) was designed to detect, characterize and map oil contamination in marine and coastal shoreline environments. Principle component analysis is used to classify the oil class as light refined, crude or heavy refined and the extent of oil coverage as clean, light, moderate or heavy. 18 refs

Laser fluorosensors : a survey of applications and developments of a versatile sensor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brown, C.E.; Fingas, M.F.; An, J. [Environment Canada, Ottawa, ON (Canada). Emergencies Science Div

2001-07-01

Recent advances in the development of laser fluorosensors were reviewed. Laser fluorosensors are used for several purposes including airborne monitoring of oil spills, the exploration of marine petroleum resources, and the monitoring of environmentally important substances such as chlorophyll. Since laser fluorosensors provide their own source of excitation, they can be used during daylight or darkness. Certain compounds such as chlorophyll found in plant material, plankton and in aromatic hydrocarbons from petroleum oils can absorb ultraviolet laser light and become electronically excited. This excitation is quickly removed by the process of fluorescence emission, mostly in the visible region of the spectrum. Natural substances such as chlorophyll can be differentiated from materials such as petroleum oils by careful choice of the excitation laser wavelength and range-gated detection at specific emission wavelengths. This paper described the different system components of laser fluorosensors such as excitation laser source, and detection schemes that make it possible for these sensors to be used for the detection and classification of a wide range of fluorescent compounds. Many fluorosensors have been used as research and development tools on both ship and aircraft to help determine the direction of oil spills. This real-time operating system provides information that can be rapidly transferred to personnel on the ground or at sea to mitigate the effects of an oil spill on marine and coastal environments. Environment Canada's Scanning Laser Environmental Airborne Fluorosensor (SLEAF) was designed to detect, characterize and map oil contamination in marine and coastal shoreline environments. Principle component analysis is used to classify the oil class as light refined, crude or heavy refined and the extent of oil coverage as clean, light, moderate or heavy. 18 refs.

Range-Measuring Video Sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Howard, Richard T.; Briscoe, Jeri M.; Corder, Eric L.; Broderick, David

2006-01-01

Optoelectronic sensors of a proposed type would perform the functions of both electronic cameras and triangulation- type laser range finders. That is to say, these sensors would both (1) generate ordinary video or snapshot digital images and (2) measure the distances to selected spots in the images. These sensors would be well suited to use on robots that are required to measure distances to targets in their work spaces. In addition, these sensors could be used for all the purposes for which electronic cameras have been used heretofore. The simplest sensor of this type, illustrated schematically in the upper part of the figure, would include a laser, an electronic camera (either video or snapshot), a frame-grabber/image-capturing circuit, an image-data-storage memory circuit, and an image-data processor. There would be no moving parts. The laser would be positioned at a lateral distance d to one side of the camera and would be aimed parallel to the optical axis of the camera. When the range of a target in the field of view of the camera was required, the laser would be turned on and an image of the target would be stored and preprocessed to locate the angle (a) between the optical axis and the line of sight to the centroid of the laser spot.

A mid-infrared laser absorption sensor for carbon monoxide and temperature measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Vanderover, Jeremy

A mid-infrared (mid-IR) absorption sensor based on quantum cascade laser (QCL) technology has been developed and demonstrated for high-temperature thermometry and carbon monoxide (CO) measurements in combustion environments. The sensor probes the high-intensity fundamental CO ro-vibrational band at 4.6 mum enabling sensitive measurement of CO and temperature at kHz acquisition rates. Because the sensor operates in the mid-IR CO fundamental band it is several orders of magnitude more sensitive than most of the previously developed CO combustion sensors which utilized absorption in the near-IR overtone bands and mature traditional telecommunications-based diode lasers. The sensor has been demonstrated and validated under operation in both scanned-wavelength absorption and wavelength-modulation spectroscopy (WMS) modes in room-temperature gas cell and high-temperature shock tube experiments with known and specified gas conditions. The sensor has also been demonstrated for CO and temperature measurements in an atmospheric premixed ethylene/air McKenna burner flat flame for a range of equivalence ratios (phi = 0.7-1.4). Demonstration of the sensor under scanned-wavelength direct absorption operation was performed in a room-temperature gas cell (297 K and 0.001-1 atm) allowing validation of the line strengths and line shapes predicted by the HITRAN 2004 spectroscopic database. Application of the sensor in scanned-wavelength mode, at 1-2 kHz acquisition bandwidths, to specified high-temperature shock-heated gases (950-3400 K, 1 atm) provided validation of the sensor for measurements under the high-temperature conditions found in combustion devices. The scanned-wavelength shock tube measurements yielded temperature determinations that deviated by only +/-1.2% (1-sigma deviation) with the reflected shock temperatures and CO mole fraction determinations that deviated by that specified CO mole fraction by only +/-1.5% (1-sigma deviation). These deviations are in fact smaller

A calibration-free ammonia breath sensor using a quantum cascade laser with WMS 2f/1f

KAUST Repository

Owen, Kyle

2013-12-22

The amount of ammonia in exhaled breath has been linked to a variety of adverse medical conditions, including chronic kidney disease (CKD). The development of accurate, reliable breath sensors has the potential to improve medical care. Wavelength modulation spectroscopy with second harmonic normalized by the first harmonic (WMS 2f/1f) is a sensitive technique used in the development of calibration-free sensors. An ammonia gas sensor is designed and developed that uses a quantum cascade laser operating near 1,103.44 cm -1 and a multi-pass cell with an effective path length of 76.45 m. The sensor has a 7 ppbv detection limit and 5 % total uncertainty for breath measurements. The sensor was successfully used to detect ammonia in exhaled breath and compare healthy patients to patients diagnosed with CKD. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

In situ ozone data for comparison with laser absorption remote sensor: 1980 pepe/neros program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mcdougal, D.S.; Lee, R.B. III; Bendura, R.J.

1982-05-01

Several sets of in situ ozone (O 3 ) measurements were made by a NASA aircraft in support of the laser absorption spectrometer (LAS) remote sensor. These measurements were designed to provide comparative O 3 data for the LAS sensor. The LAS, which was flown on a second aircraft, remotely measured the vertical burden of O 3 from the aircraft to the surface. In situ results of the air quality (O 3 and B sub scat) and meteorological (temperature and dewpoint) parameters for three correlative missions are presented. The aircraft flight plans, in situ concentration profiles and vertical burdens, and measurement errors are summarized

Continuous Water Vapor Mass Flux and Temperature Measurements in a Model Scramjet Combustor Using a Diode Laser Sensor

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Upschulte, B. L; Miller, M. F; Allen, M. G; Jackson, K; Gruber, M; Mathur, T

1998-01-01

A sensor for simultaneous measurements of water vapor density, temperature and velocity has been developed based on absorption techniques using room temperature diode lasers (InGaAsP) operating at 1.31 micrometers...

Roadmap on optical sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Ferreira, Mário F. S.; Castro-Camus, Enrique; Ottaway, David J.; López-Higuera, José Miguel; Feng, Xian; Jin, Wei; Jeong, Yoonchan; Picqué, Nathalie; Tong, Limin; Reinhard, Björn M.; Pellegrino, Paul M.; Méndez, Alexis; Diem, Max; Vollmer, Frank; Quan, Qimin

2017-08-01

Sensors are devices or systems able to detect, measure and convert magnitudes from any domain to an electrical one. Using light as a probe for optical sensing is one of the most efficient approaches for this purpose. The history of optical sensing using some methods based on absorbance, emissive and florescence properties date back to the 16th century. The field of optical sensors evolved during the following centuries, but it did not achieve maturity until the demonstration of the first laser in 1960. The unique properties of laser light become particularly important in the case of laser-based sensors, whose operation is entirely based upon the direct detection of laser light itself, without relying on any additional mediating device. However, compared with freely propagating light beams, artificially engineered optical fields are in increasing demand for probing samples with very small sizes and/or weak light-matter interaction. Optical fiber sensors constitute a subarea of optical sensors in which fiber technologies are employed. Different types of specialty and photonic crystal fibers provide improved performance and novel sensing concepts. Actually, structurization with wavelength or subwavelength feature size appears as the most efficient way to enhance sensor sensitivity and its detection limit. This leads to the area of micro- and nano-engineered optical sensors. It is expected that the combination of better fabrication techniques and new physical effects may open new and fascinating opportunities in this area. This roadmap on optical sensors addresses different technologies and application areas of the field. Fourteen contributions authored by experts from both industry and academia provide insights into the current state-of-the-art and the challenges faced by researchers currently. Two sections of this paper provide an overview of laser-based and frequency comb-based sensors. Three sections address the area of optical fiber sensors, encompassing both

Roadmap on optical sensors.

Science.gov (United States)

Ferreira, Mário F S; Castro-Camus, Enrique; Ottaway, David J; López-Higuera, José Miguel; Feng, Xian; Jin, Wei; Jeong, Yoonchan; Picqué, Nathalie; Tong, Limin; Reinhard, Björn M; Pellegrino, Paul M; Méndez, Alexis; Diem, Max; Vollmer, Frank; Quan, Qimin

2017-08-01

Sensors are devices or systems able to detect, measure and convert magnitudes from any domain to an electrical one. Using light as a probe for optical sensing is one of the most efficient approaches for this purpose. The history of optical sensing using some methods based on absorbance, emissive and florescence properties date back to the 16th century. The field of optical sensors evolved during the following centuries, but it did not achieve maturity until the demonstration of the first laser in 1960. The unique properties of laser light become particularly important in the case of laser-based sensors, whose operation is entirely based upon the direct detection of laser light itself, without relying on any additional mediating device. However, compared with freely propagating light beams, artificially engineered optical fields are in increasing demand for probing samples with very small sizes and/or weak light-matter interaction. Optical fiber sensors constitute a subarea of optical sensors in which fiber technologies are employed. Different types of specialty and photonic crystal fibers provide improved performance and novel sensing concepts. Actually, structurization with wavelength or subwavelength feature size appears as the most efficient way to enhance sensor sensitivity and its detection limit. This leads to the area of micro- and nano-engineered optical sensors. It is expected that the combination of better fabrication techniques and new physical effects may open new and fascinating opportunities in this area. This roadmap on optical sensors addresses different technologies and application areas of the field. Fourteen contributions authored by experts from both industry and academia provide insights into the current state-of-the-art and the challenges faced by researchers currently. Two sections of this paper provide an overview of laser-based and frequency comb-based sensors. Three sections address the area of optical fiber sensors, encompassing both

High-Power DFB Diode Laser-Based CO-QEPAS Sensor: Optimization and Performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Yufei; Tong, Yao; He, Ying; Yu, Xin; Tittel, Frank K

2018-01-04

A highly sensitive carbon monoxide (CO) trace gas sensor based on quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy (QEPAS) was demonstrated. A high-power distributed feedback (DFB), continuous wave (CW) 2.33 μm diode laser with an 8.8 mW output power was used as the QEPAS excitation source. By optimizing the modulation depth and adding an optimum micro-resonator, compared to a bare quartz tuning fork (QTF), a 10-fold enhancement of the CO-QEPAS signal amplitude was achieved. When water vapor acting as a vibrational transfer catalyst was added to the target gas, the signal was further increased by a factor of ~7. A minimum detection limit (MDL) of 11.2 ppm and a calculated normalized noise equivalent absorption (NNEA) coefficient of 1.8 × 10 -5 cm -1 W/√Hz were obtained for the reported CO-QEPAS sensor.

Calibrating airborne measurements of airspeed, pressure and temperature using a Doppler laser air-motion sensor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

W. A. Cooper

2014-09-01

Full Text Available A new laser air-motion sensor measures the true airspeed with a standard uncertainty of less than 0.1 m s−1 and so reduces uncertainty in the measured component of the relative wind along the longitudinal axis of the aircraft to about the same level. The calculated pressure expected from that airspeed at the inlet of a pitot tube then provides a basis for calibrating the measurements of dynamic and static pressure, reducing standard uncertainty in those measurements to less than 0.3 hPa and the precision applicable to steady flight conditions to about 0.1 hPa. These improved measurements of pressure, combined with high-resolution measurements of geometric altitude from the global positioning system, then indicate (via integrations of the hydrostatic equation during climbs and descents that the offset and uncertainty in temperature measurement for one research aircraft are +0.3 ± 0.3 °C. For airspeed, pressure and temperature, these are significant reductions in uncertainty vs. those obtained from calibrations using standard techniques. Finally, it is shown that although the initial calibration of the measured static and dynamic pressures requires a measured temperature, once calibrated these measured pressures and the measurement of airspeed from the new laser air-motion sensor provide a measurement of temperature that does not depend on any other temperature sensor.

Real time ammonia detection in exhaled human breath using a distributed feedback quantum cascade laser based sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Lewicki, Rafał; Kosterev, Anatoliy A.; Thomazy, David M.; Risby, Terence H.; Solga, Steven; Schwartz, Timothy B.; Tittel, Frank K.

2011-01-01

A continuous wave, thermoelectrically cooled, distributed feedback quantum cascade laser (DFB-QCL) based sensor platform for the quantitative detection of ammonia (NH3) concentrations present in exhaled human breath is reported. The NH3 concentration measurements are performed with a 2f wavelength modulation quartz enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy (QEPAS) technique, which is very well suited for real time breath analysis, due to the fast gas exchange inside a compact QEPAS gas cell. An air-cooled DFB-QCL was designed to target the interference-free NH3 absorption line located at 967.35 cm-1 (λ~10.34 μm). The laser is operated at 17.5 °C, emitting ~ 24 mW of optical power at the selected wavelength. A 1σ minimum detectable concentration of ammonia for the line-locked NH3 sensor is ~ 6 ppb with 1 sec time resolution. The NH3 sensor, packaged in a 12"x14"x10" housing, is currently installed at a medical breath research center in Bethlehem, PA and tested as an instrument for non-invasive verification of liver and kidney disorders based on human breath samples.

Extrinsic Calibration of Camera and 2D Laser Sensors without Overlap

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Khalil M. Ahmad Yousef

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Extrinsic calibration of a camera and a 2D laser range finder (lidar sensors is crucial in sensor data fusion applications; for example SLAM algorithms used in mobile robot platforms. The fundamental challenge of extrinsic calibration is when the camera-lidar sensors do not overlap or share the same field of view. In this paper we propose a novel and flexible approach for the extrinsic calibration of a camera-lidar system without overlap, which can be used for robotic platform self-calibration. The approach is based on the robot–world hand–eye calibration (RWHE problem; proven to have efficient and accurate solutions. First, the system was mapped to the RWHE calibration problem modeled as the linear relationship AX = ZB , where X and Z are unknown calibration matrices. Then, we computed the transformation matrix B , which was the main challenge in the above mapping. The computation is based on reasonable assumptions about geometric structure in the calibration environment. The reliability and accuracy of the proposed approach is compared to a state-of-the-art method in extrinsic 2D lidar to camera calibration. Experimental results from real datasets indicate that the proposed approach provides better results with an L2 norm translational and rotational deviations of 314 mm and 0 . 12 ∘ respectively.

Extrinsic Calibration of Camera and 2D Laser Sensors without Overlap.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmad Yousef, Khalil M; Mohd, Bassam J; Al-Widyan, Khalid; Hayajneh, Thaier

2017-10-14

Extrinsic calibration of a camera and a 2D laser range finder (lidar) sensors is crucial in sensor data fusion applications; for example SLAM algorithms used in mobile robot platforms. The fundamental challenge of extrinsic calibration is when the camera-lidar sensors do not overlap or share the same field of view. In this paper we propose a novel and flexible approach for the extrinsic calibration of a camera-lidar system without overlap, which can be used for robotic platform self-calibration. The approach is based on the robot-world hand-eye calibration (RWHE) problem; proven to have efficient and accurate solutions. First, the system was mapped to the RWHE calibration problem modeled as the linear relationship AX = ZB , where X and Z are unknown calibration matrices. Then, we computed the transformation matrix B , which was the main challenge in the above mapping. The computation is based on reasonable assumptions about geometric structure in the calibration environment. The reliability and accuracy of the proposed approach is compared to a state-of-the-art method in extrinsic 2D lidar to camera calibration. Experimental results from real datasets indicate that the proposed approach provides better results with an L2 norm translational and rotational deviations of 314 mm and 0 . 12 ∘ respectively.

Biochemical gas sensor (bio-sniffer) for ultrahigh-sensitive gaseous formaldehyde monitoring.

Science.gov (United States)

Kudo, Hiroyuki; Suzuki, Yuki; Gessei, Tomoko; Takahashi, Daishi; Arakawa, Takahiro; Mitsubayashi, Kohji

2010-10-15

An ultrahigh-sensitive fiber-optic biochemical gas sensor (bio-sniffer) for continuous monitoring of indoor formaldehyde was constructed and tested. The bio-sniffer measures gaseous formaldehyde as fluorescence of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH), which is the product of formaldehyde dehydrogenase (FALDH) reaction. The bio-sniffer device was constructed by attaching a flow cell with a FALDH immobilized membrane onto a fiber-optic NADH measurement system. The NADH measurement system utilizes an ultraviolet-light emitting diode (UV-LED) with peak emission of 335 nm as an excitation light source. The excitation light was introduced to an optical fiber probe, and fluorescence emission of neighboring NADH, which was produced by applying formaldehyde vapor to the FALDH membrane, was concentrically measured with a photomultiplier tube. Assessment of the bio-sniffer was carried out using a standard gas generator. Response, calibration range and selectivity to other chemical substances were investigated. Circulating phosphate buffer, which contained NAD+, available for continuous monitoring of formaldehyde vapor. The calibration range of the bio-sniffer was 2.5 ppb to 10 ppm, which covers the guideline value of the World Health Organization (80 ppb). High selectivity to other gaseous substances due to specific activity of FALDH was also confirmed. Considering its high sensitivity, a possible application of the bio-sniffer is continuous indoor formaldehyde monitoring to provide healthy residential atmosphere. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Laser Research Lab

Data.gov (United States)

Federal Laboratory Consortium — The Laser Research lab is thecenter for the development of new laser sources, nonlinear optical materials, frequency conversion processes and laser-based sensors for...

Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectroscopy Sensor for Calibration Free Humidity Measurements in Pure Methane and Low CO2 Natural Gas.

Science.gov (United States)

Nwaboh, Javis Anyangwe; Pratzler, Sonja; Werhahn, Olav; Ebert, Volker

2017-05-01

We report a new direct tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (dTDLAS) sensor for absolute measurements of H 2 O in methane, ethane, propane, and low CO 2 natural gas. The sensor is operated with a 2.7 µm DFB laser, equipped with a high pressure single pass gas cell, and used to measure H 2 O amount of substance fractions in the range of 0.31-25 000 µmol/mol. Operating total gas pressures are up to 5000 hPa. The sensor has been characterized, addressing the traceability of the spectrometric results to the SI and the evaluation of the combined uncertainty, following the guide to the expression of uncertainty in measurement (GUM). The relative reproducibility of H 2 O amount of substance fraction measurements at 87 µmol/mol is 0.26% (0.23 µmol/mol). The maximum precision of the sensor was determined using a H 2 O in methane mixture, and found to be 40 nmol/mol for a time resolution of 100 s. This corresponds to a normalized detection limit of 330 nmol mol -1 ·m Hz -1/2 . The relative combined uncertainty of H 2 O amount fraction measurements delivered by the sensor is 1.2%.

Intra-pulse laser absorption sensor with cavity enhancement for oxidation experiments in a rapid compression machine

KAUST Repository

Nasir, Ehson Fawad

2018-05-23

A sensor based on a mid-IR pulsed quantum cascade laser (QCL) and off-axis cavity enhanced absorption spectroscopy (OA-CEAS) has been developed for highly sensitive concentration measurements of carbon monoxide (CO) in a rapid compression machine. The duty cycle and the pulse repetition rate of the laser were optimized for increased tuning range, high chirp rate, and small line width to achieve effective laser-cavity coupling. This enabled spectrally resolved CO line-shape measurements at high pressures (P ~10 bar). A gain factor of 133 and a time resolution of 10 μs were demonstrated. CO concentration-time profiles during the oxidation of highly dilute n-octane/air mixtures were recorded, illustrating new opportunities in RCM experiments for chemical kinetics.

High Temperature and High Sensitive NOx Gas Sensor with Hetero-Junction Structure using Laser Ablation Method

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Wei; Shi, Liqin; Hasegawa, Yuki; Katsube, Teruaki

In order to develop a high temperature (200°C˜400°C) and high sensitive NOx gas sensor, we developed a new structure of SiC-based hetero-junction device Pt/SnO2/SiC/Ni, Pt/In2O3/SiC/Ni and Pt/WO3/SiC/Ni using a laser ablation method for the preparation of both metal (Pt) electrode and metal-oxide film. It was found that Pt/In2O3/SiC/Ni sensor shows higher sensitivity to NO2 gas compared with the Pt/SnO2/SiC/Ni and Pt/WO3/SiC/Ni sensor, whereas the Pt/WO3/SiC/Ni sensor had better sensitivity to NO gas. These results suggest that selective detection of NO and NO2 gases may be obtained by choosing different metal oxide films.

Enabling new sensor applications for (V)HTRS by laser hybrid brazing of oxide ceramics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Heilmann, F.; Rixecker, G. [Robert Bosch GmbH, Stuttgart (Germany). Corporate Research and Development; Herrmann, M.; Lippmann, W.; Hurtado, A. [Univ. of Technology, Dresden (Germany). Chair of Hydrogen- and Nuclear Engineering

2008-07-01

The use of (very) high temperature reactors ((V)HTRs) requires a sensor technology suitable to withstand thermal loads both in normal operation mode and under incident conditions which may appear during service. Especially ceramic sensors are ideal to suit this purpose. A special sensor type that is based upon oxide ceramics is the high temperature oxygen sensor. Base material for this application is yttria-doped zirconia. At elevated temperatures (above 450 C) the activation energy of oxygen ions is sufficient to migrate in the ZrO{sub 2} lattice following an oxygen partial pressure gradient. This diffusion process is facilitated by the trivalent yttrium ions which give rise to a high concentration of oxygen vacancies. The macroscopical effect of the migration of the oxygen ions can be detected as a Nernst voltage or, alternatively, as an electrical current. Thus it is possible to compare the oxygen content of measured media with that of a known reference gas. To be able to produce such sensors both efficiently and in the desired quality, joining technologies adapted to ceramics are necessary. Laser-based technologies for brazing with glass or glass-ceramic solders are especially suitable, as they combine high precision with high throughput. They thus enable cost efficient production processes both for large and small lot sizes. (orig.)

Simple laser vision sensor calibration for surface profiling applications

Science.gov (United States)

Abu-Nabah, Bassam A.; ElSoussi, Adnane O.; Al Alami, Abed ElRahman K.

2016-09-01

Due to the relatively large structures in the Oil and Gas industry, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have been implementing custom-designed laser vision sensor (LVS) surface profiling systems as part of quality control in their manufacturing processes. The rough manufacturing environment and the continuous movement and misalignment of these custom-designed tools adversely affect the accuracy of laser-based vision surface profiling applications. Accordingly, Oil and Gas businesses have been raising the demand from the OEMs to implement practical and robust LVS calibration techniques prior to running any visual inspections. This effort introduces an LVS calibration technique representing a simplified version of two known calibration techniques, which are commonly implemented to obtain a calibrated LVS system for surface profiling applications. Both calibration techniques are implemented virtually and experimentally to scan simulated and three-dimensional (3D) printed features of known profiles, respectively. Scanned data is transformed from the camera frame to points in the world coordinate system and compared with the input profiles to validate the introduced calibration technique capability against the more complex approach and preliminarily assess the measurement technique for weld profiling applications. Moreover, the sensitivity to stand-off distances is analyzed to illustrate the practicality of the presented technique.

High-Power DFB Diode Laser-Based CO-QEPAS Sensor: Optimization and Performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yufei Ma

2018-01-01

Full Text Available A highly sensitive carbon monoxide (CO trace gas sensor based on quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy (QEPAS was demonstrated. A high-power distributed feedback (DFB, continuous wave (CW 2.33 μm diode laser with an 8.8 mW output power was used as the QEPAS excitation source. By optimizing the modulation depth and adding an optimum micro-resonator, compared to a bare quartz tuning fork (QTF, a 10-fold enhancement of the CO-QEPAS signal amplitude was achieved. When water vapor acting as a vibrational transfer catalyst was added to the target gas, the signal was further increased by a factor of ~7. A minimum detection limit (MDL of 11.2 ppm and a calculated normalized noise equivalent absorption (NNEA coefficient of 1.8 × 10−5 cm−1W/√Hz were obtained for the reported CO-QEPAS sensor.

Laser Doppler Blood Flow Imaging Using a CMOS Imaging Sensor with On-Chip Signal Processing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cally Gill

2013-09-01

Full Text Available The first fully integrated 2D CMOS imaging sensor with on-chip signal processing for applications in laser Doppler blood flow (LDBF imaging has been designed and tested. To obtain a space efficient design over 64 × 64 pixels means that standard processing electronics used off-chip cannot be implemented. Therefore the analog signal processing at each pixel is a tailored design for LDBF signals with balanced optimization for signal-to-noise ratio and silicon area. This custom made sensor offers key advantages over conventional sensors, viz. the analog signal processing at the pixel level carries out signal normalization; the AC amplification in combination with an anti-aliasing filter allows analog-to-digital conversion with a low number of bits; low resource implementation of the digital processor enables on-chip processing and the data bottleneck that exists between the detector and processing electronics has been overcome. The sensor demonstrates good agreement with simulation at each design stage. The measured optical performance of the sensor is demonstrated using modulated light signals and in vivo blood flow experiments. Images showing blood flow changes with arterial occlusion and an inflammatory response to a histamine skin-prick demonstrate that the sensor array is capable of detecting blood flow signals from tissue.

Laser doppler blood flow imaging using a CMOS imaging sensor with on-chip signal processing.

Science.gov (United States)

He, Diwei; Nguyen, Hoang C; Hayes-Gill, Barrie R; Zhu, Yiqun; Crowe, John A; Gill, Cally; Clough, Geraldine F; Morgan, Stephen P

2013-09-18

The first fully integrated 2D CMOS imaging sensor with on-chip signal processing for applications in laser Doppler blood flow (LDBF) imaging has been designed and tested. To obtain a space efficient design over 64 × 64 pixels means that standard processing electronics used off-chip cannot be implemented. Therefore the analog signal processing at each pixel is a tailored design for LDBF signals with balanced optimization for signal-to-noise ratio and silicon area. This custom made sensor offers key advantages over conventional sensors, viz. the analog signal processing at the pixel level carries out signal normalization; the AC amplification in combination with an anti-aliasing filter allows analog-to-digital conversion with a low number of bits; low resource implementation of the digital processor enables on-chip processing and the data bottleneck that exists between the detector and processing electronics has been overcome. The sensor demonstrates good agreement with simulation at each design stage. The measured optical performance of the sensor is demonstrated using modulated light signals and in vivo blood flow experiments. Images showing blood flow changes with arterial occlusion and an inflammatory response to a histamine skin-prick demonstrate that the sensor array is capable of detecting blood flow signals from tissue.

Photoacoustic CO2 sensor based on a DFB diode laser at 2.7 μm

Science.gov (United States)

Wolff, M.; Germer, M.; Groninga, H. G.; Harde, H.

2008-01-01

We present a new detection scheme for carbon dioxide (CO{2}) based on a custom-made room temperature distributed feedback (DFB) diode laser at 2.7 μm, currently representing one of the lasers with the highest emission wavelength of its kind. The detector's especially compact and simple set-up is based on photoacoustic spectroscopy (PAS). This method makes use of the transformation of absorbed modulated radiation into a sound wave. The sensor enables a very high detection sensitivity for CO{2} in the ppb range. Furthermore, the carefully selected spectral region as well as the narrow bandwidth and wide tunability of the single-mode laser ensure an excellent selectivity. Even measurements of different CO{2} isotopes can be easily performed. This enables applications in industrial sensing and medical diagnostics (e.g. 13C-breath tests).

Aerometrics' laser-based lane-tracker sensor: engineering and on-the-road evaluation of advanced prototypes

Science.gov (United States)

Schuler, Carlos A.; Tapos, Francis M.; Alayleh, Mehyeddine M.; Bachalo, William D.

1997-02-01

Aerometrics initiated and continues on the development an innovative laser-diode based device that provides a warning signal when a motor-vehicle deviates from the center of the lane. The device is based on a sensor that scans the roadway on either side of the vehicle and determines the lateral position relative to the existing painted lines marking the lane. The principles of operation of the sensor, and the results of Aerometrics' early testing were presented last year in this forum. This paper presents Aerometrics' continuing efforts in bringing the technology to market. New prototypes have been developed and tested. Aerometrics' engineering efforts and the use of latest technologies have resulted in a 24-fold reduction in sensor volume when compared to their predecessors and similar reductions in weight. The current prototype measures less than 9 cm X 8 cm X 7 cm, and can be easily fit within the cavity of rear-view mirror holders used in most present-day vehicles. Also, advances in signal conditioning and processing have improved the reliability of the sensor. Results of continuing testing of the sensor will be presented.

Characterization of a FBG sensor interrogation system based on a mode-locked laser scheme.

Science.gov (United States)

Madrigal, Javier; Fraile-Peláez, Francisco Javier; Zheng, Di; Barrera, David; Sales, Salvador

2017-10-02

This paper is focused on the characterization of a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor interrogation system based on a fiber ring laser with a semiconductor optical amplifier as the gain medium, and an in-loop electro-optical modulator. This system operates as a switchable active (pulsed) mode-locked laser. The operation principle of the system is explained theoretically and validated experimentally. The ability of the system to interrogate an array of different FBGs in wavelength and spatial domain is demonstrated. Simultaneously, the influence of several important parameters on the performance of the interrogation technique has been investigated. Specifically, the effects of the bandwidth and the reflectivity of the FBGs, the SOA gain, and the depth of the intensity modulation have been addressed.

Self-injection locking of the DFB laser through an external ring fiber cavity: Application for phase sensitive OTDR acoustic sensor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J.L. Bueno Escobedo

Full Text Available Self-injection locking of DFB laser implemented through the laser coupling with an external fiber optic ring cavity allows its direct employment as an interrogating light source for a phase sensitive OTDR acoustic sensor. Distributed detection and localization of dynamic perturbations of the optical fiber is experimentally demonstrated at the distance of 9270 m. Keywords: Self-injection locking, Optical fiber resonator, φ-OTDR

Assessment of Sesame Oil as a Radioprotector against Some Biochemical Alterations Induced by Argon Laser on Albino Rat Head

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Omran, M.F.

2007-01-01

The plant (Sesamum indicum) is a lovely annual shrub with white bell-shaped flowers tinged with a hint of blue, red or yellow. The rich, almost odourless oil expressed from the tiny seeds is very stable and contains an antioxidant system comprising sesamol and sesamolinol formed from sesamolin, which substantially reduces its oxidation rate. The objective of this study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of sesame oil to reduce the altered biochemical indices in brain of irradiated rats exposed to argon laser at wavelength 488 nm. Methods: Animals were divided into 4 groups. Group 1: Control group where 6 rats are dissected as control for other irradiated rats. Group 2: Irradiated with argon laser at wavelength 488 nm receiving energy (1.0 J x 3 times) on head of rats day by day. Group 3: Animals administered with sesame oil 500 mg/kg body wt/day for 20 successive days. Group 4: Irradiated with argon laser at wavelength 488 nm receiving an energy (1.0 J x 3 times) animals administered with sesame oil 500 mg/kg body wt/day through the radiation. Each group was dissected after 1, 9 and 14 days after exposure to laser radiation (presented in NCRRT). Results: The use of naturally occurring agents as antioxidant agents as sesame oil can slow the degenerative process in several neuro degenerative diseases. These data are addition to the antioxidant properties of the sesame oil against argon laser at wavelength 488 nm to indicate a possible role for the use in treatment of diseases involving free radicals and oxidative damage

Fast Prototyping of Sensorized Cell Culture Chips and Microfluidic Systems with Ultrashort Laser Pulses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sebastian M. Bonk

2015-03-01

Full Text Available We developed a confined microfluidic cell culture system with a bottom plate made of a microscopic slide with planar platinum sensors for the measurement of acidification, oxygen consumption, and cell adhesion. The slides were commercial slides with indium tin oxide (ITO plating or were prepared from platinum sputtering (100 nm onto a 10-nm titanium adhesion layer. Direct processing of the sensor structures (approximately three minutes per chip by an ultrashort pulse laser facilitated the production of the prototypes. pH-sensitive areas were produced by the sputtering of 60-nm Si3N4 through a simple mask made from a circuit board material. The system body and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS molding forms for the microfluidic structures were manufactured by micromilling using a printed circuit board (PCB milling machine for circuit boards. The microfluidic structure was finally imprinted in PDMS. Our approach avoided the use of photolithographic techniques and enabled fast and cost-efficient prototyping of the systems. Alternatively, the direct production of metallic, ceramic or polymeric molding tools was tested. The use of ultrashort pulse lasers improved the precision of the structures and avoided any contact of the final structures with toxic chemicals and possible adverse effects for the cell culture in lab-on-a-chip systems.

