Optical fiber curvature sensor for measuring body motion and its adhesive method

• US 20020024656A1
• Filed: 07/26/2001
• Published: 02/28/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
• Original Assignee: Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
• Inventors: Kwon, Dong Soo, Lee, Kyu Bin
• Granted Patent: US 6,940,062 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 356/73.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1121 Determining geometric values, e.g. centre of rotation or angular range of movement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1126 using a particular sensing technique
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/24 for measuring contours or curvatures

Abstract

The present invention relates to an optical fiber curvature sensor for measuring body motion and its adhesive method. More particularly, it relates to an optical fiber curvature sensor for measuring body motion and its adhesive method having an improved sensitivity for measuring body motions such as motions of fingers, arms, or legs, which is able to measure curving direction and curved degree of a subject simultaneously and applicable for subjects of which the surface areas are varying such as waist or shoulders, by adhering an optical fiber to a subject in curved-state.

Claims

1. An optical fiber curvature sensor for measuring body motion comprising:

a light source (20) emitting a light;

an optical fiber (10), comprising an inside core (12) and an outside clad (14) in a cylindrical shape, connected to said light source (20) by a connector (30a) at an end; and

a light receiving element (40), measuring the intensity of light transmitting through said optical fiber (10), connected to said optical fiber (10) by a connector (30b) at the other end,

wherein some portion of said clad (14) is eliminated by heat treatment and a cutout-groove (16) is formed thereon.

2. An optical fiber curvature sensor for measuring body motion as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said optical fiber (10) is a plastic optical fiber and is heat-treated by 200°

C.˜

430°

C.

3. An optical fiber curvature sensor for measuring body motion as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said light source (20) is an infrared LED.

4. An optical fiber curvature sensor for measuring body motion as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said light receiving element (40) is a phototransistor that is sensitive to the wavelength of the light emitted from said light source (20).

5. An adhesive method of an optical fiber curvature sensor for measuring body motion, which comprises:

a light source (20) emitting a light;

an optical fiber (10), comprising an inside core (12) and an outside clad (14) of which some portion is eliminated by heat-treatment and a cutout groove (16) is formed thereon, connected to said light source (20) by a connector (30a) at an end; and

a light receiving element (40), measuring the intensity of light transmitting through said optical fiber (10), connected to said optical fiber (10) by a connector (30b) at the other end,

characterized by adhering said optical fiber (10) to a subject (50) in curved-state.