Resumen de Development and application of photonic technologies for industry 4.0
Since the beginning of the 21st century, due to the development of new information and telecommunication infrastructures and the appearance of new sensorial technologies, a new industrial revolution has begun, Industry 4.0, which comes to change the way in which goods and services are produced with the aim of improving the lives of people and the planet.
In this context photonics can be considered as one of the most important enabling technologies for Industry 4.0. Photonics provides communication links with the development and implementation of optical fibers and 5G, providing a higher data transfer between devices. In addition, photonics-based sensors have proven to be an ideal solution for a large number of applications, thanks to their reliability, speed, precision and miniaturization capacity. In addition, in recent years optical computing technology is being developed, which is expected to improve the processing speed of computers drastically, thus changing the current paradigm by replacing electrons with photons as a means of transmitting information.
In this thesis, a series of projects have been carried out, encompassed in the study of different light sources and detectors, as well as artificial vision systems, in order to create solutions for problems that exist in industrial processes. For this, it has been decided to research the most relevant points today in which photonics can be useful.
• The study of novel and compact laser systems for industrial and medical applications. Those must be eye safe in order to be suitable for multiple purposes.
• Research into new sensors to maintain the safety and health of the population, mainly in these years with the appearing of new diseases such as Covid 19.
• The development of photonic devices for the transition to Industry 4.0. Those sensors must be able to work in real time in order to provide a big amount of data and should be affordable enough to permit companies to put some of them.
Throughout this work, innovative photonic devices focused on the creation and implementation of new technologies in Industry 4.0 have been studied and developed. Different systems have been made to solve the growing needs of the industry in the field of sensors, detectors and new light sources, adapting to the needs of each specific point in the production chain.
We demonstrate a Microchip FS-DLW lasers for 4 studies of different materials to develop new laser systems. This new typology allows the creation of very compact and efficient lasers ideal for medical and industrial applications. Also, two types of waveguide sensors has been demonstrated by microfabrication of a waveguide channel within a crystal. With this procedure it is possible to make light interact very efficiently with a liquid medium and thus be able to measure its composition. Those two deviced are based on Fabry-Perot interferometry and evanescent waves.
In the field of hyperspectral devices, by using inexpensive devices, three multispectral detection systems have been developed, their operation has been demonstrated, as well as some practical applications of these equipment.
In addition, in the field of quality control some devices have been developed. By using a line laser and a monochromatic camera, low-cost laser profilometry systems has been developed for some utilities like imperfection detection, quality control and non-touch systems. Also, an artificial vision system has been developed by using an ultra-fast camera being able to measure wear and deformations in the needles of a knitting machine.
Last, an optical encoder has been developed whose main characteristic is the absence of any electromechanical device, making it possible to use it in flammable environments without risk. Thanks to the properties of the optical fibers, it is possible to place this sensor several hundred meters from the detectors without any loss of signal, being especially useful in the chemical industry.
