Optical fiber tip micro anemometer [U.S. Patent US11635315B2]
Patent No.: US 11,635,315 B2
Date of Patent: Apr. 25, 2023
Abstract
A passive microscopic flow sensor includes a three-dimensional microscopic optical structure formed on a cleaved tip of an optical fiber. The three-dimensional microscopic optical structure includes a post attached off-center to and extending longitudinally from the cleaved tip of the optical fiber. A rotor of the three-dimensional microscopic optical structure is received for rotation on the post. The rotor has more than one blade. Each blade has a reflective undersurface that reflects a light signal back through the optical fiber when center aligned with the optical fiber, the blades of the rotor shaped to rotate at a rate related to a flow rate.
This paper has been withdrawn.