Ammonia Sensor Using Wavelength Modulation Spectroscopy

KAUST Repository

Farooq, Aamir; Owen, Kyle

2015-01-01

An ammonia sensor can include a laser detector configured to provide stable sample readings. The sensor can implement a method including processing the recorded intensity of the laser beam to determine a first harmonic component and a second harmonic component and the amount of ammonia in the sample.

Ammonia Sensor Using Wavelength Modulation Spectroscopy

KAUST Repository

Farooq, Aamir

2015-09-01

An ammonia sensor can include a laser detector configured to provide stable sample readings. The sensor can implement a method including processing the recorded intensity of the laser beam to determine a first harmonic component and a second harmonic component and the amount of ammonia in the sample.

A Framework Based on Reference Data with Superordinate Accuracy for the Quality Analysis of Terrestrial Laser Scanning-Based Multi-Sensor-Systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Stenz, Ulrich; Hartmann, Jens; Paffenholz, Jens-André; Neumann, Ingo

2017-08-16

Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) is an efficient solution to collect large-scale data. The efficiency can be increased by combining TLS with additional sensors in a TLS-based multi-sensor-system (MSS). The uncertainty of scanned points is not homogenous and depends on many different influencing factors. These include the sensor properties, referencing, scan geometry (e.g., distance and angle of incidence), environmental conditions (e.g., atmospheric conditions) and the scanned object (e.g., material, color and reflectance, etc.). The paper presents methods, infrastructure and results for the validation of the suitability of TLS and TLS-based MSS. Main aspects are the backward modelling of the uncertainty on the basis of reference data (e.g., point clouds) with superordinate accuracy and the appropriation of a suitable environment/infrastructure (e.g., the calibration process of the targets for the registration of laser scanner and laser tracker data in a common coordinate system with high accuracy) In this context superordinate accuracy means that the accuracy of the acquired reference data is better by a factor of 10 than the data of the validated TLS and TLS-based MSS. These aspects play an important role in engineering geodesy, where the aimed accuracy lies in a range of a few mm or less.

Functional characterization of planar sensors with active edges using laser and X-ray beam scans

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Povoli, M.; Bagolini, A.; Boscardin, M.; Dalla Betta, G.-F.; Giacomini, G.; Hasi, J.; Oh, A.; Zorzi, N.

2013-01-01

We report on the functional characterization of planar sensors with active edges fabricated at Fondazione Bruno Kessler (FBK), Trento, Italy. The measurements here reported were performed by means of laser and X-ray beam scans mainly focusing on the signal efficiency of the edge region of the devices. Results are very encouraging and show very good sensitivity up to few microns away from the device physical edge

Functional characterization of planar sensors with active edges using laser and X-ray beam scans

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Povoli, M., E-mail: povoli@disi.unitn.it [Dipartimento di Ingegneria e Scienza dell' Informazione, Università di Trento, Via Sommarive, 14, I-38123 Povo di Trento (Italy); INFN, Sezione di Padova (Gruppo Collegato di Trento),Via Sommarive, 14, I-38123 Povo di Trento (Italy); Bagolini, A.; Boscardin, M. [Fondazione Bruno Kessler, Centro per i Materiali e i Microsistemi (FBK-CMM), Via Sommarive, 18, I-38123 Povo di Trento (Italy); Dalla Betta, G.-F. [Dipartimento di Ingegneria e Scienza dell' Informazione, Università di Trento, Via Sommarive, 14, I-38123 Povo di Trento (Italy); INFN, Sezione di Padova (Gruppo Collegato di Trento),Via Sommarive, 14, I-38123 Povo di Trento (Italy); Giacomini, G. [Fondazione Bruno Kessler, Centro per i Materiali e i Microsistemi (FBK-CMM), Via Sommarive, 18, I-38123 Povo di Trento (Italy); Hasi, J. [SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, 2575 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025-7015 (United States); Oh, A. [The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL (United Kingdom); Zorzi, N. [Fondazione Bruno Kessler, Centro per i Materiali e i Microsistemi (FBK-CMM), Via Sommarive, 18, I-38123 Povo di Trento (Italy)

2013-08-01

We report on the functional characterization of planar sensors with active edges fabricated at Fondazione Bruno Kessler (FBK), Trento, Italy. The measurements here reported were performed by means of laser and X-ray beam scans mainly focusing on the signal efficiency of the edge region of the devices. Results are very encouraging and show very good sensitivity up to few microns away from the device physical edge.

A Fiber Optic PD Sensor Using a Balanced Sagnac Interferometer and an EDFA-Based DOP Tunable Fiber Ring Laser

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Lutang; Fang, Nian; Wu, Chunxu; Qin, Haijuan; Huang, Zhaoming

2014-01-01

A novel fiber-optic acoustic sensor using an erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA)-based fiber ring laser and a balanced Sagnac interferometer for acoustic sensing of the partial discharge (PD) in power transformers is proposed and demonstrated. As a technical background, an experimental investigation on how the variations of the fiber birefringence affect the sensor performances was carried out, and the results are discussed. The operation principles are described, and the relevant formulas are derived. The analytical results show that an EDFA-based fiber ring laser operating in chaotic mode can provide a degree of polarization (DOP) tunable light beam for effectively suppressing polarization fading noises. The balanced Sagnac interferometer can eliminate command intensity noises and enhance the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Furthermore, it inherently operates at the quadrature point of the response curve without any active stabilizations. Several experiments are conducted for evaluating the performances of the sensor system, as well as for investigating the ability of the detection of high-frequency acoustic emission signals. The experimental results demonstrate that the DOP of the laser beam can be continuously tuned from 0.2% to 100%, and the power fluctuation in the whole DOP tuning range is less than 0.05 dBm. A high-frequency response up to 300 kHz is reached, and the high sensing sensitivity for detections of weak corona discharges, as well as partial discharges also is verified. PMID:24824371

Distributed Optical Fiber Sensors with Ultrafast Laser Enhanced Rayleigh Backscattering Profiles for Real-Time Monitoring of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Operations.

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Aidong; Huang, Sheng; Li, Shuo; Chen, Rongzhang; Ohodnicki, Paul; Buric, Michael; Lee, Shiwoo; Li, Ming-Jun; Chen, Kevin P

2017-08-24

This paper reports a technique to enhance the magnitude and high-temperature stability of Rayleigh back-scattering signals in silica fibers for distributed sensing applications. With femtosecond laser radiation, more than 40-dB enhancement of Rayleigh backscattering signal was generated in silica fibers using 300-nJ laser pulses at 250 kHz repetition rate. The laser-induced Rayleigh scattering defects were found to be stable from the room temperature to 800 °C in hydrogen gas. The Rayleigh scatter at high temperatures was correlated to the formation and modification of nanogratings in the fiber core. Using optical fibers with enhanced Rayleigh backscattering profiles as distributed temperature sensors, we demonstrated real-time monitoring of solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) operations with 5-mm spatial resolution at 800 °C. Information gathered by these fiber sensor tools can be used to verify simulation results or operated in a process-control system to improve the operational efficiency and longevity of SOFC-based energy generation systems.

Autonomous bio-chemical decontaminator (ABCD) against weapons of mass destruction

Science.gov (United States)

Hyacinthe, Berg P.

2006-05-01

The proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and the use of such elements pose an eminent asymmetric threat with disastrous consequences to the national security of any nation. In particular, the use of biochemical warfare agents against civilians and unprotected troops in international conflicts or by terrorists against civilians is considered as a very peculiar threat. Accordingly, taking a quarantine-before-inhalation approach to biochemical warfare, the author introduces the notion of autonomous biochemical decontamination against WMD. In the unfortunate event of a biochemical attack, the apparatus proposed herein is intended to automatically detect, identify, and more importantly neutralize a biochemical threat. Along with warnings concerning a cyber-WMD nexus, various sections cover discussions on human senses and computer sensors, corroborating evidence related to detection and neutralization of chemical toxins, and cyber-assisted olfaction in stand alone, peer-to-peer, and network settings. In essence, the apparatus can be used in aviation and mass transit security to initiate mass decontamination by dispersing a decontaminant aerosol or to protect the public water supply against a potential bioterrorist attack. Future effort may involve a system-on-chip (SoC) embodiment of this apparatus that allows a safer environment for the emerging phenomenon of cyber-assisted olfaction and morph cell phones into ubiquitous sensors/decontaminators. Although this paper covers mechanisms and protocols to avail a neutralizing substance, further research will need to explore the substance's various pharmacological profiles and potential side effects.

Advanced nanoimprint patterning for functional electronics and biochemical sensing

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Chao

Nano-fabrication has been widely used for a variety of disciplines, including electronics, material science, nano-optics, and nano-biotechnology. This dissertation focuses on nanoimprint lithography (NIL) based novel nano-patterning techniques for fabricating functional structures, and discusses their applications in advanced electronics and high-sensitivity molecular sensing. In this dissertation, examples of using nano-fabricated structures for promising electronic applications are presented. For instance, 10 nm and 18 nm features are NIL-fabricated for Si/SiGe heterojunction tunneling transistors and graphene nano-ribbon transistors, using shadow evaporation and line-width shrinking techniques, respectively. An ultrafast laser melting based method is applied on flexible plastic substrates to correct defects of nano-features. Nano-texturing of sapphire substrate is developed to improve the light extraction of GaN light emitting diodes (LEDs) by 70 %. A novel multi-layer nano-patterned Si-mediated catalyst is discovered to grow straight and uniform Si nanowires with optimized properties in size, location, and crystallization on amorphous SiO2 substrate. Nano-structures are also functionalized into highly sensitive bio-chemical sensors. Plasmonic nano-bar antenna arrays are demonstrated to effectively sense infrared molecules >10 times better than conventional plasmonic sensors. As small as 20 nm wide nano-channel fluidic devices are developed to linearize and detect DNA molecules for potential DNA sequencing. An integrated fluidic system is built to incorporate plasmonic nano-structures for 30X-enhanced fluorescence detection of large DNA molecules.

Optical beam deflection sensor: design and experiments.

Science.gov (United States)

Sakamoto, João M S; Marques, Renan B; Kitano, Cláudio; Rodrigues, Nicolau A S; Riva, Rudimar

2017-10-01

In this work, we present a double-pass optical beam deflection sensor and its optical design method. To accomplish that, a mathematical model was proposed and computational simulations were performed, in order to obtain the sensor's characteristic curves and to analyze its behavior as function of design parameters. The mathematical model was validated by comparison with the characteristic curves acquired experimentally. The sensor was employed to detect acoustic pulses generated by a pulsed laser in a sample surface, in order to show its potential for monitoring applications handling high energy input as laser welding or laser ablation.

Diode Laser Sensor for Gas Temperature and H2O Concentration in a Scramjet Combustor Using Wavelength Modulation Spectroscopy (Postprint)

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Rieker, Gregory B; Li, Jonathan T; Jeffries, Jay B; Mathur, Tarun; Gruber, Mark R; Carter, Campbell D

2005-01-01

A diode laser absorption sensor which probes three spectral features of water vapor in the near infrared region to infer gas temperature and water vapor concentration near the exit of a scramjet combustor is presented...

Measuring intracellular redox conditions using GFP-based sensors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Björnberg, Olof; Ostergaard, Henrik; Winther, Jakob R

2006-01-01

Recent years have seen the development of methods for analyzing the redox conditions in specific compartments in living cells. These methods are based on genetically encoded sensors comprising variants of Green Fluorescent Protein in which vicinal cysteine residues have been introduced at solvent......-exposed positions. Several mutant forms have been identified in which formation of a disulfide bond between these cysteine residues results in changes of their fluorescence properties. The redox sensors have been characterized biochemically and found to behave differently, both spectroscopically and in terms...... of redox properties. As genetically encoded sensors they can be expressed in living cells and used for analysis of intracellular redox conditions; however, which parameters are measured depends on how the sensors interact with various cellular redox components. Results of both biochemical and cell...

Optical fibres sensor based in the intensity switch of a linear laser with two Bragg gratings; Sensor de fibra optica basado en el salto de intensidad de un laser lineal con dos rejillas de Bragg

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Basurto P, M.A.; Kuzin, E.A.; Archundia B, C.; Marroquin, E.; May A, M.; Cerecedo N, H.H.; Sanchez M, J.J. [Departamento de Fotonica y Fisica Optica, Instituto Nacional de Astrofisica, Optica y Electronica (INAOE). Apartado Postal 51 y 216, 72000 Puebla (Mexico); Tentori S, D.; Marquez B, I.; Shliagin, M.; Miridonov, S. [Centro de Investigacion CESE (Mexico)

2000-07-01

In this work we propose a new configuration for an optical fiber temperature sensor, based on a linear type Er-doped fiber laser. The laser cavity consists of an Er-doped fiber and two identical Bragg gratings at the fiber ends (working as reflectors). Temperature changes are detected by measuring, through one of the gratings, the intensity variations atthe system's output. When the temperature of one of the Bragg gratings is modified, a wavelength shift of its spectral reflectivity is observed. Hence, the laser emission intensity of the system is modified. We present experimental results of the intensity switch observed when the temperature difference between the gratings detunes their spectral reflectance. Making use of this effect it is possible to develop limit comparators to bound the temperature range for the object under supervision. This limiting work can be performed with a high sensitivity using a very simple interrogation procedure. (Author)

A three-dimensional laser vibration measurement technology realized on five laser beam and its calibration

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Lu-Ke; Zhang, Shen-Feng

2018-03-01

Put forward a kind of three-dimensional vibration information technology of vibrating object by the mean of five laser beam of He-Ne laser, and with the help of three-way sensor, measure the three-dimensional laser vibration developed by above mentioned technology. The technology based on the Doppler principle of interference and signal demodulation technology, get the vibration information of the object, through the algorithm processing, extract the three-dimensional vibration information of space objects, and can achieve the function of angle calibration of five beam in the space, which avoid the effects of the mechanical installation error, greatly improve the accuracy of measurement. With the help of a & B K4527 contact three axis sensor, measure and calibrate three-dimensional laser vibrometer, which ensure the accuracy of the measurement data. Summarize the advantages and disadvantages of contact and non-contact sensor, and analysis the future development trends of the sensor industry.

Optical fibres sensor based in the intensity switch of a linear laser with two Bragg gratings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Basurto P, M.A.; Kuzin, E.A.; Archundia B, C.; Marroquin, E.; May A, M.; Cerecedo N, H.H.; Sanchez M, J.J.; Tentori S, D.; Marquez B, I.; Shliagin, M.; Miridonov, S.

2000-01-01

In this work we propose a new configuration for an optical fiber temperature sensor, based on a linear type Er-doped fiber laser. The laser cavity consists of an Er-doped fiber and two identical Bragg gratings at the fiber ends (working as reflectors). Temperature changes are detected by measuring, through one of the gratings, the intensity variations at the system's output. When the temperature of one of the Bragg gratings is modified, a wavelength shift of its spectral reflectivity is observed. Hence, the laser emission intensity of the system is modified. We present experimental results of the intensity switch observed when the temperature difference between the gratings detunes their spectral reflectance. Making use of this effect it is possible to develop limit comparators to bound the temperature range for the object under supervision. This limiting work can be performed with a high sensitivity using a very simple interrogation procedure. (Author)

H2O temperature sensor for low-pressure flames using tunable diode laser absorption near 2.9 νm

KAUST Repository

Li, Sijie; Farooq, Aamir; Hanson, Ronald Kenneth

2011-01-01

Making use of a newly available rapid-tuning diode laser operating at wavelengths up to 2.9 νm, an absorption-based temperature sensor was developed for in situ measurements in low-pressure flames. Based on the systematic analysis of H2O vapor

Transparent silicon strip sensors for the optical alignment of particle detector systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blum, W.; Kroha, H.; Widmann, P.

1995-05-01

Modern large-area precision tracking detectors require increasing accuracy for the alignment of their components. A novel multi-point laser alignment system has been developed for such applications. The position of detector components with respect to reference laser beams is monitored by semi-transparent optical position sensors which work on the principle of silicon strip photodiodes. Two types of custom designed transparent strip sensors, based on crystalline and on amorphous silicon as active material, have been studied. The sensors are optimised for the typical diameters of collimated laser beams of 3-5 mm over distances of 10-20 m. They provide very high position resolution, on the order of 1 μm, uniformly over a wide measurement range of several centimeters. The preparation of the sensor surfaces requires special attention in order to achieve high light transmittance and minimum distortion of the traversing laser beams. At selected wavelengths, produced by laser diodes, transmission rates above 90% have been achieved. This allows to position more than 30 sensors along one laser beam. The sensors will be equipped with custom designed integrated readout electronics. (orig.)

Design of pre-optics for laser guide star wavefront sensor for the ELT

Science.gov (United States)

Muslimov, Eduard; Dohlen, Kjetil; Neichel, Benoit; Hugot, Emmanuel

2017-12-01

In the present paper, we consider the optical design of a zoom system for the active refocusing in laser guide star wavefront sensors. The system is designed according to the specifications coming from the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT)-HARMONI instrument, the first-light, integral field spectrograph for the European (E)-ELT. The system must provide a refocusing of the laser guide as a function of telescope pointing and large decentring of the incoming beam. The system considers four moving lens groups, each of them being a doublet with one aspherical surface. The advantages and shortcomings of such a solution in terms of the component displacements and complexity of the surfaces are described in detail. It is shown that the system can provide the median value of the residual wavefront error of 13.8-94.3 nm and the maximum value <206 nm, while the exit pupil distortion is 0.26-0.36% for each of the telescope pointing directions.

Direct laser writing for nanoporous liquid core laser sensors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Grossmann, Tobias; Christiansen, Mads Brøkner; Peterson, Jeffrey

2012-01-01

We report the fabrication of nanoporous liquid core lasers via direct laser writing based on two-photon absorption in combination with thiolene-chemistry. As gain medium Rhodamine 6G was embedded in the nanoporous polybutadiene matrix. The lasing devices with thresholds of 19 µJ/mm2 were measured...

Optical fiber sensors: Systems and applications. Volume 2

Science.gov (United States)

Culshaw, Brian; Dakin, John

State-of-the-art fiber-optic (FO) sensors and their applications are described in chapters contributed by leading experts. Consideration is given to interferometers, FO gyros, intensity- and wavelength-based sensors and optical actuators, Si in FO sensors, point-sensor multiplexing principles, and distributed FO sensor systems. Also examined are chemical, biochemical, and medical sensors; physical and chemical sensors for process control; FO-sensor applications in the marine and aerospace industries; FO-sensor monitoring systems for security and safety, structural integrity, NDE, and the electric-power industry; and the market situation for FO-sensor technology. Diagrams, drawings, graphs, and photographs are provided.

Heterodyne laser Doppler distance sensor with phase coding measuring stationary as well as laterally and axially moving objects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pfister, T; Günther, P; Nöthen, M; Czarske, J

2010-01-01

Both in production engineering and process control, multidirectional displacements, deformations and vibrations of moving or rotating components have to be measured dynamically, contactlessly and with high precision. Optical sensors would be predestined for this task, but their measurement rate is often fundamentally limited. Furthermore, almost all conventional sensors measure only one measurand, i.e. either out-of-plane or in-plane distance or velocity. To solve this problem, we present a novel phase coded heterodyne laser Doppler distance sensor (PH-LDDS), which is able to determine out-of-plane (axial) position and in-plane (lateral) velocity of rough solid-state objects simultaneously and independently with a single sensor. Due to the applied heterodyne technique, stationary or purely axially moving objects can also be measured. In addition, it is shown theoretically as well as experimentally that this sensor offers concurrently high temporal resolution and high position resolution since its position uncertainty is in principle independent of the lateral object velocity in contrast to conventional distance sensors. This is a unique feature of the PH-LDDS enabling precise and dynamic position and shape measurements also of fast moving objects. With an optimized sensor setup, an average position resolution of 240 nm was obtained

Retrieval of water vapor mixing ratios from a laser-based sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Tucker, George F.

1995-01-01

Langley Research Center has developed a novel external path sensor which monitors water vapor along an optical path between an airplane window and reflective material on the plane's engine. An infrared tunable diode laser is wavelength modulated across a water vapor absorption line at a frequency f. The 2f and DC signals are measured by a detector mounted adjacent to the laser. The 2f/DC ratio depends on the amount of wavelength modulation, the water vapor absorption line being observed, and the temperature, pressure, and water vapor content of the atmosphere. The present work concerns efforts to quantify the contributions of these factors and to derive a method for extracting the water vapor mixing ratio from the measurements. A 3 m cell was fabricated in order to perform laboratory tests of the sensor. Measurements of 2f/DC were made for a series of pressures and modulation amplitudes. During my 1994 faculty fellowship, a computer program was created which allowed 2f/DC to be calculated for any combination of the variables which effect it. This code was used to generate 2f/DC values for the conditions measured in the laboratory. The experimental and theoretical values agreed to within a few percent. As a result, the laser modulation amplitude can now be set in the field by comparing the response of the instrument to the calculated response as a function of modulation amplitude. Once the validity of the computer code was established, it was used to investigate possible candidate absorption lines. 2f/DC values were calculated for pressures, temperatures, and water vapor mixing ratios expected to be encountered in future missions. The results have been incorporated into a database which will be used to select the best line for a particular mission. The database will also be used to select a retrieval technique. For examples under some circumstances there is little temperature dependence in 2f/DC so temperature can be neglected. In other cases, there is a dependence

H2O temperature sensor for low-pressure flames using tunable diode laser absorption near 2.9 νm

KAUST Repository

Li, Sijie

2011-10-19

Making use of a newly available rapid-tuning diode laser operating at wavelengths up to 2.9 νm, an absorption-based temperature sensor was developed for in situ measurements in low-pressure flames. Based on the systematic analysis of H2O vapor transitions in the fundamental vibrational bands (ν1 and ν3) of H2O in the range of 2.5-3.0 νm, an optimal closely-spaced spectral line pair near 2.9 νm was selected for its temperature sensitivity in the range of 1000-2500 K. The narrow-linewidth room-temperature laser was scanned repetitively across these spectral features at 5 kHz, enabling fast, accurate temperature sensing. Use of the temperature sensor was investigated in low-pressure flames supported on a McKenna burner at 15, 25 and 60 Torr. To avoid absorption by the cold gases in the flame edges and the recirculation region between the burner and the vacuum chamber wall, a variable-path in situ probe was designed and an optimal path length was determined to accurately measure the flame centerline temperature. Different flame conditions were investigated to illustrate the potential of this sensor system for sensitive measurements of combustion temperature in low-pressure flames. © 2011 IOP Publishing Ltd.

Measurements of laser parameters for the Shiva laser fusion facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ozarski, R.G.

1979-01-01

Large laser systems require numerous laser diagnostics to provide configuration, performance and maintenance data to permit efficient operation. The following diagnostics for a large laser system named Shiva are discussed: (1) description of Shiva laser system, (2) what measurements are desired and or required and why, (3) what measurement techniques and packages are employed and a brief description of the operating principles of the sensors employed, and (4) the laser diagnostic data acquisition and display system

Laser-Based and Ultra-Portable Gas Sensor for Indoor and Outdoor Formaldehyde (HCHO) Monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

Shutter, J. D.; Allen, N.; Paul, J.; Thiebaud, J.; So, S.; Scherer, J. J.; Keutsch, F. N.

2017-12-01

While used as a key tracer of oxidative chemistry in the atmosphere, formaldehyde (HCHO) is also a known human carcinogen and is listed and regulated by the United States EPA as a hazardous air pollutant. Combustion processes and photochemical oxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are the major outdoor sources of HCHO, and building materials and household products are ubiquitous sources of indoor HCHO. Due to the ease with which humans can be exposed to HCHO, it is imperative to monitor levels of both indoor and outdoor HCHO exposure in both short and long-term studies.High-quality direct and indirect methods of quantifying HCHO mixing ratios exist, but instrument size and user-friendliness can make them cumbersome or impractical for certain types of indoor and long-term outdoor measurements. In this study, we present urban HCHO measurements by using a new, commercially-available, ppbv-level accurate HCHO gas sensor (Aeris Technologies' MIRA Pico VOC Laser-Based Gas Analyzer) that is highly portable (29 cm x 20 cm x 10 cm), lightweight (3 kg), easy-to-use, and has low power (15 W) consumption. Using an ultra-compact multipass cell, an absorption path length of 13 m is achieved, resulting in a sensor capable of achieving ppbv/s sensitivity levels with no significant spectral interferences.To demonstrate the utility of the gas sensor for emissions measurements, a GPS was attached to the sensor's housing in order to map mobile HCHO measurements in real-time around the Boston, Massachusetts, metro area. Furthermore, the sensor was placed in residential and industrial environments to show its usefulness for indoor and outdoor pollution measurements. Lastly, we show the feasibility of using the HCHO sensor (or a network of them) in long-term monitoring stations for hazardous air pollutants.

Toward the integration of optical sensors in smartphone screens using femtosecond laser writing.

Science.gov (United States)

Lapointe, Jerome; Parent, Francois; de Lima Filho, Elton Soares; Loranger, Sébastien; Kashyap, Raman

2015-12-01

We demonstrate a new type of sensor incorporated directly into Corning Gorilla glass, an ultraresistant glass widely used in the screen of popular devices such as smartphones, tablets, and smart watches. Although physical space is limited in portable devices, the screens have been so far neglected in regard to functionalization. Our proof-of-concept shows a new niche for photonics device development, in which the screen becomes an active component integrated into the device. The sensor itself is a near-surface waveguide, sensitive to refractive index changes, enabling the analysis of liquids directly on the screen of a smartphone, without the need for any add-ons, thus opening this part of the device to advanced functionalization. The primary function of the screen is unaffected, since the sensor and waveguide are effectively invisible to the naked eye. We fabricated a waveguide just below the glass surface, directly written without any surface preparation, in which the change in refractive index on the surface-air interface changes the light guidance, thus the transmission of light. This work reports on sensor fabrication, using a femtosecond pulsed laser, and the light-interaction model of the beam propagating at the surface is discussed and compared with experimental measurement for refractive indexes in the range 1.3-1.7. A new and improved model, including input and output reflections due to the effective mode index change, is also proposed and yields a better match with our experimental measurements and also with previous measurements reported in the literature.

Light Manipulation in Inhomogeneous Liquid Flow and Its Application in Biochemical Sensing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yunfeng Zuo

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Light manipulation has always been the fundamental subject in the field of optics since centuries ago. Traditional optical devices are usually designed using glasses and other materials, such as semiconductors and metals. Optofluidics is the combination of microfluidics and optics, which brings a host of new advantages to conventional solid systems. The capabilities of light manipulation and biochemical sensing are inherent alongside the emergence of optofluidics. This new research area promotes advancements in optics, biology, and chemistry. The development of fast, accurate, low-cost, and small-sized biochemical micro-sensors is an urgent demand for real-time monitoring. However, the fluid flow in the on-chip sensor is usually non-uniformed, which is a new and emerging challenge for the accuracy of optical detection. It is significant to reveal the principle of light propagation in an inhomogeneous liquid flow and the interaction between biochemical samples and light in flowing liquids. In this review, we summarize the current state of optofluidic lab-on-a-chip techniques from the perspective of light modulation by the unique dynamic properties of fluid in heterogeneous media, such as diffusion, heat transfer, and centrifugation etc. Furthermore, this review introduces several novel photonic phenomena in an inhomogeneous liquid flow and demonstrates their application in biochemical sensing.

Direct-Dispense Polymeric Waveguides Platform for Optical Chemical Sensors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohamad Hajj-Hassan

2008-12-01

Full Text Available We describe an automated robotic technique called direct-dispense to fabricate a polymeric platform that supports optical sensor arrays. Direct-dispense, which is a type of the emerging direct-write microfabrication techniques, uses fugitive organic inks in combination with cross-linkable polymers to create microfluidic channels and other microstructures. Specifically, we describe an application of direct-dispensing to develop optical biochemical sensors by fabricating planar ridge waveguides that support sol-gelderived xerogel-based thin films. The xerogel-based sensor materials act as host media to house luminophore biochemical recognition elements. As a prototype implementation, we demonstrate gaseous oxygen (O2 responsive optical sensors that operate on the basis of monitoring luminescence intensity signals. The optical sensor employs a Light Emitting Diode (LED excitation source and a standard silicon photodiode as the detector. The sensor operates over the full scale (0%-100% of O2 concentrations with a response time of less than 1 second. This work has implications for the development of miniaturized multisensor platforms that can be cost-effectively and reliably mass-produced.

Cantilever-based bio-chemical sensor integrated in a microliquid handling system

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thaysen, Jacob; Marie, Rodolphe; Boisen, Anja

2001-01-01

The cantilevers have integrated piezoresistive readout which, compared to optical readout, enables simple measurements on even non-transparent liquids, such as blood. First, we introduce a simple theory for using piezoresistive cantilevers as surface stress sensors. Then, the sensor fabrication...... based on conventional microfabrication is described and the sensor characterization is discussed. During the characterization we found a stress sensitivity of (ΔR/R)=4.6:10 -4 (N/m)-1 and a minimum detectable surface stress change of 2.6 mN/m. Aqua regia etch of gold on top of the cantilevers has been...... monitored, and immobilization of single-stranded thiol modified DNA-oligos has been detected by the sensor. Finally, it is demonstrated that it is possible to analyze two samples simultaneously by utilizing the laminar flow in the microliquid handling system....

A simulation environment for assisting system design of coherent laser doppler wind sensor for active wind turbine pitch control

Science.gov (United States)

Shinohara, Leilei; Pham Tran, Tuan Anh; Beuth, Thorsten; Umesh Babu, Harsha; Heussner, Nico; Bogatscher, Siegwart; Danilova, Svetlana; Stork, Wilhelm

2013-05-01

In order to assist a system design of laser coherent Doppler wind sensor for active pitch control of wind turbine systems (WTS), we developed a numerical simulation environment for modeling and simulation of the sensor system. In this paper we present this simulation concept. In previous works, we have shown the general idea and the possibility of using a low cost coherent laser Doppler wind sensing system for an active pitch control of WTS in order to achieve a reduced mechanical stress, increase the WTS lifetime and therefore reduce the electricity price from wind energy. Such a system is based on a 1.55μm Continuous-Wave (CW) laser plus an erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) with an output power of 1W. Within this system, an optical coherent detection method is chosen for the Doppler frequency measurement in megahertz range. A comparatively low cost short coherent length laser with a fiber delay line is used for achieving a multiple range measurement. In this paper, we show the current results on the improvement of our simulation by applying a Monte Carlo random generation method for positioning the random particles in atmosphere and extend the simulation to the entire beam penetrated space by introducing a cylindrical co-ordinate concept and meshing the entire volume into small elements in order to achieve a faster calculation and gain more realistic simulation result. In addition, by applying different atmospheric parameters, such as particle sizes and distributions, we can simulate different weather and wind situations.

Calibration-free sensor for pressure and H2O concentration in headspace of sterile vial using tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Cai, Tingdong; Gao, Guangzhen; Liu, Ying

2013-11-10

Tunable diode laser absorption measurements of pressure and H2O concentration in the headspace of vials using a distributed-feedback (DFB) diode laser near 1.4 μm are reported. A H2O line located near 7161.41 cm(-1) is selected based on its strong absorption strength and isolation from interference of neighboring transitions. Direct absorption spectra of H2O are obtained for the measurement path as well as the reference path by scanning the laser wavelength. The pressure and H2O vapor concentration in the headspace of a vial are inferred from a differential absorption signal, which is the difference between the measured and the referenced absorbance spectra. This sensor is calibration-free and no purge gas is needed. The demonstrated capability would enable measurements of pressure and H2O concentration in the headspace of vials within 2.21% and 2.86%, respectively. A precision of 1.02 Torr and 390 ppm is found for the pressure and H2O concentration, respectively. A set of measurements for commercial freeze-dried products are also performed to illustrate the usefulness of this sensor.

