Low-cost and Low-Size Interferometer for Accelerometers Replacement

Parisa Esmaili, Federico Cavedo, Loredana Cristaldi, Michele Norgia

Abstract

This paper presents the development and characterization of a self-mixing interferometer, especially designed to replace normal accelerometers, used for measuring vibrations to detect defects or malfunctions. The sensor’s design emphasizes minimal footprint with a straightforward baseband signal decoding enabled by the intrinsic distortion in the SMI waveform, resulting in vibration measurement of the target, with a resolution better than 10 nm. Experimental validation on the ISE OneX test bench, equipped with a commercial axial accelerometer and fault-simulated bearings, demonstrates that the SMI system delivers a signal-to-noise ratio and sensitivity at least two orders of magnitude higher than the accelerometer, particularly in the low-frequency range. These results confirm the potential of the proposed interferometer as a high-performance, contactless solution for industrial condition monitoring and its suitability for integration into advanced diagnostic platforms.

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IMEKO-TC2-2025-017.pdf

DOI

10.21014/tc2-2025.017

IMEKO TC

TC2 - Photonics

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