Distributed filtering of vibrations of a flexible structure using distributed effect sensors

The use of distributed filtering to realize arbitrary scalar system outputs from the output of a distributed sensor is described. Specifically, the use of distributed filtering as it applies to a holographic sensor is discussed. The set of scalar position measurements realizable using traditional point sensors is a subset of the set of scalar outputs realizable using distributed sensing and filtering. This is one of the advantages of distributed sensing over point sensing. As an example, the application of distributed sensing and filtering to the class of one-dimensional flexible structures represented by flexible beams is considered. The holographic sensor provides a good illustrative example because there are no restrictions on the filter functions that may be implemented. Two applications of distributed sensor filtering, point sensor simulation and modal filtering, are also discussed.