Compact and low-cost fiber optic thermometer

Mei H. Sun

doi:10.1117/12.275513

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16 June 1997 Compact and low-cost fiber optic thermometer

Mei H. Sun

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Proceedings Volume 2976, Biomedical Sensing, Imaging, and Tracking Technologies II; (1997) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.275513
Event: BiOS '97, Part of Photonics West, 1997, San Jose, CA, United States

Abstract

Commercial fiberoptic thermometers have been available for a number of years. The early products were unreliable and high in price. However, the continuing effort in the development of new sensing techniques along with the breakthroughs made in many areas of optoelectronics in recent years have made the production of cost competitive and reliable systems feasible. A fluorescence decay time based system has been demonstrated to successfully meet both cost and performance requirements for various medical applications. A very critical element to the success of this low cost and compact fiberoptic thermometer is the fluorescent sensor material. The very high quantum efficiency, the operating wavelengths, and the temperature sensitivity helped significantly in simplifying the design requirements for the optics and the electronics. The one to eight channel unit contains one to eight modules of a simple optical assembly: an LED light source, a small lens, and a filter are housed in an injection molded plastic container. Both the electronics and the optics reside on a small printed circuit board of approximately 6 inches by 3 inches. This system can be packaged as a stand alone unit or embedded in original manufacturer equipment.

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Mei H. Sun "Compact and low-cost fiber optic thermometer", Proc. SPIE 2976, Biomedical Sensing, Imaging, and Tracking Technologies II, (16 June 1997); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.275513

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