Spatial-frequency multiplexed fiber-optic Fizeau strain sensor system with optical amplification

A novel method for multiplexing fiber-optic Fizeau strain sensors with optical amplification is proposed and demonstrated. This method overcomes the two intrinsic disadvantages of fiber-optic Fabry–Perot (F–P) strain sensors, i.e. weak signal and difficult multiplexing. The amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) and optical amplification are used simultaneously to enhance the interferometric signal considerably. A Fizeau interferometer formed by two fiber ends with a quite different reflectivity is used to replace the F–P cavity in sensor head design. Such a Fizeau cavity can enlarge the cavity length by at least an order of magnitude and allows more than 10 sensors to be multiplexed simultaneously by using spatial-frequency multiplexing. The operating principle of the sensor system is discussed and an experiment is carried out to verify the concept of the method proposed. It is anticipated that such a sensor system could find important applications for health monitoring of large structures.     

Sensing properties of organised films based on a bithiophene derivative

Highly reproducible optic and electrochemical sensors have been developed using organised films from a polar bithiophene derivative, the 5-(dimethylamino)-5′-nitro-2,2′-bithiophene (Me₂N–T₂–NO₂). The strength of the molecular dipole moment of this push–pull end-capped bithiophene has permitted to obtain highly ordered, homogeneous and reproducible films by using both the Langmuir–Blodgett and the casting techniques. The organisation of the molecules in LB films and cast films has been established by means of UV–vis, infrared and Raman spectroscopy and by AFM.Me₂N–T₂–NO₂ thin films possess appealing optical and electrochemical sensing capabilities. UV–vis spectra can be modified in the presence of a variety of volatile organic compounds and the sensitivity is related to the polarity of the gas analysed. Films can also be used as electrochemical sensors because the characteristics of the current/potential curves are sensitive to the nature of the electrolytic solution. The spectral changes accompanying the applied voltage could be used to produce ionochromic sensor electrodes.The structure of the films has an important impact in the sensing properties of the films and in their stability. The optical and electrochemical sensing properties of Langmuir–Blodgett films are more reproducible than those observed in cast films. This makes films prepared using the LB technique to be preferred as sensing devices. However the casting technique provides a fast method to obtain cheap and highly ordered sensors.     

Electronic Detection of DNA Hybridization: Toward CMOS Microarrays

Low-cost mass fabrication methods and label-free capacitive biosensors are needed for many applications. This article presents a electronic microarrays, with single-chip implementations in CMOS technology. Although biochemical operations in CMOS-based arrays are almost the same as in optical devices, the simple readout of integrated CMOS sensors greatly facilitates system integration. These chips can perform a significant amount of sensor data processing and produce digital output signals in standardized form. They can be easily connected to simple, inexpensive, handheld or even wearable readers. However, these devices are in their infancy. Only a small subset of them are at the level of complete single-die integration of sensors, transducers, and data-conditioning circuits. Our purpose in this article is to outline the main technology, design, and implementation challenges involved in developing these highly integrated research prototypes.     

具有多传感器的CPS系统的攻击检测

信息物理系统（cyber-physical systems，简称CPS）是基于环境感知实现计算、通信与物理元素紧密结合的下一代智能系统，广泛应用于安全攸关的系统和工业控制等领域.信息技术与物理世界的相互作用使得CPS容易受到各种恶意攻击，从而破坏其安全性.主要研究存在瞬态故障的CPS中传感器的攻击检测问题.考虑具有多个传感器测量相同物理变量的系统，其中一些传感器可能受到恶意攻击并提供错误的测量.此外，使用抽象传感器模型，每个传感器为控制器提供一个真实值的可能间隔.已有的用于检测传感器被恶意攻击的方法是保守的.当专业攻击者在一段时间内轻微地或不频繁地操纵传感器的输出时，现有方法很难捕获到攻击，如隐身攻击.为了解决这个问题，设计了一种基于融合间隔和历史测量的传感器攻击检测方法.该方法首先为不同的传感器构建不同的故障模型，使用系统动力学方程把历史测量融入到攻击检测方法中，从不同的方面分析传感器的测量.另外，利用历史测量和融合间隔解决了两个传感器的测量相交时是否存在故障的问题.该方法的核心思想是利用传感器之间的成对不一致关系检测和识别攻击.从EV3地面车辆上获得真实的测量数据来验证算法的性能.实验结果表明，所提出的方法优于现有方法，对各种攻击类型都有较好的检测和识别性能，特别是对于隐身攻击，检测率和识别率大约提高了90%以上.     

