All-Optical High-Speed Fly-By-Light Sensor Suite

Lambda Instruments, Inc. proposes to investigate the feasibility of implementing an integrated suite of high-speed multimode optical fiber-based linear/rotary position, temperature, current/voltage, and pressure sensors. The proposed sensor suite builds upon in-house patented/patent-pending technology under development at Lambda and its subcontractors specifically in the area of optical fiber sensors and support optoelectronics for in-flight avionic applications. The development team’s proposed suite of sensors employs absolute read-output capability that offers the benefit of continuous, accurate measurements in the presence of wide optical power fluctuations due to system power cycling, repeated optical fiber connector matings during maintenance, optical fiber source drift and fiber bends/kinks. In addition, the proposed sensor suite employs an advanced WDM approach that significantly reduces the requisite amount of optical fiber cable between the VMSC and sensor sites. The core of the proposed WDM system consists of a proprietary miniature wavelength-router originally developed by Lambda engineers for in-flight displacement sensing within missiles where the extremely high g forces encountered during missile flight prevents the use of off-the-shelf miniature optical spectrum analyzers (OSAs) and commercially available telecom components.