A comparative study of misalignment detection using a novel Wireless Sensor with conventional Wired Sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arebi, L; Gu, F; Ball, A

2012-01-01

The advancement in low cost and low power MEMS sensors makes it possible to develop a cost-effective wireless accelerometer for condition monitoring. Especially, the MEMS accelerometer can be mounted directly on a rotating shaft, which has the potential to capture the dynamics of the shaft more accurately and hence to achieve high monitoring performance. In this paper a systematic comparison of shaft misalignment detection is conducted, based on a bearing test rig, between the wireless sensor measurement scheme and other three common sensors: a laser vibrometer, an accelerometer and a shaft encoder. These four sensors are used to measure simultaneously the dynamic responses: Instantaneous Angular Speed (IAS) from the encoder, bearing house acceleration from the accelerometer, shaft displacements from the laser vibrometer and angular acceleration from the wireless sensor. These responses are then compared in both the time and frequency domains in detecting and diagnosing different levels of shaft misalignment. Results show the effectiveness of wireless accelerometer in detecting the faults.

Parametric Investigation of Laser Doppler Microphones

Science.gov (United States)

Daoud, M.; Naguib, A.

2002-11-01

The concept of a Laser Doppler Microphone (LDM) is based on utilizing the Doppler frequency shift of a focused laser beam to measure the unsteady velocity of the center point of a flexible polymer diaphragm that is mounted on top of a hole and subjected to the unsteady pressure. Time integration of the velocity signal yields a time series of the diaphragm displacement, which can be converted to pressure from knowledge of the sensor's deflection sensitivity. In our APS/DFD presentation last year, the stringent frequency resolution requirement of these new sensors and methods to meet this requirement were discussed. Here, the dependence of the sensor characteristics (sensitivity, bandwidth, and noise floor) on various significant parameters is investigated in detail by calibrating the sensor in a plane wave tube in the frequency range of 50 - 5000 Hz. Parameters investigated include sensor diaphragm material and thickness, sensor size, damping of the diaphragm motion and laser beam spot size. The results shed light on the operating limits of the new sensor and demonstrate its ability to conduct high-spatial-resolution measurements in typical high-Reynolds-number test facilities. Moreover, calibrated LDM sensors were used to conduct measurements in a separating/reattaching flow and the results are compared to classical electret-type microphones with a similar sensing diameter.

Tunable Diode Laser Sensors to Monitor Temperature and Gas Composition in High-Temperature Coal Gasifiers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hanson, Ronald [Stanford Univ., CA (United States); Whitty, Kevin [Univ. of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT (United States)

2014-12-01

The integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) when combined with carbon capture and storage can be one of the cleanest methods of extracting energy from coal. Control of coal and biomass gasification processes to accommodate the changing character of input-fuel streams is required for practical implementation of integrated gasification combined-cycle (IGCC) technologies. Therefore a fast time-response sensor is needed for real-time monitoring of the composition and ideally the heating value of the synthesis gas (here called syngas) as it exits the gasifier. The goal of this project was the design, construction, and demonstration an in situ laserabsorption sensor to monitor multiple species in the syngas output from practical-scale coal gasifiers. This project investigated the hypothesis of using laser absorption sensing in particulateladen syngas. Absorption transitions were selected with design rules to optimize signal strength while minimizing interference from other species. Successful in situ measurements in the dusty, high-pressure syngas flow were enabled by Stanford’s normalized and scanned wavelength modulation strategy. A prototype sensor for CO, CH4, CO2, and H2O was refined with experiments conducted in the laboratory at Stanford University, a pilot-scale at the University of Utah, and an engineering-scale gasifier at DoE’s National Center for Carbon Capture with the demonstration of a prototype sensor with technical readiness level 6 in the 2014 measurement campaign.

A flexible and highly sensitive nonenzymatic glucose sensor based on DVD-laser scribed graphene substrate.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Songyue; Feng, Wendou; Miao, Xiaofei; Zhang, Xiangxin; Chen, Sujing; Chen, Yuanqiang; Wang, Wei; Zhang, Yining

2018-07-01

Flexible and implantable glucose biosensors are emerging technologies for continuous monitoring of blood-glucose of diabetes. Developing a flexible conductive substrates with high active surface area is critical for advancing the technology. Here, we successfully fabricate a flexible and highly sensitive nonenzymatic glucose by using DVD-laser scribed graphene (LSG) as a flexible conductively substrate. Copper nanoparticles (Cu-NPs) are electrodeposited as the catalyst. The LSG/Cu-NPs sensor demonstrates excellent catalytic activity toward glucose oxidation and exhibits a linear glucose detection range from 1 μM to 4.54 mM with high sensitivity (1.518 mA mM -1 cm -2 ) and low limit of detection (0.35 μM). Moreover, the LSG/Cu-NPs sensor shows excellent reproducibility and long-term stability. It is also highly selective toward glucose oxidation under the presence of various interfering species. Excellent flexing stability is also demonstrated by the LSG/Cu-NPs sensor, which is capable of maintaining 83.9% of its initial current after being bent against a 4-mm diameter rod for 180 times. The LSG/Cu-NPs sensor shows great potential for practical application as a nonenzymatic glucose biosensor. Meanwhile, the LSG conductive substrate provides a platform for the developing next-generation flexible and potentially implantable bioelectronics and biosensors. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Integrated sensors for robotic laser welding

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Iakovou, D.; Aarts, Ronald G.K.M.; Meijer, J.; Beyer, E.; Dausinger, F; Ostendorf, A; Otto, A.

2005-01-01

A welding head is under development with integrated sensory systems for robotic laser welding applications. Robotic laser welding requires sensory systems that are capable to accurately guide the welding head over a seam in three-dimensional space and provide information about the welding process as

Multilayered metal oxide thin film gas sensors obtained by conventional and RF plasma-assisted laser ablation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mitu, B.; Marotta, V.; Orlando, S.

2006-01-01

Multilayered thin films of In 2 O 3 and SnO 2 have been deposited by conventional and RF plasma-assisted reactive pulsed laser ablation, with the aim to evaluate their behaviour as toxic gas sensors. The depositions have been carried out by a frequency doubled Nd-YAG laser (λ = 532 nm, τ = 7 ns) on Si(1 0 0) substrates, in O 2 atmosphere. The thin films have been characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electrical resistance measurements. A comparison of the electrical response of the simple (indium oxide, tin oxide) and multilayered oxides to toxic gas (nitric oxide, NO) has been performed. The influence on the structural and electrical properties of the deposition parameters, such as substrate temperature and RF power is reported

Turbo machine tip clearance and vibration measurements using a fibre optic laser Doppler position sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Pfister, T.; Büttner, L.; Czarske, J.; Krain, H.; Schodl, R.

2006-07-01

This paper presents a novel fibre optic laser Doppler position sensor for single blade tip clearance and vibration measurements at turbo machines, which offers high temporal resolution and high position resolution simultaneously. The sensor principle is based on the generation of a measurement volume consisting of two superposed fan-like interference fringe systems with contrary fringe spacing gradients using wavelength division multiplexing. A flexible and robust measurement system with an all-passive fibre coupled measurement head has been realized employing diffractive and refractive optics. Measurements of tip clearance and rotor vibrations at a transonic centrifugal compressor performed during operation at up to 50 000 rpm (833 Hz) corresponding to 21.7 kHz blade frequency and 586 m s-1 blade tip velocity are presented. The results are in excellent agreement with those of capacitive probes. The mean uncertainty of the position measurement was around 20 µm and, thus, considerably better than for conventional tip clearance probes. Consequently, this sensor is capable of fulfilling the requirements for future active clearance control systems and has great potential for in situ and online tip clearance and vibration measurements at metallic and non-metallic turbine blades with high precision.

Laser nano-surgery for neuronal manipulation (Conference Presentation)

Science.gov (United States)

Sarker, Hori Pada; Chudal, Lalit; Mahapatra, Vasu; Kim, Young-tae; Mohanty, Samarendra K.

2016-03-01

Optical manipulation has enabled study of bio-chemical and bio-mechanical properties of the cells. Laser nanosurgery by ultrafast laser beam with appropriate laser parameters provides spatially-targeted manipulation of neurons in a minimal invasiveness manner with high efficiency. We utilized femto-second laser nano-surgery for both axotomy and sub-axotomy of rat cortical neurons. Degeneration and regeneration after axotomy was studied with and without external growth-factor(s) and biochemical(s). Further, axonal injury was studied as a function of pulse energy, exposure and site of injury. The ability to study the response of neurons to localized injury opens up opportunities for screening potential molecules for repair and regeneration after nerve injury. Sub-axotomy enabled transient opening of axonal membrane for optical delivery of impermeable molecules to the axoplasm. Fast resealing of the axonal membrane after sub-axotomy without significant long-term damage to axon (monitored by its growth) was observed. We will present these experimental results along with theoretical simulation of injury due to laser nano-surgery and delivery via the transient pore. Targeted delivery of proteins such as antibodies, genes encoding reporter proteins, ion-channels and voltage indicators will allow visualization, activation and detection of the neuronal structure and function.

Embedded fiber optic ultrasonic sensors and generators

Science.gov (United States)

Dorighi, John F.; Krishnaswamy, Sridhar; Achenbach, Jan D.

1995-04-01

Ultrasonic sensors and generators based on fiber-optic systems are described. It is shown that intrinsic fiber optic Fabry-Perot ultrasound sensors that are embedded in a structure can be stabilized by actively tuning the laser frequency. The need for this method of stabilization is demonstrated by detecting piezoelectric transducer-generated ultrasonic pulses in the presence of low frequency dynamic strains that are intentionally induced to cause sensor drift. The actively stabilized embedded fiber optic Fabry-Perot sensor is also shown to have sufficient sensitivity to detect ultrasound that is generated in the interior of a structure by means of a high-power optical fiber that pipes energy from a pulsed laser to an embedded generator of ultrasound.

Laser displacement sensor to monitor the layup process of composite laminate production

Science.gov (United States)

Miesen, Nick; Groves, Roger M.; Sinke, Jos; Benedictus, Rinze

2013-04-01

Several types of flaw can occur during the layup process of prepreg composite laminates. Quality control after the production process checks the end product by testing the specimens for flaws which are included during the layup process or curing process, however by then these flaws are already irreversibly embedded in the laminate. This paper demonstrates the use of a laser displacement sensor technique applied during the layup process of prepreg laminates for in-situ flaw detection, for typical flaws that can occur during the composite production process. An incorrect number of layers and fibre wrinkling are dominant flaws during the process of layup. These and other dominant flaws have been modeled to determine the requirements for an in-situ monitoring during the layup process of prepreg laminates.

Highly Stretchable Potentiometric pH Sensor Fabricated via Laser Carbonization and Machining of Carbon-Polyaniline Composite.

Science.gov (United States)

Rahimi, Rahim; Ochoa, Manuel; Tamayol, Ali; Khalili, Shahla; Khademhosseini, Ali; Ziaie, Babak

2017-03-15

The development of stretchable sensors has recently attracted considerable attention. These sensors have been used in wearable and robotics applications, such as personalized health-monitoring, motion detection, and human-machine interfaces. Herein, we report on a highly stretchable electrochemical pH sensor for wearable point-of-care applications that consists of a pH-sensitive working electrode and a liquid-junction-free reference electrode, in which the stretchable conductive interconnections are fabricated by laser carbonizing and micromachining of a polyimide sheet bonded to an Ecoflex substrate. This method produces highly porous carbonized 2D serpentine traces that are subsequently permeated with polyaniline (PANI) as the conductive filler, binding material, and pH-sensitive membrane. The experimental and simulation results demonstrate that the stretchable serpentine PANI/C-PI interconnections with an optimal trace width of 0.3 mm can withstand elongations of up to 135% and are robust to more than 12 000 stretch-and-release cycles at 20% strain without noticeable change in the resistance. The pH sensor displays a linear sensitivity of -53 mV/pH (r 2 = 0.976) with stable performance in the physiological range of pH 4-10. The sensor shows excellent stability to applied longitudinal and transverse strains up to 100% in different pH buffer solutions with a minimal deviation of less than ±4 mV. The material biocompatibility is confirmed with NIH 3T3 fibroblast cells via PrestoBlue assays.

Real time detection of exhaled human breath using quantum cascade laser based sensor technology

Science.gov (United States)

Tittel, Frank K.; Lewicki, Rafal; Dong, Lei; Liu, Kun; Risby, Terence H.; Solga, Steven; Schwartz, Tim

2012-02-01

The development and performance of a cw, TE-cooled DFB quantum cascade laser based sensor for quantitative measurements of ammonia (NH3) and nitric oxide (NO) concentrations present in exhaled breath will be reported. Human breath contains ~ 500 different chemical species, usually at ultra low concentration levels, which can serve as biomarkers for the identification and monitoring of human diseases or wellness states. By monitoring NH3 concentration levels in exhaled breath a fast, non-invasive diagnostic method for treatment of patients with liver and kidney disorders, is feasible. The NH3 concentration measurements were performed with a 2f wavelength modulation quartz enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy (QEPAS) technique, which is suitable for real time breath measurements, due to the fast gas exchange inside a compact QEPAS gas cell. A Hamamatsu air-cooled high heat load (HHL) packaged CW DFB-QCL is operated at 17.5°C, targeting the optimum interference free NH3 absorption line at 967.35 cm-1 (λ~10.34 μm), with ~ 20 mW of optical power. The sensor architecture includes a reference cell, filled with a 2000 ppmv NH3 :N2 mixture at 130 Torr, which is used for absorption line-locking. A minimum detection limit (1σ) for the line locked NH3 sensor is ~ 6 ppbv (with a 1σ 1 sec time resolution of the control electronics). This NH3 sensor was installed in late 2010 and is being clinically tested at St. Luke's Hospital in Bethlehem, PA.

Color Laser Microscope

Science.gov (United States)

Awamura, D.; Ode, T.; Yonezawa, M.

1987-04-01

A color laser microscope utilizing a new color laser imaging system has been developed for the visual inspection of semiconductors. The light source, produced by three lasers (Red; He-Ne, Green; Ar, Blue; He-Cd), is deflected horizontally by an AOD (Acoustic Optical Deflector) and vertically by a vibration mirror. The laser beam is focused in a small spot which is scanned over the sample at high speed. The light reflected back from the sample is reformed to contain linear information by returning to the original vibration mirror. The linear light is guided to the CCD image sensor where it is converted into a video signal. Individual CCD image sensors are used for each of the three R, G, or B color image signals. The confocal optical system with its laser light source yields a color TV monitor image with no flaring and a much sharper resolution than that of the conventional optical microscope. The AOD makes possible a high speed laser scan and a NTSC or PAL TV video signal is produced in real time without any video memory. Since the light source is composed of R, G, and B laser beams, color separation superior to that of white light illumination is achieved. Because of the photometric linearity of the image detector, the R, G, and B outputs of the system are most suitably used for hue analysis. The CCD linear image sensors in the optical system produce no geometrical distortion, and good color registration is available principally. The output signal can be used for high accuracy line width measuring. The many features of the color laser microscope make it ideally suited for the visual inspection of semiconductor processing. A number of these systems have already been installed in such a capacity. The Color Laser Microscope can also be a very useful tool for the fields of material engineering and biotechnology.

Submersible microbial fuel cell sensor for monitoring microbial activity and BOD in groundwater: Focusing on impact of anodic biofilm on sensor applicability

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhang, Yifeng; Angelidaki, Irini

2011-01-01

was required for application of the sensor for microbial activity measurement, while biofilm‐colonized anode was needed for utilizing the sensor for BOD content measurement. The current density of SUMFC sensor equipped with a biofilm‐colonized anode showed linear relationship with BOD content, to up to 250 mg......A sensor, based on a submersible microbial fuel cell (SUMFC), was developed for in situ monitoring of microbial activity and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) in groundwater. Presence or absence of a biofilm on the anode was a decisive factor for the applicability of the sensor. Fresh anode...

Intra-laser-cavity microparticle sensing with a dual-wavelength distributed-feedback laser

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bernhardi, Edward H.; van der Werf, Kees O; Hollink, Anton J F; Wörhoff, Kerstin; de Ridder, René M; Subramaniam, Vinod; Pollnau, Markus

An integrated intra-laser-cavity microparticle sensor based on a dual-wavelength distributed-feedback channel waveguide laser in ytterbium-doped amorphous aluminum oxide on a silicon substrate is demonstrated. Real-time detection and accurate size measurement of single micro-particles with diameters

671-nm microsystem diode laser based on portable Raman sensor device for in-situ identification of meat spoilage

Science.gov (United States)

Sowoidnich, Kay; Schmidt, Heinar; Schwägele, Fredi; Kronfeldt, Heinz-Detlef

2011-05-01

Based on a miniaturized optical bench with attached 671 nm microsystem diode laser we present a portable Raman system for the rapid in-situ characterization of meat spoilage. It consists of a handheld sensor head (dimensions: 210 x 240 x 60 mm3) for Raman signal excitation and collection including the Raman optical bench, a laser driver, and a battery pack. The backscattered Raman radiation from the sample is analyzed by means of a custom-designed miniature spectrometer (dimensions: 200 x 190 x 70 mm3) with a resolution of 8 cm-1 which is fiber-optically coupled to the sensor head. A netbook is used to control the detector and for data recording. Selected cuts from pork (musculus longissimus dorsi and ham) stored refrigerated at 5 °C were investigated in timedependent measurement series up to three weeks to assess the suitability of the system for the rapid detection of meat spoilage. Using a laser power of 100 mW at the sample meat spectra can be obtained with typical integration times of 5 - 10 seconds. The complex spectra were analyzed by the multivariate statistical tool PCA (principal components analysis) to determine the spectral changes occurring during the storage period. Additionally, the Raman data were correlated with reference analyses performed in parallel. In that way, a distinction between fresh and spoiled meat can be found in the time slot of 7 - 8 days after slaughter. The applicability of the system for the rapid spoilage detection of meat and other food products will be discussed.

Design and Fabrication of Piezoresistive Based Encapsulated Poly-Si Cantilevers for Bio/chemical Sensing

Science.gov (United States)

Krishna, N. P. Vamsi; Murthy, T. R. Srinivasa; Reddy, K. Jayaprakash; Sangeeth, K.; Hegde, G. M.

Cantilever-based sensing is a growing research field not only within micro regime but also in nano technology. The technology offers a method for rapid, on-line and in-situ monitoring of specific bio/chemical substances by detecting the nanomechanical responses of a cantilever sensor. Cantilever with piezoresistive based detection scheme is more attractive because of its electronics compatibility. Majority of commercially available micromachined piezoresistive sensors are bulk micromachined devices and are fabricated using single crystal silicon wafers. As substrate properties are not important in surface micromachining, the expensive silicon wafers can be replaced by cheaper substrates, such as poly-silicon, glass or plastic. Here we have designed SU-8 based bio/chemical compatible micro electro mechanical device that includes an encapsulated polysilicon piezoresistor for bio/chemical sensing. In this paper we report the design, fabrication and analysis of the encapsulated poly-Si cantilevers. Design and theoretical analysis are carried out using Finite Element Analysis software. For fabrication of poly-silicon piezoresistive cantilevers we followed the surface micromachining process steps. Preliminary characterization of the cantilevers is presented.

In-situ sequential laser transfer and laser reduction of graphene oxide films

Science.gov (United States)

Papazoglou, S.; Petridis, C.; Kymakis, E.; Kennou, S.; Raptis, Y. S.; Chatzandroulis, S.; Zergioti, I.

2018-04-01

Achieving high quality transfer of graphene on selected substrates is a priority in device fabrication, especially where drop-on-demand applications are involved. In this work, we report an in-situ, fast, simple, and one step process that resulted in the reduction, transfer, and fabrication of reduced graphene oxide-based humidity sensors, using picosecond laser pulses. By tuning the laser illumination parameters, we managed to implement the sequential printing and reduction of graphene oxide flakes. The overall process lasted only a few seconds compared to a few hours that our group has previously published. DC current measurements, X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy, X-Ray Diffraction, and Raman Spectroscopy were employed in order to assess the efficiency of our approach. To demonstrate the applicability and the potential of the technique, laser printed reduced graphene oxide humidity sensors with a limit of detection of 1700 ppm are presented. The results demonstrated in this work provide a selective, rapid, and low-cost approach for sequential transfer and photochemical reduction of graphene oxide micro-patterns onto various substrates for flexible electronics and sensor applications.

Hatch ability, growth and some blood biochemical parameters in hatching quails following the exposure of incubated eggs to red laser

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abu Taleb, A.M.

2003-01-01

A total number of 600 Japanese quail eggs were used this study. The eggs were divided into three groups then incubated. Eggs of groups one (G1) and two (G2) were exposed to 30 and 60 minutes, respectively, to the red laser rays (Laser Pointer LD-300) at 0, 7 and 14 days of embryogenesis,while group three (G3) was not treated and served as control. Hatch ability body weight and mortality were recorded weekly for each group. Furthermore, five blood samples were collected from one day old chicks at hatching and at six weeks of age from each group to determine some hematological parameters including RBCs, WBCs, PCV and Hb. Liver enzyme activities (GPT and GOT), kidney function (uric acid and creatinine), cholesterol and total lipids were determined for the 6 weeks old chicks only. The present results indicated that exposure to red to significant increase in hatch ability percentage and promoted early hatch ability and decreased embryonic mortality in treated groups (G1) and (G2) than control (G3). Significant decreases in RBCs counts, cholesterol and total lipids were found in G1 and G2. Exposure of developing embryos to red laser radiation had no significant effect on PCV in one day old hatching chicks, or RBCs and WBCs counts, PCV, GOT, uric acid creatinine in six weeks old birds. At the same time, significant increases in Hb and WBCs counts were occurred in one day old chicks and Hb and GPT in six weeks old birds. It could be concluded from the reported findings that exposure to red laser radiation may affect some factors that accelerate hatch ability and cause changes in some biochemical parameters in Japanese quails

Use of visible-laser-diode fiber optic sensors in the beverage industry and environmental controls

Science.gov (United States)

Pham, Van Hoi; Chu, Dinh T.; Bui, Huy; Tran, Viet L.

1997-01-01

The fiber-optic refractometer using visible laser diodes with wavelengths of 650 divided by 670 nm for the liquid refractive-index measurement is presented. The refractive- index measures by fiber-optic sensors of the connected configuration for different liquids with refractive indices from 1.33 to 1.5 have given the accuracy of 5.10-3. The fiber-optic refractometer was performanced for the distinguish of the salt or sugar content in the mixtures with range of 10-3 and 5.10-4, respectively. These refractometers are already to use for the sugar control systems of beverage industry and salt-water environment.

Applications of small surface plasmon resonance sensors for biochemical monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

Masson, Jean-Francois; Battaglia, Tina M.; Beaudoin, Stephen; Booksh, Karl S.

2004-12-01

The development of small surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensors to detect biological markers for myocardial ischemia (MI), spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), and wound healing was achieved at low ng/mL and in less than 10 minutes. The markers of interest for MIs are myoglobin (MG) and cardiac Troponin I (cTnI). The limits of detection for these markers are respectively 600 pg/mL and 1.4 ng/mL in saline solution. To study SMA, the level of survival motor neuron protein (SMN) was investigated. A limit of detection of 990 pg/mL was achieved for the detection of SMN. The interactions of SMN with MG decreased the signal for both SMN and MG. Interleukin 6 and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFa) were investigated to monitor wound healing. The sensor's performance in more complex solutions, e.g.: serum, showed a large non-specific signal. Modifying the support on which the antibodies are attached improved the sensor's stability in serum by a factor of 5. To achieve this non-specific binding (NSB) reduction, different polysaccharides, biocompatible polymers and short chain thiols were investigated.

Proceedings of the IEEE laser and electro-optics society annual meeting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hudson, M.J.B.; Raney, H.; Raney, D.; Spalaris, C.N.

1990-01-01

This book is covered under the following headings: Electro-optic systems; Emerging laser technology; Optical sensors and measurements; Optoelectronics; Semiconductor diode lasers; Solid state lasers; UV and short wavelength; Applied optical diagnostics of semiconductor materials and devices symposium and optical sensors and measurements; and Applied optical diagnostics of semiconductor materials and devices symposium

Development of Micro-welding Technology of Cladding Tube with Temperature Sensor for Nuclear Fuel Irradiation Test

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Soo Sung; Lee, C. Y.; Kim, W. K.; Lee, J. W.; Lee, D. Y

2006-01-15

Laser welding technology is widely used to fabricate some products of nuclear fuel in the nuclear industry. Especially, micro-laser welding is one of the key technology to be developed to fabricate precise products of fuel irradiation test. We have to secure laser welding technology to perform various instrumentations for fuel irradiation test. The instrumented fuel irradiation test at a research reactor is needed to evaluate the performance of the developed nuclear fuel. The fuel elements can be designed to measure the center line temperature of fuel pellets during the irradiation test by using temperature sensor. The thermal sensor was composed of thermocouple and sensor sheath. Micro-laser welding technology was adopted to seal between seal tube and sensor sheath with thickness of 0.15mm. The soundness of weld area has to be confirmed to prevent fission gas of the fuel from leaking out of the element during the fuel irradiation test. In this study, fundamental data for micro-laser welding technology was proposed to seal temperature sensor sheath of the instrumented fuel element. And, micro-laser welding for dissimilar metals between sensor sheath and seal tube was characterized by investigating welding conditions. Moreover, the micro-laser welding technology is closely related to advanced industry. It is expected that the laser material processing technology will be adopted to various applications in the industry.

Radiation effects on optical components of a laser radar sensor designed for remote metrology in ITER

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Menon, M.M.; Grann, E.B.; Slotwinski, A.

1997-09-01

A frequency modulated laser radar is being developed for in-vessel metrology and viewing of plasma-facing surfaces. Some optical components of this sensor must withstand intense gamma radiation (3 x 10 6 rad/h) during operation. The authors have tested the effect of radiation on a silica core polarization maintaining optical fiber and on TeO 2 crystals at doses up to ∼ 10 9 rad. Additional tests are planned for evaluating the performance of a complete acousto-optic (AO) scanning device. The progress made in these tests is also described

Edge-TCT for the investigation of radiation damaged silicon strip sensors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Feindt, Finn

2017-02-15

The edge Transient Current Technique (TCT) is a method for the investigation of silicon sensors. This method requires infrared light from a sub-ns pulsed laser to be focused to a μm-size spot and scanned across the polished cut edge of a sensor. Electron-hole pairs are generated along the light beam in the sensor. These charge carriers drift in the electric field and induce transient currents on the sensor electrodes. The current transients are analyzed as a function of the applied voltage, temperature, absorbed dose and position of the laser-light focus, in order to determine the the drift velocities, electric field and the charge collection in the strip sensor. In the scope of this work, a new edge-TCT setup is commissioned, a procedure for the polishing of the cut edge is implemented and a method to position the focus of the laser light with respect to the sensor is developed. First edge-TCT measurements are performed on non-irradiated, 285 μm thick n-type strip sensors, and the pulse shape and charge collection is studied under different conditions. Furthermore, the prompt current of the transients is extracted, which is the first step towards the determination of the electric field. A new method to measure the attenuation of light in silicon is tested on a non-irradiated sensor and on sensors irradiated with up to a 1 MeV neutron equivalent fluence of 1.14 x 10{sup 15} cm{sup -2}, using laser light with a wavelength of 1052 nm.

Edge-TCT for the investigation of radiation damaged silicon strip sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feindt, Finn

2017-02-01

The edge Transient Current Technique (TCT) is a method for the investigation of silicon sensors. This method requires infrared light from a sub-ns pulsed laser to be focused to a μm-size spot and scanned across the polished cut edge of a sensor. Electron-hole pairs are generated along the light beam in the sensor. These charge carriers drift in the electric field and induce transient currents on the sensor electrodes. The current transients are analyzed as a function of the applied voltage, temperature, absorbed dose and position of the laser-light focus, in order to determine the the drift velocities, electric field and the charge collection in the strip sensor. In the scope of this work, a new edge-TCT setup is commissioned, a procedure for the polishing of the cut edge is implemented and a method to position the focus of the laser light with respect to the sensor is developed. First edge-TCT measurements are performed on non-irradiated, 285 μm thick n-type strip sensors, and the pulse shape and charge collection is studied under different conditions. Furthermore, the prompt current of the transients is extracted, which is the first step towards the determination of the electric field. A new method to measure the attenuation of light in silicon is tested on a non-irradiated sensor and on sensors irradiated with up to a 1 MeV neutron equivalent fluence of 1.14 x 10"1"5 cm"-"2, using laser light with a wavelength of 1052 nm.

The emergence of mass spectrometry in biochemical research

OpenAIRE

1995-01-01

The initial steps toward routinely applying mass spectrometry in the biochemical laboratory have been achieved. In the past, mass spectrometry was confined to the realm of small, relatively stable molecules; large or thermally labile molecules did not survive the desorption and ionization processes intact. Electrospray ionization (ESI) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry allow for the analysis of both small and large biomolecules through "mild" desorption...

Localized surface plasmon resonance with five-branched gold nanostars in a plastic optical fiber for bio-chemical sensor implementation.

Science.gov (United States)

Cennamo, Nunzio; D'Agostino, Girolamo; Donà, Alice; Dacarro, Giacomo; Pallavicini, Piersandro; Pesavento, Maria; Zeni, Luigi

2013-10-29

In this paper a refractive index sensor based on localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) in a Plastic Optical Fiber (POF), is presented and experimentally tested. LSPR is achieved exploiting five-branched gold nanostars (GNS) obtained using Triton X-100 in a seed-growth synthesis. They have the uncommon feature of three localized surface plasmon resonances. The strongest LSPRs fall in two ranges, one in the 600-900 nm range (LSPR 2) and the other one in the 1,100-1,600 nm range (LSPR 3), both sensible to refractive index changes. Anyway, due to the extremely strong attenuation (>10(2) dB/m) of the employed POF in the 1,100-1,600 nm range, only LSPR 2 will be exploited for refractive index change measurements, useful for bio-chemical sensing applications, as a proof of principle of the possibility of realizing a compact, low cost and easy-to-use GNS based device.

Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance with Five-Branched Gold Nanostars in a Plastic Optical Fiber for Bio-Chemical Sensor Implementation

Science.gov (United States)

Cennamo, Nunzio; D'Agostino, Girolamo; Donà, Alice; Dacarro, Giacomo; Pallavicini, Piersandro; Pesavento, Maria; Zeni, Luigi

2013-01-01

In this paper a refractive index sensor based on localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) in a Plastic Optical Fiber (POF), is presented and experimentally tested. LSPR is achieved exploiting five-branched gold nanostars (GNS) obtained using Triton X-100 in a seed-growth synthesis. They have the uncommon feature of three localized surface plasmon resonances. The strongest LSPRs fall in two ranges, one in the 600–900 nm range (LSPR 2) and the other one in the 1,100–1,600 nm range (LSPR 3), both sensible to refractive index changes. Anyway, due to the extremely strong attenuation (>102 dB/m) of the employed POF in the 1,100–1,600 nm range, only LSPR 2 will be exploited for refractive index change measurements, useful for bio-chemical sensing applications, as a proof of principle of the possibility of realizing a compact, low cost and easy-to-use GNS based device. PMID:24172284

Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance with Five-Branched Gold Nanostars in a Plastic Optical Fiber for Bio-Chemical Sensor Implementation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luigi Zeni

2013-10-01

Full Text Available In this paper a refractive index sensor based on localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR in a Plastic Optical Fiber (POF, is presented and experimentally tested. LSPR is achieved exploiting five-branched gold nanostars (GNS obtained using Triton X-100 in a seed-growth synthesis. They have the uncommon feature of three localized surface plasmon resonances. The strongest LSPRs fall in two ranges, one in the 600–900 nm range (LSPR 2 and the other one in the 1,100–1,600 nm range (LSPR 3, both sensible to refractive index changes. Anyway, due to the extremely strong attenuation (>102 dB/m of the employed POF in the 1,100–1,600 nm range, only LSPR 2 will be exploited for refractive index change measurements, useful for bio-chemical sensing applications, as a proof of principle of the possibility of realizing a compact, low cost and easy-to-use GNS based device.

