Systems and methods for remote sensing of air gaps using a capacitor sensor array

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11435176-B2
Application number	US-201916365028-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 26, 2019
Priority date	Mar 26, 2019
Publication date	Sep 6, 2022
Grant date	Sep 6, 2022

Abstract

A system for remote sensing of air gaps includes a substrate and a capacitor sensor array attached to the substrate, where the capacitor sensor array includes a plurality of capacitor sensors. The system also includes a transmit antenna attached to the substrate, and a microprocessor electrically connected to the transmit antenna and the capacitor sensor array. The microprocessor is configured to switch on and off at least one capacitor sensor of the plurality of capacitor sensors and to transmit determined air gap measurements using the transmit antenna.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for remote sensing of air gaps, the system comprising:
a flexible hybrid electronic (FHE) substrate;
a capacitor sensor array attached to the FHE substrate, the capacitor sensor array comprising a plurality of capacitor sensors configured to measure an air gap;
a transmit antenna attached to the FHE substrate;
a microprocessor attached to the FHE substrate and electrically connected to the transmit antenna and the capacitor sensor array, wherein the microprocessor is configured to switch on and off at least one capacitor sensor of the plurality of capacitor sensors, and wherein the microprocessor is further configured to process and transmit determined air gap measurements using the transmit antenna;
a printed circuit disposed on the FHE substrate and electrically coupling the capacitor sensor array, the transmit antenna, and the microprocessor;
an alternating current (AC) signal generator attached to the FHE substrate; and
a reference capacitor electrically connected to the AC signal generator and the capacitor sensor array, wherein the reference capacitor is a capacitor having a tunable capacitance, and wherein, the reference capacitor is mechanically or electrically tunable based upon a size of an air gap to be measured.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the FHE substrate is a polyimide film substrate.

3. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a receive antenna configured to receive, from the transmit antenna, the determined air gap measurements; and
a receive microprocessor electrically connected to the receive antenna, the receive microprocessor configured to process the determined air gap measurements received by the receive antenna.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the FHE substrate, including the capacitor sensor array, is configured to be removably mounted on a first component part of a structure that includes an air gap, the system further comprising a ground plane configured to be removably mounted on a second component part of the structure, wherein the first component part and the second component part define the air gap therebetween.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein at least some of the plurality of capacitor sensors included in the capacitor sensor array are different sizes, and wherein the microprocessor is configured to select at least one capacitor sensor of the plurality of capacitor sensors based upon and corresponding to a size of an air gap to be measured.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein each capacitor sensor of the plurality of capacitor sensors included in the capacitor sensor array are a same size, and wherein the microprocessor is configured to sequentially select at least some capacitor sensors of the plurality of capacitor sensors to determine a physical profile of an air gap to be measured.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the microprocessor is powered by the transmit antenna.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the microprocessor is further configured to switch on and off the plurality of capacitor sensors in a sequence to create a gap profile.

9. A system for remote sensing of air gaps, the system comprising:
a flexible hybrid electronics (FHE) substrate;
a signal generator attached to the FHE substrate;
a capacitor sensor array attached to the FHE substrate, the capacitor sensor array comprising a plurality of capacitor sensors;
a reference capacitor attached to the FHE substrate and electrically connected between the signal generator and the capacitor sensor array, wherein the reference capacitor is mechanically or electrically tunable based upon a size of an air gap to be measured;
a plurality of switching elements attached to the FHE substrate, at least one switching element of the plurality of switching elements electrically connected to a respective capacitor sensor of the plurality of capacitor sensors; and
a printed circuit disposed on the FHE substrate and electrically coupling the signal generator, the capacitor sensor array, the reference capacitor, and the plurality of switching elements.

10. The system of claim 9 , further comprising a microprocessor attached to the FHE substrate, the microprocessor configured to:
select a capacitor sensor of the plurality of capacitor sensors by turning on a respective switching element; and
determine a gap distance between the selected capacitor sensor and a conductive ground plane mounted proximate the selected capacitor sensor and spaced apart from the selected capacitor sensor by the gap distance.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the microprocessor is further configured to determine the gap distance based, at least, upon a capacitance of the reference capacitor, an input voltage supplied by the signal generator, and an output voltage of the selected capacitor sensor.

12. The system of claim 9 , further comprising a rectifier attached to the FHE substrate.

13. The system of claim 9 , wherein the FHE substrate is a polyimide film substrate.

14. The system of claim 9 , further comprising a transmit antenna attached to the FHE substrate.

15. The system of claim 9 , further comprising:
a receive antenna configured to receive, from a transmit antenna attached to the FHE substrate, a determined gap distance; and
a receive microprocessor electrically connected to the receive antenna, the receive microprocessor configured to process the determined gap distance.

16. A method for remote sensing of air gaps, the method comprising:
selecting, by a microprocessor attached to a flexible hybrid electronics (FHE) substrate, a capacitor sensor from an array of capacitor sensors attached to the FHE substrate, wherein a printed circuit disposed on the FHE substrate electrically couples the microprocessor and the array of capacitor sensors;
tuning a reference capacitor electrically coupled to the capacitor sensor for a size of an air gap to be measured;
determining, by the microprocessor, a gap distance between the selected capacitor sensor and a conductive ground plane mounted proximate the selected capacitor sensor and spaced apart from the selected capacitor sensor by the gap distance; and
controlling, by the microprocessor, a transmit antenna attached to the FHE substrate to transmit the determined gap distance to a receive subsystem.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
receiving, by the receive subsystem and from the transmit antenna, the determined gap distance; and
processing, by the receive subsystem, the determined gap distance.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein at least some capacitor sensors included in the array of capacitor sensors are different sizes, the method further comprising selecting, by the microprocessor, at least one capacitor sensor based upon and corresponding to a size of an air gap to be measured.

19. The method of claim 16 , wherein each capacitor sensor included in the array of capacitor sensors is a same size, the method further comprising sequentially selecting, by the microprocessor, at least some capacitor sensors to determine a physical profile of an air gap to be measured.

20. The method of claim 16 , further comprising powering the microprocessor by the transmit antenna.

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Rogers John E
• Dabrowski Ted Ronald
• Smith Robert A
• Messer Timothy Doyle
• Thacker Corey Mckinney
• Mitchell Michael Francis

Classifications

• G01B7/14 Primary

  for measuring distance or clearance between spaced objects or spaced apertures (G01B7/30 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01B2210/58

  Wireless transmission of information between a sensor or probe and a control or evaluation unit · CPC title