Brillouin sensing for perimetric detection: the SmartFence project

Security is a rising market, and solutions based on distributed sensing provide answers adapted to requests of citizens and industrials. We developed the SMARTFENCE concept, to provide an innovative solution for enhanced perimeter security of critical infrastructures. It includes a new kind of optical cable deployed on fences, a Brillouin instrumentation, and a dedicated signal processing. Several 20 m-long fences were equipped with such sensing cable and tested by commandos, then intrusion signals were used to develop the signal processing. Field trials resulted in a very sensitive solution, thanks to an innovative deployment procedure of optical cables on fences. The project ends with a long term demonstration: an electrical substation, 670 m perimeter, has been equipped with the fiber sensing cable, on two fence levels. This validation provides an important experience feedback and the monitoring system validation.