High-precision fiber-optic position sensing using diode laser radar techniques

Gregory L. Abbas; W. Randall Babbitt; Michael de la Chapelle; Mark L. Fleshner; James Doyle McClure; Edward J. Vertatschitsch

doi:10.1117/12.18285

1 May 1990 High-precision fiber-optic position sensing using diode laser radar techniques

Gregory L. Abbas, W. Randall Babbitt, Michael de la Chapelle, Mark L. Fleshner, James Doyle McClure, Edward J. Vertatschitsch

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 1219, Laser Diode Technology and Applications II; (1990) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.18285
Event: OE/LASE '90, 1990, Los Angeles, CA, United States

Abstract

The analysis, design, and testing of a high-precision linear position sensor using diode laser radar techniques and fiber-optic signal distribution is described. A frequency-chirped, intensity-modulated semiconductor diode laser is used as the transmitter. Each sensor head consists of two reflectors -one moving and one fixed -in a differential ranging mode to cancel apparent range changes caused by temperature induced fiber length variations. The returned (round trip delayed) chirps are direct detected by a photodiode and then are mixed with the original (undelayed) chirp to produce a sum of beat frequencies, each proportional to the range of a reflector. Several sensors heads, located at different fiber distances, can be optically multiplexed by a single laser transmitter using a reflective or transmissive network. The performance of the laser radar position sensor is anal,rzed by first calculating the return signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). A Cramér-Rao lower bound is derived to relate the SNR, chirp bandwidth, and chirp duration to the root-mean-square (RMS) range error. The theoretical optimum performance of the experimental sensor system is determined. An experimental system was built that achieved 58 pm RMS range error using a 1 ms chirp duration with a processing time of 50 ps.

Citation Download Citation

Gregory L. Abbas, W. Randall Babbitt, Michael de la Chapelle, Mark L. Fleshner, James Doyle McClure, and Edward J. Vertatschitsch "High-precision fiber-optic position sensing using diode laser radar techniques", Proc. SPIE 1219, Laser Diode Technology and Applications II, (1 May 1990); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.18285

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