Patent ID: 7460740

Claim:
A fiber optic sensor for measuring static pressure, the sensor comprising: a cartridge housing having an end that is exposed to the atmosphere; a thin flexible membrane in tension and covering the exposed end of the cartridge housing such that the flexible membrane has an exposed side and a protected side; and a fiber bundle disposed within the cartridge housing, the fiber bundle comprising at least one fiber having a first polished end for transmitting light toward the membrane and a second end for being coupled to a light source or a receiver, the housing arranged to maintain the membrane at a distance from the first end of the fiber in a direction along a fiber axis, with free space between the first fiber end and the protected side of the flexible membrane, the free space is sealed from the exterior of the sensor by the housing and the membrane, and light intensity received by the fiber after reflection by the thin flexible membrane corresponds to the static pressure external to the sensor at the exposed side of the membrane.