Optical systems and sensors for measurement and control

The author discusses the future roles of optical fibre systems in instrumentation and draws attention to some of the potential areas in which current developments in opto-electronics may well considerably expand the applications arena. The major possibilities include the all optical sensor and actuator system, the incorporation of passive signal processing, analogue-to-digital conversion and passive delay line multiplexing, and the impact of advanced optical technology including single mode optics and integrated optic concepts. Some potential systems are described which illustrate the considerably increased role for optical techniques in instrumentation.