Miniature UAV telemetry using a portable integrated FOS system

Advancements in portability and performance are described for a fiber optic sensor readout system capable of monitoring wavelength-multiplexed sensors. The handheld sensor interrogator was designed to readily interface with conglomerate sensor systems as a smart sensor node and process all spectral data within its own system in real time at 20 Hz for +/- 13 picometers resolution mode. Portability was demonstrated by flying the system on a miniature aerial vehicle (MAV) which collected strain and temperature flight data for broadcast to a ground station. Additional improvements upgraded the sensor measurement speed by two orders of magnitude.