Measurement of wireless pressure sensors fabricated in high temperature co-fired ceramic MEMS technology

High temperature co-fired ceramics (HTCCs) have wide applications with stable mechanical properties, but they have not yet been used to fabricate sensors. By introducing the wireless telemetric sensor system and ceramic structure embedding a pressure-deformable cavity, the designed sensors made from HTCC materials (zirconia and 96% alumina) are fabricated, and their capacities for the pressure measurement are tested using a wireless interrogation method. Using the fabricated sensor, a study is conducted to measure the atmospheric pressure in a sealed vessel. The experimental sensitivity of the device is 2 Hz/Pa of zirconia and 1.08 Hz/Pa of alumina below 0.5 MPa with a readout distance of 2.5 cm. The described sensor technology can be applied for monitoring of atmospheric pressure to evaluate important component parameters in harsh environments.     

一种压阻式微悬臂梁免疫传感器及其动力学分析

针对传统光学读出微悬臂梁传感器所需测量系统复杂的局限,将生物素—亲和素系统的放大效应与压阻式微悬臂梁传感技术结合起来,成功构建了一种读出方式简单的压阻式微悬臂梁免疫传感器。利用构建的传感器对相思子毒素进行检测,检测限达8μg/L,反应在20 min内基本完成,具有很好的特异性和重现性,能满足水样、土壤、食品等实际模拟样品检测的要求。建立了压阻式微悬臂梁免疫传感器检测相思子毒素的反应动力学模型,并对实际检测数据进行了拟合分析,相关系数R值在0.971 1以上(P0.001)。根据拟合方程求出的传感器对不同浓度相思子毒素反应达到平衡的响应电压ΔU e、响应时间t0均与实测值非常接近。     

A two-step optimization procedure for assessing water constituent concentrations by hyperspectral remote sensing techniques: An application to the highly turbid Venice lagoon waters

Over the past few years, the increased spectral and spatial resolution of remote sensing equipment has promoted the investigation of new techniques for inland and coastal water monitoring. The availability of new high-resolution data has allowed improvements in models based on the radiative transfer theory for assessing optical water quality parameters. In this study, we fine-tuned a physical model for the highly turbid Venice lagoon waters and developed an inversion technique based on a two-step optimization procedure appropriate for hyperspectral data processing to retrieve water constituent concentrations from remote data. In the first step, the solution of a linearized analytical formulation of the radiative transfer equations was found. In the second step, this solution was used to provide the initial values in a non-linear least squares-based method. This effort represents a first step in the construction of a feasible and timely methodology for Venice lagoon water quality monitoring by remote sensing, especially in view of the existing experimental hyperspectral satellite (Hyperion) and the future missions such as PRISMA, EnMap and HyspIRI. The optical properties of the water constituents were assessed on the basis of sea/lagoon campaigns and data from the literature. The water light field was shaped by an analytical formulation of radiative transfer equations and the application of numerical simulations (Hydrolight software). Once the optical properties of the Venice lagoon bio-optical model were validated, the inverse procedure was applied to local radiometric spectra to retrieve concentrations of chlorophyll, colored dissolved organic matter and tripton. The inverse procedure was validated by comparing these concentrations with those measured in the laboratory from in situ water samples, then it was applied to airborne (CASI and MIVIS) and satellite (Hyperion) sensors to derive water constituent concentration maps. The consistent results encourage the use of this procedure using future missions satellite (PRISMA, EnMap and HyspIRI).     

A silicon pressure sensor with a low-cost contactless interferometric optical readout

A novel miniature pressure sensor based on a silicon micromembrane with non-electric contactless readout of its deflection by low-cost integrated interferometric optical means (a simple ‘white’-light source and a special single-chip photodetector) has been elaborated. In contrast to the well-known piezoresistive or capacitive readout, the contactless optical approach will provide accurate measurements of absolute or differential pressure even in severe environments and at elevated temperatures. Preliminary experiments performed show the feasibility of such a sensor.     

