Development of Sustainable FBG Sensor for Environmental Monitoring Through Vibration Energy Harvesting

Abstract

Recently, Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors have been utilized for environmental monitoring applications. FBG sensors operate by creating a periodic modulation in the refractive index within a fiber core that acts as a Bragg wavelength filter for an injected light source. External parameters that disturb the gratings induces a shift in the Bragg wavelength, signifying a parametric change. Normally, the light source of the FGB sensors are powered by conventional batteries. However, this may pose a challenge if the device was to be placed in remote areas where battery replacement can be inconvenient. Hence, the concept of vibration energy harvesting was applied as a solution for a green and sustainable power output. This paper highlights the basic principles of a FBG sensor and proposes a novel electromagnetic vibration energy harvesting design to power the light source of a FGB sensor. The proposed design was shown to be capable of producing sufficient output power for the sensor under a vibration input of 0.05 g.