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March 5, 2026Sensors3 citationsOpen Access

Design, Calibration and Characterization of a Fiber Optic Triaxial Accelerometer Based on Fiber Bragg Gratings

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RSR. G. A. da SilvaJSJoão M. S. Sakamoto

Key Points

  • The aim is to design and characterize a triaxial accelerometer for space navigation applications with high performance.
  • Designed a triaxial accelerometer using fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs).
  • Developed a differential optical interrogation system and low-noise signal conditioning circuit.
  • Implemented an extended calibration model with polynomial terms for temperature compensation.
  • Tested sensor performance in a climatic chamber with varying orientations and temperatures.
  • Achieved tactical-grade performance with bias instability below 1.9mgE across all axes.
  • Effective full-scale range of approximately ±20gE and a sensitivity of 112pm/gE.
  • Third-order polynomial thermal compensation model reduced errors significantly, enhancing accuracy.

Abstract

This work presents the design, calibration and detailed performance characterization of a triaxial accelerometer based on fbg, intended for space navigation applications. The sensor employs a single seismic mass architecture, whose acceleration-induced displacement deforms six fo, forming twelve fiberSegment that act as elastic elements, with the strain measured by fbg inscribed in each fiber. The methodology ranges from the manufacturing and spectral characterization of the FBGs to the design of a differential optical interrogation system and a low-noise signal conditioning circuit. A cornerstone of this work is the proposal of an extended calibration model that, in addition to the conventional sensitivity matrix and bias vector parameters, incorporates polynomial terms to actively compensate for the effects of temperature variation. This model was validated through tests in a climatic chamber, subjecting the sensor to different orientations and controlled temperatures. The experimental results validate the design’s effectiveness, demonstrating that the accelerometer achieves tactical-grade performance with a bias instability below 1.9mgE for all axes. The analysis confirmed that the sensor’s effective full-scale range is approximately ±20gE, and sensitivity of 112pm/gE, limited by the nature of the optical interrogation system. Furthermore, a third-order polynomial thermal compensation model was shown to provide the most efficient balance between model complexity and error reduction, reducing errors to a level dominated by the system’s intrinsic noise and ensuring the sensor’s accuracy over a wide operational temperature range.

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Cite This Study

Silva et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/69a91dd2d6127c7a504c0fa1https://doi.org/10.3390/s26051588
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