Title :
A fiber-optic density sensor for monitoring the state-of-charge of a lead acid battery
Author :
Hancke, Gerhard P.
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Electr. Eng., Pretoria Univ., South Africa
fDate :
2/1/1990 12:00:00 AM
Abstract :
A fiber-optic technique for measuring relative density has been developed and successfully applied to the electrolyte of a lead-acid battery. The method relies on the optical power loss exhibited by fibers bent beyond a critical radius. For such fibers the loss depends on the refractive index of the surrounding medium, which is proportional to its specific gravity. The amount of leakage can be measured and related to the value of the specific gravity. The application of this technique has one main drawback: errors can arise from source intensity variations, variable losses in fibers and connectors, and sensitivity changes in the detectors
Keywords :
charge measurement; density measurement; electrolytes; fibre optic sensors; measurement errors; refractive index measurement; secondary cells; Pb acid battery; electrolyte; fiber-optic density sensor; leakage; measurement errors; monitoring; optical power loss; refractive index; relative density; sensitivity changes; source intensity variations; specific gravity; variable losses; Battery charge measurement; Density measurement; Gravity; Monitoring; Optical fiber losses; Optical fiber sensors; Optical refraction; Optical sensors; Optical variables control; Refractive index;
Journal_Title :
Instrumentation and Measurement, IEEE Transactions on
