Optical fibre Bragg gratings: a new sensor multiplexing tool

Optical fibre multiplexed sensors are used to make measurements at multiple, discrete locations, usually by sending optical signals between each measurement location and a conveniently positioned optical interrogation instrument. It is rapidly becoming practical to construct multiplexed optical fibre sensor arrays based on in‐fibre Bragg gratings. A Bragg grating can be produced in an optical fibre by writing a periodic variation in the refractive index of the fibre’s core along the axis, using ultra‐violet light. Multiplexing applications will appear ranging from the small scale, with only a few sensors, up to very large scales with hundreds of sensors.