Process: Fluid level sensor starting 2013-06-04 ending 2013-06-04

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Outputs

Scheduled:

Prototype - Fluid level sensor 1.00 Each due June 4, 2013
Completed: produces 1.00 Each July 31, 2013
  Resource: Prototype - Fluid level sensor: Fluid level sensor 1.00 Each

Work

Planned Work: (Requirements are ordered by due date)

Work - R&D optics: 1.00 Time - Hours due June 4, 2013

03, JUNE 2013
I discovered this new sensor by playing with the microfiber transducer.
Ideas were there before from discussions with Frederic about the constriction transducer. Frederic thought that the mechanism of the constriction transducer was leakage, and suggested to plunge it in water to see how the signal changes. The microfilament is a constricted optical fiber on a longer length, so the connection was easy to make, I plunged one microfiber transducer into water and it worked.
I also tested it to see a difference between water and alcohol, and it worked. I tested saturated salted water, and the signal difference with pure water was too small to make a conclusion.
I published the results in this video http://youtu.be/oA-0UgrdPBU
I believe that the working principle is leakage: the fiber is pulled to a smaller core, some light transferred into the cladding, which propagates if the fiber is in air. If the fiber is immersed in a fluid with higher refraction index some light escapes. We're measuring intensity fluctuations. So yes, it depends on the difference between the index of refraction of the cladding and the external media. Nothing out of the ordinary. There is some specific know how for the fabrication of the fiber, which has to be tapered and pulled with a certain geometry, the tip has to be melted to a ball and coated with silver (we're using our in-house low cost silver coating method) to send the light back to the detector.
I marked some time for documenting the work, communicating to SENSORICA and publishing it on social media.
I used 125/63.5 MM glass Infinicor300 Corning fiber, pulled with the microsplicer, voltage used 8.5V, max current. I pulled the fiber by hand using the manual micrometers on the device. One can diminish the voltage down to 8V. 7V is not enough to melt the glass fiber. At 8 one can do finer stretches.
The tip of the pulled micro fiber was melted to round it, and was coated using our inhouse wet silver coating method. Only the very tip was coated. I made 2 devices, 1 to 2 mm long, 40 and 20 microns diameter. Only the 20 microns diameter was sensitive when immersed into water.
I used the 850nm LED to test it, before it was improved with filter and amplifier.
TODO: try different diameters. It seems that the critical diameter is between 40 and 20 microns. Also try multiple constrictions to see if we can have a discrete level sensor.

Taken by Tibi
Work events:
July 31, 2013 0.00 Time - Hours Done by Tibi

03, JUNE 2013
I discovered this new sensor by playing with the microfiber transducer.
Ideas were there before from discussions with Frederic about the constriction transducer. Frederic thought that the mechanism of the constriction transducer was leakage, and suggested to plunge it in water to see how the signal changes. The microfilament is a constricted optical fiber on a longer length, so the connection was easy to make, I plunged one microfiber transducer into water and it worked.
I also tested it to see a difference between water and alcohol, and it worked. I tested saturated salted water, and the signal difference with pure water was too small to make a conclusion.
I published the results in this video http://youtu.be/oA-0UgrdPBU
I believe that the working principle is leakage: the fiber is pulled to a smaller core, some light transferred into the cladding, which propagates if the fiber is in air. If the fiber is immersed in a fluid with higher refraction index some light escapes. We're measuring intensity fluctuations. So yes, it depends on the difference between the index of refraction of the cladding and the external media. Nothing out of the ordinary. There is some specific know how for the fabrication of the fiber, which has to be tapered and pulled with a certain geometry, the tip has to be melted to a ball and coated with silver (we're using our in-house low cost silver coating method) to send the light back to the detector.
I marked some time for documenting the work, communicating to SENSORICA and publishing it on social media.
I used 125/63.5 MM glass Infinicor300 Corning fiber, pulled with the microsplicer, voltage used 8.5V, max current. I pulled the fiber by hand using the manual micrometers on the device. One can diminish the voltage down to 8V. 7V is not enough to melt the glass fiber. At 8 one can do finer stretches.
The tip of the pulled micro fiber was melted to round it, and was coated using our inhouse wet silver coating method. Only the very tip was coated. I made 2 devices, 1 to 2 mm long, 40 and 20 microns diameter. Only the 20 microns diameter was sensitive when immersed into water.
I used the 850nm LED to test it, before it was improved with filter and amplifier.
TODO: try different diameters. It seems that the critical diameter is between 40 and 20 microns. Also try multiple constrictions to see if we can have a discrete level sensor.