Space and time localization for the estimation of distributed parameters in a finite element model

In this paper we study the problem of estimating the possibly non-homogeneous material coefficients inside a physical system, from transient excitations and measurements made in a few points on the boundary. We assume there is available an adequate Finite Element (FEM) model of the system, whose distributed physical parameters must be estimated from the experimental data.We propose a space–time localization approach that gives a better conditioned estimation problem, without the need of an expensive regularization. Some experimental results obtained on an elastic system with random coefficients are given.     

Multisensor integration for underwater scene classification

We describe a new approach for the classification of a seafloor that is imaged with high frequency sonar and optical sensors. Information from these sensors is combined to evaluate the material properties of the seafloor. Estimation of material properties is based on the phenomenological relationship between the acoustical image intensity, surface roughness, and intrinsic object properties in the underwater scene. The sonar image yields backscatter estimates, while the optical stereo imagery yields surface roughness parameters. These two pieces of information are combined by a composite roughness model of high-frequency bottom backscattering phenomenon. The model is based on the conservation of acoustic energy travelling across a fluid-fluid interface. The model provides estimates of material density ratio and sound velocity ratio for the seafloor. These parameters serve as physically meaningful features for classification of the seafloor. Experimental results using real data illustrate the usefulness of this approach for autonomous and/or remotely operated undersea activity.Supported by the National Science Foundation Research Initiation Award IRI-91109584.     

Application of a one-fluid model for large scale homogeneous unsteady cavitation: The modified Schmidt model

It is found that the one-fluid cavitation model developed by Schmidt et al. [Schmidt DP, Rutland CJ, Corradini ML. A fully compressible, two-dimensional model of small, high speed, cavitating nozzles. Atomiz Sprays 1999;9:255–76] (Schmidt Model) does not work consistently when applied to simulate the unsteady transient cavitating flows with a large vapor to liquid density ratio or under the condition of a low surrounding pressure. In this work, the apparent difficulties of the Schmidt model are analyzed and a modified Schmidt model is proposed for greater robustness and consistency. The modified Schmidt model is then applied to study the creation, evolution and collapse of transient cavitation commonly observed in underwater explosions and industrial pipe flow. The model is firstly verified by simulating several cavitating flows where analytical, experimental or numerical results are available for comparison, and then applied to multi-dimensional transient cavitating flows generated by underwater explosions. The numerical results show that the modified Schmidt model can overcome the difficulties associated with the (original) Schmidt model and be applied to both small and large scale transient cavitating flows to predict the pressure surge caused by cavitation collapse regardless of the surrounding pressure.     

Seismic stability of cracked concrete dams using rigid block models

Several gravity dams subjected to severe ground motions are likely to experience cracking and sliding in the upper section where dynamic amplification is important. A high acceleration spike realistically applies large inertia forces computed from mass times the acceleration. However, these impulsive inertia forces might not be applied in the same direction for a sufficient long period of time to induce significant rotational or sliding displacements detrimental to the seismic or post-seismic structural stability of the cracked components. When it is of interest to estimate residual sliding displacements, a convenient and simple tool is to perform transient rigid body “sliding block” analysis of the “cracked” component. However, this requires the definition of proper seismic input motions at the base of the block with due consideration of dynamic amplification. The possibility to compute in-structure response spectra (ISRS) at the base of the block to define suitable spectra compatible accelerograms is presented in this paper. An important conclusion is that it is not conservative to use accelerograms compatible with the linear (uncracked) dam ISRS to perform transient rigid body sliding response analyses. Dam base and upper joint cracking affects its dynamic properties such that there are modifications of the intensities and frequency content of seismic motions as they propagate over the dam’s height. An envelope of nonlinear ISRS computed from cracked beam models of the dam is recommended to obtain compatible accelerograms and to provide a conservative estimate of upper block residual sliding displacements.     

