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Sensing Technologies and Optical Communication

A special issue of Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220). This special issue belongs to the section "Communications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2025 | Viewed by 6756

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Isiaka A. Alimi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Instituto de Telecomunicações, Aveiro, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal
Interests: optical communications; artificial intelligence
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Paulo Pereira Monteiro

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Instituto de Telecomunicações, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
Interests: optical communication networks; fixed-mobile convergence; integrated sensing and communications; microwave photonics; electronic subsystems
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Significant advancements and recognition have been achieved in optical communications, attributed to its rapid transmission rates, minimal loss, extensive bandwidth capacity, immunity to electromagnetic interference, and suitability for long-distance transmission. These features make optical communications well-suited for Internet of Things (IoT) applications. Additionally, fiber sensing technology offers a broad range of measurements, including temperature, pressure, strain, displacement, ambient refractive index, radiation, torsion, and magnetic field. This versatility presents immense opportunities for fiber sensors across diverse fields such as healthcare, military, environmental protection, industry, aerospace, transportation, and automation. In contrast to traditional electrical and electronic sensors, fiber sensors excel at performing consistent sensing operations even in challenging environments, rendering them promising solutions for emerging IoT applications. However, the adoption of fiber sensing technology in new domains presents unique challenges. Many emerging IoT applications demand attributes such as long-range sensing, high sensitivity, high fidelity, wide frequency response, multi-dimensional capabilities, cost-effectiveness, compactness, real-time sensing, detection, and measurement. Consequently, the integration of machine learning and AI algorithms becomes essential to extracting information from fiber sensing data and facilitating autonomous decision-making in real-time across various IoT applications.

This Special Issue aims to gather pioneering research across a diverse spectrum of topics, encompassing theoretical investigations and systems research. It encompasses all sensor types and their applications in optical communications and networks, considering viewpoints from both industry and academia.

Dr. Isiaka A. Alimi
Dr. Paulo P. Monteiro
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sensors is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • wearable optical and electromagnetic sensors
  • fiber bragg gratings
  • micro- and nano-structured fiber sensors
  • metro, data-center, and long-haul fiber optic networks
  • ai/machine learning-based communication and sensing

