Multi-functional fiber optic fuel sensor system having a photonic membrane
원문보기
IPC분류정보
국가/구분
United States(US) Patent
등록
국제특허분류(IPC7판)
G01N-021/00
B65D-065/38
B64D-037/04
B64D-037/00
G01L-009/00
G01F-023/16
G01K-001/00
G01N-009/00
G01N-033/00
G01K-011/32
G01N-021/65
출원번호
US-0616793
(2015-02-09)
등록번호
US-10053269
(2018-08-21)
발명자
/ 주소
Chan, Eric Yuen-Jun
출원인 / 주소
The Boeing Company
대리인 / 주소
Ostrager Chong Flaherty & Broitman P.C.
인용정보
피인용 횟수 :
0인용 특허 :
9
초록▼
A fuel sensing system utilizes a fiber optic sensor comprising a membrane made of a direct band gap semiconductor material (such as gallium arsenide) that forms an optical cavity with an optical fiber inside a hermetically sealed sensor package located at the bottom of a fuel tank. The optical fiber
A fuel sensing system utilizes a fiber optic sensor comprising a membrane made of a direct band gap semiconductor material (such as gallium arsenide) that forms an optical cavity with an optical fiber inside a hermetically sealed sensor package located at the bottom of a fuel tank. The optical fiber inside the fuel tank is not exposed to the fuel. The optical cavity formed by the bottom surface of the membrane and the surface of the distal end of the internal optical fiber is capable of behaving as a Fabry-Pérot interferometer. Multiple light sources operating at different wavelengths and multiple spectrometers can be coupled to the confronting surface of the membrane via the optical fiber inside the fuel tank, a hermetically sealed fiber optic connector that passes through the wall of the fuel tank, and a fiber optic coupler located outside the fuel tank.
대표청구항▼
1. A system for storing a liquid, comprising: a reservoir comprising an enclosure;a chamber-defining structure disposed inside said enclosure that divides an internal volume of said enclosure into a storage compartment and a chamber which are hermetically sealed from each other, said chamber-definin
1. A system for storing a liquid, comprising: a reservoir comprising an enclosure;a chamber-defining structure disposed inside said enclosure that divides an internal volume of said enclosure into a storage compartment and a chamber which are hermetically sealed from each other, said chamber-defining structure comprising a membrane having a top surface that partly defines said storage compartment and a bottom surface that partly defines said chamber, and a housing that supports said membrane and partly defines said chamber, wherein said membrane is made of a semiconductor material that has a direct band gap;an optical fiber having a length disposed inside said chamber, said length of optical fiber having a distal end with a surface that confronts said bottom surface of said membrane with a gap therebetween,a broadband light source for outputting broadband light;a first spectrometer for converting received broadband light into an electrical signal representing a characteristic of the received broadband light;a coherent light source for outputting coherent light;a second spectrometer converting received coherent light into an electrical signal representing a characteristic of the received coherent light;an optical coupler which optically couples said broadband light source, said coherent light source, and said first and second spectrometers to said optical fiber; anda computer system programmed to compute a value of a pressure of the liquid contained in the reservoir based on electrical signals received from said first spectrometer following the output of broadband light by said broadband light that impinges on and is reflected from said membrane and compute a value of a temperature of the liquid contained in the reservoir based on electrical signals received from said second spectrometer following the output of coherent light by said coherent light source that impinges on and is reflected from said membrane. 2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said membrane is sufficiently thin that said membrane is capable of flexing upward or downward when a magnitude of a pressure being exerted on its top surface changes. 3. The system as recited in claim 2, wherein said membrane has a thickness in a range of 0.01 to 0.5 mm. 4. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said semiconductor material is gallium arsenide or indium phosphide. 5. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said optical fiber is a single-mode or multi-mode optical fiber. 6. The system as recited in claim 1, further comprising: a filter support wall that surrounds a space inside said storage compartment that overlies said membrane; anda filter supported by said filter support wall, said filter being configured to admit liquid into said space while excluding particulate matter from outside said space. 7. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said gap has a dimension such that said bottom surface of said membrane and a confronting surface of said distal end of said optical fiber form a Fabry-Pérot resonator cavity. 8. The system as recited in claim 1, further comprising a fiber optic connector seated in and hermetically sealed to an opening in said enclosure and to an opening in said housing, wherein another end of said length of said optical fiber is coupled to said fiber optic connector. 9. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said reservoir is incorporated in a wing of an aircraft. 10. A system for storing a liquid, comprising: a storage tank;a hermetically sealed package disposed inside said storage tank; said hermetically sealed package comprising a membrane and a length of optical fiber, wherein said membrane has a top surface that is part of an exterior surface of said hermetically sealed package and a bottom surface that is part of an interior surface of said hermetically sealed package, wherein said membrane is made of a semiconductor material that has a direct band gap, and said length of optical fiber has a distal end with a surface that confronts said bottom surface of said membrane with a gap therebetween;a laser source for outputting coherent light;a temperature probing spectrometer for converting received coherent light into an electrical signal representing a characteristic of the received coherent light;an optical fiber network which optically couples said laser source and said temperature probing spectrometer to said length of optical fiber; anda computer system programmed to determine a temperature of liquid contained in said storage tank based on electrical signals received from said temperature probing spectrometer following output of coherent light from said laser source that impinges on and is reflected from said membrane. 