Sensor development and integration for robotized laser welding

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Iakovou, D.

2009-01-01

Laser welding requires fast and accurate positioning of the laser beam over the seam trajectory. The task of accurate positioning of the laser tools is performed by robotic systems. It is therefore necessary to teach the robot the path it has to follow. Seam teaching is implemented in several ways:

Multilayer Slab Waveguide Distributed Feedback Dye Laser Sensors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vannahme, Christoph; Smith, Cameron; Leung, M.

2013-01-01

of DFB lasers. Here, we present a simple yet precise model for calculating the emission wavelength of multilayer DFB lasers. We ¯nd that experimental and calculated wavelength values are in compelling agreement for hybrid nanoimprinted Ormocomp-TiO2 (doped with Pyrromethene 597) ¯rst order DFB lasers [2...

Sensor integration for robotic laser welding processes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Iakovou, D.; Aarts, Ronald G.K.M.; Meijer, J.; Ostendorf, A; Hoult, A.; Lu, Y.

2005-01-01

The use of robotic laser welding is increasing among industrial applications, because of its ability to weld objects in three dimensions. Robotic laser welding involves three sub-processes: seam detection and tracking, welding process control, and weld seam inspection. Usually, for each sub-process,

Chemical sensors for space applications

Science.gov (United States)

Bonting, Sjoerd L.

1992-01-01

The payload of the Space Station Freedom will include sensors for frequent monitoring of the water recycling process and for measuring the many biochemical parameters related to onboard experiments. This paper describes the sensor technologies and the types of transducers and selectors considered for these sensors. Particular attention is given to such aspects of monitoring of the water recycling process as the types of water use, the sources of water and their hazards, the sensor systems for monitoring, microbial monitoring, and monitoring toxic metals and organics. An approach for monitoring water recycling is suggested, which includes microbial testing with a potentiometric device (which should be in first line of tests), the use of an ion-selective electrode for inorganic ion determinations, and the use of optic fiber techniques for the determination of total organic carbon.

Calibration technology in application of robot-laser scanning system

Science.gov (United States)

Ren, YongJie; Yin, ShiBin; Zhu, JiGui

2012-11-01

A system composed of laser sensor and 6-DOF industrial robot is proposed to obtain complete three-dimensional (3-D) information of the object surface. Suitable for the different combining ways of laser sensor and robot, a new method to calibrate the position and pose between sensor and robot is presented. By using a standard sphere with known radius as a reference tool, the rotation and translation matrices between the laser sensor and robot are computed, respectively in two steps, so that many unstable factors introduced in conventional optimization methods can be avoided. The experimental results show that the accuracy of the proposed calibration method can be achieved up to 0.062 mm. The calibration method is also implemented into the automated robot scanning system to reconstruct a car door panel.

Integrating Sensor-Collected Intelligence

Science.gov (United States)

2008-11-01

APPENDIX H: ACRONYMS & GLOSSARY OF TERMS______________________________________________ KML Keyhole Markup Language L LADAR Laser Radar LAN Local... close to the sensor as possible. I endorse the Task Force’s findings and recommendations and encourage you to review the report. Dr. William...deeply-buried targets – require that the relevant sensors be in close proximity to the target. The task force discussed the requirements of close -in

Laser light-section sensor automating the production of textile-reinforced composites

Science.gov (United States)

Schmitt, R.; Niggemann, C.; Mersmann, C.

2009-05-01

Due to their advanced weight-specific mechanical properties, the application of fibre-reinforced plastics (FRP) has been established as a key technology in several engineering areas. Textile-based reinforcement structures (Preform) in particular achieve a high structural integrity due to the multi-dimensional build-up of dry-fibre layers combined with 3D-sewing and further textile processes. The final composite parts provide enhanced damage tolerances through excellent crash-energy absorbing characteristics. For these reasons, structural parts (e.g. frame) will be integrated in next generation airplanes. However, many manufacturing processes for FRP are still involving manual production steps without integrated quality control. The non-automated production implies considerable process dispersion and a high rework rate. Before the final inspection there is no reliable information about the production status. This work sets metrology as the key to automation and thus an economically feasible production, applying a laser light-section sensor system (LLSS) to measure process quality and feed back the results to close control loops of the production system. The developed method derives 3D-measurements from height profiles acquired by the LLSS. To assure the textile's quality a full surface scan is conducted, detecting defects or misalignment by comparing the measurement results with a CAD model of the lay-up. The method focuses on signal processing of the height profiles to ensure a sub-pixel accuracy using a novel algorithm based on a non-linear least-square fitting to a set of sigmoid functions. To compare the measured surface points to the CAD model, material characteristics are incorporated into the method. This ensures that only the fibre layer of the textile's surface is included and gaps between the fibres or overlaying seams are neglected. Finally, determining the uncertainty in measurement according to the GUM-standard proofed the sensor system's accuracy

A laser-optical sensor system for blade vibration detection of high-speed compressors

Science.gov (United States)

Neumann, Mathias; Dreier, Florian; Günther, Philipp; Wilke, Ulrich; Fischer, Andreas; Büttner, Lars; Holzinger, Felix; Schiffer, Heinz-Peter; Czarske, Jürgen

2015-12-01

Improved efficiency as well as increased lifetime of turbines and compressors are important goals in turbomachinery development. A significant enhancement to accomplish these aims can be seen in online monitoring of the operating parameters of the machines. During the operation of compressors it is of high interest to predict critical events like flutter or stall which can be achieved by observing blade deformations and vibrations. We have developed a laser Doppler distance sensor (LDDS), which is capable of simultaneously measuring the radial blade expansions, the circumferential blade deflections as well as the circumferential velocities of the rotor blade tips. As a result, an increase of blade vibrations is measured before stall at characteristic frequencies. While the detected vibration frequencies and the vibration increase are in agreement with the measurement results of a commercial capacitive blade tip timing system, the measured values of the vibration amplitudes differ by a factor of three. This difference can be mainly attributed to the different measurement locations and to the different measurement approaches. Since the LDDS is applicable to metal as well as ceramic, carbon-fiber and glass-fiber reinforced composite blades, a universally applicable sensor system for stall prediction and status monitoring is presented.

Optical devices for biochemical sensing in flame hydrolysis deposited glass

Science.gov (United States)

Ruano-Lopez, Jesus M.

Previous research in the field of Flame Hydrolysis Deposition (FHD) of glasses has focused on the production of low cost optical devices for the field of telecommunications. The originality of this doctoral research resides in the exploration of this technology in the fabrication of optical bio-chemical sensors, with integrated "Lab-on-a-chip" devices. To achieve this goal, we have combined and applied different microfabrication processes for the manufacture of sensor platforms using FHD. These structures are unique in that they take advantage of the intrinsic benefits of the microfabrication process, such as, miniaturisation and mass production, and combine them with the properties of FHD glass, namely: low loss optical transducing mechanisms, planar technologies and monolithic integration. This thesis demonstrates that FHD is a suitable technology for biosensing and Lab- on-a-Chip applications. The objective is to provide future researchers with the necessary tools to accomplish an integrated analytical system based on FHD. We have designed, fabricated, and successfully tested a FHD miniaturised sensor, which comprised optical and microfluidic circuitry, in the framework of low volume fluorescence assays. For the first time, volumes as low as 570 pL were analysed with a Cyanine-5 fluorophore with a detection limit of 20 pM, or ca. 6000 molecules (+/-3sigma) for this platform. The fabrication of the sensor generated a compilation of processes that were then utilised to produce other possible optical platforms for bio-chemical sensors in FHD, e.g. arrays and microfluidics. The "catalogue" of methods used included new recipes for reactive ion etching, glass deposition and bonding techniques that enabled the development of the microfluidic circuitry, integrated with an optical circuitry. Furthermore, we developed techniques to implement new tasks such as optical signal treatment using integrated optical structures, planar arraying of sensors, a separating element for

Single-point relative process using Laser-Doppler velocimetry for calibration of flow sensors at temperatures above 100 C

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

March, J.F.

1996-01-01

Due to technical difficulties, the calibration of flow sensors of heat meters above 100 C cannot be performed by the gravimetric standard method. A novel method using a laser Doppler velocimeter (LDV) was therefore developed, based on the gravimetric method below 100 C and on Reynolds' similarity law. This method allows a turbine meter to be calibrated as a secondary flowrate standard with a relative uncertainty below 0,2% for temperatures of up to 180 C. (orig.) [de

Laser tests of silicon detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dolezal, Zdenek; Escobar, Carlos; Gadomski, Szymon; Garcia, Carmen; Gonzalez, Sergio; Kodys, Peter; Kubik, Petr; Lacasta, Carlos; Marti, Salvador; Mitsou, Vasiliki A.; Moorhead, Gareth F.; Phillips, Peter W.; Reznicek, Pavel; Slavik, Radan

2007-01-01

This paper collects experiences from the development of a silicon sensor laser testing setup and from tests of silicon strip modules (ATLAS End-cap SCT), pixel modules (DEPFET) and large-area diodes using semiconductor lasers. Lasers of 1060 and 680 nm wavelengths were used. A sophisticated method of focusing the laser was developed. Timing and interstrip properties of modules were measured. Analysis of optical effects involved and detailed discussion about the usability of laser testing for particle detectors are presented

Characteristics of the Fiber Laser Sensor System Based on Etched-Bragg Grating Sensing Probe for Determination of the Low Nitrate Concentration in Water.

Science.gov (United States)

Pham, Thanh Binh; Bui, Huy; Le, Huu Thang; Pham, Van Hoi

2016-12-22

The necessity of environmental protection has stimulated the development of many kinds of methods allowing the determination of different pollutants in the natural environment, including methods for determining nitrate in source water. In this paper, the characteristics of an etched fiber Bragg grating (e-FBG) sensing probe-which integrated in fiber laser structure-are studied by numerical simulation and experiment. The proposed sensor is demonstrated for determination of the low nitrate concentration in a water environment. Experimental results show that this sensor could determine nitrate in water samples at a low concentration range of 0-80 ppm with good repeatability, rapid response, and average sensitivity of 3.5 × 10 -3 nm/ppm with the detection limit of 3 ppm. The e-FBG sensing probe integrated in fiber laser demonstrates many advantages, such as a high resolution for wavelength shift identification, high optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR of 40 dB), narrow bandwidth of 0.02 nm that enhanced accuracy and precision of wavelength peak measurement, and capability for optical remote sensing. The obtained results suggested that the proposed e-FBG sensor has a large potential for the determination of low nitrate concentrations in water in outdoor field work.

Characteristics of the Fiber Laser Sensor System Based on Etched-Bragg Grating Sensing Probe for Determination of the Low Nitrate Concentration in Water

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thanh Binh Pham

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The necessity of environmental protection has stimulated the development of many kinds of methods allowing the determination of different pollutants in the natural environment, including methods for determining nitrate in source water. In this paper, the characteristics of an etched fiber Bragg grating (e-FBG sensing probe—which integrated in fiber laser structure—are studied by numerical simulation and experiment. The proposed sensor is demonstrated for determination of the low nitrate concentration in a water environment. Experimental results show that this sensor could determine nitrate in water samples at a low concentration range of 0–80 ppm with good repeatability, rapid response, and average sensitivity of 3.5 × 10−3 nm/ppm with the detection limit of 3 ppm. The e-FBG sensing probe integrated in fiber laser demonstrates many advantages, such as a high resolution for wavelength shift identification, high optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR of 40 dB, narrow bandwidth of 0.02 nm that enhanced accuracy and precision of wavelength peak measurement, and capability for optical remote sensing. The obtained results suggested that the proposed e-FBG sensor has a large potential for the determination of low nitrate concentrations in water in outdoor field work.

Study and development of a laser based alignment system for the compact linear collider

CERN Document Server

AUTHOR|(CDS)2083149

The first objective of the PhD thesis is to develop a new type of positioning sensor to align components at micrometre level over 200 m with respect to a laser beam as straight line reference. The second objective is to estimate the measurement accuracy of the total alignment system over 200 m. The context of the PhD thesis is the Compact Linear Collider project, which is a study for a future particle accelerator. The proposed positioning sensor is made of a camera and an open/close shutter. The sensor can measure the position of the laser beam with respect to its own coordinate system. To do a measurement, the shutter closes, a laser spot appears on it, the camera captures a picture of the laser spot and the coordinates of the laser spot centre are reconstructed in the sensor coordinate system with image processing. Such a measurement requires reference targets on the positioning sensor. To reach the rst objective of the PhD thesis, we used laser theory...

Distance Support In-Service Engineering for the High Energy Laser

Science.gov (United States)

2015-03-01

FEL only) o Isoplanatic angle (if available) o Fried coherence length o Object distance o Dwell time o Laser spot size While many of the items...system and the HEL system. Acquisition Sensor Laser Subsystem Beam Shaping Sensor Suile . Range Finder -. Coarse Tracker . Fine Tracker Optical...distribution is unlimited DISTANCE SUPPORT IN-SERVICE ENGINEERING FOR THE HIGH ENERGY LASER by Team Raising HEL from a Distance Cohort 311-133O March

Intraluminal laser atherectomy with ultrasound and electromagnetic guidance

Science.gov (United States)

Gregory, Kenton W.; Aretz, H. Thomas; Martinelli, Michael A.; LeDet, Earl G.; Hatch, G. F.; Gregg, Richard E.; Sedlacek, Tomas; Haase, Wayne C.

1991-05-01

The MagellanTM coronary laser atherectomy system is described. It uses high- resolution ultrasound imaging and electromagnetic sensing to provide real-time guidance and control of laser therapy in the coronary arteries. The system consists of a flexible catheter, an electromagnetic navigation antenna, a sensor signal processor and a computer for image processing and display. The small, flexible catheter combines an ultrasound transducer and laser delivery optics, aimed at the artery wall, and an electromagnetic receiving sensor. An extra-corporeal electromagnetic transmit antenna, in combination with catheter sensors, locates the position of the ultrasound and laser beams in the artery. Navigation and ultrasound data are processed electronically to produce real-time, transverse, and axial cross-section images of the artery wall at selected locations. By exploiting the ability of ultrasound to image beneath the surface of artery walls, it is possible to identify candidate treatment sites and perform safe radial laser debulking of atherosclerotic plaque with reduced danger of perforation. The utility of the system in plaque identification and ablation is demonstrated with imaging and experimental results.

Tactile Sensing From Laser-Ablated Metallized PET Films

KAUST Repository

Nag, Anindya

2016-10-17

This paper reports the design, fabrication, and implementation of a novel sensor patch developed from commercial polyethylene terephthalate films metallized with aluminum on one side. The aluminum was ablated with laser to form interdigitated electrodes to make sensor prototypes. The interdigitated electrodes were patterned on the substrate with a laser cutter. Characterization of the prototypes was done to determine their operating frequency followed by experimentation. The prototypes have been used as a tactile sensor showing promising results for using these patches in applications with contact pressures considerably lesser than normal human contact pressure.

All-plastic fiber-based pressure sensor

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bundalo, Ivan-Lazar; Lwin, Richard; Leon-Saval, Sergio

2016-01-01

We present a feasibility study and a prototype of an all-plastic fiber-based pressure sensor. The sensor is based on long period gratings inscribed for the first time to the best of our knowledge by a CO2 laser in polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) microstructured fibers and coupled to a pod......-like transducer that converts pressure to strain. The sensor prototype was characterized for pressures up to 150 mbars, and various parameters related to its construction were also characterized in order to enhance sensitivity. We consider this sensor in the context of future applications in endoscopic pressure...... sensors....

Optical fiber powered pressure sensor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schweizer, P.; Neveux, L.; Ostrowsky, D.B.

1987-01-01

In the system described, a pressure sensor and its associated electronics are optically powered by a 20 mw laser and a photovoltaic cell via an optical fiber. The sensor is periodically interrogated and sends the measures obtained back to the central unit using an LED and a second fiber. The results obtained as well as the expected evolution will be described

An edge-TCT setup for the investigation of radiation damaged silicon sensors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Feindt, Finn; Scharf, Christian; Garutti, Erika; Klanner, Robert [Institute for Experimental Physics, Hamburg University, Luruper Chaussee 149, D-22761 Hamburg (Germany)

2016-07-01

The aim of this work is to measure the electric field, drift velocity and charge collection of electrons and holes in radiation-damaged silicon strip sensors. For this purpose the edge Transient Current Technique (TCT) is employed. In contrast to conventional TCT, this method requires light from a sub-ns pulsed, infrared laser to be focused to a μm-size spot and scanned across the polished edge of a strip sensor. Thus electron-hole pairs are generated at a known depth in the sensor. Electrons and holes drift in the electric field and induce transient currents on the sensor electrodes. The current wave forms are analyzed as a function of the applied voltage and the position of the laser focus in order to determine the electric field, the drift velocities and the charge collection. In this talk the setup and the procedure for polishing the sensor edge are described, and first results, regarding the measurement of the laser light focus are presented.

Development of printed sensors for taste sensing

KAUST Repository

Nag, Anindya

2018-01-30

The paper presents an idea of developing taste sensors using novel printed sensors. The raw materials used for developing the sensors were commercial polymer films. Powered graphene was produced using laser induction technique. This powder was separately transferred to Kapton tapes to developed flexible graphene sensors. The fabricated sensors were tested with different chemicals having specific attributes with the idea to develop a taste sensor. Three different types of chemicals were tested and analyzed to verify the ability of the developed sensor patch to differentiate between the individual chemicals. The initial results have provided a significant platform in the process of developing a fully functionalized taste sensing system.

Development of printed sensors for taste sensing

KAUST Repository

Nag, Anindya; Mukhopadhyay, Subhas; Kosel, Jü rgen

2018-01-01

The paper presents an idea of developing taste sensors using novel printed sensors. The raw materials used for developing the sensors were commercial polymer films. Powered graphene was produced using laser induction technique. This powder was separately transferred to Kapton tapes to developed flexible graphene sensors. The fabricated sensors were tested with different chemicals having specific attributes with the idea to develop a taste sensor. Three different types of chemicals were tested and analyzed to verify the ability of the developed sensor patch to differentiate between the individual chemicals. The initial results have provided a significant platform in the process of developing a fully functionalized taste sensing system.

Utilizing an open-microcavity optoacoustic sensor for spectroscopic determination of methemoglobin concentration

Science.gov (United States)

Peterson, Ralph W.; Kadugodinandareddy, Kavya; Karunakaran, Vinitha; Whitney, Casey; Ling, Jian; Ye, Jing Yong

2015-03-01

We present a simple, non-destructive photoacoustic spectroscopy method utilizing a unique open-microcavity optoacoustic sensor to measure the concentration ratio of Methemoglobin (MetHb) in an optically scattering medium. Elevated levels of MetHb, present for example in the blood disorder Methemeglobinemia, cannot be detected by conventional pulse oximetry, and may result in inaccurate arterial oxygen saturation measurements. Samples with different ratios of Oxygenated Hemoglobin (HbO2), Deoxygenated Hemoglobin (HHb), and MetHb were obtained and mixed with nanoscale latex beads to present an optical scattering effect. Polymer encapsulated hemoglobin (PEH) samples were also studied. A sample chamber containing 20 μL of each sample was positioned directly underneath our patented optoacoustic sensor. Unlike a piezoelectric transducer, our optoacoustic sensor allows an excitation laser beam from an OPO laser to pass through and be absorbed by the sample to produce a photoacoustic signal. The cavity layer of the optoacoustic sensor is exposed directly to the resulting ultrasound signal, which causes an intensity modulation of a HeNe laser that is used to monitor the resonance condition of the sensor. A probe laser beam is total internally reflected off of the sensor and detected with a fiber-coupled APD detector. Three wavelengths are chosen for our excitation laser based on the absorption peaks and isobestic points of HHb, HbO2, and MetHb. Using established values of the molar extinction coefficients of HbO2, HHb, and MetHb a set of three simultaneous equations can be solved to accurately determine the concentration ratio of MetHb.

Photo-acoustic sensor based on an inexpensive piezoelectric film transducer and an amplitude-stabilized single-mode external cavity diode laser for in vitro measurements of glucose concentration

Science.gov (United States)

Bayrakli, Ismail; Erdogan, Yasar Kemal

2018-06-01

The present paper focuses on development of a compact photo-acoustic sensor using inexpensive components for glucose analysis. An amplitude-stabilized wavelength-tunable single-mode external cavity diode laser operating around 1050 nm was realized and characterized for the use of laser beam as an excitation light source. In the established setup, a fine tuning range of 9 GHz was achieved. The glucose solution was obtained by diluting D-glucose in sterile water. The acoustic signal generated by the optical excitation was detected via a chip piezoelectric film transducer. A detection limit of 50 mM (900 mg/dl) was achieved. The device may be of great interest for its applications in medicine and health monitoring. The sensor is promising for non-invasive in vivo glucose measurements from interstitial fluid.

Low Power Greenhouse Gas Sensors for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David J. Lary

2012-05-01

Full Text Available We demonstrate compact, low power, lightweight laser-based sensors for measuring trace gas species in the atmosphere designed specifically for electronic unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV platforms. The sensors utilize non-intrusive optical sensing techniques to measure atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations with unprecedented vertical and horizontal resolution (~1 m within the planetary boundary layer. The sensors are developed to measure greenhouse gas species including carbon dioxide, water vapor and methane in the atmosphere. Key innovations are the coupling of very low power vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs to low power drive electronics and sensitive multi-harmonic wavelength modulation spectroscopic techniques. The overall mass of each sensor is between 1–2 kg including batteries and each one consumes less than 2 W of electrical power. In the initial field testing, the sensors flew successfully onboard a T-Rex Align 700E robotic helicopter and showed a precision of 1% or less for all three trace gas species. The sensors are battery operated and capable of fully automated operation for long periods of time in diverse sensing environments. Laser-based trace gas sensors for UAVs allow for high spatial mapping of local greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmospheric boundary layer where land/atmosphere fluxes occur. The high-precision sensors, coupled to the ease-of-deployment and cost effectiveness of UAVs, provide unprecedented measurement capabilities that are not possible with existing satellite-based and suborbital aircraft platforms.

Pulsed Laser Deposition: passive and active waveguides

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Jelínek, Miroslav; Flory, F.; Escoubas, L.

2009-01-01

Roč. 34, č. 4 (2009), s. 438-449 ISSN 0268-1900 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA202/06/0216 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10100522 Keywords : PLD * pulsed laser deposition * laser ablation * passive waveguides * active waveguides * waveguide laser * sensors * thin films * butane detection Subject RIV: BH - Optics, Masers, Lasers Impact factor: 0.384, year: 2009

Electric field measurements with electro-optical sensor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brambilla, R.

1992-03-01

When electric field calculations on the surface of electrodes and electrical insulation present difficulties due to complex geometries and diverse dielectric properties, it is sometimes very useful to resort to direct measurements. However, conventional probes, based on the capacitive effect, are not quite suitable for this purpose due to strong perturbations introduced by probes themselves and to difficulties in isolating the sensors from the instrumentation at points of measurement with a high potential. To avoid these difficulties, a measurement system was developed which incorporates a Pockels effect crystal sensor, a moveable HeNe laser beam for signal transmission and beam polarization modulation, and a laser beam analyzer which detects variations in polarization induced by the sensor. This paper describes the key design, operation and performance characteristics of this device

A portable readout system for silicon microstrip sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marco-Hernandez, Ricardo

2010-01-01

This system can measure the collected charge in one or two microstrip silicon sensors by reading out all the channels of the sensor(s), up to 256. The system is able to operate with different types (p- and n-type) and different sizes (up to 3 cm 2 ) of microstrip silicon sensors, both irradiated and non-irradiated. Heavily irradiated sensors will be used at the Super Large Hadron Collider, so this system can be used to research the performance of microstrip silicon sensors in conditions as similar as possible to the Super Large Hadron Collider operating conditions. The system has two main parts: a hardware part and a software part. The hardware part acquires the sensor signals either from external trigger inputs, in case of a radioactive source setup is used, or from a synchronised trigger output generated by the system, if a laser setup is used. The software controls the system and processes the data acquired from the sensors in order to store it in an adequate format. The main characteristics of the system are described. Results of measurements acquired with n- and p-type detectors using both the laser and the radioactive source setup are also presented and discussed.

Surface Effects in Segmented Silicon Sensors

OpenAIRE

Kopsalis, Ioannis

2017-01-01

Silicon detectors in Photon Science and Particle Physics require silicon sensors with very demanding specifications. New accelerators like the European X-ray Free Electron Laser (EuXFEL) and the High Luminosity upgrade of the Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC), pose new challenges for silicon sensors, especially with respect to radiation hardness. High radiation doses and fluences damage the silicon crystal and the SiO2 layers at the surface, thus changing the sensor properties and limiting their...

Microphotonic sensors for the rapid detection of the presence of explosive gas mixtures

Science.gov (United States)

McNesby, Kevin L.; Miziolek, Andrzej W.

2002-02-01

A first generation, microphotonic sensor for rapid (10 ms response time) measurement of vapors from the hydrocarbon-based fuels JP-8, DF-2, and gasoline has been developed at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory. This sensor is based upon a previously reported laser mixing technique that uses two tunable diode lasers emitting in the near-infrared spectral region to measure concentrations of gases having unstructured absorption spectra. The fiber-mixed laser beam consists of two wavelengths, one of which is absorbed by the fuel vapor, and one of which is not absorbed. By sinusoidally modulating the power of the two lasers at the same frequency but 180 degrees out of phase, a sinusoidal signal is generated at the detector (when the target gas is present in the line of sight). The signal amplitude, measured using standard phase sensitive detection techniques, is proportional to fuel vapor concentration. A second generation sensor, designed to measure the full envelope of the first overtone C-H vibrations in middle distillate fuels is currently being developed. Both sensors are described. Limits of detection using the first generation sensor are reported for vapors of the three fuels studied.

Online NIR diagnostic of laser welding processes and its potential for quality assuring sensor systems

Science.gov (United States)

Dorsch, Friedhelm; Braun, Holger; Keβler, Steffen; Pfitzner, Dieter; Rominger, Volker

2014-02-01

We have integrated an imaging thermographic sensor into commercial welding optics for observation of the weld zone. Key element of the sensor is an InGaAs-camera that detects the thermal radiation of the welding process in the wavelength range of 1,200 to 1,700 nm. This is well suited to record images of the keyhole, the melt pool and the thermal trace. The sensor was integrated to the welding heads for on-axis observation to minimize the interfering contour to ensure easy adaption to industrial processes. The welding heads used were established industrial-grade TRUMPF optics: a BEO fixed optics with 280 mm focal length, or a TRUMPF PFO-3D scanner optics with 450 mm focal length. We used a TRUMPF TruDisk 16002 16kW-thin disk laser that transmits its power through a 200 μm core diameter light cable. The images were recorded and features of the various process zones were evaluated by image processing. It turns out that almost all weld faults can be clearly detected in the NIR images. Quantitative features like the dimension of the melt pool and the thermal trace can be derived from the captured images. They are correlated to process input parameters as well as to process results. In contrast to observation in the visible spectrum the NIR camera records the melt pool without auxiliary illumination. As an unrivaled attribute of the NIR sensor it supports an online heat flow thermography of the seam and allows identifying missing fusion ("false friends") of lap joints virtually during the welding process. Automated weld fault detection and documentation is possible by online image processing which sets the basis for comprehensive data documentation for quality assurance and traceability.

CMOS Active-Pixel Image Sensor With Intensity-Driven Readout

Science.gov (United States)

Langenbacher, Harry T.; Fossum, Eric R.; Kemeny, Sabrina

1996-01-01

Proposed complementary metal oxide/semiconductor (CMOS) integrated-circuit image sensor automatically provides readouts from pixels in order of decreasing illumination intensity. Sensor operated in integration mode. Particularly useful in number of image-sensing tasks, including diffractive laser range-finding, three-dimensional imaging, event-driven readout of sparse sensor arrays, and star tracking.

Velocimetry using scintillation of a laser beam for a laser-based gas-flux monitor

Science.gov (United States)

Kagawa, Naoki; Wada, Osami; Koga, Ryuji

1999-05-01

This paper describes a velocimetry system using scintillation of a laser-beam with spatial filters based on sensor arrays for a laser- based gas flux monitor. In the eddy correlation method, gas flux is obtained by mutual relation between the gas density and the flow velocity. The velocimetry system is developed to support the flow velocity monitor portion of the laser-based gas flux monitor with a long span for measurement. In order to sense not only the flow velocity but also the flow direction, two photo diode arrays are arranged with difference of a quarter period of the weighting function between them; the two output signals from the sensor arrays have phase difference of either (pi) /2 or -(pi) /2 depending on the sense of flow direction. In order to obtain the flow velocity and the flow direction instantly, an electronic apparatus built by the authors extracts frequency and phase from crude outputs of the pair of sensors. A feasibility of the velocimetry was confirmed indoors by measurement of the flow- velocity vector of the convection. Measured flow-velocity vector of the upward flow agreed comparatively with results of an ultrasonic anemometer.

Polymer-based blood vessel models with micro-temperature sensors in EVE

Science.gov (United States)

Mizoshiri, Mizue; Ito, Yasuaki; Hayakawa, Takeshi; Maruyama, Hisataka; Sakurai, Junpei; Ikeda, Seiichi; Arai, Fumihito; Hata, Seiichi

2017-04-01

Cu-based micro-temperature sensors were directly fabricated on poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) blood vessel models in EVE using a combined process of spray coating and femtosecond laser reduction of CuO nanoparticles. CuO nanoparticle solution coated on a PDMS blood vessel model are thermally reduced and sintered by focused femtosecond laser pulses in atmosphere to write the sensors. After removing the non-irradiated CuO nanoparticles, Cu-based microtemperature sensors are formed. The sensors are thermistor-type ones whose temperature dependences of the resistance are used for measuring temperature inside the blood vessel model. This fabrication technique is useful for direct-writing of Cu-based microsensors and actuators on arbitrary nonplanar substrates.

Development of sensor system built into a robot hand toward environmental monitoring

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaneko, Kenji; Ueshiba, Toshio; Yoshimi, Takashi; Kawai, Yoshihiro; Morisawa, Mitsuharu; Kanehiro, Fumio; Yokoi, Kazuhito

2015-01-01

The development of sensor system that is built into a hand of a humanoid robot toward environmental monitoring is presented in this paper. The developed system consists of a color C-MOS camera, a laser projector with a lens distributing a laser light, and a LED projector. The sensor system can activate/disable these components according to the purpose. This paper introduces the design process, pre-experimental results for evaluating components, and the specifications of the developed sensor system together with experimental results. (author)

Sensor-guided threat countermeasure system

Science.gov (United States)

Stuart, Brent C.; Hackel, Lloyd A.; Hermann, Mark R.; Armstrong, James P.

2012-12-25

A countermeasure system for use by a target to protect against an incoming sensor-guided threat. The system includes a laser system for producing a broadband beam and means for directing the broadband beam from the target to the threat. The countermeasure system comprises the steps of producing a broadband beam and directing the broad band beam from the target to blind or confuse the incoming sensor-guided threat.

Laser-boosted lightcraft technology demonstrator

Science.gov (United States)

Richard, J. C.; Morales, C.; Smith, W. L.; Myrabo, L. N.

1990-01-01

The detailed description and performance analysis of a 1.4 meter diameter Lightcraft Technology Demonstator (LTD) is presented. The launch system employs a 100 MW-class ground-based laser to transmit power directly to an advanced combined-cycle engine that propels the 120 kg LTD to orbit - with a mass ratio of two. The single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) LTD machine then becomes an autonomous sensor satellite that can deliver precise, high quality information typical of today's large orbital platforms. The dominant motivation behind this study is to provide an example of how laser propulsion and its low launch costs can induce a comparable order-of-magnitude reduction in sensor satellite packaging costs. The issue is simply one of production technology for future, survivable SSTO aerospace vehicles that intimately share both laser propulsion engine and satellite functional hardware.