Optical tomography system based on charge-coupled device linear image sensors: Particle size measurement

This paper discussed an optical tomography system based on charge-coupled device (CCD) linear image sensors. The developed system consists of a lighting system, a measurement section and a data acquisition system. Four CCD linear image sensors are configured around a flow pipe with an octagonal-shaped measurement section, for a four projections system. The four CCD linear image sensors consisting of 2048 pixels with a pixel size of 14 μm by 14 μm are used to produce a high-resolution system. A simple optical model is mapped into the system's sensitivity matrix to relate the optical attenuation due to variations of optical density within the measurement section. A reconstructed tomographic image is produced based on the model using MATLAB software. The designed instrumentation system is calibrated and tested through different particle size measurements from different projections.     

3D Viscoelastic analysis of a polymer solution in a complex flow

A mixed low-order finite element technique based on the Discrete Elastic Viscous Stress Splitting (DEVSS)/Discontinuous Galerkin (DG) method has been developed for the analysis of three-dimensional viscoelastic flows in the presence of multiple relaxation times. In order to evaluate the predictive capabilities of some established nonlinear constitutive relations like the Giesekus and the Phan-Thien–Tanner (PTT) model results of 3D calculations are compared with experimental results in a cross-slot flow geometry. Moreover, the performance of a new viscoelastic constitutive equation that provides enhanced independent control of the shear and elongational properties is investigated. Steady shear flows and a combined shear/elongational flow are analyzed for a polyisobutylene solution. A general method is introduced to compare calculated stresses along the depth of the flow with birefringence measurements using the stress optical rule. In particular at and downstream of the stagnation point in the cross-slot flow geometry, the numerical/experimental evaluation shows that the multi-mode Giesekus and the PTT model are unable to describe the stress-related experimental observations. The new viscoelastic constitutive relation proves to perform significantly better for this stagnation flow.     

Development and experimental studies of a control-oriented SCR model for a two-catalyst urea-SCR system

This paper presents the development and experimental studies of a complete selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system control-oriented model of a two-catalyst SCR system with onboard NO_x and ammonia sensors. SCR catalysts have been popularly regarded as effective means for NO_x emission control in medium- and heavy-duty vehicles in recent years. However, control of urea dosing upstream of the SCR systems still remains a challenge in the field mainly due to the complicated SCR dynamics and limited/inaccurate feedback information. A control-oriented SCR model is thus indispensable for SCR control systems. A variety of experimental tests were examined using a Diesel engine-aftertreatment system consisting of a diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC)/diesel particulate filter (DPF), two-SCR catalysts (Fe-Zeolite type) in series, three NO_x sensors, and two NH₃ sensors. By utilizing multiple emission sensors and the two-catalyst SCR setup, the sensor properties and SCR system dynamics were studied. Grounded in the experimental investigations and the physical insights, a control-oriented model for a complete SCR system was developed and validated with experimental data.     

基于小波变换的PMN-PT红外传感器读出信号降噪处理

由于弛豫铁电单晶(PMN-PT)优异的压电效应和热释电效应,使得它对外界的干扰更加敏感,制成传感器后会比In-GaAs等材料产生更多的噪声。针对PMN-PT红外传感器读出信号中的白噪声、1/f噪声及其他一些噪声的产生机理、特点进行了分析与研究,利用计算机仿真出了带有白噪声和1/f噪声、信噪比为0dB左右的读出信号模型。采用db4正交小波基对读出信号进行分解,并使用改进的阈值对小波细节系数进行处理,达到降噪的目的。使用FPGA实现了对实测信号的小波去噪,结果表明,降噪后信噪比提高了15dB,提高了红外传感器的性能。     

Application of multiscale elastic homogenization based on nanoindentation for high performance concrete

