16 February 2018 Continuous liquid level detection based on two parallel plastic optical fibers in a helical structure
Yingzi Zhang, Yulong Hou, Yanjun Zhang, Yanjun Hu, Liang Zhang, Xiaolong Gao, Huixin Zhang, Wenyi Liu
Author Affiliations +
Abstract
A simple and low-cost continuous liquid-level sensor based on two parallel plastic optical fibers (POFs) in a helical structure is presented. The change in the liquid level is determined by measuring the side-coupling power in the passive fiber. The side-coupling ratio is increased by just filling the gap between the two POFs with ultraviolet-curable optical cement, making the proposed sensor competitive. The experimental results show that the side-coupling power declines as the liquid level rises. The sensitivity and the measurement range are flexible and affected by the geometric parameters of the helical structure. A higher sensitivity of 0.0208  μW/mm is acquired for a smaller curvature radius of 5 mm, and the measurement range can be expanded to 120 mm by enlarging the screw pitch to 40 mm. In addition, the reversibility and temperature dependence are studied. The proposed sensor is a cost-effective solution offering the advantages of a simple fabrication process, good reversibility, and compensable temperature dependence.
© 2018 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE) 0091-3286/2018/$25.00 © 2018 SPIE
Yingzi Zhang, Yulong Hou, Yanjun Zhang, Yanjun Hu, Liang Zhang, Xiaolong Gao, Huixin Zhang, and Wenyi Liu "Continuous liquid level detection based on two parallel plastic optical fibers in a helical structure," Optical Engineering 57(2), 026112 (16 February 2018). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.OE.57.2.026112
Received: 6 November 2017; Accepted: 30 January 2018; Published: 16 February 2018
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CITATIONS
Cited by 3 scholarly publications.
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KEYWORDS
Sensors

Liquids

Polymer optical fibers

Cements

UV optics

Light sources

Fiber optics sensors

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