Sensors · 2008 · 192 citations · 24 references
Successful DevelopmentSmart TextileOptical MaterialsEngineeringSoft RoboticsFlexible SensorsFlexible ElectronicsOptical PropertiesMechanical EngineeringOptical FibersWearable TechnologyFiber Optic SensingWoven TextilesPressure Sensitive MatrixFlexible Sensor
The study develops pressure‑sensitive textile prototypes using flexible optical fiber technology. The authors embed thermoplastic silicone optical fibers into woven textiles, where applied pressure alters fiber cross‑section and transmitted light, enabling a 2×2 fiber sensor array to detect pressure. The prototypes, fabricated with 0.51 mm and 0.98 mm fibers, demonstrate pressure sensing from 0 to 30 N with drift below 4.6 % over 25 cycles.
In this paper we report the successful development of pressure sensitive textile prototypes based on flexible optical fibers technology. Our approach is based on thermoplastic silicone fibers, which can be integrated into woven textiles. As soon as pressure at a certain area of the textile is applied to these fibers they change their cross section reversibly, due to their elastomeric character, and a simultaneous change in transmitted light intensity can be detected. We have successfully manufactured two different woven samples with fibers of 0.51 and 0.98 mm diameter in warp and weft direction, forming a pressure sensitive matrix. Determining their physical behavior when a force is applied shows that pressure measurements are feasible. Their usable working range is between 0 and 30 N. Small drifts in the range of 0.2 to 4.6%, over 25 load cycles, could be measured. Finally, a sensor array of 2 x 2 optical fibers was tested for sensitivity, spatial resolution and light coupling between fibers at intersections.
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Sensor for Measuring Strain in Textile
Corinne Mattmann, Frank Clemens, Gerhard Tröster · Sensors · 2008 · 455 citations · Full text