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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22 pages, 30335 KiB  
Article
Parameter Self-Adjusting Single-Mode Fiber Nutation Coupling Algorithm Based on Fuzzy Control
by Yongkai Liu, Shuqiang Li, Furui Lv, Ximing Wang, Baogang Chen, Chenzi Guo, Kainan Yao and Jianli Wang
Sensors 2025, 25(10), 3051; https://doi.org/10.3390/s25103051 - 12 May 2025
Viewed by 205
Abstract
The free-space optical communication fiber coupling system requires improved coupling efficiency through the fiber nutation algorithm. However, traditional fiber nutation algorithms suffer from issues such as fixed parameters and limited correction range. To address these challenges, a parameter self-adjusting single-mode fiber nutation coupling [...] Read more.
The free-space optical communication fiber coupling system requires improved coupling efficiency through the fiber nutation algorithm. However, traditional fiber nutation algorithms suffer from issues such as fixed parameters and limited correction range. To address these challenges, a parameter self-adjusting single-mode fiber nutation coupling algorithm based on fuzzy control is proposed. Firstly, by leveraging the principles of fuzzy control and analyzing the influence of nutation parameters, a fuzzy controller with power and power change rate as input and nutation parameter as output is designed. Subsequently, we simulate and evaluate the static and dynamic performance of the fuzzy controller. The simulation results indicate that our algorithm outperforms traditional coupling algorithms in terms of coupling efficiency, accuracy, and speed. Finally, experimental results confirm the static and dynamic performance improvements of the parameter self-adjusting single-mode fiber nutation coupling algorithm based on fuzzy control. Specifically, under static conditions, the correction range of the proposed algorithm is approximately five times greater than that of the traditional algorithm. Under dynamic conditions, the disturbance suppression bandwidth increases to 8 Hz, nearly ten times greater than that of the traditional algorithm, significantly enhancing fiber nutation performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensing Technologies and Optical Communication)
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21 pages, 4888 KiB  
Article
Digital Twin-Assisted Lightpath Provisioning and Nonlinear Mitigation in C+L+S Multiband Optical Networks
by Sadegh Ghasrizadeh, Prasunika Khare, Nelson Costa, Marc Ruiz, Antonio Napoli, Joao Pedro and Luis Velasco
Sensors 2024, 24(24), 8054; https://doi.org/10.3390/s24248054 - 17 Dec 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1018
Abstract
Multiband (MB) optical transmission targets increasing the capacity of operators’ optical transport networks. However, nonlinear impairments (NLI) affect each optical channel in the C+L+S bands differently, and, therefore, the routing and spectrum assignment (RSA) problem needs to be complemented with fast and accurate [...] Read more.
Multiband (MB) optical transmission targets increasing the capacity of operators’ optical transport networks. However, nonlinear impairments (NLI) affect each optical channel in the C+L+S bands differently, and, therefore, the routing and spectrum assignment (RSA) problem needs to be complemented with fast and accurate tools to consider the quality of transmission (QoT) within the provisioning process. This paper proposes a digital twin-assisted approach for lightpath provisioning to provide a complete solution for the RSA problem that ensures the required QoT in MB optical networks. The OCATA time domain digital twin is proposed, not only to estimate the QoT of a selected path but also to support the QoT-based channel assignment process. OCATA is based on a Deep Neural Network (DNN) to model the propagation of the optical signal. However, because of the different impacts of nonlinear noise on each channel and the large number of channels that need to be considered in C+L+S MB scenarios, OCATA needs to be adapted to make it scalable, while keeping its high accuracy and fast QoT estimation characteristics. In consequence, a complete methodology is proposed in this work that limits the number of channels being modeled to just a few. Moreover, OCATA-MB helps to mitigate NLI noise by programming the receiver at the provisioning time and thus with very little complexity compared to its equivalent implemented during the operation. NLI noise mitigation can be applied in the case when a lightpath cannot be provisioned because none of the available channels can provide the required QoT, making it an advantageous tool for reducing connection blocking. Exhaustive simulation results demonstrate the remarkable accuracy of OCATA-MB in estimating the QoT for any channel. Interestingly, by utilizing the proposed OCATA-MB-assisted lightpath provisioning approach, a reduction of the blocking ratio exceeding 50% when compared to traditional approaches is shown when NLI noise mitigation is not applied. If NLI mitigation is implemented, an additional over 50% blocking reduction is achieved. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensing Technologies and Optical Communication)
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35 pages, 28009 KiB  
Article
Optoelectronics Interfaces for a VLC System for UHD Audio-Visual Content Transmission in a Passenger Van: HW Design
by Carlos Iván del Valle Morales, Juan Sebastián Betancourt Perlaza, Juan Carlos Torres Zafra, Iñaki Martinez-Sarriegui and José Manuel Sánchez-Pena
Sensors 2024, 24(17), 5829; https://doi.org/10.3390/s24175829 - 8 Sep 2024
Viewed by 1816
Abstract
This work aims to provide the hardware (HW) design of the optoelectronics interfaces for a visible-light communication (VLC) system that can be employed for several use cases. Potential applications include the transmission of ultra-high-definition (UHD) streaming video through existing reading lamps installed in [...] Read more.
This work aims to provide the hardware (HW) design of the optoelectronics interfaces for a visible-light communication (VLC) system that can be employed for several use cases. Potential applications include the transmission of ultra-high-definition (UHD) streaming video through existing reading lamps installed in passenger vans. In this use case, visible light is employed for the downlink, while infrared light is used for the uplink channel, acting as a remote controller. Two primary components -a Light Fidelity (LiFi) router and a USB dongle—were designed and implemented. The ‘LiFi Router’, handling the downlink channel, comprises components such as a visible Light-Emitting Diode (LED) and an infrared receiver. Operating at a supply voltage of 12 V and consuming current at 920 mA, it is compatible with standard voltage buses found in transport vehicles. The ‘USB dongle’, responsible for the uplink, incorporates an infrared LED and a receiver optimized for visible light. The USB dongle works at a supply voltage of 5 V and shows a current consumption of 1.12 A, making it well suited for direct connection to a universal serial bus (USB) port. The bandwidth achieved for the downlink is 11.66 MHz, while the uplink’s bandwidth is 12.27 MHz. A system competent at streaming UHD video with the feature of being single-input multiple-output (SIMO) was successfully implemented via the custom hardware design of the optical transceivers and optoelectronics interfaces. To ensure the system’s correct performance at a distance of 110 cm, the minimum signal-to-noise ratio (SNRmin) for both optical links was maintained at 10.74 dB. We conducted a proof-of-concept test of the VLC system in a passenger van and verified its optimal operation, effectively illustrating its performance in a real operating environment. Exemplifying potential implementations possible with the hardware system designed in this work, a bit rate of 15.2 Mbps was reached with On–Off Keying (OOK), and 11.25 Mbps was obtained with Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) using Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM) obtaining a bit-error rate (BER) of 3.3259 × 10−5 in a passenger van at a distance of 72.5 cm between the LiFi router and the USB dongle. As a final addition, a solar panel was installed on the passenger van’s roof to power the user’s laptop and the USB dongle via a power bank battery. It took 13.4 h to charge the battery, yielding a battery life of 22.3 h. This characteristic renders the user’s side of the system entirely self-powered. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensing Technologies and Optical Communication)
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Review

Jump to: Research

43 pages, 8972 KiB  
Review
Newest Methods and Approaches to Enhance the Performance of Optical Frequency-Domain Reflectometers
by Ivan A. Lobach, Andrei A. Fotiadi, Vasily A. Yatseev, Yuri A. Konstantinov, Fedor L. Barkov, D. Claude, Dmitry A. Kambur, Maxim E. Belokrylov, Artem T. Turov and Dmitry A. Korobko
Sensors 2024, 24(16), 5432; https://doi.org/10.3390/s24165432 - 22 Aug 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3143
Abstract
In this review, we summarize the latest advances in the design of optical frequency-domain reflectometers (OFDRs), digital signal processing, and sensors based on special optical fibers. We discuss state-of-the-art approaches to improving metrological characteristics, such as spatial resolution, SNR, dynamic range, and the [...] Read more.
In this review, we summarize the latest advances in the design of optical frequency-domain reflectometers (OFDRs), digital signal processing, and sensors based on special optical fibers. We discuss state-of-the-art approaches to improving metrological characteristics, such as spatial resolution, SNR, dynamic range, and the accuracy of determining back reflection coefficients. We also analyze the latest achievements in the OFDR-based sensors: the accuracy of spatial localization of the impact, the error in detecting temperatures, deformation, and other quantities, and the features of separate measurement of various physical quantities. We also pay attention to the trend of mutual integration of frequency-domain optical reflectometry methods with time-domain optical reflectometry, which provides completely new sensing possibilities. We believe that this review may be useful to engineers and scientists focused on developing a lab setup, complete measurement instrument, or sensing system with specific requirements. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensing Technologies and Optical Communication)
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