Gas Sensing Properties of Metal Doped WO3 Thin Film Sensors Prepared by Pulsed Laser Deposition and DC Sputtering Process

Science.gov (United States)

Bhuiyan, Md. Mosharraf Hossain; Ueda, Tsuyoshi; Ikegami, Tomoaki; Ebihara, Kenji

2006-10-01

Tungsten trioxide (WO3) thin films gas sensors were prepared by the KrF excimer pulsed laser deposition (PLD) method. The films were prepared on the quartz glass, silicon and also on the Al2O3 sensor substrates with platinum interdigitated electrodes. The effect of doping of the platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd) or gold (Au) on the WO3 thin film was also investigated. These metals were doped to the WO3 thin film by the DC sputtering process during the PLD. The substrate temperature and the oxygen pressure were 400 °C and 100 mTorr, respectively, during the deposition. The films were characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The sensitivity of the prepared sensors to 60 ppm NO gas was examined using the two terminal resistance method in a chamber at atmospheric pressure and operating temperatures of 25-350 °C. The sensitivity of the WO3 thin films doped with Pt, Pd, or Au was found to be higher than that of the undoped WO3 thin film.

Integrated optical sensors for the chemical domain

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lambeck, Paul

2006-01-01

During the last decade there has been a rapidly growing interest in integrated optical (IO) sensors, expecially because many of them principally allow for sensitive, real time, label-free-on-site measurements of the concentration of (bio-)chemical species. This review aims at giving an overview of

Paradigm of radiation-laser medical equipment and technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kharchenko, V.P.; Skobelkin, O.K.; Trofimolv, N.N.; Makarova, G.V.; Pan'shin, G.A.; Ryabov, V.I.; Stranadko, E.F.; Shevelevich, O.S.

1997-01-01

New concepts on possibility of controlling biochemical reactions in biological tissues through simultaneous two-beam (roentgen or elementary particles flux and laser radiation) impact on biotissue are formulated on the basis of the quanta chemistry and chemical kinetics. It is shown that radiation-laser impact on pathological center makes it possible to realize principally new approach to treatment of oncological diseases of the main internal organs. Filamentous laser with lamp feedup, laser quantron where of is applicable for simultaneous excitation of laser radiation in the channel and transport by adjacent capillar filaments of elementary charged particles, is developed. The laser quantron is especially efficient as a feedup source for semiconductor light guides. 24 refs., 2 tabs

A simulator for airborne laser swath mapping via photon counting

Science.gov (United States)

Slatton, K. C.; Carter, W. E.; Shrestha, R.

2005-06-01

Commercially marketed airborne laser swath mapping (ALSM) instruments currently use laser rangers with sufficient energy per pulse to work with return signals of thousands of photons per shot. The resulting high signal to noise level virtually eliminates spurious range values caused by noise, such as background solar radiation and sensor thermal noise. However, the high signal level approach requires laser repetition rates of hundreds of thousands of pulses per second to obtain contiguous coverage of the terrain at sub-meter spatial resolution, and with currently available technology, affords little scalability for significantly downsizing the hardware, or reducing the costs. A photon-counting ALSM sensor has been designed by the University of Florida and Sigma Space, Inc. for improved topographic mapping with lower power requirements and weight than traditional ALSM sensors. Major elements of the sensor design are presented along with preliminary simulation results. The simulator is being developed so that data phenomenology and target detection potential can be investigated before the system is completed. Early simulations suggest that precise estimates of terrain elevation and target detection will be possible with the sensor design.

Optoelectronic Capillary Sensors in Microfluidic and Point-of-Care Instrumentation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michał Borecki

2010-04-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a review, based on the published literature and on the authors’ own research, of the current state of the art of fiber-optic capillary sensors and related instrumentation as well as their applications, with special emphasis on point-of-care chemical and biochemical sensors, systematizing the various types of sensors from the point of view of the principles of their construction and operation. Unlike classical fiber-optic sensors which rely on changes in light propagation inside the fiber as affected by outside conditions, optical capillary sensors rely on changes of light transmission in capillaries filled with the analyzed liquid, which opens the possibility of interesting new applications, while raising specific issues relating to the construction, materials and instrumentation of those sensors.

An electrodynamic preconcentrator integrated thermoelectric biosensor chip for continuous monitoring of biochemical process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Yong-Hwan; Kim, Min-gu; Kang, Dong-Hyun; Sim, Jaesam; Kim, Jongbaeg; Kim, Yong-Jun

2012-01-01

This paper proposes an integrated sensor chip for continuous monitoring of a biochemical process. It is composed of a preconcentrator and a thermoelectric biosensor. In the preconcentrator, the concentration of the injected biochemical sample is electrodynamically condensed. Then, in the downstream thermoelectric biosensor, the preconcentrated target molecules react with sequentially injected capture molecules and generate reaction heat. The reaction heat is detected based on the thermoelectric effect, and an integrated split-flow microchannel improves the sensor stability by providing ability to self-compensate thermal noise. These sequential preconcentration and detection processes are performed in completely label-free and continuous conditions and consequently enhance the sensor sensitivity. The performance of the integrated biosensor chip was evaluated at various flow rates and applied voltages. First, in order to verify characteristics of the fabricated preconcentrator, 10 µm -diameter polystyrene (PS) particles were used. The particles were concentrated by applying ac voltage from 0 to 16 V pp at 3 MHz at various flow rates. In the experimental result, approximately 92.8% of concentration efficiency was achieved at a voltage over 16 V pp and at a flow rate below 100 µl h −1 . The downstream thermoelectric biosensor was characterized by measuring reaction heat of biotin–streptavidin interaction. The preconcentrated streptavidin-coated PS particles flow into the reaction chamber and react with titrated biotin. The measured output voltage was 288.2 µV at a flow rate of 100 µl h −1 without preconcentration. However, by using proposed preconcentrator, an output voltage of 812.3 µV was achieved with a 16 V pp -applied preconcentration in the same given sample and flow rate. According to these results, the proposed label-free biomolecular preconcentration and detection technique can be applied in continuous and high-throughput biochemical applications

Development of pulse laser processing for mounting fiber Bragg grating

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nishimura, Aikihko; Shimada, Yukihiro; Yonemoto, Yukihiro; Suzuki, Hirokazu; Ishibashi, Hisayoshi [Quantum Beam Science Directorate, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 8-1-7 Umebidai Kidugawa Kyoto 619-0215 (Japan); Applied Laser Technology Institute, Tsuruga Head Office, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 65-20 Kizaki Tsuruga Fukui 914-8585 (Japan); Technical Research and Development Institute, Kumagai Gumi Co., Ltd., 2-1 Tsukudo, Shinjuku Tokyo 162-8557 (Japan)

2012-07-11

Pulse laser processing has been developed for the application of industrial plants in monitoring and maintenance. Surface cleaning by nano-second laser ablation was demonstrated for decontamination of oxide layers of Cr contained steel. Direct writing by femtosecond processing induced a Bragg grating in optical fiber to make it a seismic sensor for structural health monitoring. Adhesive cement was used to fix the seismic sensor on the surface of reactor coolant pipe material. Pulse laser processing and its related technologies were presented to overcome the severe accidents of nuclear power plants.

Erbium-doped fiber ring laser with SMS modal interferometer for hydrogen sensing

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Ya-nan; Zhang, Lebin; Han, Bo; Peng, Huijie; Zhou, Tianmin; Lv, Ri-qing

2018-06-01

A hydrogen sensor based on erbium-doped fiber ring laser with modal interferometer is proposed. A single mode-multimode-single mode (SMS) modal interferometer structure coated with Pd/WO3 film is used as the sensing head, due to that it is easy to be fabricated and low cost. The sensing structure is inserted into an erbium-doped fiber ring laser in order to solve the problem of spectral confusion and improve the detection limit of the hydrogen sensor based on the SMS modal interferometer. The SMS sensing structure is acted as a fiber band-pass filter. When hydrogen concentration around the sensor is changed, it will induce the refractive index and strain variations of the Pd/WO3 film, and then shift the resonant spectrum of the SMS modal interferometer as well as the laser wavelength of the fiber ring laser. Therefore, the hydrogen concentration can be measured by monitoring the wavelength shift of the laser, which has high intensity and narrow full width half maximum. Experimental results demonstrate that the sensor has high sensitivity of 1.23 nm/%, low detection limit of 0.017%, good stability and excellent repeatability.

Position control of ECRH launcher mirrors by laser speckle sensor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Michelsen, Poul K.; Bindslev, Henrik; Hansen, Rene Skov; Hanson, Steen G.

2003-01-01

The planned ECRH system for JET included several fixed and steerable mirrors some of which should have been fixed to the building structure and some to the JET vessel structure. A similar system may be anticipated for ITER and for other fusion devices in the future. In order to have high reproducibility of the ECRH beam direction, it is necessary to know the exact positions of the mirrors. This is not a trivial problem because of thermal expansion of the vessel structures and of the launcher itself and of its support structure, the mechanical load on mirrors and support structures, and the accessibility to the various mirrors. We suggest to use a combination of infrared diagnostic of beam spot positions and a new technique published recently, which is based on a non-contact laser speckle sensor for measuring one- and two-dimensional angular displacement. The method is based on Fourier transforming the scattered field from a single laser beam that illuminates the target. The angular distribution of the light field at the target is linearly mapped onto an array image sensor placed in the Fourier plane. Measuring the displacement of this so-called speckle pattern facilitates the determination of the mirror orientation. Transverse target movement can be measured by observing the speckle movement in the image plane of the object. No special surface treatment is required for surfaces having irregularities of the order of or larger than the wavelength of the incident light. For the JET ECRH launcher it is mainly for the last mirror pointing towards the plasma where the technique may be useful. This mirror has to be steerable in order to reflect the microwave beam in the correct direction towards the plasma. Maximum performance of the microwave heating requires that the beam hits this mirror at its centre and that the mirror is turned in the correct angle. Inaccuracies in the positioning of the pull rods for controlling the mirror turning and thermal effects makes it

Development of an auto-welding system for CRD nozzle repair welds using a 3D laser vision sensor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, K.; Kim, Y.; Byeon, J.; Sung, K.; Yeom, C.; Rhee, S.

2007-01-01

A control rod device (CRD) nozzle attaches to the hemispherical surface of a reactor head with J-groove welding. Primary water stress corrosion cracking (PWSCC) causes degradation in these welds, which requires that these defect areas be repaired. To perform this repair welding automatically on a complicated weld groove shape, an auto-welding system was developed incorporating a laser vision sensor that measures the 3-dimensional (3D) shape of the groove and a weld-path creation program that calculates the weld-path parameters. Welding trials with a J-groove workpiece were performed to establish a basis for developing this auto-welding system. Because the reactor head is placed on a lay down support, the outer-most region of the CRD nozzle has restricted access. Due to this tight space, several parameters of the design, such as size, weight and movement of the auto-welding system, had to be carefully considered. The cross section of the J-groove weld is basically an oval shape where the included angle of the J-groove ranges from 0 to 57 degrees. To measure the complex shape, we used double lasers coupled to a single charge coupled device (CCD) camera. We then developed a program to generate the weld-path parameters using the measured 3D shape as a basis. The program has the ability to determine the first and final welding positions and to calculate all weld-path parameters. An optimized image-processing algorithm was applied to resolve noise interference and diffused reflection of the joint surfaces. The auto-welding system is composed of a 4-axis manipulator, gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) power supply, an optimized designed and manufactured GTAW torch and a 3D laser vision sensor. Through welding trials with 0 and 38-degree included-angle workpieces with both J-groove and U-groove weld, the performance of this auto-welding system was qualified for field application

Biochemical changes on the repair of surgical bone defects grafted with biphasic synthetic micro-granular HA + β-tricalcium phosphate induced by laser and LED phototherapies assessed by Raman spectroscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Pinheiro, Antonio Luiz B.; Soares, Luiz Guilherme P.; Marques, Aparecida Maria C.; Silveira, Landulfo

2016-03-01

This work aimed the assessment of the biochemical changes during bone mineralization induced by laser and LED irradiation in an animal model of bone repair using a spectral model based on Raman spectroscopy. Six groups were studied: Clot, Laser (λ780 nm, 70 mW), LED (λ850 nm +/- 10 nm, 150 mW), Biomaterial (biphasic synthetic microgranular hydroxyapatite (HA) + β-tricalcium phosphate), Laser + Biomaterial and LED + Biomaterial. When indicated, defects were further irradiated at 48 h interval during 2 wks, 20 J/cm2 per session. At 15th and 30th days, femurs were dissected and spectra of the defects were collected. Raman spectra were submitted to a model to estimate the relative amount of collagen, phosphate HA and carbonate HA, by using spectra of pure collagen, biomaterial and basal bone, respectively. At 15th days, the use of biomaterial associated to phototherapy reduced the collagen formation, whereas the amount of carbonate HA was not different in all groups. The phosphate HA was higher in the groups that received biomaterial grafts. At 30th days, it was observed an increase of collagen for the group Laser + Biomaterial, and a reduction in the carbonate HA for the LED + Biomaterial. The phosphate HA was higher for the groups LED + Biomaterial and Laser + Biomaterial, while decreased for the group Biomaterial. These results indicated that the use of Laser and LED phototherapies improved the repair of bone defects grafted with the biomaterial by increasing the collagen deposition and phosphate HA.

A novel method for length of chirped fiber Bragg grating sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Zhenwei; Wei, Peng; Liu, Taolin

2018-03-01

Length of chirped fiber Bragg grating sensor is very important for detonation velocity. Different from other ways, we proposed a novel method based on the optical frequency domain reflection theory to measure the length of chirped fiber grating sensor in non-contact condition. This method adopts a tunable laser source to provide wavelength scanning laser, which covers the Full Width at Half Maximum of spectrum of the chirped fiber Bragg grating sensor. A Michelson interferometer is used to produce optical interference signal. Finally, the grating's length is attainable by distance domain signal. In theory, length resolution of chirped fiber Bragg grating sensor could be 0.02 mm. We perform a series of length measurement experiments for chirped fiber grating sensor, including comparison experiments with hot-tip method. And the experiment results show that the novel method could accurately measure the length of chirped fiber Bragg grating sensors, and the length differences between the optical frequency domain reflection method and the hot-tip probe method are very small.

Direct determination of glucose, lactate and triglycerides in blood serum by a tunable quantum cascade laser-based mid-IR sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Brandstetter, M.; Volgger, L.; Genner, A.; Jungbauer, C.; Lendl, B.

2013-02-01

This work reports on a compact sensor for fast and reagent-free point-of-care determination of glucose, lactate and triglycerides in blood serum based on a tunable (1030-1230 cm-1) external-cavity quantum cascade laser (EC-QCL). For simple and robust operation a single beam set-up was designed and only thermoelectric cooling was used for the employed laser and detector. Full computer control of analysis including liquid handling and data analysis facilitated routine measurements. A high optical pathlength (>100 μm) is a prerequisite for robust measurements in clinical practice. Hence, the optimum optical pathlength for transmission measurements in aqueous solution was considered in theory and experiment. The experimentally determined maximum signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) was around 140 μm for the QCL blood sensor and around 50 μm for a standard FT-IR spectrometer employing a liquid nitrogen cooled mercury cadmium telluride (MCT) detector. A single absorption spectrum was used to calculate the analyte concentrations simultaneously by using a partial-least-squares (PLS) regression analysis. Glucose was determined in blood serum with a prediction error (RMSEP) of 6.9 mg/dl and triglycerides with an error of cross-validation (RMSECV) of 17.5 mg/dl in a set of 42 different patients. In spiked serum samples the lactate concentration could be determined with an RMSECV of 8.9 mg/dl.

A Laser Metrology/Viewing System for ITER In-Vessel Inspection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spampinato, P.T.; Barry, R.E.; Chesser, J.B.; Menon, M.M.; Dagher, M.A.; Slotwinski, A.

1997-10-01

This paper identifies the requirements for a remotely operated precision laser ranging system for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor. The inspection system is used for metrology and viewing, and must be capable of achieving submillimeter accuracy and operation in a reactor vessel that has high gamma radiation, high vacuum, elevated temperature, and magnetic field levels. A coherent, frequency modulated laser radar system is under development to meet these requirements. The metrology/viewing sensor consists of a compact laser-optic module linked through fiberoptics to the laser source and imaging units, located outside the harsh environment. The deployment mechanism is a remotely operated telescopic mast. Gamma irradiation up to 10 7 Gy was conducted on critical sensor components with no significant impact to data transmission, and analysis indicates that critical sensor components can operate in a magnetic field with certain design modifications. Plans for testing key components in a magnetic field are underway

Single frequency semiconductor lasers

CERN Document Server

Fang, Zujie; Chen, Gaoting; Qu, Ronghui

2017-01-01

This book systematically introduces the single frequency semiconductor laser, which is widely used in many vital advanced technologies, such as the laser cooling of atoms and atomic clock, high-precision measurements and spectroscopy, coherent optical communications, and advanced optical sensors. It presents both the fundamentals and characteristics of semiconductor lasers, including basic F-P structure and monolithic integrated structures; interprets laser noises and their measurements; and explains mechanisms and technologies relating to the main aspects of single frequency lasers, including external cavity lasers, frequency stabilization technologies, frequency sweeping, optical phase locked loops, and so on. It paints a clear, physical picture of related technologies and reviews new developments in the field as well. It will be a useful reference to graduate students, researchers, and engineers in the field.

Advanced Sensors for Airborne Magnetic Measurements

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Bobb, L

2001-01-01

Numerous ground tests and platform tests were conducted to evaluate platform integration issues and the performance of the POLATOMIC 2000 magnetometer, a laser-pumped helium-4 total magnetic field sensor...

Recognition of flow in everyday life using sensor agent robot with laser range finder

Science.gov (United States)

Goshima, Misa; Mita, Akira

2011-04-01

In the present paper, we suggest an algorithm for a sensor agent robot with a laser range finder to recognize the flows of residents in the living spaces in order to achieve flow recognition in the living spaces, recognition of the number of people in spaces, and the classification of the flows. House reform is or will be demanded to prolong the lifetime of the home. Adaption for the individuals is needed for our aging society which is growing at a rapid pace. Home autonomous mobile robots will become popular in the future for aged people to assist them in various situations. Therefore we have to collect various type of information of human and living spaces. However, a penetration in personal privacy must be avoided. It is essential to recognize flows in everyday life in order to assist house reforms and aging societies in terms of adaption for the individuals. With background subtraction, extra noise removal, and the clustering based k-means method, we got an average accuracy of more than 90% from the behavior from 1 to 3 persons, and also confirmed the reliability of our system no matter the position of the sensor. Our system can take advantages from autonomous mobile robots and protect the personal privacy. It hints at a generalization of flow recognition methods in the living spaces.

Dynamic Sensor Interrogation Using Wavelength-Swept Laser with a Polygon-Scanner-Based Wavelength Filter

Science.gov (United States)

Kwon, Yong Seok; Ko, Myeong Ock; Jung, Mi Sun; Park, Ik Gon; Kim, Namje; Han, Sang-Pil; Ryu, Han-Cheol; Park, Kyung Hyun; Jeon, Min Yong

2013-01-01

We report a high-speed (∼2 kHz) dynamic multiplexed fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor interrogation using a wavelength-swept laser (WSL) with a polygon-scanner-based wavelength filter. The scanning frequency of the WSL is 18 kHz, and the 10 dB scanning bandwidth is more than 90 nm around a center wavelength of 1,540 nm. The output from the WSL is coupled into the multiplexed FBG array, which consists of five FBGs. The reflected Bragg wavelengths of the FBGs are 1,532.02 nm, 1,537.84 nm, 1,543.48 nm, 1,547.98 nm, and 1,553.06 nm, respectively. A dynamic periodic strain ranging from 500 Hz to 2 kHz is applied to one of the multiplexed FBGs, which is fixed on the stage of the piezoelectric transducer stack. Good dynamic performance of the FBGs and recording of their fast Fourier transform spectra have been successfully achieved with a measuring speed of 18 kHz. The signal-to-noise ratio and the bandwidth over the whole frequency span are determined to be more than 30 dB and around 10 Hz, respectively. We successfully obtained a real-time measurement of the abrupt change of the periodic strain. The dynamic FBG sensor interrogation system can be read out with a WSL for high-speed and high-sensitivity real-time measurement. PMID:23899934

Application of chronic intravascular blood glucose sensor in dogs.

Science.gov (United States)

Armour, J C; Lucisano, J Y; McKean, B D; Gough, D A

1990-12-01

An intravenous glucose sensor was implanted in six dogs for 1-15 wk. The glucose sensor is a flexible cylinder, approximately 0.2 cm diam and 30 cm long, with a tip containing immobilized glucose oxidase and catalase coupled to a potentiostatic O2 sensor. The sensor and a similar O2 reference sensor were implanted in the superior vena cava near the entrance of the right atrium. The sensor response was conveyed externally either by a telemetry system implanted nearby, surgically accessed leads, or chronically maintained percutaneous leads. Summing over the six implants, there was a total implantation period of 333 days during which glucose sensors were functional on demand. The sensor response showed agreement with conventionally assayed blood samples after accounting for a response lag. Sensor response to glucose showed little change over the implant period. Biocompatibility, enzyme lifetime, O2 availability, O2 sensor stability, and biochemical interference were not limitations. Results demonstrated that this sensor can function effectively as an implant in dogs for a period of months and has the potential for long-term operation.

Laser Megajoule synchronization system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luttmann, M.; Pastor, J.F; Drouet, V.; Prat, M.; Raimbourg, J.; Adolf, A.

2011-01-01

This paper describes the synchronisation system under development on the Laser Megajoule (LMJ) in order to synchronize the laser quads on the target to better than 40 ps rms. Our architecture is based on a Timing System (TS) which delivers trigger signals with jitter down to 15 ps rms coupled with an ultra precision timing system with 5 ps rms jitter. In addition to TS, a sensor placed at the target chamber center measures the arrival times of the 3 omega nano joule laser pulses generated by front end shots. (authors)

Fiber-Optic Bio-sniffer (Biochemical Gas Sensor) Using Reverse Reaction of Alcohol Dehydrogenase for Exhaled Acetaldehyde.

Science.gov (United States)

Iitani, Kenta; Chien, Po-Jen; Suzuki, Takuma; Toma, Koji; Arakawa, Takahiro; Iwasaki, Yasuhiko; Mitsubayashi, Kohji

2018-02-23

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) exhaled in breath have huge potential as indicators of diseases and metabolisms. Application of breath analysis for disease screening and metabolism assessment is expected since breath samples can be noninvasively collected and measured. In this research, a highly sensitive and selective biochemical gas sensor (bio-sniffer) for gaseous acetaldehyde (AcH) was developed. In the AcH bio-sniffer, a reverse reaction of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) was employed for reducing AcH to ethanol and simultaneously consuming a coenzyme, reduced form of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH). The concentration of AcH can be quantified by fluorescence detection of NADH that was consumed by reverse reaction of ADH. The AcH bio-sniffer was composed of an ultraviolet light-emitting diode (UV-LED) as an excitation light source, a photomultiplier tube (PMT) as a fluorescence detector, and an optical fiber probe, and these three components were connected with a bifurcated optical fiber. A gas-sensing region of the fiber probe was developed with a flow-cell and an ADH-immobilized membrane. In the experiment, after optimization of the enzyme reaction conditions, the selectivity and dynamic range of the AcH bio-sniffer were investigated. The AcH bio-sniffer showed a short measurement time (within 2 min) and a broad dynamic range for determination of gaseous AcH, 0.02-10 ppm, which encompassed a typical AcH concentration in exhaled breath (1.2-6.0 ppm). Also, the AcH bio-sniffer exhibited a high selectivity to gaseous AcH based on the specificity of ADH. The sensor outputs were observed only from AcH-contained standard gaseous samples. Finally, the AcH bio-sniffer was applied to measure the concentration of AcH in exhaled breath from healthy subjects after ingestion of alcohol. As a result, a significant difference of AcH concentration between subjects with different aldehyde dehydrogenase type 2 (ALDH2) phenotypes was observed. The AcH bio-sniffer can be

Monitoring of Moisture in Transformer Oil Using Optical Fiber as Sensor

OpenAIRE

S. Laskar; S. Bordoloi

2013-01-01

This paper describes an optical fiber sensor and temperature sensor-based instrumentation system to measure the moisture content in transformer oil. The sensor system consists of (i) Diode Laser Source, (ii) a bare and bent multimode fiber as sensor probe, (iii) an LDR as detector, (iv) LM35-based temperature sensor, and (v) microcontroller system having a trained ANN for processing and calibration. The bare and bent optical fiber sensor and the temperature sensor LM35 are used to provide the...

A Quantum Cascade Laser-Based Optical Sensor for Continuous Monitoring of Environmental Methane in Dunkirk (France

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rabih Maamary

2016-02-01

Full Text Available A room-temperature continuous-wave (CW quantum cascade laser (QCL-based methane (CH4 sensor operating in the mid-infrared near 8 μm was developed for continuous measurement of CH4 concentrations in ambient air. The well-isolated absorption line (7F2,4 ← 8F1,2 of the ν4 fundamental band of CH4 located at 1255.0004 cm−1 was used for optical measurement of CH4 concentration by direct absorption in a White-type multipass cell with an effective path-length of 175 m. A 1σ (SNR = 1 detection limit of 33.3 ppb in 218 s was achieved with a measurement precision of 1.13%. The developed sensor was deployed in a campaign of measurements of time series CH4 concentration on a site near a suburban traffic road in Dunkirk (France from 9th to 22nd January 2013. An episode of high CH4 concentration of up to ~3 ppm has been observed and analyzed with the help of meteorological parameters combined with back trajectory calculation using the Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT model of NOAA.

Non-invasive characterization and quality assurance of silicon micro-strip detectors using pulsed infrared laser

Science.gov (United States)

Ghosh, P.

2016-01-01

The Compressed Baryonic Matter (CBM) experiment at FAIR is composed of 8 tracking stations consisting of roughly 1300 double sided silicon micro-strip detectors of 3 different dimensions. For the quality assurance of prototype micro-strip detectors a non-invasive detector charaterization is developed. The test system is using a pulsed infrared laser for charge injection and characterization, called Laser Test System (LTS). The system is aimed to develop a set of characterization procedures which are non-invasive (non-destructive) in nature and could be used for quality assurances of several silicon micro-strip detectors in an efficient, reliable and reproducible way. The procedures developed (as reported here) uses the LTS to scan sensors with a pulsed infra-red laser driven by step motor to determine the charge sharing in-between strips and to measure qualitative uniformity of the sensor response over the whole active area. The prototype detector modules which are tested with the LTS so far have 1024 strips with a pitch of 58 μm on each side. They are read-out using a self-triggering prototype read-out electronic ASIC called n-XYTER. The LTS is designed to measure sensor response in an automatized procedure at several thousand positions across the sensor with focused infra-red laser light (spot size ≈ 12 μm, wavelength = 1060 nm). The pulse with a duration of ≈ 10 ns and power ≈ 5 mW of the laser pulse is selected such, that the absorption of the laser light in the 300 μm thick silicon sensor produces ≈ 24000 electrons, which is similar to the charge created by minimum ionizing particles (MIP) in these sensors. The laser scans different prototype sensors and various non-invasive techniques to determine characteristics of the detector modules for the quality assurance is reported.

Optical Breath Gas Sensor for Extravehicular Activity Application

Science.gov (United States)

Wood, William R.; Casias, Miguel E.; Vakhtin, Andrei B.; Pilgrim, Jeffrey S.; Chullen, Cinda; Falconi, Eric A.; McMillin, Summer

2013-01-01

The function of the infrared gas transducer used during extravehicular activity in the current space suit is to measure and report the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the ventilation loop. The next generation portable life support system (PLSS) requires next generation CO2 sensing technology with performance beyond that presently in use on the Space Shuttle/International Space Station extravehicular mobility unit (EMU). Accommodation within space suits demands that optical sensors meet stringent size, weight, and power requirements. A laser diode spectrometer based on wavelength modulation spectroscopy is being developed for this purpose by Vista Photonics, Inc. Two prototype devices were delivered to NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) in September 2011. The sensors incorporate a laser diode-based CO2 channel that also includes an incidental water vapor (humidity) measurement and a separate oxygen channel using a vertical cavity surface emitting laser. Both prototypes are controlled digitally with a field-programmable gate array/microcontroller architecture. The present development extends and upgrades the earlier hardware to the Advanced PLSS 2.0 test article being constructed and tested at JSC. Various improvements to the electronics and gas sampling are being advanced by this project. The combination of low power electronics with the performance of a long wavelength laser spectrometer enables multi-gas sensors with significantly increased performance over that presently offered in the EMU.

Method for laser spot welding monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

Manassero, Giorgio

1994-09-01

As more powerful solid state laser sources appear on the market, new applications become technically possible and important from the economical point of view. For every process a preliminary optimization phase is necessary. The main parameters, used for a welding application by a high power Nd-YAG laser, are: pulse energy, pulse width, repetition rate and process duration or speed. In this paper an experimental methodology, for the development of an electrooptical laser spot welding monitoring system, is presented. The electromagnetic emission from the molten pool was observed and measured with appropriate sensors. The statistical method `Parameter Design' was used to obtain an accurate analysis of the process parameter that influence process results. A laser station with a solid state laser coupled to an optical fiber (1 mm in diameter) was utilized for the welding tests. The main material used for the experimental plan was zinc coated steel sheet 0.8 mm thick. This material and the related spot welding technique are extensively used in the automotive industry, therefore, the introduction of laser technology in production line will improve the quality of the final product. A correlation, between sensor signals and `through or not through' welds, was assessed. The investigation has furthermore shown the necessity, for the modern laser production systems, to use multisensor heads for process monitoring or control with more advanced signal elaboration procedures.

Gamma and Neutron Irradiation of Semitransparent Amorphous Silicon Sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carabe, J.; Fernandez, M. G.; Ferrando, A.; Fuentes, J.; Gandia, J.; Josa, M. I.; Molinero, A.; Oller, J. C.; Arce, P.; Calvo, E.; Figueroa, C. F.; Garcia, N.; Matorras, F.; Rodrigo, T.; Vila, I.; Virto, A. L.; Fenyvesi, A.; Molnar, J.; Sohler, D.

1999-12-01

Semitransparent amorphous silicon sensors are key elements for laser light 2D position reconstruction in the CMS multipoint alignment link system. Some of the sensors have to work in very hard radiation environment. We have irradiated with gammas, up to 10 Mrad, and neutrons, up to 10 ''14 cm''-2, two different type of sensors and measured their change in performance. (Author) 10 refs

Hybrid Nanogenerator for Concurrently Harvesting Biomechanical and Biochemical Energy

KAUST Repository

Hansen, Benjamin J.

2010-07-27

Harvesting energy from multiple sources available in our personal and daily environments is highly desirable, not only for powering personal electronics, but also for future implantable sensor-transmitter devices for biomedical and healthcare applications. Here we present a hybrid energy scavenging device for potential in vivo applications. The hybrid device consists of a piezoelectric poly(vinylidene fluoride) nanofiber nanogenerator for harvesting mechanical energy, such as from breathing or from the beat of a heart, and a flexible enzymatic biofuel cell for harvesting the biochemical (glucose/O2) energy in biofluid, which are two types of energy available in vivo. The two energy harvesting approaches can work simultaneously or individually, thereby boosting output and lifetime. Using the hybrid device, we demonstrate a "self-powered" nanosystem by powering a ZnO nanowire UV light sensor. © 2010 American Chemical Society.

Compact and portable open-path sensor for simultaneous measurements of atmospheric N2O and CO using a quantum cascade laser.

Science.gov (United States)

Tao, Lei; Sun, Kang; Khan, M Amir; Miller, David J; Zondlo, Mark A

2012-12-17

A compact and portable open-path sensor for simultaneous detection of atmospheric N(2)O and CO has been developed with a 4.5 μm quantum cascade laser (QCL). An in-line acetylene (C(2)H(2)) gas reference cell allows for continuous monitoring of the sensor drift and calibration in rapidly changing field environments and thereby allows for open-path detection at high precision and stability. Wavelength modulation spectroscopy (WMS) is used to detect simultaneously both the second and fourth harmonic absorption spectra with an optimized dual modulation amplitude scheme. Multi-harmonic spectra containing atmospheric N(2)O, CO, and the reference C(2)H(2) signals are fit in real-time (10 Hz) by combining a software-based lock-in amplifier with a computationally fast numerical model for WMS. The sensor consumes ~50 W of power and has a mass of ~15 kg. Precision of 0.15 ppbv N(2)O and 0.36 ppbv CO at 10 Hz under laboratory conditions was demonstrated. The sensor has been deployed for extended periods in the field. Simultaneous N(2)O and CO measurements distinguished between natural and fossil fuel combustion sources of N(2)O, an important greenhouse gas with poorly quantified emissions in space and time.