11. The system as recited in claim 10, wherein said semiconductor material is gallium arsenide or indium phosphide. 12. A system for storing a liquid, comprising: a storage tank;a hermetically sealed package disposed inside said storage tank; said hermetically sealed package comprising a membrane and a length of optical fiber, wherein said membrane has a top surface that is part of an exterior surface of said hermetically sealed package and a bottom surface that is part of an interior surface of said hermetically sealed package, wherein said membrane is made of a semiconductor material that has a direct band gap, and said length of optical fiber has a distal end with a surface that confronts said bottom surface of said membrane with a gap therebetween;a first optical source for outputting light;a first spectrometer for converting received light into an electrical signal representing a characteristic of the received light; andan optical fiber network which optically couples said first optical source and said first spectrometer to said length of optical fiber, said optical fiber network comprising an optical coupler,wherein said first optical source is a laser source that produces coherent light having a wavelength, said membrane is transparent to coherent light of said wavelength, and said first spectrometer is a Raman spectrometer which receives light scattered back though said membrane by liquid contained in said storage tank, further comprising a computer system programmed to determine a chemical composition of liquid contained in said storage tank based on electrical signals received from said Raman spectrometer following output of said coherent light from said laser source. 13. The system as recited in claim 12, further comprising: a second optical source for outputting light; anda second spectrometer for converting received light into an electrical signal representing a characteristic of the received light,wherein the optical fiber network optically couples said second optical source and said second spectrometer to said length of optical fiber. 14. The system as recited in claim 13, wherein said second optical source is a laser source, said second spectrometer is a temperature probing spectrometer, and said computer system is further programmed to determine a temperature of liquid contained in said storage tank based on electrical signals received from said temperature probing spectrometer following output of light from said second optical source. 15. The system as recited in claim 13, wherein said second optical source is a broadband light source, said second spectrometer is a pressure sensing spectrometer, and said computer system is further programmed to determine a pressure of liquid contained in said storage tank based on electrical signals received from said pressure sensing spectrometer following output of light from said second optical source. 16. The system as recited in claim 12, wherein said semiconductor material is gallium arsenide or indium phosphide. 17. A method for determining a temperature of liquid stored in a storage tank, comprising: placing a hermetically sealed package inside the storage tank, the hermetically sealed package comprising a membrane and a length of optical fiber, wherein the membrane has a top surface that is part of an exterior surface of the hermetically sealed package and a bottom surface that is part of an interior surface of the hermetically sealed package, wherein the membrane is made of a semiconductor material that has a direct band gap, and the length of optical fiber has a distal end with a surface that confronts the bottom surface of the membrane with a gap therebetween;emitting coherent light from a laser source that enters a proximal end of the optical fiber, exits the distal end of the optical fiber, and impinges on the bottom surface of the membrane;guiding coherent light from the membrane that enters the distal end of the optical fiber toward a proximal end of the optical fiber after the coherent light has been emitted by the first optical source;measuring a first property of the coherent light that exited the proximal end of the optical fiber using a temperature probing spectrometer after the coherent light has been emitted by the laser source; andprocessing electronic data output by the temperature probing spectrometer to determine a temperature of liquid disposed inside the storage tank and on top of the membrane. 18. The method as recited in claim 17, further comprising: emitting broadband light from a broadband light source that enters a proximal end of the optical fiber, exits the distal end of the optical fiber, and impinges on the bottom surface of the membrane;guiding broadband light from the membrane that enters the distal end of the optical fiber toward a proximal end of the optical fiber after the broadband light has been emitted by the second optical source;measuring a second property of the broadband light that exited the proximal end of the optical fiber using a pressure spectrometer after the broadband light has been emitted by the broadband light source; andprocessing electronic data output by the pressure spectrometer to determine a pressure of liquid disposed inside the storage tank and on top of the membrane. 19. The method as recited in claim 18, further comprising: calculating a density of the liquid contained in the storage tank based on the determined temperature; andcalculating a level of the liquid contained in the storage tank based on the calculated density and the determined pressure.
Gerdt David W. (Charlottesville VA), Methods for sensing temperature, pressure and liquid level and variable ratio fiber optic coupler sensors therefor.
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