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Market research firm Research and Markets estimates that the fibre optic sensor market will grow at an average annual rate of 27.8% over the 2010-2014 period.
High-temperature applications are one of the main factors in the development of this technology. The main players in the market are Sick, Banner Engineering, Omron and ifm Efector. These companies use fiber optics to guide light but not strictly speaking as a sensitive element. However, fibre optics are sensitive to many factors (temperature, mechanical constraints, magnetic field), which makes it possible to consider it as a sensor: hundreds of patents have been filed but it must be recognized that several decades later, very few have resulted in the development of sensors themselves.
The study believes that the relatively short lifespan of optical fibers is a hindrance to the development of this technology.
Find out more: www.researchandmarkets.com/
