Polarization-Assisted multiparameter sensing using a single fiber Bragg grating

This paper presents the development of a multiparameter sensing system using a single fiber Bragg grating (FBG) with a polarization-assisted analysis. In this case, the FBG sensor is subjected to axial strain, torsion angle and temperature for the analysis of polarization components and spectral features variations. In addition, the responses at two orthogonal polarization states are compared to evaluate the feasibility of developing a polarization-based analysis for multifeature regression. Results show the differences in the sensors responses considering the full spectrum and the polarization components, where non uniform strain components lead to differences in the polarization states, which are used on the simultaneous analysis of different mechanical loadings combinations. Furthermore, the simultaneous estimation of axial strain, torsion angle and temperature resulted in small relative errors when the whole range of the tests are considered. The relative errors are below 0.5 % for each mechanical load condition, whereas a root mean squared error of 2.91 °C is obtained for the temperature analysis. Thus, the proposed approach resulted in a suitable alternative for three parameters sensing using only one FBG in standard single mode silica optical fiber without any structural modification, which can lead to a new approach on spectrally efficient sensor systems for practical applications.