Multifunctional fiber-optic sensors for space infrastructure

Abstract

Sensors used in rocket and space technology are subject to extreme external influences in terms of temperature, vibration, and shock. Therefore, the choice of the type of sensors is justified precisely by the resistance to such factors, as well as the ability to ensure the temporal and parametric stability of measurements. A new type of sensors – fiber-optic ones – meets these conditions. The basis for the selection and further improvement of such sensors were such requirements as minimum power consumption, high accuracy and stability of measurements, the ability to combine several measurements in one sensor. It is noted that for space infrastructure the factor of the possibility of simultaneous measurement of several parameters with one sensor is one of the important quality indicators. This is due to the possibility of reducing the number of sensors themselves, which reduces the mass and size parameters of space technology. This applies, first of all, to measurements of pressure and temperature, since they, in aggregate, account for at least 40 % of all measurements in space products. The path of choos-ing the types of methods and sensor designs led to the combination of the amplitude conversion method and optical communication in one sensor. In this case, amplitude modulation of pressure and temperature is carried out by a microelec-tromechanical unit (module), and the modulated optical signal is transmitted by an optical module. Such a modular composition of the sensor makes it possible to dispense with optical ana-lyzers (interrogators) and carry out further pro-cessing based on standard interfaces. A limitation of the proposed methods and designs is the need for microelectromechanical structures that measure certain physical quantities. Such structures for fiber-optic sensors are not mass-produced; therefore, their manufacture can be established at instrument-making enterprises with microelectronic equipment