June 4, 2013 3.07 Time - Hours Done by Tibi

03, JUNE 2013
I discovered this new sensor by playing with the microfiber transducer.
Ideas were there before from discussions with Frederic about the constriction transducer. Frederic thought that the mechanism of the constriction transducer was leakage, and suggested to plunge it in water to see how the signal changes. The microfilament is a constricted optical fiber on a longer length, so the connection was easy to make, I plunged one microfiber transducer into water and it worked.
I also tested it to see a difference between water and alcohol, and it worked. I tested saturated salted water, and the signal difference with pure water was too small to make a conclusion.
I published the results in this video http://youtu.be/oA-0UgrdPBU
I believe that the working principle is leakage: the fiber is pulled to a smaller core, some light transferred into the cladding, which propagates if the fiber is in air. If the fiber is immersed in a fluid with higher refraction index some light escapes. We're measuring intensity fluctuations. So yes, it depends on the difference between the index of refraction of the cladding and the external media. Nothing out of the ordinary. There is some specific know how for the fabrication of the fiber, which has to be tapered and pulled with a certain geometry, the tip has to be melted to a ball and coated with silver (we're using our in-house low cost silver coating method) to send the light back to the detector.
I marked some time for documenting the work, communicating to SENSORICA and publishing it on social media.
I used 125/63.5 MM glass Infinicor300 Corning fiber, pulled with the microsplicer, voltage used 8.5V, max current. I pulled the fiber by hand using the manual micrometers on the device. One can diminish the voltage down to 8V. 7V is not enough to melt the glass fiber. At 8 one can do finer stretches.
The tip of the pulled micro fiber was melted to round it, and was coated using our inhouse wet silver coating method. Only the very tip was coated. I made 2 devices, 1 to 2 mm long, 40 and 20 microns diameter. Only the 20 microns diameter was sensitive when immersed into water.
I used the 850nm LED to test it, before it was improved with filter and amplifier.
TODO: try different diameters. It seems that the critical diameter is between 40 and 20 microns. Also try multiple constrictions to see if we can have a discrete level sensor.

Citations

Method - Wet coating

Usable Inputs

Prototype Material - Mosquito LD (laser) sensor : 1.00 Time - Hours due June 4, 2013
Onhand: Prototype - Mosquito PD-LD - Demo 1.00 Each
Used: Prototype - Mosquito PD-LD - Demo 0.00 Each July 31, 2013 by SENSORICA
Equipment - Office - Camera photo/video: 1.00 Time - Hours due June 4, 2013
Onhand: Celestron microscope USB camera 1.00 Each
Used: Celestron microscope USB camera 0.70 Time - Hours July 31, 2013 by SENSORICA
Onhand: HP webcam 1.00 Each
Onhand: Logitech HD webcam 1 1.00 Each
Onhand: Logitech low def. 1.00 Each
Onhand: Phil's CCD 1.00 Each
Onhand: VESKYS IP Camera 1.00 Each
Equipment - Optical - Microscope : 1.00 Time - Hours due June 4, 2013
Onhand: Confocal Dilson's 1.00 Each
Onhand: Confocal Phil's 1.00 Each
Onhand: Inverted Phil 1.00 Each
Onhand: Microscope inverted Dilson 4.00 Each
Onhand: Stereo microscope - large Phil 1.00 Each
Onhand: Stereo microscope - large SENSORICA 1.00 Each
Used: Stereo microscope - large SENSORICA 0.70 Time - Hours July 31, 2013 by SENSORICA
Equipment - Electronic - DAQ and controller: 1.00 Time - Hours due June 4, 2013
Onhand: Arduino nano 1.00 Each
Onhand: Arduino UNO 4.00 Each
Onhand: DAQ and controller LabJack U3 HV 2.00 Each
Used: DAQ and controller LabJack U3 HV 0.70 Time - Hours July 31, 2013 by SENSORICA
Onhand: Phil's USB DAQ 1.00 Each
Space Lab: 1.00 Time - Hours due June 4, 2013
Onhand: Space - Frederic D's lab 200.00 Area - square meters
Onhand: Space - Makxim's lab 100.00 Area - square meters
Onhand: Space - Phil's lab 25.00 Area - square meters
Onhand: Space - SENSORICA Montreal lab 250.00 Area - square meters
Used: Space - SENSORICA Montreal lab 0.70 Time - Hours July 31, 2013 by SENSORICA
Onhand: Space - SENSORICA Robotics lab 1000.00 Area - square meters
Equipment - Optical fiber splicer: 1.00 Time - Hours due June 4, 2013
Onhand: Field Fiber Splicer 2.00 Each
Used: Field Fiber Splicer 1.00 Time - Hours July 31, 2013 by SENSORICA
Equipment - Optical - Cleaver: 1.00 Each due June 4, 2013
Onhand: Corning small cleaver 1.00 Each
Used: Corning small cleaver 0.00 Time - Hours July 31, 2013 by SENSORICA
Onhand: Fiber Cleaver - large 1.00 Each
Used: Fiber Cleaver - large 0.50 Time - Hours July 31, 2013 by SENSORICA

Process context:

Pattern: Generic R&D
Context: Fluid level sensor
Order: Work order 76 due: 2013-06-04

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