The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Aug. 17, 2004
Filed:
Nov. 08, 2001
Mark R. Fernald, Enfield, CT (US);
Timothy J. Bailey, Longmeadow, MA (US);
Matthew B. Miller, Glastonbury, CT (US);
James M. Sullivan, Manchester, CT (US);
James R. Dunphy, South Glastonbury, CT (US);
Michael A. Davis, Glastonbury, CT (US);
Christopher J. Wright, Amston, CT (US);
Alan D. Kersey, South Glastonbury, CT (US);
Martin A. Putnam, Cheshire, CT (US);
Robert N. Brucato, Waterbury, CT (US);
Paul E. Sanders, Madison, CT (US);
CiDRA Corporation, Wallingford, CT (US);
Abstract
A fiber grating pressure sensor for use in an industrial process includes an optical sensing element which includes an optical fiber having a Bragg grating impressed therein which is encased within and fused to at least a portion of a glass capillary tube and/or a large diameter waveguide grating having a core and a wide cladding and which has an outer transverse dimension of at least 0.3 mm. Light is incident on the grating and light is reflected from the grating at a reflection wavelength &lgr; The sensing element may be used by itself as a sensor or located within a housing . When external pressure P increases, the grating is compressed and the reflection wavelength &lgr; changes. The shape of the sensing element may have other geometries, e.g., a “dogbone” shape, so as to enhance the sensitivity of shift in &lgr; due to applied external pressure and may be fused to an outer shell . A temperature grating may be used to measure temperature and allow for a temperature-corrected pressure measurement. The sensor may be suspended within an outer housing , by a fluid, spacers, or other means. The sensor may also be combined with an instrument, an opto-electronic converter and a controller in an industrial process control system.