Water sensor using macrobending-sensitive fiber for real-time submersion monitoring

Abstract A fast reusable water sensor for long-distance real-time submersion monitoring was fabricated using a macrobending-sensitive fiber (MSF). The proposed water sensor consists of floating matter, periodic macrobending deformers, and a MSF. In this structure, the floating matter moves up and down according to the buoyant force of water, thereby controlling the bending loss of the MSF and allowing the proposed sensor to detect submersion. A basic bending experiment was conducted using a MSF and macrobending deformer, and the results used to fabricate an efficient water sensor. In contrast to existing sensors where the optical loss increases in the case of submersion, the optical loss of the fabricated sensor decreases due to the buoyant force when the selected area is submerged. As such, the fabricated sensor is able to transmit submersion information further than sensors that detect submersion by increasing the optical loss, and it is unaffected by environmental factors, such as humidity and pollutants in the water. The proposed sensor detects submersion by monitoring a 16 dB optical power change of 1550 nm, and the change in the optical power of the fabricated sensor is only affected by the buoyant force. In addition, the proposed water sensor quickly returns to its initial state when the water disappears, and the insertion loss when it is connected to a single-mode fiber (SMF) at both ends using a connector is only −1.2 dB at 1550 nm.