A Hybrid Optical Fiber and FSO System for Bidirectional Communications Used in Bridges

In this paper, a 10-Gb/s hybrid optical fiber (OF) and free-space optics (FSO) link as part of a bidirectional long-haul OF transmission for application in outdoor environments such as bridges is proposed. A fiber-Bragg-grating (FBG) sensor head is used for monitoring the condition of a bridge, and in the case of the bridge being damaged, the transmission path is changed over from OF to the FSO li...