A Passive, Rugged, Fiber Optic Catapult Elongation Sensor

Visidyne proposes a novel fiber optic sensor to measure the elongation of steam catapults used by the Navy for launching aircraft. The sensor, originally developed by Visidyne for use in environments found in and around jet aircraft engines, is completely passive at the measurement point and so can operate in very harsh, high temperature environments. There are no electronics at the measurement head to limit high temperature operation. The stimulus and signal readout are coupled to the measurement head via optical fibers which can be tens of meters or longer, allowing remote operation with complete immunity to electromagnetic interference (EMI). Repeatability and absolute accuracy on the order of a hundred micrometers and resolution of better than ten micrometers is achievable.