Measurement uncertainty of multicore optical fiber sensors used to sense curvature and bending direction

This paper describes a study of the influence of strain measurement uncertainty on sensing curvature and bending direction, considering one of the most widely used fiber geometries for sensing applications (7-core Multicore Fiber) with different core spacings (distance between outer cores and fiber axis). The Monte Carlo method was proposed to simulate the real measurement process and 33 simulations with 106 iterations were performed to determine the laws of propagation of strain measurement uncertainty in calculating curvature and bending direction. The outcomes, which show the strong influence of strain uncertainty and core spacing on the precision of Multicore Fiber sensors, can be used to support the design of new sensors or new fiber geometry and to predict their achievable performance. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.