Optical Feedback Interferometry for SENsing – CapIRO

The LabCom CapIRO is supported by the antenna of the laboratory LAAS-CNRS based at INP Toulouse and the company 01dB-Metravib SAS, an ETI based in Lyon.
The OSE Research Group (Optoelectronics for Embedded Systems) of the LAAS is mainly involved in this LabCom. This group, constituting the antenna of the LAAS at INP Toulouse (National Polytechnic Institute), is recognized at the international level for its research activities on the design of sensors based on optical feedback interferometry (OFI) for vibration and velocity measurements.
The ACOEM Group (Staff: 400, annual sales: 60M€) is constituted by an ETI (01dB-Metravib SAS) which will be the one directly involved in the LabCom, and ACOEM AB (Sweden) and Vibralign (USA). The group proposes an aggegate supply on smart monitiring and solutions based on vibro-acoustic phenomenon. 01dB-Metravib SAS is a company working in a wide range of domains : sustainable technologies, defense, manufacturing, with its registered trademarks (01dB, Metravib, OneProd and Meax) with international wholly-owned subsidiaries in Brazil, Hungary, Italy, South East Asia, Sweden (ACOEM AB, formerly Fixtulaser in 2014) and USA (Vibralign, 2015).
After closing the purchase deal of Fixturlaser, specialized in the field of optoelectronics, the strategy of the ACOEM group includes now the development for 01dB-Metravib SAS of its own range of sensors for applications such like industrial and quality control, and forthcoming potential applications to be validated in function with the TRL of the sensors designed within the labCom.

The main objective of the LabCom is the development of a long-lasting R&D activity in the field of designing laser-based sensors for their industrialization. These innovative OFI sensors are non-intrusive, real time, embedded, low-cost, and self-aligned. Due to their inherent qualities in terms of robustness, repeatability, reproductibility, accuracy, bandwidth, amplitude vs frequency of vibration, and range of measurements, they are well-adapted for facing the most cricical industrial challenges.

The roadmap of the LabCom consists firstly in sharing a hardware/software methology for designing sensors and dedicated test benches for their qualification. An important outcome will be the commercialization of a first range of sensors dedicated to vibration measurements at short-distances, in industrial environments. Taking into account the TRL of OFI sensors, this outcome can be achieved by the end of the 3 years project. Mid-term research will focus on long-distance OFI sensors (several tens of meters) for vibration measurements, in order to extend the range of potential applications even to acoustic detection which is more exploratory.

This join laboratory will enable 01dB-Metravib SAS to propose innovative sensors for increased productivity, harsh environments, detection of threat for military applications, seismic monitoring, non-destructive testing, material characterization,...

For the laboratory, it will permit a better knowledge of the needs of industry and it will be a unique opportunity to push the OFI sensing systems to their limits (notably long-distance measurements of sound propagation). It will induce new behavioral models of physics of laser subject to optical feedback, advanced algorithms of signal processing...

For both partners, the LabCom CapIRO will initiate a long-term collaboration with mutual benefit.