High Temperature Light Guide
Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) have created a high-temperature optical fiber assembly for sensing applications within harsh or high-temperature environments. These pressure-sealing and chemically resistant light guides have been made using both quartz and borosilicate glass. The fiber assemblies can be made to a specified length with varying bundle sizes up to 0.040 inches in diameter. Over 100 of these assemblies have been reliably produced by a commercial manufacturer and APL is currently seeking a licensing partner to bring the technology to market. The light guides are made by bonding bundles of fine optical fibers together with high-temperature epoxy through a proprietary manufacturing process. The polished distal tip is housed within a pressure-sealing high-temperature connector that attaches to the user’s threaded bulkhead with a jam nut; a shoulder provides a stop to accommodate bulkheads of varying thickness. The proximal end is fitted with a standard SMA connector (or other type) that attaches to a remote detector or spectrometer. JHU/APL has used the high-temperature light guides for measuring the optical output from high-energy explosions and for ignition and combustion monitoring within a pressurized supersonic combustor. The light-guides are uniquely suitable for use in harsh chemical or high-temperature environments for use with imagers or detectors. They may also provide diagnostic instrumentation for ignition, combustion, and other manufacturing processes. Additional applications include process monitoring in the iron-ore, steel, and aluminum processing industries, monitoring of nuclear processes, engine and turbo-machinery diagnostics, and fire detection. The high-temperature light guides can also enable the development of other types of optical sensors in harsh or high-temperature environments where conventional instrumentation cannot operate.Patent Status: U.S. patent(s) 7156559; 7,435,010 issued.
Type of Offer: Licensing
« More Communications Patents