FIBEROPTIC INTERFACES (FOIs) FOR SENSOR NETWORKS

Many applications exist for structures, surfaces and materials whose shape, mechanical properties, or functional behavior can be altered in real-time to respond to changing conditions without explicit external commands. Automated systems which interconnect, address, and control large numbers of distributed sensing and actuation elements (pressure sensors, shear sensors, microflaps, etc.) are key to the implementation of such ¿smart¿ structures. Fiberoptic technology shows promise for this application since many devices can potentially be multiplexed along single fibers, and the fibers may be easily integrated with structures.SRC has a technology for interfacing such devices with fiberoptic communication lines. The fiberoptic interface is fabricated using SRC's proprietary cylindrical micro-fabrication technology and is much smaller than existing optical modulators. The technique involves a microfabricated piezoelectric actuator on the optical fiber. The actuator is used to modulate the light in the fiber to transmit data. When SRC matures this technology, distributed networks of microdevices, such as pressure sensors or strain sensors, could be interconnected and addressed. With our technology, a single optical fiber could be used to interconnect many microdevices and communicate their data to a central receiver at high data rates for each interface node.