The paper aims at developing a simple two-step homogenization scheme for prediction of elastic properties of a high performance concrete (HPC) in which microstructural heterogeneities are distinguished with the help of nanoindentation. The main components of the analyzed material include blended cement, fly-ash and fine aggregate. The material heterogeneity appears on several length scales as well as porosity that is accounted for in the model. Grid nanoindentation is applied as a fundamental source of elastic properties of individual microstructural phases in which subsequent statistical evaluation and deconvolution of phase properties are employed. The multilevel porosity is evaluated from combined sources, namely mercury intrusion porosimetry and optical image analyses. Micromechanical data serve as input parameters for analytical (Mori–Tanaka) and numerical FFT-based elastic homogenizations at microscale. Both schemes give similar results and justify the isotropic character of the material. The elastic stiffness matrices are derived from individual phase properties and directly from the grid nanoindentation data with very good agreement. The second material level, which accounts for large air porosity and aggregate, is treated with analytical homogenization to predict the overall composite properties. The results are compared with macroscopic experimental measurements received from static and dynamic tests. Also here, good agreement was achieved within the experimental error, which includes microscale phase interactions in a very dense heterogeneous composite matrix. The methodology applied in this paper gives promising results for the better prediction of HPC elastic properties and for further reduction of expensive experimental works that must be, otherwise, performed on macroscopic level.     

Lorentz force based magnetic field sensor with optical readout

A miniaturized sensor capable for measuring high magnetic flux densities is presented. The magnetic flux density is converted into a movement of a micro machined U-shaped cantilever, which bears a thin film lead. The cantilever movement is accomplished by the Lorentz force acting on the electrical current. The cantilever poses as a deflecting mirror in an optical readout system. The ratio of the intensity of the light reflected by the front side of the cantilever to the intensity of the incident light is analyzed. The optical conversion principle was proven experimentally. It is well described by an optical near field model. To overcome measurement problems caused by the deformation due to mechanically prestressed cantilevers, an ac excitation was used for sensor characterization. A measurement range of the current–flux density product of 2.2 mA T was achieved by evaluating the peak light intensity. Beyond this limit more sophisticated signal analysis has to be applied. Depending on the rest position, a magnetic flux density of about 10 mT can be resolved with a current of 10 mA. The target of an upper limit of 50 T can be achieved by reducing the electrical current.     

Optical fiber-based evanescent ammonia sensor

An optical fiber-based evanescent gaseous ammonia sensor is designed and developed. The sensing dye, bromocresol purple (BCP), is immobilized in the substitutional cladding using sol–gel process. The sensing properties of the optical fiber sensor to gaseous ammonia at room temperature are presented. This newly developed ammonia sensor exhibits good reversibility and repeatability. The effect of different carrier gases, argon, nitrogen, and air on sensing properties of the ammonia sensor is investigated. The sensor with air as carrier gas has the best response time and sensitivity. In order to improve the response time of the optical fiber evanescent ammonia sensor, an elevated ambient temperature is applied and thoroughly investigated. A fast response time of 10 s was obtained at 55.5 °C with the carrier gas of air or argon. These experimental results have demonstrated that a fast response optical fiber evanescent gaseous ammonia sensor can be constructed by applying slightly elevated ambient temperature.     

Experimental and modeling studies of acetylene detection in hydrogen/acetylene mixtures on PdM bimetallic metal-insulator-semiconductor devices

The effect of the composition of the metal gate on acetylene response in hydrogen/acetylene mixtures was tested for a number of metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) devices with bimetallic gates. The motivation for this study was that bimetallic catalysts are employed in the commercial acetylene hydrogenation process because of superior performance compared to the pure metals. A variety of metal compositions and operating temperatures were tested, with the largest reproducible acetylene response observed for a 15% Ag/Pd sensor at 398 K. Kinetic modeling of the relevant surface reactions on Pd and bimetallic PdAg provided insights into how temperature, feed concentration, and Ag content affected response. The model predicted that significant coverages of carbon species formed on the surface, mainly CH(s) and C(s) on Pd and CCH(s) on PdAg, and that these species strongly influenced sensor responses. The dynamic changes in the surface coverages of carbonaceous intermediates after acetylene introduction were correlated with a response overshoot seen experimentally. The model indicated that the superior performance of Ag/Pd sensors relative to Pd sensors could be explained in terms of a higher hydrogen consumption rate. These results indicate a strong connection between the high reaction rates observed for industrial Ag/Pd acetylene hydrogenation catalysts and acetylene response in Ag/Pd MIS sensors.