Multi-Sensor Testing for Automated Rendezvous and Docking Sensor Testing at the Flight Robotics Laboratory

Science.gov (United States)

Brewster, L.; Johnston, A.; Howard, R.; Mitchell, J.; Cryan, S.

2007-01-01

The Exploration Systems Architecture defines missions that require rendezvous, proximity operations, and docking (RPOD) of two spacecraft both in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and in Low Lunar Orbit (LLO). Uncrewed spacecraft must perform automated and/or autonomous rendezvous, proximity operations and docking operations (commonly known as AR&D). The crewed missions may also perform rendezvous and docking operations and may require different levels of automation and/or autonomy, and must provide the crew with relative navigation information for manual piloting. The capabilities of the RPOD sensors are critical to the success of the Exploration Program. NASA has the responsibility to determine whether the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) contractor proposed relative navigation sensor suite will meet the requirements. The relatively low technology readiness level of AR&D relative navigation sensors has been carried as one of the CEV Project's top risks. The AR&D Sensor Technology Project seeks to reduce the risk by the testing and analysis of selected relative navigation sensor technologies through hardware-in-the-loop testing and simulation. These activities will provide the CEV Project information to assess the relative navigation sensors maturity as well as demonstrate test methods and capabilities. The first year of this project focused on a series of"pathfinder" testing tasks to develop the test plans, test facility requirements, trajectories, math model architecture, simulation platform, and processes that will be used to evaluate the Contractor-proposed sensors. Four candidate sensors were used in the first phase of the testing. The second phase of testing used four sensors simultaneously: two Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) Advanced Video Guidance Sensors (AVGS), a laser-based video sensor that uses retroreflectors attached to the target vehicle, and two commercial laser range finders. The multi-sensor testing was conducted at MSFC's Flight Robotics Laboratory (FRL

Biochemical sensor tubing for point-of-care monitoring of intravenous drugs and metabolites.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Charles J; Wu, Hsin-Yu; George, Sherine; Weyhenmeyer, Jonathan; Cunningham, Brian T

2012-02-07

In medical facilities, there is strong motivation to develop detection systems that can provide continuous analysis of fluids in medical tubing used to either deliver or remove fluids from a patient's body. Possible applications include systems that increase the safety of intravenous (IV) drug injection and point-of-care health monitoring. In this work, we incorporated a surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) sensor comprised of an array of closely spaced metal nanodomes into flexible tubing commonly used for IV drug delivery and urinary catheters. The nanodome sensor was fabricated by a low-cost, large-area process that enables single use disposable operation. As exemplary demonstrations, the sensor was used to kinetically detect promethazine (pain medication) and urea (urinary metabolite) within their clinically relevant concentration ranges. Distinct SERS peaks for each analyte were used to demonstrate separate detection and co-detection of the analytes.

Advanced laser sensing receiver concepts based on FPA technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jacobson, Phillip L.; Petrin, Roger R.; Jolin, John L.; Foy, Bernard R.; Lowrance, J.L.; Renda, George

2002-01-01

The ultimate performance of any remote sensor is ideally governed by the hardware signal-to-noise capability and allowed signal-averaging time. In real-world scenarios, this may not be realizable and the limiting factors may suggest the need for more advanced capabilities. Moving from passive to active remote sensors offers the advantage of control over the illumination source, the laser. Added capabilities may include polarization discrimination, instantaneous imaging, range resolution, simultaneous multi-spectral measurement, or coherent detection. However, most advanced detection technology has been engineered heavily towards the straightforward passive sensor requirements, measuring an integrated photon flux. The need for focal plane array technology designed specifically for laser sensing has been recognized for some time, but advances have only recently made the engineering possible. This paper will present a few concepts for laser sensing receiver architectures, the driving specifications behind those concepts, and test/modeling results of such designs.

High-resolution distributed-feedback fiber laser dc magnetometer based on the Lorentzian force

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cranch, G A; Flockhart, G M H; Kirkendall, C K

2009-01-01

A low-frequency magnetic field sensor, based on a current-carrying beam driven by the Lorentzian force, is described. The amplitude of the oscillation is measured by a distributed-feedback fiber laser strain sensor attached to the beam. The transduction mechanism of the sensor is derived analytically using conventional beam theory, which is shown to accurately predict the responsivity of a prototype sensor. Excellent linearity and negligible hysteresis are demonstrated. Noise sources in the fiber laser strain sensor are described and thermo-mechanical noise in the transducer is estimated. The prototype sensor achieves a magnetic field resolution of 5 nT Hz for 25 mA of current, which is shown to be close to the predicted thermo-mechanical noise limit of the sensor. The current is supplied optically through a separate optical fiber yielding an electrically passive sensor head

Multi-Sensor Testing for Automated Rendezvous and Docking Sensor Testing at the Flight Robotics Lab

Science.gov (United States)

Brewster, Linda L.; Howard, Richard T.; Johnston, A. S.; Carrington, Connie; Mitchell, Jennifer D.; Cryan, Scott P.

2008-01-01

The Exploration Systems Architecture defines missions that require rendezvous, proximity operations, and docking (RPOD) of two spacecraft both in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and in Low Lunar Orbit (LLO). Uncrewed spacecraft must perform automated and/or autonomous rendezvous, proximity operations and docking operations (commonly known as AR&D). The crewed missions may also perform rendezvous and docking operations and may require different levels of automation and/or autonomy, and must provide the crew with relative navigation information for manual piloting. The capabilities of the RPOD sensors are critical to the success ofthe Exploration Program. NASA has the responsibility to determine whether the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) contractor-proposed relative navigation sensor suite will meet the requirements. The relatively low technology readiness level of AR&D relative navigation sensors has been carried as one of the CEV Project's top risks. The AR&D Sensor Technology Project seeks to reduce the risk by the testing and analysis of selected relative navigation sensor technologies through hardware-in-the-Ioop testing and simulation. These activities will provide the CEV Project information to assess the relative navigation sensors maturity as well as demonstrate test methods and capabilities. The first year of this project focused on a series of "pathfinder" testing tasks to develop the test plans, test facility requirements, trajectories, math model architecture, simulation platform, and processes that will be used to evaluate the Contractor-proposed sensors. Four candidate sensors were used in the first phase of the testing. The second phase of testing used four sensors simultaneously: two Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) Advanced Video Guidance Sensors (AVGS), a laser-based video sensor that uses retroreflectors attached to the target vehicle, and two commercial laser range finders. The multi-sensor testing was conducted at MSFC's Flight Robotics Laboratory (FRL

A novel bicistronic sensor vector for detecting caspase-3 activation.

Science.gov (United States)

Vagner, Tatyana; Mouravlev, Alexandre; Young, Deborah

2015-01-01

Apoptosis is involved in pathological cell death of a wide range of human diseases. One of the most important biochemical markers of apoptosis is activation of caspase-3. Ability to detect caspase-3 activation early in the pathological process is important for determining the timing for interfering with apoptosis initiation and prevention of cell damage. Techniques allowing detection of caspase-3 activity at a single cell level show increased sensitivity, compared to biochemical assays; therefore, we developed a novel bicistronic caspase-3 sensor vector enabling detection of caspase-3 activity in individual cells. We employed green fluorescent protein (GFP) as a reporter for caspase-3 activation in our constructs and assessed the functionality of the generated constructs in transiently transfected Neuro2A and HEK293 cells under basal conditions and following application of okadaic acid (OA) or staurosporine (STS) to induce apoptosis. To ensure responsiveness of the new sensor vector to active caspase-3, we co-transfected the sensor with plasmid(s) overexpressing active caspase-3 and quantified GFP fluorescence using a plate reader. We observed an increase in GFP expression in cells transfected with the new bicistronic caspase-3 sensor in response to both OA and STS. We also showed a significant increase in GFP fluorescence intensity in cells co-expressing the sensor with the plasmid(s) encoding active caspase-3. We generated a novel bicistronic caspase-3 sensor vector which relies on a transcription factor/response element system. The obtained sensor combines high sensitivity of the single cell level detection with the possibility of automated quantification. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Fiber-optic laser sensor for mine detection and verification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bohling, Christian; Scheel, Dirk; Hohmann, Konrad; Schade, Wolfgang; Reuter, Matthias; Holl, Gerhard

2006-01-01

What we believe to be a new optical approach for the identification of mines and explosives by analyzing the surface materials and not only bulk is developed. A conventional manually operated mine prodder is upgraded by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). In situ and real-time information of materials that are in front of the prodder are obtained during the demining process in order to optimize the security aspects and the speed of demining. A Cr4+:Nd3+:YAG microchip laser is used as a seed laser for an ytterbium-fiber amplifier to generate high-power laser pulses at 1064 nm with pulse powers up to Ep=1 mJ, a repetition rate of frep.=2-20 kHz and a pulse duration of tp=620 ps. The recorded LIBS signals are analyzed by applying neural networks for the data analysis

Wavefront Measurement for Laser-Guiding Diagnostic

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shiraishi, S.; Gonsalves, A.J.; Lin, C.; Nakamura, K.; Osterhoff, J.; Sokollik, T.; van Tilborg, J.; Geddes, C.G.R.; Schroeder, C.B.; Toth, Cs.; Esarey, E.; Leemans, W.P.

2010-01-01

The wavefront of a short laser pulse after interaction in a laser-plasma accelerator (LPA) was measured to diagnose laser-guiding quality. Experiments were performed on a 100 TW class laser at the LOASIS facility of LBNL using a hydrogenfilled capillary discharge waveguide. Laser-guiding with a pre-formed plasma channel allows the laser pulse to propagate over many Rayleigh lengths at high intensity and is crucial to accelerate electrons to the highest possible energy. Efficient coupling of laser energy into the plasma is realized when the laser and the channel satisfy a matched guiding condition, in which the wavefront remains flat within the channel. Using a wavefront sensor, the laser-guiding quality was diagnosed based on the wavefront of the laser pulse exiting the plasma channel. This wavefront diagnostic will contribute to achieving controlled, matched guiding in future experiments.

Laser Beam Machining (LBM), State of the Art and New Opportunities

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Meijer, J.

2004-01-01

An overview is given of the state of the art of laser beam machining in general with special emphasis on applications of short and ultrashort lasers. In laser welding the trend is to apply optical sensors for process control. Laser surface treatment is mostly used to apply corrosion and wear

Optical Fiber Grating based Sensors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Michelsen, Susanne

2003-01-01

In this thesis differenct optical fiber gratings are used for sensor purposes. If a fiber with a core concentricity error (CCE) is used, a directional dependent bend sensor can be produced. The CCE direction can be determined by means of diffraction. This makes it possible to produce long......-period gratings in a fiber with a CCE direction parallel or perpendicular to the writing direction. The maximal bending sensitivity is independent on the writing direction, but the detailed bending response is different in the two cases. A temperature and strain sensor, based on a long-period grating and two...... sampled gratings, was produced and investigated. It is based on the different temperature and strain response of these gratings. Both a transfer matrix method and an overlap calculation is performed to explain the sensor response. Another type of sensor is based on tuning and modulation of a laser...

LPG based all plastic pressure sensor

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bundalo, Ivan-Lazar; Lwin, R.; Leon-Saval, S.

2015-01-01

A prototype all-plastic pressure sensor is presented and characterized for potential use as an endoscope. The sensor is based on Long Period Gratings (LPG) inscribed with a CO2 laser in 6-ring microstructured PMMA fiber. Through a latex coated, plastic 3D-printed transducer pod, external pressure...... is converted to longitudinal elongation of the pod and therefore of the fiber containing the LPG. The sensor has been characterised for pressures of up to 160 mBar in an in-house built pressure chamber. Furthermore, the influence of the fiber prestrain, fiber thickness and the effect of different glues...

Integrated lasers for polymer Lab-on-a-Chip systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mappes, Timo; Vannahme, Christoph; Grosmann, Tobias

2012-01-01

We develop optical Lab-on-a-Chips on different platforms for marker-based and label-free biophotonic sensor applications. Our chips are based on polymers and fabricated by mass production technologies to integrate microfluidic channels, optical waveguides and miniaturized lasers.......We develop optical Lab-on-a-Chips on different platforms for marker-based and label-free biophotonic sensor applications. Our chips are based on polymers and fabricated by mass production technologies to integrate microfluidic channels, optical waveguides and miniaturized lasers....

Fiber optic particle plasmon resonance sensor based on plasmonic light scattering interrogation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin, H.Y.; Huang, C.H.; Chau, L.K.

2012-01-01

A highly sensitive fiber optic particle plasmon resonance sensor (FO-PPR) is demonstrated for label-free biochemical detection. The sensing strategy relies on interrogating the plasmonic scattering of light from gold nanoparticles on the optical fiber in response to the surrounding refractive index changes or molecular binding events. The refractive index resolution is estimated to be 3.8 x 10 -5 RIU. The limit of detection for anti-DNP antibody spiked in buffer is 1.2 x 10 -9 g/ml (5.3 pM) by using the DNP-functionalized FO-PPR sensor. The image processing of simultaneously recorded plasmonic scattering photographs at different compartments of the sensor is also demonstrated. Results suggest that the compact sensor can perform multiple independent measurements simultaneously by means of monitoring the plasmonic scattering intensity via photodiodes or a CCD. The potential of using a combination of different kinds of noble metal nanoparticles with different types of functionalized probes in multiple cascaded detection windows on a single fiber to become an inexpensive and ultrasensitive linear-array sensing platform for higher-throughput biochemical detection is provided. (Copyright copyright 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

A Multichannel Calorimetric Simultaneous Assay Platform Using a Microampere Constant-Current Looped Enthalpy Sensor Array

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hsien-Chin Wei

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Calorimetric biochemical measurements offer various advantages such as low waste, low cost, low sample consumption, short operating time, and labor-savings. Multichannel calorimeters can enhance the possibility of performing higher-throughput biochemical measurements. An enthalpy sensor (ES array is a key device in multichannel calorimeters. Most ES arrays use Wheatstone bridge amplifiers to condition the sensor signals, but such an approach is only suitable for null detection and low resistance sensors. To overcome these limitations, we have developed a multichannel calorimetric simultaneous assay (MCSA platform. An adjustable microampere constant-current (AMCC source was designed for exciting the ES array using a microampere current loop measurement circuit topology. The MCSA platform comprises a measurement unit, which contains a multichannel calorimeter and an automatic simultaneous injector, and a signal processing unit, which contains multiple ES signal conditioners and a data processor. This study focused on the construction of the MCSA platform; in particular, construction of the measurement circuit and calorimeter array in a single block. The performance of the platform, including current stability, temperature sensitivity and heat sensitivity, was evaluated. The sensor response time and calorimeter constants were given. The capability of the platform to detect relative enzyme activity was also demonstrated. The experimental results show that the proposed MCSA is a flexible and powerful biochemical measurement device with higher throughput than existing alternatives.

Polymer photonic crystal dye lasers as label free evanescent cell sensors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christiansen, Mads Brøkner; Lopacinska, Joanna M.; Jakobsen, Mogens Havsteen

2009-01-01

. The lasers are fabricated by combined nanoimprint and photolithography (CNP) in Ormocore hybrid polymer doped with the laser dye Pyrromethene 597. The lasers emit in the chip plane at a wavelength around 595 nm when pumped with 5 ns pulses from a compact frequency doubled Nd:YAG laser. We investigate...

A IR-Femtosecond Laser Hybrid Sensor to Measure the Thermal Expansion and Thermo-Optical Coefficient of Silica-Based FBG at High Temperatures.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Litong; Lv, Dajuan; Yang, Minghong; Xiong, Liangming; Luo, Jie

2018-01-26

In this paper, a hybrid sensor was fabricated using a IR-femtosecond laser to measure the thermal expansion and thermo-optical coefficient of silica-based fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs). The hybrid sensor was composed of an inline fiber Fabry-Perot interferometer (FFPI) cavity and a type-II FBG. Experiment results showed that the type-II FBG had three high reflectivity resonances in the wavelength ranging from 1100 to 1600 nm, showing the peaks in 1.1, 1.3 and 1.5 μm, respectively. The thermal expansion and thermo-optical coefficient (1.3 μm, 1.5 μm) of silica-based FBG, under temperatures ranging from 30 to 1100 °C, had been simultaneously calculated by measuring the wavelength of the type-II FBG and FFPI cavity length.

Integrated Microfluidic Sensor System with Magnetostrictive Resonators

KAUST Repository

Liang, Cai; Kosel, Jü rgen; Gooneratne, Chinthaka

2011-01-01

The present embodiments describe a method that integrates a magnetostrictive sensor with driving and detecting elements into a microfluidic chip to detect a chemical, biochemical or biomedical species. These embodiments may also measure the properties of a fluid such as viscosity, pH values. The whole system can be referred to lab-on-a-chip (LOC) or micro-total-analysis-systems (.mu.TAS). In particular, this present embodiments include three units, including a microfluidics unit, a magnetostrictive sensor, and driving/detecting elements. An analyzer may also be provided to analyze an electrical signal associated with a feature of a target specimen.

Integrated Microfluidic Sensor System with Magnetostrictive Resonators

KAUST Repository

Liang, Cai

2011-12-08

The present embodiments describe a method that integrates a magnetostrictive sensor with driving and detecting elements into a microfluidic chip to detect a chemical, biochemical or biomedical species. These embodiments may also measure the properties of a fluid such as viscosity, pH values. The whole system can be referred to lab-on-a-chip (LOC) or micro-total-analysis-systems (.mu.TAS). In particular, this present embodiments include three units, including a microfluidics unit, a magnetostrictive sensor, and driving/detecting elements. An analyzer may also be provided to analyze an electrical signal associated with a feature of a target specimen.

Investigation of the Stability of a Two-Span Bridge with the use of a High-Precision Laser Displacement Sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Poddaeva, O.; Churin, P.; Fedosova, A.; Truhanov, S.

2018-03-01

Studies of aerodynamics of bridge structures are an actual problem. Such attention is paid to the study of wind influence on bridge structures not at all by chance; a large number of cases of loss of stability of such structures are known under the influence of wind up to their complete destruction. The development of non-contact systems of measuring equipment allows solving this problem with a high level of accuracy and reliability. This article presents the results of experimental studies of wind impact on a two-span bridge using specialized measuring system based on high-precision laser displacement sensors.

Laser spark distribution and ignition system

Science.gov (United States)

Woodruff, Steven [Morgantown, WV; McIntyre, Dustin L [Morgantown, WV

2008-09-02

A laser spark distribution and ignition system that reduces the high power optical requirements for use in a laser ignition and distribution system allowing for the use of optical fibers for delivering the low peak energy pumping pulses to a laser amplifier or laser oscillator. An optical distributor distributes and delivers optical pumping energy from an optical pumping source to multiple combustion chambers incorporating laser oscillators or laser amplifiers for inducing a laser spark within a combustion chamber. The optical distributor preferably includes a single rotating mirror or lens which deflects the optical pumping energy from the axis of rotation and into a plurality of distinct optical fibers each connected to a respective laser media or amplifier coupled to an associated combustion chamber. The laser spark generators preferably produce a high peak power laser spark, from a single low power pulse. The laser spark distribution and ignition system has application in natural gas fueled reciprocating engines, turbine combustors, explosives and laser induced breakdown spectroscopy diagnostic sensors.

Status of fiber lasers study of on ytterbium doped fiber laser and laser spectroscopy of doped fibers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Magne, S.

1994-07-01

This work shows all the advantages and drawbacks of the rare-earth-doped fiber lasers and fiber optical amplifiers, pointing out their potential use for instrumentation and optical fiber sensor technology. The theory of light propagation in optical fibers is presented in order to understand the manufacturing methods. A comparative study of preform surface and concentration analysis is performed. The gain behaviour is also thoroughly examined. A synthesis of all technological parameters of the fiber laser is then established and all technologies of the constituting integrated components are reviewed and compared. The experimental techniques mainly involve: site selective excitation tunability, cooperative luminescence, oxidation state changes induced by gamma irradiation, ytterbium-doped mono-mode continuous wave tunable three-level fiber laser. (TEC). 622 refs., 176 figs

The use of erbium fiber laser relaxation frequency for sensing refractive index and solute concentration of aqueous solutions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arellano-Sotelo, H; Barmenkov, Yu O; Kir'yanov, A V

2008-01-01

We report a novel-principle fiber-laser intra-cavity sensor for measuring refractive index and solute concentration of aqueous solutions. The sensor operation is based on a variation of the laser oscillation relaxation frequency (the measured parameter), sensitive to the intra-cavity loss change. The sensor capacity is demonstrated on the example of measurements of sugar concentration in water. A modeling of the sensor operation is presented, allowing its performance optimization

Laser diodes for sensing applications: adaptive cruise control and more

Science.gov (United States)

Heerlein, Joerg; Morgott, Stefan; Ferstl, Christian

2005-02-01

Adaptive Cruise Controls (ACC) and pre-crash sensors require an intelligent eye which can recognize traffic situations and deliver a 3-dimensional view. Both microwave RADAR and "Light RADAR" (LIDAR) systems are well suited as sensors. In order to utilize the advantages of LIDARs -- such as lower cost, simpler assembly and high reliability -- the key component, the laser diode, is of primary importance. Here, we present laser diodes which meet the requirements of the automotive industry.

Status of fiber lasers study of on ytterbium doped fiber laser and laser spectroscopy of doped fibers; Etat de l`art des lasers a fibre, etude d`un laser a fibre dopee ytterbium et spectroscopie laser de fibres dopees

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Magne, S

1994-07-01

This work shows all the advantages and drawbacks of the rare-earth-doped fiber lasers and fiber optical amplifiers, pointing out their potential use for instrumentation and optical fiber sensor technology. The theory of light propagation in optical fibers is presented in order to understand the manufacturing methods. A comparative study of preform surface and concentration analysis is performed. The gain behaviour is also thoroughly examined. A synthesis of all technological parameters of the fiber laser is then established and all technologies of the constituting integrated components are reviewed and compared. The experimental techniques mainly involve: site selective excitation tunability, cooperative luminescence, oxidation state changes induced by gamma irradiation, ytterbium-doped mono-mode continuous wave tunable three-level fiber laser. (TEC). 622 refs., 176 figs.

Progress of optical sensor system for health monitoring of bridges at Chongqing University

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, W.; Fu, Y.; Zhu, Y.; Huang, S.

2005-02-01

With decades of research experience on optical sensors, Optoelectronic Technology Lab of Chongqing University (OTLCU) has studied on a variety of sensors system designed for practical use in health monitoring. In OTLCU, embedded and surface mounted fiber Fabry-Perot strain sensor has been developed for monitoring the local strain of both concrete and steel truss bridge. Optoelectronic deflect meter, with a group of optical level sensor in a series connected pipe, was developed for deflection monitoring and line shape monitoring of the bridges. Laser deflect meter, with a laser pointer and a sensors array, has been also developed for a dynamic deflection monitoring of the bridges. To monitoring the 2-Dimentional displacement of the bridge, a self-calibrating imaging system was developed. All these sensor systems have been applied in different bridges successfully. This paper briefly describes principle of these optical sensing systems, and also gives some representative results of the system in practical application of bridges.

Study and Development of a Laser Based Alignment System

CERN Multimedia

Stern, G

2014-01-01

CLIC (Compact Linear Collider) has tight requirements regarding pre-alignment of beam related components: 10 µm accuracy over a sliding window of 200 m along the 20 km of linac. To perform such an alignment, a new system is proposed combining laser beam as straight line reference and camera/shutter assemblies as sensors. The poster describes the alignment system and shows results regarding laser pointing stability with respect to time, shutter type, distance and environment. These results give a frame for future building and calibrating of sensors.

Sensors and sensor systems for guidance and navigation; Proceedings of the Meeting, Orlando, FL, Apr. 2, 3, 1991

Science.gov (United States)

Wade, Jack; Tuchman, Avi

1991-07-01

The present conference discusses wide field-of-view star-tracker cameras, discrete frequency vs radius reticle trackers, a sensor system for comet approach and landing, a static horizon sensor for a remote-sensing satellite, an improved ring laser gyro navigator, FM reticle trackers in the pupil plane, and the 2D encoding of images via discrete reticles. Also discussed are reduced-cost coil windings for interferometric fiber-optic gyro sensors, the ASTRO 1M space attitude-determination system, passive range-sensor refinement via texture and segmentation, a coherent launch-site atmospheric wind sounder, and a radar-optronic tracking experiment for short and medium range aerial combat. (For individual items see A93-27044 to A93-27046)

Laser-Driven Mini-Thrusters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sterling, Enrique; Lin Jun; Sinko, John; Kodgis, Lisa; Porter, Simon; Pakhomov, Andrew V.; Larson, C. William; Mead, Franklin B. Jr.

2006-01-01

Laser-driven mini-thrusters were studied using Delrin registered and PVC (Delrin registered is a registered trademark of DuPont) as propellants. TEA CO2 laser (λ = 10.6 μm) was used as a driving laser. Coupling coefficients were deduced from two independent techniques: force-time curves measured with a piezoelectric sensor and ballistic pendulum. Time-resolved ICCD images of the expanding plasma and combustion products were analyzed in order to determine the main process that generates the thrust. The measurements were also performed in a nitrogen atmosphere in order to test the combustion effects on thrust. A pinhole transmission experiment was performed for the study of the cut-off time when the ablation/air breakdown plasma becomes opaque to the incoming laser pulse

Laser-Driven Mini-Thrusters

Science.gov (United States)

Sterling, Enrique; Lin, Jun; Sinko, John; Kodgis, Lisa; Porter, Simon; Pakhomov, Andrew V.; Larson, C. William; Mead, Franklin B.

2006-05-01

Laser-driven mini-thrusters were studied using Delrin® and PVC (Delrin® is a registered trademark of DuPont) as propellants. TEA CO2 laser (λ = 10.6 μm) was used as a driving laser. Coupling coefficients were deduced from two independent techniques: force-time curves measured with a piezoelectric sensor and ballistic pendulum. Time-resolved ICCD images of the expanding plasma and combustion products were analyzed in order to determine the main process that generates the thrust. The measurements were also performed in a nitrogen atmosphere in order to test the combustion effects on thrust. A pinhole transmission experiment was performed for the study of the cut-off time when the ablation/air breakdown plasma becomes opaque to the incoming laser pulse.

Precision operation of the Nova laser for fusion experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Caird, J.A.; Ehrlich, R.B.; Hermes, G.L.; Landen, O.L.; Laumann, C.W.; Lerche, R.A.; Miller, J.L.; Murray, J.E.; Nielsen, N.D.; Powell, H.T.; Rushford, M.C.; Saunders, R.L.; Thompson, C.E.; VanArsdall, P.J.; Vann, C.S.; Weiland, T.L.

1994-01-01

The operation of a Neodymium glass laser of a special design for fusion experiments is improved by a better pulse synchronization, the gain stabilization, and the laser diagnostics. We used sensor upgrading and antifriction coating of focusing lenses. The pointing accuracy of the Nova laser meets now our goal for precision operation. (AIP) copyright 1994 American Institute of Physics

Development of techniques for fabrication of film probe sensor assembly

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moorhead, A.J.

1982-10-01

Pulsed laser welding and brazing techniques were developed for fabrication of sensors designed to measure liquid film properties in out-of-reactor safety tests that simulate a loss-of-coolant accident in a pressurized-water nuclear reactor. These sensors were made possible by a unique ceramic-to-metal seal system based on a cermet insulator and a brazing filler metal, both developed at ORNL. This seal system was shown to resist steam to an exposure of at least 100 h at 700 0 C (1292 0 F) and to resist repetitive thermal transients of 300 0 C/s (540 0 F). Procedures were also developed for induction brazing the instrumentation cables to a stainless steel end cap and for laser welding this component to the brazed sensor body itself. Cable end seals and sensor bodies fabricated with these designs and techniques maintained excellent helium leaktightness ( -6 cm 3 /s) after 20 severe thermal shock tests from 500 0 C air into water at 80 0 C

Electrochemical DNA Hybridization Sensors Based on Conducting Polymers

Science.gov (United States)

Rahman, Md. Mahbubur; Li, Xiao-Bo; Lopa, Nasrin Siraj; Ahn, Sang Jung; Lee, Jae-Joon

2015-01-01

Conducting polymers (CPs) are a group of polymeric materials that have attracted considerable attention because of their unique electronic, chemical, and biochemical properties. This is reflected in their use in a wide range of potential applications, including light-emitting diodes, anti-static coating, electrochromic materials, solar cells, chemical sensors, biosensors, and drug-release systems. Electrochemical DNA sensors based on CPs can be used in numerous areas related to human health. This review summarizes the recent progress made in the development and use of CP-based electrochemical DNA hybridization sensors. We discuss the distinct properties of CPs with respect to their use in the immobilization of probe DNA on electrode surfaces, and we describe the immobilization techniques used for developing DNA hybridization sensors together with the various transduction methods employed. In the concluding part of this review, we present some of the challenges faced in the use of CP-based DNA hybridization sensors, as well as a future perspective. PMID:25664436

Electrochemical DNA Hybridization Sensors Based on Conducting Polymers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Md. Mahbubur Rahman

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Conducting polymers (CPs are a group of polymeric materials that have attracted considerable attention because of their unique electronic, chemical, and biochemical properties. This is reflected in their use in a wide range of potential applications, including light-emitting diodes, anti-static coating, electrochromic materials, solar cells, chemical sensors, biosensors, and drug-release systems. Electrochemical DNA sensors based on CPs can be used in numerous areas related to human health. This review summarizes the recent progress made in the development and use of CP-based electrochemical DNA hybridization sensors. We discuss the distinct properties of CPs with respect to their use in the immobilization of probe DNA on electrode surfaces, and we describe the immobilization techniques used for developing DNA hybridization sensors together with the various transduction methods employed. In the concluding part of this review, we present some of the challenges faced in the use of CP-based DNA hybridization sensors, as well as a future perspective.

A pH Sensor Based on a Stainless Steel Electrode Electrodeposited with Iridium Oxide

Science.gov (United States)

Martinez, C. C. M.; Madrid, R. E.; Felice, C. J.

2009-01-01

A simple procedure to make an iridium oxide (IrO[subscript 2]) electrodeposited pH sensor, that can be used in a chemical, biomedical, or materials laboratory, is presented here. Some exercises, based on this sensor, that can be used to teach important concepts in the field of biomedical, biochemical, tissue, or materials engineering, are also…

Fast Optical Hazard Detection for Planetary Rovers Using Multiple Spot Laser Triangulation

Science.gov (United States)

Matthies, L.; Balch, T.; Wilcox, B.

1997-01-01

A new laser-based optical sensor system that provides hazard detection for planetary rovers is presented. It is anticipated that the sensor can support safe travel at speeds up to 6cm/second for large (1m) rovers in full sunlight on Earth or Mars. The system overcomes limitations in an older design that require image differencing ot detect a laser stripe in full sun.

Dynamically variable spot size laser system

Science.gov (United States)

Gradl, Paul R. (Inventor); Hurst, John F. (Inventor); Middleton, James R. (Inventor)

2012-01-01

A Dynamically Variable Spot Size (DVSS) laser system for bonding metal components includes an elongated housing containing a light entry aperture coupled to a laser beam transmission cable and a light exit aperture. A plurality of lenses contained within the housing focus a laser beam from the light entry aperture through the light exit aperture. The lenses may be dynamically adjusted to vary the spot size of the laser. A plurality of interoperable safety devices, including a manually depressible interlock switch, an internal proximity sensor, a remotely operated potentiometer, a remotely activated toggle and a power supply interlock, prevent activation of the laser and DVSS laser system if each safety device does not provide a closed circuit. The remotely operated potentiometer also provides continuous variability in laser energy output.

OPTICAL FIBRES AND FIBREOPTIC SENSORS: Fibreoptic distributed temperature sensor with spectral filtration by directional fibre couplers

Science.gov (United States)

Kuznetsov, A. G.; Babin, Sergei A.; Shelemba, Ivan S.

