A biomimetic flow sensor based on asymmetric optical fiber sensory structure for marine sensing

With increasing awareness of the importance of the ocean, more research has been focused on the sensing of marine-related parameters. In this paper, a bio-inspired flow sensor endowed with virtues of corrosion resistance, anti-interference, portable design, ease of integration, and directional sensing ability has been presented to realize flow speed sensing in open space water such as the ocean. The sensor was realized by a flexible artificial cupula sealing one side of the s-tapered fiber encapsulated capillary as the hair cell sensory structure, and a 3D printing structure was fixed at the other end of the sensory structure as the artificial supporting cell. The transmission optical spectrums of the sensory fiber under a set of water flow velocities and four orthogonal directions were monitored to demonstrate the characteristics of the sensor. The intensity responses of corresponding peaks to evaluate flow velocity or direction were outlined respectively demonstrating the flow sensing ability for both velocity and direction. This biomimetic portable sensing structure has proven itself a promising candidate for flow sensing in marine environments.

随着公众对海洋重要性的认知不断提升，越来越多的研究转向海洋相关参数的传感检测工作。本文提出一种仿生流量传感器（bio-inspired flow sensor），该传感器兼具耐腐蚀、抗干扰、便携设计、易于集成以及方向感知能力等优势，可实现海洋等开放水域的流速与流向感知。该传感器以柔性人工顶体（artificial cupula）密封封装有S型锥形光纤（s-tapered fiber）的毛细管，作为毛细胞感知结构；并在该感知结构的另一端固定3D打印结构，作为人工支持细胞。通过监测感知光纤在多组水流流速与四个正交方向下的传输光谱，验证了该传感器的性能特性。分别通过对应峰值的强度响应表征水流流速与流向，结果证实该传感器可同时实现流速与流向的流量感知。这款仿生便携感知结构已被证实是海洋环境中流量传感的极具潜力的候选方案。