A New Approach To Sensors For Shipboard Use

The shipboard environment, with its potential for extreme EMI levels, electrical problems, flooding, fire and other damaging conditions, is particularly well suited to benefit from fiber optic based sensing technology. Fiber optics can contribute significantly to platform mission readiness, survivability and maintainability. Suitable sensors, when combined with modern concepts of multiplexing, data busing, and computer-based data processing and control, offer significant benefits. Such systems can help eliminate unintended electromagnetic radiation, reduce crew workload, simplify system overhaul or upgrade, decrease weight and allow for the deployment of composite ship structures. However, one essential element of such a system is the development of diverse, high performance, moderately priced sensors using fiber optic signal lines. Eldec Corporation has been involved in the development of such sensors and this paper outlines some of the issues related to that development, including an examination of the particular requirements of shipboard systems and how those requirements affect development of general purpose fiber optic based sensors. The tradeoffs between passive fiber optic transducers and equivalent self-powered electrical active devices using fiber optic signal lines are examined. Additionally, a basis for the development of these active sensors will be presented, along with descriptions of a non-contacting limit switch and linear position sensor equivalent in function to the LVDT (linear variable differential transformer).