IMPROVED TEMPERATURE SENSING SYSTEMS/INSTRUMENTATION

WE PROPOSE A NOVEL TRANSMISSION FIBER OPTIC TEMPERATURE SENSOR CONSISTING OF A SEMICONDUCTOR PLATELET SANDWICH BETWEEN TWO PARALLEL FIBER ENDS. A NEW MEASUREMENT CONFIGURATION ELIMINATES NOT ONLY THE INFLUENCE OF THE FIBER ABSORPTION BUT ALSO THE INFLUENCE OF THE COUPLING FACTOR OF THE FIBER COUPLER ON THE MEASUREMENT RESULT. BECAUSE OF ITS INHERENT GEOMETRIC VERSATILITY, COMPACTNESS, SENSITIVITY,SIMPLICITY, AND ITS IMMUNITY FROM ELECTROMAGNETIC INTERFERENCE, THIS SENSOR HAS POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS IN MANY FIELDS. THE SYSTEM, UTILIZ-ING SAPPHIRE FIBER AND A HIGH TEMPERATURE POLYMERIC PLATELET, SHOULD OPERATE IN THE RANGE OF THE AMBIENT TO 1500 DEG F TEMPERATURE ENVIRONMENT. THE ELECTRONIC DIGITAL READOUT SYSTEM SHOULD PROVIDE REAL-TIME READOUT ASSOCIATED WITH TEMPERATURE CHANGES OF HUNDREDS OF DEGREES FAHRENHEIT IN LESS THAN ONE MILLISECOND. A FURTHER EXPERIMENTAL CONFIGURATION TOTALLY ELIMINATES THE INFLUENCE OF INTENSITY FLUCTUATION OF THE LIGHT SOURCES AND THAT OF THE FIBER ABSORPTION AND THE COUPLING FACTOR OF THE FIBER COUPLER. IF OTHER TYPES OF PLATELETS, TRANSDUCER MATERIALS AND FIBERS ARE USED, ITS OPERATION CAN BE EXTENDED FOR HIGH AND LOW TEMPERATURE APPLICATIONS.