A system for monitoring events using fiber optics has a length of fiber optic cable having a first end, a second end and a detection length disposed between the first end and the second end. An optical signal source introduces an optical signal into the first end of the fiber optic cable. A detector detects a strength of the optical signal at the second end of the fiber optic cable.

The present invention relates to a sensor device for determining alignment/misalignment of a laser beam relative to a gas nozzle of a laser machining head which comprises a sensor housing provided with mounting means adapted to mount the housing to a laser machining head, a camera device comprising a camera, the camera device is provided in the sensor housing, so that the camera faces the tip of the gas nozzle when the sensor housing is mounted to the laser machining head for visualizing an orifice of the gas nozzle and a pilot laser simultaneously, and output means for outputting image signals obtained by the camera.

An apparatus, including: an optical sensor fiber having a first end optically couplable to receive light from a light source, wherein the optical sensor fiber is a multimode optical fiber configured to carry light in different spatial propagating modes, wherein the optical sensor fiber is constructed such that environmental fluctuations couple light energy between some of the spatial propagating modes; a spatial propagating mode demultiplexer optically coupled to a second end the optical sensor fiber and configured to separate a plurality of light signals received from different ones of the spatial propagating modes; and an optical receiver configured to process the separated light signals and to estimate a longitudinal position of one of the environmental fluctuations along the optical sensor fiber based a measured delay between arrival times of the separated light signals.

Apparatus for measuring deformation of an elongate body defining an axis, the apparatus including: an optical fibre arranged relative to the body, the optical fibre including a first strain sensitive optical fibre portion coupled to the body and at least partially aligned at a first angle relative to the axis, and a second strain sensitive optical fibre portion coupled to the body and at least partially aligned at a second angle relative to the axis, the second angle being opposite to the first angle; a radiation source connected to an end of the optical fibre, the radiation source being for supplying electromagnetic radiation to the optical fibre; a sensor connected to an end of the optical fibre, the sensor being for sensing electromagnetic radiation received from the first and second optical fibre portions; and a processing device for determining the deformation of the body using the sensed electromagnetic radiation, the deformation including any axial or torsional deformation.

An optical component may be provided having a substrate with a first refractive index, in which space regions with a second refractive index are arranged, wherein the optical component contains at least one optical metamaterial, which contains a plurality of individual pixels each comprising a space region which has the first or the second refractive index, wherein the substrate contains at least one polymer. Further, a sensor may be provided with such an optical component and a process for measuring any of an expansion or a temperature.

A insertion/removal apparatus comprises an insertion section with flexibility which is inserted into a target object to perform a desired operation, a shape sensor, an insertion section shape calculator, and a direct manipulation information estimation circuit. The shape sensor detects bending of the insertion section and outputs a detection signal. The insertion section shape calculator which calculates insertion section shape information indicating a shape of the insertion section, based on the detection signal output from the shape sensor. The direct manipulation information estimation circuit which estimates direct manipulation information including at least one of an insertion/removal amount and a rotation amount of the insertion section inserted into and removed from the target object, based on the insertion section shape information.

A multilinear domain-specific domain generalization (MDSDG) approach that utilizes information stored in multilinear indices of data domains to improve machine learning. In particularbased on limited sample size(s) in observed scenariosan array of models is jointly trained, which advantageously are generalized to a new, unseen scenario, where only domain descriptions in the form of multilinear indices are available.

A power cable arrangement (28,40), having a power core with one or more conductors, an intermediate layer disposed about the power core, a water barrier layer tightly arranged about the intermediate layer, and a moisture ingress detection device (10,29) arranged between the water barrier layer and the intermediate layer in direct contact with the water barrier layer. The moisture ingress detection device has an elongated optical fiber (12) surrounded by a water-swellable material (14,32), the swellable material arranged to expand upon contact with moisture and exert a pressure on the underlying optical fiber sufficient to cause an observable change in the attenuation and/or propagation characteristics of the optical fiber.

A sensing device comprising an optical tactile sensor that comprises a sensing block is provided. The sensing block is made of a light-transmitting and elastic base material, and comprises a plurality of sensing cells. The sensing device may further comprise an optic fiber, a light sensor, and a calibration cell. A method of making the sensing device is also provided. The optical tactile sensor can provide multi-axial and multi-modal capabilities to practical applications.