2009-11-01

We demonstrate a Raman-based all-fibre temperature sensor utilising a pulsed erbium fibre laser. The sensor is made of a standard single-mode telecom fibre, SMF-28, and includes a number of directional couplers as band-pass filters. The temperature profile along a 7-km fibreoptic line is measured with an accuracy of 2oC and a spatial resolution of 10 m. In data processing, we take into account the difference in attenuation between the spectral components of the backscatter signal.

Optical system design with common aperture for mid-infrared and laser composite guidance

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xuanzhi; Yang, Zijian; Sun, Ting; Yang, Huamei; Han, Kunye; Hu, Bo

2017-02-01

When the field of operation of precision strike missiles is more and more complicated, autonomous seekers will soon encounter serious difficulties, especially with regard to low signature targets and complex scenarios. So the dual-mode sensors combining an imaging sensor with a semi-active laser seeker are conceived to overcome these specific problems. Here the sensors composed a dual field of view mid-infrared thermal imaging camera and a laser range finder have the common optical aperture which produced the minization of seeker construction. The common aperture optical systems for mid-infrared and laser dual-mode guildance have been developed, which could meet the passive middle infrared high-resolution imaging and the active laser high-precision indication and ranging. The optical system had good image quality, and fulfilled the performance requirement of seeker system. The design and expected performance of such a dual-mode optical system will be discussed.

Unmanned Aerial System (UAS)-based phenotyping of soybean using multi-sensor data fusion and extreme learning machine

Science.gov (United States)

Maimaitijiang, Maitiniyazi; Ghulam, Abduwasit; Sidike, Paheding; Hartling, Sean; Maimaitiyiming, Matthew; Peterson, Kyle; Shavers, Ethan; Fishman, Jack; Peterson, Jim; Kadam, Suhas; Burken, Joel; Fritschi, Felix

2017-12-01

Estimating crop biophysical and biochemical parameters with high accuracy at low-cost is imperative for high-throughput phenotyping in precision agriculture. Although fusion of data from multiple sensors is a common application in remote sensing, less is known on the contribution of low-cost RGB, multispectral and thermal sensors to rapid crop phenotyping. This is due to the fact that (1) simultaneous collection of multi-sensor data using satellites are rare and (2) multi-sensor data collected during a single flight have not been accessible until recent developments in Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs) and UAS-friendly sensors that allow efficient information fusion. The objective of this study was to evaluate the power of high spatial resolution RGB, multispectral and thermal data fusion to estimate soybean (Glycine max) biochemical parameters including chlorophyll content and nitrogen concentration, and biophysical parameters including Leaf Area Index (LAI), above ground fresh and dry biomass. Multiple low-cost sensors integrated on UASs were used to collect RGB, multispectral, and thermal images throughout the growing season at a site established near Columbia, Missouri, USA. From these images, vegetation indices were extracted, a Crop Surface Model (CSM) was advanced, and a model to extract the vegetation fraction was developed. Then, spectral indices/features were combined to model and predict crop biophysical and biochemical parameters using Partial Least Squares Regression (PLSR), Support Vector Regression (SVR), and Extreme Learning Machine based Regression (ELR) techniques. Results showed that: (1) For biochemical variable estimation, multispectral and thermal data fusion provided the best estimate for nitrogen concentration and chlorophyll (Chl) a content (RMSE of 9.9% and 17.1%, respectively) and RGB color information based indices and multispectral data fusion exhibited the largest RMSE 22.6%; the highest accuracy for Chl a + b content estimation was

Microbial BOD sensors based on Zr (IV)-loaded collagen fiber.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Lei; He, Li; Chen, Shujuan; Zou, Likou; Zhou, Kang; Ao, Xiaolin; Liu, Shuliang; Hu, Xinjie; Han, Guoquan

2017-03-01

Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) sensors based on Zr (IV)-loaded collagen fiber (ZrCF), a novel material with great porous structure, were developed. This novel material shows adsorbability by microorganisms. Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Escherichia coli were used for the construction of BOD sensors. Factors affecting BOD sensor performance were examined. The ZrCF-based BOD sensor showed different sensitivities and linear response ranges with different biofilm densities. The amount of microorganisms strongly affected the performance of the BOD sensor. Poor permeability of previously reported immobilization carriers were greatly circumvented by ZrCF. The service life of the ZrCF-based BOD sensor was more than 42 days. The immobilized microorganisms can be stored for more than 6 months under 4°C in PB solution. There was good correlation between the results of the sensor method and the standard 5-day BOD method in the determination of pure organic substrates and real water samples. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Automatic camera to laser calibration for high accuracy mobile mapping systems using INS

Science.gov (United States)

Goeman, Werner; Douterloigne, Koen; Gautama, Sidharta

2013-09-01

A mobile mapping system (MMS) is a mobile multi-sensor platform developed by the geoinformation community to support the acquisition of huge amounts of geodata in the form of georeferenced high resolution images and dense laser clouds. Since data fusion and data integration techniques are increasingly able to combine the complementary strengths of different sensor types, the external calibration of a camera to a laser scanner is a common pre-requisite on today's mobile platforms. The methods of calibration, nevertheless, are often relatively poorly documented, are almost always time-consuming, demand expert knowledge and often require a carefully constructed calibration environment. A new methodology is studied and explored to provide a high quality external calibration for a pinhole camera to a laser scanner which is automatic, easy to perform, robust and foolproof. The method presented here, uses a portable, standard ranging pole which needs to be positioned on a known ground control point. For calibration, a well studied absolute orientation problem needs to be solved. In many cases, the camera and laser sensor are calibrated in relation to the INS system. Therefore, the transformation from camera to laser contains the cumulated error of each sensor in relation to the INS. Here, the calibration of the camera is performed in relation to the laser frame using the time synchronization between the sensors for data association. In this study, the use of the inertial relative movement will be explored to collect more useful calibration data. This results in a better intersensor calibration allowing better coloring of the clouds and a more accurate depth mask for images, especially on the edges of objects in the scene.

Apparatus and Method for Elimination of Polarization-Induced Fading in Fiber-optic Sensor System

Science.gov (United States)

Chan, Hon Man (Inventor); Parker, Jr., Allen R. (Inventor)

2015-01-01

The invention is an apparatus and method of eliminating polarization-induced fading in interferometric fiber-optic sensor system having a wavelength-swept laser optical signal. The interferometric return signal from the sensor arms are combined and provided to a multi-optical path detector assembly and ultimately to a data acquisition and processing unit by way of a switch that is time synchronized with the laser scan sweep cycle.

Conductive ink print on PA66 gear for manufacturing condition monitoring sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Futagawa, Shintaro; Iba, Daisuke; Kamimoto, Takahiro; Nakamura, Morimasa; Miura, Nanako; Iizuka, Takashi; Masuda, Arata; Sone, Akira; Moriwaki, Ichiro

2018-03-01

Failures detection of rotating machine elements, such as gears, is an important issue. The purpose of this study was to try to solve this issue by printing conductive ink on gears to manufacture condition-monitoring sensors. In this work, three types of crack detection sensor were designed and the sprayed conductive ink was directly sintered on polyimide (PI) - coated polyamide (PA) 66 gears by laser. The result showed that it was possible to produce narrow circuit lines of the conductive ink including Ag by laser sintering technique and the complex shape sensors on the lateral side of the PA66 gears, module 1.0 mm and tooth number 48. A preliminary operation test was carried out for investigation of the function of the sensors. As a result of the test, the sensors printed in this work should be effective for detecting cracks at tooth root of the gears and will allow for the development of better equipment and detection techniques for health monitoring of gears.

Robust sensor for turbidity measurement from light scattering and absorbing liquids.

Science.gov (United States)

Kontturi, Ville; Turunen, Petri; Uozumi, Jun; Peiponen, Kai-Erik

2009-12-01

Internationally standardized turbidity measurements for probing solid particles in liquid are problematic in the case of simultaneous light scattering and absorption. A method and a sensor to determine the turbidity in the presence of light absorption are presented. The developed sensor makes use of the total internal reflection of a laser beam at the liquid-prism interface, and the turbidity is assessed using the concept of laser speckle pattern. Using average filtering in speckle data analyzing the observed dynamic speckle pattern, which is due to light scattering from particles and the static speckle due to stray light of the sensor, can be separated from each other. Good correlation between the standard deviation of dynamic speckle and turbidity value for nonabsorbing and for absorbing liquids was observed. The sensor is suggested, for instance, for the measurement of ill-behaved as well as small-volume turbid liquids in both medicine and process industry.

Monitoring cure properties of out-of-autoclave BMI composites using IFPI sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Kaur, Amardeep; Anandan, Sudharshan; Yuan, Lei; Watkins, Steve E.; Chandrashekhara, K.; Xiao, Hai; Phan, Nam

2016-04-01

A non-destructive technique for inspection of a Bismaleimide (BMI) composite is presented using an optical fiber sensor. High performance BMI composites are used for Aerospace application for their mechanical strength. They are also used as an alternative to toughened epoxy resins. A femtosecond-laser-inscribed Intrinsic Fabry-Perot Interferometer (IFPI) sensor is used to perform real time cure monitoring of a BMI composite. The composite is cured using the out-of-autoclave (OOA) process. The IFPI sensor was used for in-situ monitoring; different curing stages are analyzed throughout the curing process. Temperature-induced-strain was measured to analyze the cure properties. The IFPI structure comprises of two reflecting mirrors inscribed on the core of the fiber using a femtosecond-laser manufacturing process. The manufacturing process makes the sensor thermally stable and robust for embedded applications. The sensor can withstand very high temperatures of up to 850 °C. The temperature and strain sensitivities of embedded IFPI sensor were measured to be 1.4 pm/μepsilon and 0.6 pm/μepsilon respectively.

Digest of NASA earth observation sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Drummond, R. R.

1972-01-01

A digest of technical characteristics of remote sensors and supporting technological experiments uniquely developed under NASA Applications Programs for Earth Observation Flight Missions is presented. Included are camera systems, sounders, interferometers, communications and experiments. In the text, these are grouped by types, such as television and photographic cameras, lasers and radars, radiometers, spectrometers, technology experiments, and transponder technology experiments. Coverage of the brief history of development extends from the first successful earth observation sensor aboard Explorer 7 in October, 1959, through the latest funded and flight-approved sensors under development as of October 1, 1972. A standard resume format is employed to normalize and mechanize the information presented.

Prototype of a laser guide star wavefront sensor for the Extremely Large Telescope

Science.gov (United States)

Patti, M.; Lombini, M.; Schreiber, L.; Bregoli, G.; Arcidiacono, C.; Cosentino, G.; Diolaiti, E.; Foppiani, I.

2018-06-01

The new class of large telescopes, like the future Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), are designed to work with a laser guide star (LGS) tuned to a resonance of atmospheric sodium atoms. This wavefront sensing technique presents complex issues when applied to big telescopes for many reasons, mainly linked to the finite distance of the LGS, the launching angle, tip-tilt indetermination and focus anisoplanatism. The implementation of a laboratory prototype for the LGS wavefront sensor (WFS) at the beginning of the phase study of MAORY (Multi-conjugate Adaptive Optics Relay) for ELT first light has been indispensable in investigating specific mitigation strategies for the LGS WFS issues. This paper presents the test results of the LGS WFS prototype under different working conditions. The accuracy within which the LGS images are generated on the Shack-Hartmann WFS has been cross-checked with the MAORY simulation code. The experiments show the effect of noise on centroiding precision, the impact of LGS image truncation on wavefront sensing accuracy as well as the temporal evolution of the sodium density profile and LGS image under-sampling.

Smart architecture for stable multipoint fiber Bragg grating sensor system

Science.gov (United States)

Yeh, Chien-Hung; Tsai, Ning; Zhuang, Yuan-Hong; Huang, Tzu-Jung; Chow, Chi-Wai; Chen, Jing-Heng; Liu, Wen-Fung

2017-12-01

In this work, we propose and investigate an intelligent fiber Bragg grating (FBG)-based sensor system in which the proposed stabilized and wavelength-tunable single-longitudinal-mode erbium-doped fiber laser can improve the sensing accuracy of wavelength-division-multiplexing multiple FBG sensors in a longer fiber transmission distance. Moreover, we also demonstrate the proposed sensor architecture to enhance the FBG capacity for sensing strain and temperature, simultaneously.

A novel method of temperature compensation for piezoresistive microcantilever-based sensors.

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Jianqiang; Wang, Xiaofei; Yan, Tianhong; Li, Yan; Song, Meixuan

2012-03-01

Microcantilever with integrated piezoresistor has been applied to in situ surface stress measurement in the field of biochemical sensors. It is well known that piezoresistive cantilever-based sensors are sensitive to ambient temperature changing due to highly temperature-dependent piezoresistive effect and mismatch in thermal expansion of composite materials. This paper proposes a novel method of temperature drift compensation for microcantilever-based sensors with a piezoresistive full Wheatstone bridge integrated at the clamped ends by subtracting the amplified output voltage of the reference cantilever from the output voltage of the sensing cantilever through a simple temperature compensating circuit. Experiments show that the temperature drift of microcantilever sensors can be significantly reduced by the method.

Review of Recent Metamaterial Microfluidic Sensors.

Science.gov (United States)

Salim, Ahmed; Lim, Sungjoon

2018-01-15

Metamaterial elements/arrays exhibit a sensitive response to fluids yet with a small footprint, therefore, they have been an attractive choice to realize various sensing devices when integrated with microfluidic technology. Micro-channels made from inexpensive biocompatible materials avoid any contamination from environment and require only microliter-nanoliter sample for sensing. Simple design, easy fabrication process, light weight prototype, and instant measurements are advantages as compared to conventional (optical, electrochemical and biological) sensing systems. Inkjet-printed flexible sensors find their utilization in rapidly growing wearable electronics and health-monitoring flexible devices. Adequate sensitivity and repeatability of these low profile microfluidic sensors make them a potential candidate for point-of-care testing which novice patients can use reliably. Aside from degraded sensitivity and lack of selectivity in all practical microwave chemical sensors, they require an instrument, such as vector network analyzer for measurements and not readily available as a self-sustained portable sensor. This review article presents state-of-the-art metamaterial inspired microfluidic bio/chemical sensors (passive devices ranging from gigahertz to terahertz range) with an emphasis on metamaterial sensing circuit and microfluidic detection. We also highlight challenges and strategies to cope these issues which set future directions.

VIBRATIONAL SPECTROSCOPIC SENSORS Fundamentals, Instrumentation and Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Kraft, Martin

In textbook descriptions of chemical sensors, almost invariably a chemical sensor is described as a combination of a (dumb) transducer and a (smart) recognition layer. The reason for this is that most transducers, while (reasonably) sensitive, have limited analyte specificity. This is in particular true for non-optical, e.g. mass-sensitive or electrochemical systems, but also many optical transducers are as such incapable of distinguishing between different substances. Consequently, to build sensors operational in multicomponent environments, such transducers must be combined with physicochemical, chemical or biochemical recognition systems providing the required analyte specificity. Although advancements have been made in this field over the last years, selective layers are frequently not (yet) up to the demands set by industrial or environmental applications, in particular when operated over prolonged periods of time. Another significant obstacle are cross-sensitivities that may interfere with the analytical accuracy. Together, these limitations restrict the real-world applicability of many otherwise promising chemical sensors.

Estimation of Biomass and Canopy Height in Bermudagrass, Alfalfa, and Wheat Using Ultrasonic, Laser, and Spectral Sensors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jeremy Joshua Pittman

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Non-destructive biomass estimation of vegetation has been performed via remote sensing as well as physical measurements. An effective method for estimating biomass must have accuracy comparable to the accepted standard of destructive removal. Estimation or measurement of height is commonly employed to create a relationship between height and mass. This study examined several types of ground-based mobile sensing strategies for forage biomass estimation. Forage production experiments consisting of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L., bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L. Pers.], and wheat (Triticum aestivum L. were employed to examine sensor biomass estimation (laser, ultrasonic, and spectral as compared to physical measurements (plate meter and meter stick and the traditional harvest method (clipping. Predictive models were constructed via partial least squares regression and modeled estimates were compared to the physically measured biomass. Least significant difference separated mean estimates were examined to evaluate differences in the physical measurements and sensor estimates for canopy height and biomass. Differences between methods were minimal (average percent error of 11.2% for difference between predicted values versus machine and quadrat harvested biomass values (1.64 and 4.91 t·ha−1, respectively, except at the lowest measured biomass (average percent error of 89% for harvester and quad harvested biomass < 0.79 t·ha−1 and greatest measured biomass (average percent error of 18% for harvester and quad harvested biomass >6.4 t·ha−1. These data suggest that using mobile sensor-based biomass estimation models could be an effective alternative to the traditional clipping method for rapid, accurate in-field biomass estimation.

Piezoelectric microelectromechanical resonant sensors for chemical and biological detection.

Science.gov (United States)

Pang, Wei; Zhao, Hongyuan; Kim, Eun Sok; Zhang, Hao; Yu, Hongyu; Hu, Xiaotang

2012-01-07

Piezoelectric microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) resonant sensors, known for their excellent mass resolution, have been studied for many applications, including DNA hybridization, protein-ligand interactions, and immunosensor development. They have also been explored for detecting antigens, organic gas, toxic ions, and explosives. Most piezoelectric MEMS resonant sensors are acoustic sensors (with specific coating layers) that enable selective and label-free detection of biological events in real time. These label-free technologies have recently garnered significant attention for their sensitive and quantitative multi-parameter analysis of biological systems. Since piezoelectric MEMS resonant sensors do more than transform analyte mass or thickness into an electrical signal (e.g., frequency and impedance), special attention must be paid to their potential beyond microweighing, such as measuring elastic and viscous properties, and several types of sensors currently under development operate at different resonant modes (i.e., thickness extensional mode, thickness shear mode, lateral extensional mode, flexural mode, etc.). In this review, we provide an overview of recent developments in micromachined resonant sensors and activities relating to biochemical interfaces for acoustic sensors.

Optical Sensors for Post Combustion Control in Electric Arc Furnace Steelmaking (TRP 9851)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sarah W. Allendorf; David K. Ottesen; Robert W. Green; Donald R. Hardesty; Robert Kolarik; Howard Goodfellow; Euan Evenson; Marshall Khan; Ovidiu Negru; Michel Bonin; Soren Jensen

2003-12-31

Working in collaboration with Stantec Global Technologies, Process Metrix Corporation, and The Timken Company, Sandia National Laboratories constructed and evaluated a novel, laser-based off-gas sensor at the electric arc furnace facility of Timken's Faircrest Steel Plant (Canton, Ohio). The sensor is based on a mid-infrared tunable diode laser (TDL), and measures the concentration and temperature of specific gas species present in the off-gas emanating from the EAF. The laser beam is transmitted through the gas stream at the fourth hole of the EAF, and provides a real-time, in situ measurement that can be used for process optimization. Two sets of field tests were performed in parallel with Stantec's extractive probe off-gas system, and the tests confirm the TDL sensor's operation and applicability for electric steel making. The sensor measures real-time, in situ line-of-sight carbon monoxide (CO) concentrations between 5% and 35% CO, and measures off-gas temperature in the range of 1400 to 1900 K. In order to achieve commercial-ready status, future work is required to extend the sensor for simultaneous CO and CO{sub 2} concentration measurements. In addition, long-term endurance tests including process optimization must be completed.

Compact portable QEPAS multi-gas sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, Lei; Kosterev, Anatoliy A.; Thomazy, David; Tittel, Frank K.

2011-01-01

A quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy (QEPAS) based multi-gas sensor was developed to quantify concentrations of carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen cyanide (HCN), hydrogen chloride (HCl), and carbon dioxide (CO2) in ambient air. The sensor consists of a compact package of dimensions 25cm x 25cm x 10cm and was designed to operate at atmospheric pressure. The HCN, CO2, and HCl measurement channels are based on cw, C-band telecommunication-style packaged, fiber-coupled diode lasers, while the CO channel uses a TO can-packaged Sb diode laser as an excitation source. Moreover, the sensor incorporates rechargeable batteries and can operate on batteries for at least 8 hours. It can also operate autonomously or interact with another device (such as a computer) via a RS232 serial port. Trace gas detection limits of 7.74ppm at 4288.29cm-1 for CO, 450ppb at 6539.11 cm-1 for HCN, 1.48ppm at 5739.26 cm-1 for HCl and 97ppm at 6361.25 cm-1 for CO2 for a 1sec average time, were demonstrated.

A fiber optics sensor for strain and stress management in superconducting accelerator magnets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

van Oort, J.M.; ten Kate, H.H.J.

1993-01-01

A novel cryogenic interferometric fiber optics sensor for the measurement of strain and stress in the coil windings of superconducting accelerator magnets is described. The sensor can operate with two different readout sources, monochromatic laser light and white light respectively. The sensor head is built up as an extrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometer formed with two cleaved fiber surfaces, and can be mounted in several configurations. When read with laser light, the sensor is an extremely sensitive relative strain or temperature detector. When read with white light the absolute strain and pressure can be measured. Results are presented of tests in several configurations at 77 K and 4.2 K, both for the relative and absolute readout method. Finally, the possible use for quench localization using the temperature sensitivity is described

A laser metrology/viewing system for ITER in-vessel inspection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spampinato, P.T.; Barry, R.E.; Chesser, J.B.; Herndon, J.N.; Menon, M.M.; Slotwinski, A.; Dagher, M.A.; Yuen, J.L.

1998-01-01

This paper identifies the requirements for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor metrology and viewing system, and describes a remotely operated precision surface mapping system. A metrology system capable of achieving sub-millimeter accuracy must operate in a reactor vessel that has high gamma radiation, high vacuum, elevated temperature, and magnetic field. A coherent, frequency modulated laser radar system is under development to meet these requirements. The metrology/viewing sensor consists of a compact laser optics module linked through fiber optics to the laser source and imaging units, located outside the harsh environment. The deployment mechanism is a remotely operated telescopic-mast. Gamma irradiation to 10 7 Gy was conducted on critical sensor components at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, with no significant impact to data transmission, and analysis indicates that critical sensor components can operate in a magnetic field with certain design modifications. Plans for testing key components in a magnetic field are underway. (orig.)

Recent Advances in Paper-Based Sensors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Edith Chow

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Paper-based sensors are a new alternative technology for fabricating simple, low-cost, portable and disposable analytical devices for many application areas including clinical diagnosis, food quality control and environmental monitoring. The unique properties of paper which allow passive liquid transport and compatibility with chemicals/biochemicals are the main advantages of using paper as a sensing platform. Depending on the main goal to be achieved in paper-based sensors, the fabrication methods and the analysis techniques can be tuned to fulfill the needs of the end-user. Current paper-based sensors are focused on microfluidic delivery of solution to the detection site whereas more advanced designs involve complex 3-D geometries based on the same microfluidic principles. Although paper-based sensors are very promising, they still suffer from certain limitations such as accuracy and sensitivity. However, it is anticipated that in the future, with advances in fabrication and analytical techniques, that there will be more new and innovative developments in paper-based sensors. These sensors could better meet the current objectives of a viable low-cost and portable device in addition to offering high sensitivity and selectivity, and multiple analyte discrimination. This paper is a review of recent advances in paper-based sensors and covers the following topics: existing fabrication techniques, analytical methods and application areas. Finally, the present challenges and future outlooks are discussed.

A quartz enhanced photo-acoustic gas sensor based on a custom tuning fork and a terahertz quantum cascade laser.

Science.gov (United States)

Patimisco, Pietro; Borri, Simone; Sampaolo, Angelo; Beere, Harvey E; Ritchie, David A; Vitiello, Miriam S; Scamarcio, Gaetano; Spagnolo, Vincenzo

2014-05-07

An innovative quartz enhanced photoacoustic (QEPAS) gas sensing system operating in the THz spectral range and employing a custom quartz tuning fork (QTF) is described. The QTF dimensions are 3.3 cm × 0.4 cm × 0.8 cm, with the two prongs spaced by ∼800 μm. To test our sensor we used a quantum cascade laser as the light source and selected a methanol rotational absorption line at 131.054 cm(-1) (∼3.93 THz), with line-strength S = 4.28 × 10(-21) cm mol(-1). The sensor was operated at 10 Torr pressure on the first flexion QTF resonance frequency of 4245 Hz. The corresponding Q-factor was 74 760. Stepwise concentration measurements were performed to verify the linearity of the QEPAS signal as a function of the methanol concentration. The achieved sensitivity of the system is 7 parts per million in 4 seconds, corresponding to a QEPAS normalized noise-equivalent absorption of 2 × 10(-10) W cm(-1) Hz(-1/2), comparable with the best result of mid-IR QEPAS systems.

A novel method of range measuring for a mobile robot based on multi-sensor information fusion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Yi; Luo Yuan; Wang Jifeng

2005-01-01

The traditional measuring range for a mobile robot is based on a sonar sensor. Because of different working environments, it is very difficult to obtain high precision by using just one single method of range measurement. So, a hybrid sonar sensor and laser scanner method is put forward to overcome these shortcomings. A novel fusion model is proposed based on basic theory and a method of information fusion. An optimal measurement result has been obtained with information fusion from different sensors. After large numbers of experiments and performance analysis, a conclusion can be drawn that the laser scanner and sonar sensor method with multi-sensor information fusion have a higher precision than the single method of sonar. It can also be the same with different environments

Microfabrication and Applications of Opto-Microfluidic Sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Daiying; Men, Liqiu; Chen, Qiying

2011-01-01

A review of research activities on opto-microfluidic sensors carried out by the research groups in Canada is presented. After a brief introduction of this exciting research field, detailed discussion is focused on different techniques for the fabrication of opto-microfluidic sensors, and various applications of these devices for bioanalysis, chemical detection, and optical measurement. Our current research on femtosecond laser microfabrication of optofluidic devices is introduced and some experimental results are elaborated. The research on opto-microfluidics provides highly sensitive opto-microfluidic sensors for practical applications with significant advantages of portability, efficiency, sensitivity, versatility, and low cost. PMID:22163904

Multi-parameter sensor based on random fiber lasers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yanping Xu

2016-09-01

Full Text Available We demonstrate a concept of utilizing random fiber lasers to achieve multi-parameter sensing. The proposed random fiber ring laser consists of an erbium-doped fiber as the gain medium and a random fiber grating as the feedback. The random feedback is effectively realized by a large number of reflections from around 50000 femtosecond laser induced refractive index modulation regions over a 10cm standard single mode fiber. Numerous polarization-dependent spectral filters are formed and superimposed to provide multiple lasing lines with high signal-to-noise ratio up to 40dB, which gives an access for a high-fidelity multi-parameter sensing scheme. The number of sensing parameters can be controlled by the number of the lasing lines via input polarizations and wavelength shifts of each peak can be explored for the simultaneous multi-parameter sensing with one sensing probe. In addition, the random grating induced coupling between core and cladding modes can be potentially used for liquid medical sample sensing in medical diagnostics, biology and remote sensing in hostile environments.

Rancang Bangun Sistem Pengukur Kecepatan Kendaraan Menggunakan Sensor Magnetik

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aris Ramdhani

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Data kecepatan kendaran di jalan raya sangat berpengaruh bagi keamanan dan keselamatan pengguna jalan raya. Kemajuan tekhnologi sensor sangat membantu dalam mengukur kecepatan kendaraan dengan otomatis. Metode yang umum dipakai ialah metode dengan menggunakan dua buah rangkaian sensor yang sudah diatur pada jarak tertentu. Sensor digunakan sebagai pendeteksi keberadaan kendaraan. Data kecepatan kendaraan didapatkan dengan mencari selang waktu yang dibutuhkan kendaraan melaju dari sensor pertama menuju sensor kedua. Saat kendaraan melaju melewati sensor maka sinyal keluaran sensor menjadi acuan perhitungan waktu start dan stop. Berbagai jenis sensor yang sudah digunakan ialah sensor LDR, sensor ultrasonic, sensor laser, sensor loop induktif dan sensor kamera. Setiap sensor yang sudah dipergunakan memiliki berbagai jenis kekurangan dalam mendeteksi kendaraan pada jalan raya. Oleh karena itu penulis memunculkan ide baru dengan menggunakan sensor magnetik yang memiliki faktor gangguan eksternal yang rendah. Sensor magnetik yang digunakan ialah sensor Giant MagnetoResistance (GMR. Perancangan sistem pengukur kecepatan kendaraan yang penulis lakukan berupa sebuah prototype. Hasil pengujian sistem pengukur kecepatan kendaraan menggunakan sensor magnetik GMR menunjukan respon yang bagus saat pengujian dilakukan pada jarak 30cm dan 70cm antara dua buah sensor GMR. Data speed of vehicles on the highway are very influential to the security and safety of users of the highway. Advances in sensor technology is very helpful in measuring the speed of vehicles with automatic. A common method used is the method by using two sensor circuit which is set at a certain distance. The sensor is used as a detector for the exixtance of the vehicle. Vehicle speed data obtained by finding the time required vehicles drove from the first sensor to the second sensor. When the vehicle drove past the sensor, the sensor output signal to be a reference calculation start and stop

Toward Optical Sensors: Review and Applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sabri, Naseer; Aljunid, S A; Ahmad, R B; Salim, M S; Kamaruddin, R

2013-01-01

Recent advances in fiber optics (FOs) and the numerous advantages of light over electronic systems have boosted the utility and demand for optical sensors in various military, industry and social fields. Environmental and atmospheric monitoring, earth and space sciences, industrial chemical processing and biotechnology, law enforcement, digital imaging, scanning, and printing are exemplars of them. The ubiquity of photonic technologies could drive down prices which reduced the cost of optical fibers and lasers. Fiber optic sensors (FOSs) offer a wide spectrum of advantages over traditional sensing systems, such as small size and longer lifetime. Immunity to electromagnetic interference, amenability to multiplexing, and high sensitivity make FOs the sensor technology of choice in several fields, including the healthcare and aerospace sectors. FOSs show reliable and rigid sensing tasks over conventional electrical and electronic sensors. This paper presents an executive review of optical fiber sensors and the most beneficial applications.

Toward Optical Sensors: Review and Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Sabri, Naseer; Aljunid, S. A.; Salim, M. S.; Ahmad, R. B.; Kamaruddin, R.

2013-04-01

Recent advances in fiber optics (FOs) and the numerous advantages of light over electronic systems have boosted the utility and demand for optical sensors in various military, industry and social fields. Environmental and atmospheric monitoring, earth and space sciences, industrial chemical processing and biotechnology, law enforcement, digital imaging, scanning, and printing are exemplars of them. The ubiquity of photonic technologies could drive down prices which reduced the cost of optical fibers and lasers. Fiber optic sensors (FOSs) offer a wide spectrum of advantages over traditional sensing systems, such as small size and longer lifetime. Immunity to electromagnetic interference, amenability to multiplexing, and high sensitivity make FOs the sensor technology of choice in several fields, including the healthcare and aerospace sectors. FOSs show reliable and rigid sensing tasks over conventional electrical and electronic sensors. This paper presents an executive review of optical fiber sensors and the most beneficial applications.

Computer modeling of the sensitivity of a laser water vapor sensor to variations in temperature and air speed

Science.gov (United States)

Tucker, George F.

1994-01-01

Currently, there is disagreement among existing methods of determining atmospheric water vapor concentration at dew-points below -40 C. A major source of error is wall effects which result from the necessity of bringing samples into the instruments. All of these instruments also have response times on the order of seconds. NASA Langley is developing a water vapor sensor which utilizes the absorption of the infrared radiation produced by a diode laser to estimate water vapor concentration. The laser beam is directed through an aircraft window to a retroreflector located on an engine. The reflected beam is detected by an infrared detector located near the laser. To maximize signal to noise, derivative signals are analyzed. By measuring the 2f/DC signal and correcting for ambient temperature, atmospheric pressure and air speed (which results in a Doppler shifting of the laser beam), the water vapor concentration can be retrieved. Since this is an in situ measurement there are no wall effects and measurements can be made at a rate of more than 20 per second. This allows small spatial variations of water vapor to be studied. In order to study the sensitivity of the instrument to variations in temperature and air speed, a computer program which generated the 2f, 3f, 4f, DC and 2f/DC signals of the instrument as a function of temperature, pressure and air speed was written. This model was used to determine the effect of errors in measurement of the temperature and air speed on the measured water vapor concentration. Future studies will quantify the effect of pressure measurement errors, which are expected to be very small. As a result of these studied, a retrieval algorithm has been formulated, and will be applied to data taken during the PEM-West atmospheric science field mission. Spectroscopic studies of the water vapor line used by the instrument will be used to refine this algorithm. To prepare for these studies, several lasers have been studied to determine their

Vision Assisted Laser Scanner Navigation for Autonomous Robots

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Jens Christian; Andersen, Nils Axel; Ravn, Ole

2008-01-01

This paper describes a navigation method based on road detection using both a laser scanner and a vision sensor. The method is to classify the surface in front of the robot into traversable segments (road) and obstacles using the laser scanner, this classifies the area just in front of the robot ...

