Rosette-type optical microsystem of strain gauges having dielectric guides for measuring a longitudinal strain in a planar structure

• US 5,726,744 A
• Filed: 10/30/1995
• Issued: 03/10/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Commissariat a L'Energie Atomique (AES Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Commissariat a L'Energie Atomique (AES Corporation)
• Inventors: Magne, Sylvain, Ferdinand, Pierre, Rougeault, Stephane
• Primary Examiner(s): Font, Frank G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): STAFIRA, MICHAEL PATRICK
• Application Number:
  US08/550,029
• Time in Patent Office: 862 Days
• Field of Search: 356/32, 385/12, 385/13, 385/14, 385/28, 385/95, 385/96, 250/227.16, 250/227.14, 73/800, 350/960.14, 350/94.4
• US Class Current: 356/32
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 1/246 using integrated gratings, e.g. Bragg gratings

Abstract

The present invention relates to a planar, rosette-type, optical microsystem with strain gauges having dielectric guides used for measuring a system of strains or stresses applied to a part, in which the part is under purely longitudinal strain, at least one rosette being formed by at least two strain gauges with dielectric guides (J1, J2, J3) and in which a calculating circuit makes it possible to determine said strain by resolving a system of equations.

Claims

1. Rosette-type, optical microsystem of strain gauges for measuring a strain applied to a part, said strain having a single component, said microsystem comprising:

at least one rosette formed from at least two strain gauges positioned in series on a dielectric guide and a calculating circuit for determining said strain, independently of temperature, by resolution of a system of equations.

2. Optical microsystem according to claim 1, characterized in that the strain gauges are photo-inscribed Bragg networks (RB₁, RB₂, RB₃).

3. Optical microsystem according to claim 2, characterized in that the rosette is formed from three Bragg networks (RB₁, RB₂, RB₃).

4. Optical microsystem according to claim 3, characterized in that the Bragg networks are positioned at 120°

from one another.

5. Optical microsystem according to claim 3, characterized in that the three networks are simultaneously inscribed by the same optical irradiation beam.

6. Optical microsystem according to claim 3, characterized in that the three networks are not simultaneously inscribed and can have different characteristic wavelengths.

7. Optical microsystem according to claim 3, characterized in that the system of equations is as follows:

##EQU15##

9. Optical microsystem according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises at least one dielectric guide, regardless of polarization maintenance, in which are incorporated the strain gauges.

13. Optical microsystem according to claim 1, characterized in that each strain gauge measures an optical path variation, which is a function of the strain to be measured and which induces a spectral displacement.

14. Optical microsystem according to claim 1, characterized in that each strain gauge measures an optical path variation, which is a function of the strain to be measured and which induces a displacement of the interference fringes.

15. Optical microsystem according to claim 1, characterized in that said microsystem has a configuration of a balanced Sagnac interferometer using a 50% reflection coupler in the spectral band of use, said configuration being constituted by a single guide plane and permitting the inclusion of a rosette between two planes of a material.

16. Optical microsystem according to claim 3, characterized in that the Bragg networks are positioned 45°

from one another.

17. Optical microsystem according to claim 3, characterized in that the three networks are successively inscribed by the same optical irradiation beam.

18. Optical microsystem according to claim 9, characterized in that the gauges are embedded within a locally planar support material, whose deformations are to be determined.

19. Optical microsystem according to claim 1, characterized in that the gauges are oriented in a non-parallel, non-collinear arrangement.

20. Optical microsystem according to any one of claims 1-7, or 17-18, characterized in that the dielectric guides are optical fibres.

8. λ

₁. λ

₂ and λ

₃ being the respective characteristic wavelengths of the three Bragg networks constituting the rosette, said wavelengths being very close to one another and λ

₁^o, λ

₂^o and λ

₃^o are the characteristic wavelengths in the absence of deformations and at a reference temperature T_o, ξ

₁ being a coefficient linking the characteristic wavelength with the deformation and ξ

₂ a thermal expansion coefficient, the two angles β

₁ and β

₂ being of a random nature, but known and non-zero modulo, characterizing the rosette and α

being the angle formed by the orientation of the strain to be determined with the orientation of a reference strain gauge of the rosette, the parameters d and r being respectively the half-sum and half-difference of the deformations to be determined.

10. Optical microsystem according to claim 8, characterized in that the gauges are surface-bonded to a locally planar support material, whose deformations are to be determined.

11. Optical microsystem according to claim 8, characterized in that the gauges are Bragg networks, which function by the phase tuning effect, and in that the guides are monomode and photosensitive.

12. Optical microsystem according to claim 8, characterized in that the gauges function by an interferometric effect and in that the guides are monomode.