Voltage Sensor
To demonstrate the feasibility of measuring high voltages
employing optical techniques, Lewis Research Center awarded a
Small Business Innovation Research contract (see page 108) to
SRICO, Inc, Powell, Ohio. The contract called for development
of a fiber optic voltage sensor for use in management of aircraft
and spacecraft electrical power systems; because it uses glass
and light to sense and transmit electricity, fiber optic measurement
offers potential for safety and accuracy improvement in voltage
measurement.
SRICO's fiber optic voltage sensor offers improved accuracy
in voltage measurements.
SRICO successfully developed a NASA prototype device and,
using private capital, developed a commercially marketable sensor
for terrestrial applications. Among the many commercial uses
SRICO cites measurement of electric field and voltage in electric
power systems and hazardous environments; lightning detection
in avionics and mining; fiber optic communications systems; non-contact
probing of high-speed integrated circuits; biomedical engineering
and instrumentation; and charge measurement in photocopiers and
ion neutralization systems.
The innovative integrated optic voltage sensor employs reverse
poling technology that permits the use of simple electrode structures
for high voltage sensing without the need for voltage division.
The design eliminates electrical isolation problems between the
high voltage system and the control system. The sensor and the
optical fibers are immune to electromagnetic interference, thus
yield accurate measurements over a wide dynamic range.
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