A fiber optic Doppler sensor and its application in debonding detection for composite structures.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Fucai; Murayama, Hideaki; Kageyama, Kazuro; Meng, Guang; Ohsawa, Isamu; Shirai, Takehiro

2010-01-01

Debonding is one of the most important damage forms in fiber-reinforced composite structures. This work was devoted to the debonding damage detection of lap splice joints in carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) structures, which is based on guided ultrasonic wave signals captured by using fiber optic Doppler (FOD) sensor with spiral shape. Interferometers based on two types of laser sources, namely the He-Ne laser and the infrared semiconductor laser, are proposed and compared in this study for the purpose of measuring Doppler frequency shift of the FOD sensor. Locations of the FOD sensors are optimized based on mechanical characteristics of lap splice joint. The FOD sensors are subsequently used to detect the guided ultrasonic waves propagating in the CFRP structures. By taking advantage of signal processing approaches, features of the guided wave signals can be revealed. The results demonstrate that debonding in the lap splice joint results in arrival time delay of the first package in the guided wave signals, which can be the characteristic for debonding damage inspection and damage extent estimation.

Active laser radar (lidar) for measurement of corresponding height and reflectance images

Science.gov (United States)

Froehlich, Christoph; Mettenleiter, M.; Haertl, F.

1997-08-01

For the survey and inspection of environmental objects, a non-tactile, robust and precise imaging of height and depth is the basis sensor technology. For visual inspection,surface classification, and documentation purposes, however, additional information concerning reflectance of measured objects is necessary. High-speed acquisition of both geometric and visual information is achieved by means of an active laser radar, supporting consistent 3D height and 2D reflectance images. The laser radar is an optical-wavelength system, and is comparable to devices built by ERIM, Odetics, and Perceptron, measuring the range between sensor and target surfaces as well as the reflectance of the target surface, which corresponds to the magnitude of the back scattered laser energy. In contrast to these range sensing devices, the laser radar under consideration is designed for high speed and precise operation in both indoor and outdoor environments, emitting a minimum of near-IR laser energy. It integrates a laser range measurement system and a mechanical deflection system for 3D environmental measurements. This paper reports on design details of the laser radar for surface inspection tasks. It outlines the performance requirements and introduces the measurement principle. The hardware design, including the main modules, such as the laser head, the high frequency unit, the laser beam deflection system, and the digital signal processing unit are discussed.the signal processing unit consists of dedicated signal processors for real-time sensor data preprocessing as well as a sensor computer for high-level image analysis and feature extraction. The paper focuses on performance data of the system, including noise, drift over time, precision, and accuracy with measurements. It discuses the influences of ambient light, surface material of the target, and ambient temperature for range accuracy and range precision. Furthermore, experimental results from inspection of buildings, monuments

Laser therapy of muscle injuries.

Science.gov (United States)

Dawood, Munqith S; Al-Salihi, Anam Rasheed; Qasim, Amenah Wala'a

2013-05-01

Low-level lasers are used in general therapy and healing process due to their good photo-bio-stimulation effects. In this paper, the effects of diode laser and Nd:YAG laser on the healing process of practically managed skeletal muscle trauma has been successfully studied. Standard impact trauma was induced by using a specially designed mechanical device. The impacted muscle was left for 3 days for complete development of blunt trauma. After that it was irradiated by five laser sessions for 5 days. Two types of lasers were used; 785-nm diode laser and 1.064-nm Nd:YAG laser, both in continuous and pulsed modes. A special electronic circuit was designed and implemented to modulate the diode laser for this purpose. Tissue samples of crushed skeletal muscle have been dissected from the injured irradiated muscle then bio-chemically analyzed for the regeneration of contractile and collagenous proteins using Lowry assay for protein determination and Reddy and Enwemeka assay for hydroxyproline determination. The results showed that both lasers stimulate the regeneration capability of traumatized skeletal muscle. The diode laser in CW and pulsed modes showed better results than the Nd:YAG in accelerating the preservation of the normal tissue content of collagenous and contractile proteins beside controlling the regeneration of non-functional fibrous tissue. This study proved that the healing achieved by the laser treatment was faster than the control group by 15-20 days.

A Compact Ionic Polymer Metal Composite (IPMC System with Inductive Sensor for Closed Loop Feedback

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jiaqi Wang

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Ionic polymer metal composite (IPMC, of which a low actuating voltage (<5 V, high power efficiency and biocompatibility makes it a proven candidate for low power devices. However, due to its inherent nonlinear behaviour and time-variance, feedback control, as well as reliable sensing means, are required for accurate operations. This paper presents an IPMC actuator implemented with an inductive sensor to enhance the reliability and compactness of the overall device. A practical, low cost and importantly, compact inductive sensor fabricated on a printed circuit board (PCB is proposed here. Target material selections and coil design considerations are discussed. It is experimentally determined that the inductive sensor has comparable performance to a laser sensor. Based on a proportional-integral-derivative (PID control results the inductive sensor has demonstrated to be an alternative to a laser sensor allowing devices using IPMC actuators to be compact.

Modelling and precision of the localization of the robotic mobile platforms for constructions with laser tracker and SmartTrack sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Dima, M.; Francu, C.

2016-08-01

This paper presents a way to expand the field of use of the laser tracker and SmartTrack sensor localization device used in lately for the localisation of the end effector of the industrial robots to the localization of the mobile construction robots. The research paper presents the equipment along with its characteristics, determines the relationships for the localization coordinates by comparison to the forward kinematics of the industrial robot's spherical arm (positioning mechanism in spherical coordinates) and the orientation mechanism with three revolute axes. In the end of the paper the accuracy of the mobile robot's localization is analysed.

Advances in hybrid optics physical sensors for extreme environments

Science.gov (United States)

Riza, Nabeel A.

2010-04-01

Highlighted are novel innovations in hybrid optical design physical sensors for extreme environments. Various hybrid design compositions are proposed that are suited for a particular sensor application. Examples includes combining freespace (wireless) and fiber-optics (wired) for gas turbine sensing and combining single crystal and sintered Silicon Carbide (SiC) materials for robust extreme environment Coefficent of Thermal Expansion (CTE) matched frontend probe design. Sensor signal processing also includes the hybrid theme where for example Black-Body radiation thermometry (pyrometry) is combined with laser interferometry to provide extreme temperature measurements. The hybrid theme also operates on the optical device level where a digital optical device such as a Digital Micromirror Device (DMD) is combined with an analog optical device such as an Electronically Controlled Variable Focal Length Lens (ECVFL) to deliver a smart and compressive Three Dimensional (3-D) imaging sensor for remote scene and object shape capture including both ambient light (passive) mode and active laser targeting and receive processing. Within a device level, the hybrid theme also operates via combined analog and digital control such as within a wavelength-coded variable optical delay line. These powerful hybrid design optical sensors have numerous applications in engineering and science applications from the military to the commercial/industrial sectors.

One can achieve anything with a laser: an educational initiative

Science.gov (United States)

Davies, Ray K.

2005-06-01

Laser Photonics has been highlighted by many as THE Technology of the 21st Century. However, there are few obvious opportunities for students to see a Laser in operation in circumstances beyond some simple low power Laser Interferometry demonstrations, or the use of Laser Pointer Pens. As part of an educational initiative, PION LASER SENSORS within the University of Salford has developed a series of laboratory design and construction Projects that involve both the opportunities for, and the innovative creation of, visually attractive operative applications of low power Laser Photonics. These highly functional Laser Photonics Projects range from the transmission of audio signals to a written alphabetical letter recognition and Braille converter sensor for a visually impaired person; from a Laser speckle eye-sight testing system to a prototype mobile robotic guide for a blind person.; from a novel type of Laser seismograph to an equally novel set of Laser measurement callipers; from a Laser activated pair of walking feet to an optical feedback system to maintain a horizontal surface within a vehicle traversing rough terrain. This type of low power Laser Photonics design and construction Project not only provides the opportunity for students to become involved with some highly creative and innovative laboratory opportunities, but the experience clearly enthuses the students towards many aspects of Physics, Medicine, and Engineering through a sense of personal achievement resulting from a realization of their imaginative thinking sills, combined with their acquired manual skills.

Aspects on the Physiological and Biochemical Foundations of Neurocritical Care

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carl-Henrik Nordström

2017-06-01

, the information from all monitoring techniques should be presented bedside online. Accordingly, in the future, the chemical variables obtained from microdialysis will probably be analyzed by biochemical sensors.

Development and characterization of electrochemical cantilever sensor for bio/chemical sensing applications

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Quan, Xueling; Fischer, Lee MacKenzie; Boisen, Anja

2011-01-01

We report the improvements made to our previously developed electrochemical cantilever (EC) sensor, where nanoporous gold material is employed as working electrodes in microcantilever arrays, while combined counter-reference electrodes are integrated on the chip. For a surface stress change of 1m...

High-power fiber optic cable with integrated active sensors for live process monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

Blomster, Ola; Blomqvist, Mats; Bergstrand, Hans; Pålsson, Magnus

2012-03-01

In industrial applications using high-brilliance lasers at power levels up to and exceeding 20 kW and similarly direct diode lasers of 10 kW, there is an increasing demand to continuously monitor component status even in passive components such as fiber-optic cables. With fiber-optic cables designed according to the European Automotive Industry fiber standard interface there is room for integrating active sensors inside the connectors. In this paper we present the integrated active sensors in the new Optoskand QD fiber-optic cable designed to handle extreme levels of power losses, and how these sensors can be employed in industrial manufacturing. The sensors include photo diodes for detection of scattered light inside the fiber connector, absolute temperature of the fiber connector, difference in temperature of incoming and outgoing cooling water, and humidity measurement inside the fiber connector. All these sensors are connected to the fiber interlock system, where interlock break enable functions can be activated when measured signals are higher than threshold levels. It is a very fast interlock break system as the control of the signals is integrated in the electronics inside the fiber connector. Also, since all signals can be logged it is possible to evaluate what happened inside the connector before the interlock break instance. The communication to the fiber-optic connectors is via a CAN interface. Thus it is straightforward to develop the existing laser host control to also control the CAN-messages from the QD sensors.

Micro-controller based air pressure monitoring instrumentation system using optical fibers as sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Hazarika, D.; Pegu, D. S.

2013-03-01

This paper describes a micro-controller based instrumentation system to monitor air pressure using optical fiber sensors. The principle of macrobending is used to develop the sensor system. The instrumentation system consists of a laser source, a beam splitter, two multi mode optical fibers, two Light Dependent Resistance (LDR) based timer circuits and a AT89S8252 micro-controller. The beam splitter is used to divide the laser beam into two parts and then these two beams are launched into two multi mode fibers. One of the multi mode fibers is used as the sensor fiber and the other one is used as the reference fiber. The use of the reference fiber is to eliminate the environmental effects while measuring the air pressure magnitude. The laser beams from the sensor and reference fibers are applied to two identical LDR based timer circuits. The LDR based timer circuits are interfaced to a micro-controller through its counter pins. The micro-controller samples the frequencies of the timer circuits using its counter-0 and counter-1 and the counter values are then processed to provide the measure of air pressure magnitude.

Radiation hardness tests of double-sided 3D strip sensors with passing-through columns

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dalla Betta, Gian-Franco, E-mail: gianfranco.dallabetta@unitn.it [Dipartimento di Ingegneria Industriale, Università degli Studi di Trento, Via Sommarive 9, I-38123 Trento (Italy); INFN TIFPA, Via Sommarive 14, I-38123 Trento (Italy); Betancourt, Christopher [Institute of Physics, University of Freiburg, Hermann-Herder-Str. 3, 79104 Freiburg (Germany); Boscardin, Maurizio; Giacomini, Gabriele [Fondazione Bruno Kessler, Centro per i Materiali e i Microsistemi (FBK-CMM), Via Sommarive 18, I-38123 Trento (Italy); Jakobs, Karl; Kühn, Susanne [Institute of Physics, University of Freiburg, Hermann-Herder-Str. 3, 79104 Freiburg (Germany); Lecini, Besnik [Dipartimento di Ingegneria Industriale, Università degli Studi di Trento, Via Sommarive 9, I-38123 Trento (Italy); Mendicino, Roberto [Dipartimento di Ingegneria Industriale, Università degli Studi di Trento, Via Sommarive 9, I-38123 Trento (Italy); INFN TIFPA, Via Sommarive 14, I-38123 Trento (Italy); Mori, Riccardo; Parzefall, Ulrich [Institute of Physics, University of Freiburg, Hermann-Herder-Str. 3, 79104 Freiburg (Germany); Povoli, Marco [Dipartimento di Ingegneria Industriale, Università degli Studi di Trento, Via Sommarive 9, I-38123 Trento (Italy); Thomas, Maira [Institute of Physics, University of Freiburg, Hermann-Herder-Str. 3, 79104 Freiburg (Germany); Zorzi, Nicola [Fondazione Bruno Kessler, Centro per i Materiali e i Microsistemi (FBK-CMM), Via Sommarive 18, I-38123 Trento (Italy)

2014-11-21

This paper deals with a radiation hardness study performed on double-sided 3D strip sensors with passing-through columns. Selected results from the characterization of the irradiated sensors with a beta source and a laser setup are reported and compared to pre-irradiation results and to TCAD simulations. The sensor performance in terms of signal efficiency is found to be in good agreement with that of other 3D sensors irradiated at the same fluences and tested under similar experimental conditions. - Highlights: • We report results from 3D silicon strip detectors irradiated up to HL-LHC fluences. • I–V curves, noise, charge collection measurements and laser scans are shown. • In all sensors, signals are distinguished from the noise already at low voltage. • Signal efficiency is in agreement with values expected from the electrode geometry. • Efficiency and spatial uniformity would benefit from higher operation voltages.

Radiation hardness tests of double-sided 3D strip sensors with passing-through columns

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dalla Betta, Gian-Franco; Betancourt, Christopher; Boscardin, Maurizio; Giacomini, Gabriele; Jakobs, Karl; Kühn, Susanne; Lecini, Besnik; Mendicino, Roberto; Mori, Riccardo; Parzefall, Ulrich; Povoli, Marco; Thomas, Maira; Zorzi, Nicola

2014-01-01

This paper deals with a radiation hardness study performed on double-sided 3D strip sensors with passing-through columns. Selected results from the characterization of the irradiated sensors with a beta source and a laser setup are reported and compared to pre-irradiation results and to TCAD simulations. The sensor performance in terms of signal efficiency is found to be in good agreement with that of other 3D sensors irradiated at the same fluences and tested under similar experimental conditions. - Highlights: • We report results from 3D silicon strip detectors irradiated up to HL-LHC fluences. • I–V curves, noise, charge collection measurements and laser scans are shown. • In all sensors, signals are distinguished from the noise already at low voltage. • Signal efficiency is in agreement with values expected from the electrode geometry. • Efficiency and spatial uniformity would benefit from higher operation voltages

Automated Laser Seeker Performance Evaluation System (ALSPES)

Data.gov (United States)

Federal Laboratory Consortium — This facility provides complete open-loop test capability for semi-active laser (SAL) seekers/sensors operating at 1.064 microns. ALSPES provides characterizations...

MAPLE activities and applications in gas sensors

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Jelínek, Miroslav; Remsa, Jan; Kocourek, Tomáš; Kubešová, B.; Schůrek, J.; Myslík, V.

2011-01-01

Roč. 105, č. 3 (2011), 643-649 ISSN 0947-8396 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10100522 Keywords : MAPLE * gas sensors * biomedicine * thin films Subject RIV: BH - Optics, Masers, Lasers Impact factor: 1.630, year: 2011

Selective laser etching or ablation for fabrication of devices

KAUST Repository

Buttner, Ulrich

2017-01-12

Methods of fabricating devices vial selective laser etching are provided. The methods can include selective laser etching of a portion of a metal layer, e.g. using a laser light source having a wavelength of 1,000 nm to 1,500 nm. The methods can be used to fabricate a variety of features, including an electrode, an interconnect, a channel, a reservoir, a contact hole, a trench, a pad, or a combination thereof. A variety of devices fabricated according to the methods are also provided. In some aspects, capacitive humidity sensors are provided that can be fabricated according to the provided methods. The capacitive humidity sensors can be fabricated with intricate electrodes, e.g. having a fractal pattern such as a Peano curve, a Hilbert curve, a Moore curve, or a combination thereof.

1st International Conference on Fiber-Optic Rotation Sensors

CERN Document Server

Arditty, Hervé

1982-01-01

Currently there is considerable interest in the application of optical meth­ ods for the measurement of absolute rotation. Active approaches, so-called ring laser gyros, have been under serious development for at least 15 years. More recently, passive approaches using ring resonators or multi turn fiber interferometers have also demonstrated much pro~ise. The only previous conference devoted exclusively to optical rotation sensors, held in 1978 in San Diego, California, was organized by the Society of Photo-optical Instru­ mentation Engineers(S.P.I.E.J. Although the main emphasis at that conference was on ring laser gyros, a number of papers were also included that described the early development of fiber gyroscopes. Since then the field of fiber optic rotation sensors has grown so rapidly that a conference devoted primarily to this subject was needed. The First International Conference on Fiber-Optic Rotation Sensors was held at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, Nove~­ b...

Welding technology transfer task/laser based weld joint tracking system for compressor girth welds

Science.gov (United States)

Looney, Alan

1991-01-01

Sensors to control and monitor welding operations are currently being developed at Marshall Space Flight Center. The laser based weld bead profiler/torch rotation sensor was modified to provide a weld joint tracking system for compressor girth welds. The tracking system features a precision laser based vision sensor, automated two-axis machine motion, and an industrial PC controller. The system benefits are elimination of weld repairs caused by joint tracking errors which reduces manufacturing costs and increases production output, simplification of tooling, and free costly manufacturing floor space.

Coherent random lasing from liquid waveguide gain channels with biological scatters

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Hong; Feng, Guoying; Wang, Shutong; Yang, Chao; Yin, Jiajia; Zhou, Shouhuan

2014-12-01

A unidirectional coherent random laser based on liquid waveguide gain channels with biological scatters is demonstrated. The optical feedback of the random laser is provided by both light scattering and waveguide confinement. This waveguide-scattering-feedback scheme not only reduces the pump threshold but also makes the output of random laser directional. The threshold of our random laser is about 11 μJ. The emission spectra can be sensitively tuned by changing pump position due to the micro/nano-scale randomness of butterfly wings. It shows the potential applications of optofluidic random lasers for bio-chemical sensors on-chip.

High-sensitivity high-selectivity detection of CWAs and TICs using tunable laser photoacoustic spectroscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Pushkarsky, Michael; Webber, Michael; Patel, C. Kumar N.

2005-03-01

We provide a general technique for evaluating the performance of an optical sensor for the detection of chemical warfare agents (CWAs) in realistic environments and present data from a simulation model based on a field deployed discretely tunable 13CO2 laser photoacoustic spectrometer (L-PAS). Results of our calculations show the sensor performance in terms of usable sensor sensitivity as a function of probability of false positives (PFP). The false positives arise from the presence of many other gases in the ambient air that could be interferents. Using the L-PAS as it exists today, we can achieve a detection threshold of about 4 ppb for the CWAs while maintaining a PFP of less than 1:106. Our simulation permits us to vary a number of parameters in the model to provide guidance for performance improvement. We find that by using a larger density of laser lines (such as those obtained through the use of tunable semiconductor lasers), improving the detector noise and maintaining the accuracy of laser frequency determination, optical detection schemes can make possible CWA sensors having sub-ppb detection capability with TIC detection.

Basic opto-electronics on silicon for sensor applications

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Joppe, J.L.; Bekman, H.H.P.Th.; de Krijger, A.J.T.; Albers, H.; Chalmers, J.; Chalmers, J.D.; Holleman, J.; Ikkink, T.J.; Ikkink, T.; van Kranenburg, H.; Zhou, M.-J.; Zhou, Ming-Jiang; Lambeck, Paul

1994-01-01

A general platform for integrated opto-electronic sensor systems on silicon is proposed. The system is based on a hybridly integrated semiconductor laser, ZnO optical waveguides and monolithic photodiodes and electronic circuiry.

Biochemical changes on the repair of surgical bone defects grafted with biphasic synthetic micro-granular HA + β-tricalcium phosphate induced by laser and LED phototherapies and assessed by Raman spectroscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Pinheiro, Antônio Luiz Barbosa; Soares, Luiz Guilherme Pinheiro; Marques, Aparecida Maria Cordeiro; Cangussú, Maria Cristina Teixeira; Pacheco, Marcos Tadeu Tavares; Silveira, Landulfo

2017-04-01

This work aimed the assessment of biochemical changes induced by laser or LED irradiation during mineralization of a bone defect in an animal model using a spectral model based on Raman spectroscopy. Six groups were studied: clot, laser (λ = 780 nm; 70 mW), LED (λ = 850 ± 10 nm; 150 mW), biomaterial (biphasic synthetic micro-granular hydroxyapatite (HA) + β-tricalcium phosphate), biomaterial + laser, and biomaterial + LED. When indicated, defects were further irradiated at a 48-h interval during 2 weeks (20 J/cm 2 per session). At the 15th and 30th days, femurs were dissected and spectra of the defects were collected. Raman spectra were submitted to a model to estimate the relative amount of collagen, phosphate HA, and carbonate HA by using the spectra of pure collagen and biomaterials composed of phosphate and carbonate HA, respectively. The use of the biomaterial associated to phototherapy did not change the collagen formation at both 15 and 30 days. The amount of carbonate HA was not different in all groups at the 15th day. However, at the 30th day, there was a significant difference (ANOVA, p = 0.01), with lower carbonate HA for the group biomaterial + LED compared to biomaterial (p biomaterial grafts at the 15th day compared to clot (significant for the biomaterial; p biomaterial + laser, while this was lower for all the other groups. These results indicated that the use of laser phototherapy improved the repair of bone defects grafted with the biomaterial by increasing the deposition of phosphate HA.

Dempster Shafer Sensor Fusion for Autonomously Driving Vehicles : Association Free Tracking of Dynamic Objects

OpenAIRE

Högger, Andreas

2016-01-01

Autonomous driving vehicles introduce challenging research areas combining differ-ent disciplines. One challenge is the detection of obstacles with different sensors and the combination of information to generate a comprehensive representation of the environment, which can be used for path planning and decision making.The sensor fusion is demonstrated using two Velodyne multi beam laser scanners, but it is possible to extend the proposed sensor fusion framework for different sensor types. Sensor...

Identifying and tracking pedestrians based on sensor fusion and motion stability predictions.

Science.gov (United States)

Musleh, Basam; García, Fernando; Otamendi, Javier; Armingol, José Maria; de la Escalera, Arturo

2010-01-01

The lack of trustworthy sensors makes development of Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) applications a tough task. It is necessary to develop intelligent systems by combining reliable sensors and real-time algorithms to send the proper, accurate messages to the drivers. In this article, an application to detect and predict the movement of pedestrians in order to prevent an imminent collision has been developed and tested under real conditions. The proposed application, first, accurately measures the position of obstacles using a two-sensor hybrid fusion approach: a stereo camera vision system and a laser scanner. Second, it correctly identifies pedestrians using intelligent algorithms based on polylines and pattern recognition related to leg positions (laser subsystem) and dense disparity maps and u-v disparity (vision subsystem). Third, it uses statistical validation gates and confidence regions to track the pedestrian within the detection zones of the sensors and predict their position in the upcoming frames. The intelligent sensor application has been experimentally tested with success while tracking pedestrians that cross and move in zigzag fashion in front of a vehicle.

Identifying and Tracking Pedestrians Based on Sensor Fusion and Motion Stability Predictions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Arturo de la Escalera

2010-08-01

Full Text Available The lack of trustworthy sensors makes development of Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS applications a tough task. It is necessary to develop intelligent systems by combining reliable sensors and real-time algorithms to send the proper, accurate messages to the drivers. In this article, an application to detect and predict the movement of pedestrians in order to prevent an imminent collision has been developed and tested under real conditions. The proposed application, first, accurately measures the position of obstacles using a two-sensor hybrid fusion approach: a stereo camera vision system and a laser scanner. Second, it correctly identifies pedestrians using intelligent algorithms based on polylines and pattern recognition related to leg positions (laser subsystem and dense disparity maps and u-v disparity (vision subsystem. Third, it uses statistical validation gates and confidence regions to track the pedestrian within the detection zones of the sensors and predict their position in the upcoming frames. The intelligent sensor application has been experimentally tested with success while tracking pedestrians that cross and move in zigzag fashion in front of a vehicle.

Self-Passivation by Fluorine Plasma Treatment and Low-Temperature Annealing in SiGe Nano wires for Biochemical Sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang, K.; Chen, C.; Kuo, P.; Chen, Y.; Chang, T.; Lai, C.; Whang, A. J.; Lai, Y.; Chen, H.; Hsieh, I.

2014-01-01

Nano wires are widely used as highly sensitive sensors for electrical detection of biological and chemical species. Modifying the band structure of strained-Si metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors by applying the in-plane tensile strain reportedly improves electron and hole mobility. The oxidation-induced Ge condensation increases the Ge fraction in a SiGe-on-insulator (SGOI) and substantially increases hole mobility. However, oxidation increases the number of surface states, resulting in hole mobility degradation. In this work, 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (APTMS) was used as a biochemical reagent. The hydroxyl molecule on the oxide surface was replaced by the methoxy groups of the APTMS molecule. We proposed a surface plasma treatment to improve the electrical properties of SiGe nano wires. Fluorine plasma treatment can result in enhanced rates of thermal oxidation and speed up the formation of a self-passivation oxide layer. Like a capping oxide layer, the self-passivation oxide layer reduces the rate of follow-up oxidation. Pre oxidation treatment also improved the sensitivity of SiGe nano wires because the Si-F binding was held at a more stable interface state compared to bare nano wire on the SiGe surface. Additionally, the sensitivity can be further improved by either the N 2 plasma posttreatment or the low-temperature post annealing due to the suppression of out diffusion of Ge and F atoms from the SiGe nano wire surface.

Soft sensors in bioprocessing: A status report and recommendations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Luttmann, Reiner; Bracewell, Daniel G.; Cornelissen, Gesine

2012-01-01

The following report with recommendations is the result of an expert panel meeting on soft sensor applications in bioprocess engineering that was organized by the Measurement, Monitoring, Modelling and Control (M3C) Working Group of the European Federation of Biotechnology - Section of Biochemical...... Engineering Science (ESBES). The aim of the panel was to provide an update on the present status of the subject and to identify critical needs and issues for the furthering of the successful development of soft sensor methods in bioprocess engineering research and for industrial applications, in particular...... with focus on biopharmaceutical applications. It concludes with a set of recommendations, which highlight current prospects for the extended use of soft sensors and those areas requiring development....

An IFPI Temperature Sensor Fabricated in an Unstriped Optical Fiber with Self-Strain-Compensation Function

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yang Song

2016-01-01

Full Text Available This paper describes an intrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometer (IFPI temperature sensor with self-strain-compensation function. The sensor was fabricated on a buffer-intact optical fiber using a femtosecond (fs laser system. The use of fs laser allows the sensor to be fabricated in an optical fiber without the necessity of removing the polymer buffer coating, thus not compromising its mechanical property. The sensor is composed of two cascaded IFPIs in different cavity length of 100 μm and 500 μm, respectively. The shorter IFPI serves as the temperature sensor, while the second IFPI serves as a compensation sensor, which is used to decouple the strain from the raw signal collected by the shorter FPI. The reflection spectrum of sensor, containing both sensory information and compensation information, is collected in wavelength domain and demultiplexed in the Fourier domain of reflection spectrum. An algorithm was developed and successfully implemented to compensate the strain influence on the proposed temperature sensor. The results showed that the proposed sensor structure holds a constant temperature sensitivity of 11.33 pm/°C when strained differently.

Achieving Real-Time Tracking Mobile Wireless Sensors Using SE-KFA

Science.gov (United States)

Kadhim Hoomod, Haider, Dr.; Al-Chalabi, Sadeem Marouf M.

2018-05-01

Nowadays, Real-Time Achievement is very important in different fields, like: Auto transport control, some medical applications, celestial body tracking, controlling agent movements, detections and monitoring, etc. This can be tested by different kinds of detection devices, which named "sensors" as such as: infrared sensors, ultrasonic sensor, radars in general, laser light sensor, and so like. Ultrasonic Sensor is the most fundamental one and it has great impact and challenges comparing with others especially when navigating (as an agent). In this paper, concerning to the ultrasonic sensor, sensor(s) detecting and delimitation by themselves then navigate inside a limited area to estimating Real-Time using Speed Equation with Kalman Filter Algorithm as an intelligent estimation algorithm. Then trying to calculate the error comparing to the factual rate of tracking. This paper used Ultrasonic Sensor HC-SR04 with Arduino-UNO as Microcontroller.

Chirped laser dispersion spectroscopy for remote open-path trace-gas sensing.

Science.gov (United States)

Nikodem, Michal; Wysocki, Gerard

2012-11-28

In this paper we present a prototype instrument for remote open-path detection of nitrous oxide. The sensor is based on a 4.53 μm quantum cascade laser and uses the chirped laser dispersion spectroscopy (CLaDS) technique for molecular concentration measurements. To the best of our knowledge this is the first demonstration of open-path laser-based trace-gas detection using a molecular dispersion measurement. The prototype sensor achieves a detection limit down to the single-ppbv level and exhibits excellent stability and robustness. The instrument characterization, field deployment performance, and the advantages of applying dispersion sensing to sensitive trace-gas detection in a remote open-path configuration are presented.

Molecularly Imprinted Nanomaterials for Sensor Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Irshad, Muhammad; Iqbal, Naseer; Mujahid, Adnan; Afzal, Adeel; Hussain, Tajamal; Sharif, Ahsan; Ahmad, Ejaz; Athar, Muhammad Makshoof

2013-01-01

Molecular imprinting is a well-established technology to mimic antibody-antigen interaction in a synthetic platform. Molecularly imprinted polymers and nanomaterials usually possess outstanding recognition capabilities. Imprinted nanostructured materials are characterized by their small sizes, large reactive surface area and, most importantly, with rapid and specific analysis of analytes due to the formation of template driven recognition cavities within the matrix. The excellent recognition and selectivity offered by this class of materials towards a target analyte have found applications in many areas, such as separation science, analysis of organic pollutants in water, environmental analysis of trace gases, chemical or biological sensors, biochemical assays, fabricating artificial receptors, nanotechnology, etc. We present here a concise overview and recent developments in nanostructured imprinted materials with respect to various sensor systems, e.g., electrochemical, optical and mass sensitive, etc. Finally, in light of recent studies, we conclude the article with future perspectives and foreseen applications of imprinted nanomaterials in chemical sensors. PMID:28348356

Modeling of a 3D CMOS sensor for time-of-flight measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Kuhla, Rico; Hosticka, Bedrich J.; Mengel, Peter; Listl, Ludwig

2004-02-01

A solid state 3D-CMOS camera system for direct time-of-flight image acquisition consisting of a CMOS imaging sensor, a laser diode module for active laser pulse illumination and all optics for image forming is presented, including MDSI & CDS algorithms for time-of-flight evaluation from intensity imaging. The investigation is carried out using ideal and real signals. For real signals the narrow infrared laser pulse of the laser diode module and the shutter function of the sensors column circuit were sampled by a new sampling procedure. A discrete sampled shutter function was recorded by using the impulse response of a narrow pulse of FWHM=50ps and an additional delay block with step size of Δτ = 0.25ns. A deterministic system model based on LTI transfer functions was developed. The visual shutter windows give a good understanding of differences between ideal and real output functions of measurement system. Simulations of shutter and laser pulse brought out an extended linear delay domain from MDSI. A stochastic model for the transfer function and photon noise in time domain was developed. We used the model to investigate noise in variation the laser pulse shutter configuration.

A quantum dot-spore nanocomposite pH sensor.