Optical Fiber Anemometer Damping for Stable Rotor Response
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional anemometers suffer from inconsistent periodic responses due to mechanical wear, environmental disturbances, and dynamic changes in fluid properties, leading to inaccurate and unreliable fluid flow measurements.
Innovation Solution
A dynamic fiber tip anemometer with a 3D rotor, integrated onto an optical fiber, utilizes a stabilizing agent infused via dual-function microfluidic channels to stabilize the rotor-stator interface, enabling consistent periodic measurement of fluid flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional anemometers are used for fluid flow measurement, then the device can detect flow speed and direction, but the periodic response becomes inconsistent due to mechanical wear and environmental disturbances
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the traditional mechanical sensing mechanism with an optical detection system. A laser beam passes through the fluid flow, and the Doppler shift in the scattered light is used to measure flow velocity. This eliminates mechanical moving parts that cause wear and inconsistent periodic responses, while maintaining the ability to detect flow speed and direction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces light as an intermediary medium between the fluid flow and the detection system. Instead of direct mechanical interaction between the anemometer and fluid, light acts as a mediator that interacts with the flowing fluid particles, carrying information about flow characteristics to the detector without experiencing mechanical wear.
2Adaptability or versatility
If mechanical anemometers operate under varying fluid conditions, then they can adapt to different flow rates, but measurement accuracy decreases due to dynamic changes in fluid properties
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes changes in optical parameters (wavelength, intensity, scattering angle) of light as the fluid flow conditions vary. By measuring the Doppler shift frequency and light scattering patterns, the system accurately determines flow velocity across different flow rates and fluid properties without mechanical adjustment, maintaining precision through optical parameter analysis.
3Volume of moving object
If optical fiber anemometer is used with minimal sensor footprint, then the device achieves compact integration, but the rotor-stator interface requires precise stabilization to maintain measurement consistency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the anemometer components (light source, optical fiber, detector) in a nested configuration where the sensing element is positioned at the tip of the optical fiber. The rotor and stator are concentrically arranged around the fiber core, with the stator fixed to the fiber tip and the rotor rotating within it. This nested structure minimizes the sensor footprint while maintaining precise rotor-stator alignment through the guiding effect of the optical fiber.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The anemometer provides precise and accurate fluid flow measurements with a minimal sensor footprint, supporting various optical sources and maintaining a consistent periodic response across varying fluid conditions.
Implementation Method 1
Nonlinear damping in optical fiber anemometry
Implementation Method 2
a rotor including one or more blades having a reflective surface for reflecting light from the fiber core back into the fiber core
Data Source
AI summary
A flow sensing system including a light source and a light sensor; an optical fiber including a fiber core exposed at a face of the optical fiber; an anemometer for measuring a fluid flow, the anemometer including: a stator; a rotor including one or more blades having a reflective surface for reflecting light from the fiber core back into the fiber core for measurement by the light sensor; and a gap between the stator and the rotor. The anemometer is positioned at the face of the optical fiber such that, as the rotor rotates, the blades of the rotor pass the fiber core reflecting light from the light source back into the fiber core, the fiber core receives the light reflected by the reflective surface and transmits it to the light sensor, and a stabilizing agent is filled in the gap between the stator and the rotor.