Transparency including a wireless sensor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11780594-B2
Application number	US-201916590548-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 2, 2019
Priority date	Oct 2, 2019
Publication date	Oct 10, 2023
Grant date	Oct 10, 2023

Abstract

A transparency includes a plurality of sheets. Each sheet of the plurality of sheets can include a first major surface, an opposite second major surface, and a peripheral surface between the first major surface and the second major surface. The transparency can further include: an inter-sheet layer positioned between the first major surface of one of the sheets of the plurality of sheets and the second major surface of an adjacent sheet of the plurality of sheets; and a wireless sensor positioned in the inter-sheet layer. The wireless sensor includes a sensory portion configured to measure information representative of a condition of a portion of the transparency and a wireless transmitter configured to wirelessly transmit the received information to a wireless receiver.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A transparency comprising:
a plurality of sheets, each sheet comprising a first major surface, an opposite second major surface, and a peripheral surface between the first major surface and the second major surface;
an inter-sheet layer positioned between the first major surface of one of the sheets of the plurality of sheets and the second major surface of an adjacent sheet of the plurality of sheets; and
a wireless temperature sensor positioned in the inter-sheet layer, the wireless temperature sensor comprising a sensory portion configured to measure information representative of a condition of a portion of the transparency, the sensory portion comprising a thermistor, a thermocouple, and/or an infrared detector, and a wireless transmitter configured to wirelessly transmit the measured information to a wireless receiver; and
wherein the wireless transmitter is configured to transmit the measured data at multiple frequencies and/or at multiple times.

2. The transparency of claim 1 , wherein the wireless sensor comprises a temperature sensor, moisture sensor, strain sensor, corrosion sensor, impact sensor, breakage sensor, current sensor, arcing sensor, partial discharge sensor, voltage sensor, resistance sensor, or p-static sensor.

3. The transparency of claim 1 , wherein the wireless temperature sensor comprises a power source for providing power for the sensory portion and/or the wireless transmitter of the wireless temperature sensor.

4. A transparency comprising:
a plurality of sheets, each sheet comprising a first major surface, an opposite second major surface, and a peripheral surface between the first major surface and the second major surface;
an inter-sheet layer positioned between the first major surface of one of the sheets of the plurality of sheets and the second major surface of an adjacent sheet of the plurality of sheets; and
a wireless sensor positioned in the inter-sheet layer, the wireless sensor comprising a sensory portion configured to measure information representative of a condition of a portion of the transparency and a wireless transmitter configured to wirelessly transmit the measured information to a wireless receiver,
wherein the wireless transmitter is configured to transmit the measured data at multiple frequencies and/or at multiple times,
wherein the wireless sensor comprises a power source for providing power for the sensory portion and/or the wireless transmitter of the wireless sensor, and
wherein the power source comprises an energy harvesting antenna configured to collect energy from ambient or transmitted signals.

5. The transparency of claim 1 , wherein the wireless transmitter comprises a low-power short-range antenna, a radio-frequency charging antenna, and/or a near-field communication antenna.

6. The transparency of claim 1 , further comprising a conductive coating on one of the major surfaces of one of the plurality of sheets, the conductive coating being configured to generate heat for defogging and/or de-icing the transparency, and wherein the wireless temperature sensor comprises a power source for providing power to the sensory portion and/or to the wireless transmitter, the power source comprising a thermoelectric member configured to generate power due to heating of the conductive coating.

7. The transparency of claim 4 , comprising more than one wireless sensor, wherein the more than one wireless sensor comprises a first wireless sensor of a first type and a second wireless sensor of a second type different than the first type, and wherein the type of sensor is a temperature sensor, a moisture sensor, a strain sensor, a corrosion sensor, an impact sensor, a breakage sensor, a current sensor, an arcing sensor, a partial discharge sensor, a voltage sensor, a resistance sensor, or a p-static sensor.

8. An aircraft windshield comprising the transparency of claim 1 and a mounting bracket for mounting the transparency to a fuselage of the aircraft.

9. A transparency monitoring system, comprising:
the transparency of claim 1 ; and
a wireless receiver in wireless communication with the wireless temperature sensor of the transparency configured to receive and process the information from the wireless temperature sensor.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the wireless temperature sensor further comprises a power source configured to generate power in response to a signal wirelessly received from the wireless receiver.

11. A transparency monitoring system comprising:
a transparency comprising:
a plurality of sheets, each sheet comprising a first major surface, an opposite second major surface, and a peripheral surface between the first major surface and the second major surface;
an inter-sheet layer positioned between the first major surface of one of the sheets of the plurality of sheets and the second major surface of an adjacent sheet of the plurality of sheets; and
a wireless sensor positioned in the inter-sheet layer, the wireless sensor comprising a sensory portion configured to measure information representative of a condition of a portion of the transparency and a wireless transmitter configured to wirelessly transmit the measured information to a wireless receiver, wherein the wireless transmitter is configured to transmit the measured data at multiple frequencies and/or at multiple times; and
a wireless receiver in wireless communication with the wireless sensor of the transparency configured to receive and process the information from the wireless sensor,
wherein the wireless receiver comprises a radio-frequency generator, an infrared source, and/or an ultrasonic wave generator for generating a signal for providing power to the wireless sensor.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the wireless sensor comprises a wireless temperature sensor configured to measure information representative of a temperature of a portion of the inter-sheet layer.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the transparency further comprises a conductive coating on a sheet of the plurality of sheets configured to generate heat for defogging and/or de-icing the transparency.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the wireless receiver is configured to receive and process the information representative of a temperature of a portion of the inter-sheet layer from the wireless temperature sensor, generate a signal from the received information, and communicate the signal to the heater controller.

15. The system of claim 14 , further comprising the heater controller, wherein the heater controller comprises a power supply for providing electric current to the conductive coating, the heater controller being configured to:
receive the signal from the wireless receiver;
process the signal to determine a temperature value sensed by the wireless temperature sensor;
compare the determined temperature value to a predetermined threshold value; and
cause the power supply to adjust an intensity of electric current provided to the conductive coating based on the comparison between the determined temperature value and the predetermined threshold value.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the heater controller is configured to electronically disconnect the power supply from the conductive coating when the determined temperature value exceeds the predetermined threshold value.

17. The system of claim 13 , wherein the wireless receiver is configured to receive and process the information representative of a temperature of a portion of the inter-sheet layer from the wireless temperature sensor as a digital signal, translate the digit

Assignees

• Ppg Ind Ohio Inc

Inventors

• Duarte Nicolas B

Classifications

• B64D15/12 Primary

  by electric heating (heating arrangements specially adapted for transparent or reflecting areas H05B3/84) · CPC title

• B64C1/1484 Primary

  Windows (B64C1/1492 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01K1/024

  for remote indication · CPC title

• G08C17/02

  using a radio link · CPC title

• H02J50/20

  using microwaves or radio frequency waves · CPC title