Passive wireless sensors for turbmomachines and method of operating the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016209264-A1
Application number	US-201514598526-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 16, 2015
Priority date	Jan 16, 2015
Publication date	Jul 21, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A machine includes a machine substrate and a dielectric layer formed over at least a portion of the machine substrate. A monitoring system for the machine includes a sensor subsystem that includes a first portion of the machine substrate and a portion of the machine dielectric layer formed over the first portion of the machine substrate. The monitoring system also includes a sensor electromagnetic structure disposed on the portion of the machine dielectric layer. The sensor electromagnetic structure includes at least one sensor conducting subcomponent. The sensor electromagnetic structure is configured to regulate electromagnetic fields incident thereto in response to at least one measurement characteristic of a machine measurand. The sensor subsystem is configured to obtain at least one measurement characteristic of the machine measurand proximate a machine sensing position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A monitoring system for a machine, the machine including a machine substrate and a dielectric layer formed over at least a portion of the machine substrate, said monitoring system comprising a sensor subsystem comprising:
a first portion of said machine substrate; a portion of said machine dielectric layer formed over said first portion of said machine substrate; and a sensor electromagnetic structure disposed on said portion of said machine dielectric layer, said sensor electromagnetic structure comprising at least one sensor conducting subcomponent, said sensor electromagnetic structure configured to regulate electromagnetic fields incident thereto in response to at least one measurement characteristic of a machine measurand, said sensor subsystem configured to obtain at least one measurement characteristic of the machine measurand proximate a machine sensing position.

2 . The monitoring system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein said at least one sensor subsystem further comprises:
a delay component coupled to said sensor electromagnetic structure; and a sensor component coupled to said delay component.

3 . The monitoring system in accordance with claim 2 , wherein said sensor component comprises a loading element and said at least one sensor subsystem further comprises a matching element coupled to said sensor electromagnetic structure and said loading element, said matching element configured to facilitate impedance matching between said loading element and said sensor electromagnetic structure.

4 . The monitoring system in accordance with claim 2 , wherein said sensor component is an electromagnetic field-responsive component configured to radiate in close proximity of said first portion of said machine substrate.

5 . The monitoring system in accordance with claim 1 further comprising a reader subsystem operatively coupled to said sensor subsystem, said reader subsystem comprising:
a second portion of said machine substrate;
at least one reader electromagnetic subassembly comprising at least one reader conducting subcomponent configured to measure the regulated electromagnetic fields; and
a reader processor coupled to said at least one reader electromagnetic subassembly, said reader processor configured to determine values for the measurement characteristics of the machine measurand based on at least one property of the regulated electromagnetic fields.

6 . The monitoring system in accordance with claim 5 , wherein said reader subsystem further comprises a reader dielectric layer coupled to said second portion of said machine substrate.

7 . The monitoring system in accordance with claim 5 , wherein said reader subsystem further comprises a passivation subcomponent configured to at least partially protect said reader electromagnetic subassembly from environmental conditions within the machine.

8 . The monitoring system in accordance with claim 5 further comprising a plurality of metallic interferers positioned proximate said at least one reader electromagnetic subassembly and proximate said sensor electromagnetic structure.

9 . The monitoring system in accordance with claim 5 , wherein:
said at least one reader conducting subcomponent defines at least one reader antenna configured to transmit energy in the radio-frequency (RF) spectrum to said sensor electromagnetic structure and at least one reader antenna configured to receive energy in the RF spectrum from said sensor component; and said at least one sensor conducting subcomponent defines a sensor antenna configured to respond to the RF energy transmitted from said reader electromagnetic subassembly.

10 . The monitoring system in accordance with claim 9 , wherein said at least one reader antenna comprises one of:
a first bistatic reader antenna configured to transmit energy in the RF spectrum to said sensor electromagnetic structure and a second bistatic reader antenna configured to receive energy in the RF spectrum from said sensor component; and a monostatic reader antenna configured to both transmit energy in the RF spectrum to said sensor electromagnetic structure and receive energy in the RF spectrum from said sensor component.

11 . The monitoring system in accordance with claim 1 , wherein said sensor subsystem further comprises a passivation subcomponent configured to at least partially protect said sensor electromagnetic structure from environmental conditions within the machine.

12 . A method of operating a machine including a monitoring system, said method comprising:
generating, with a reader subsystem, an electromagnetic field proximate a sensor subsystem, thereby illuminating a sensor conducting subcomponent with the electromagnetic field; regulating the electromagnetic field with the sensor subsystem in response to changes of at least one measurement characteristic of a machine measurand as determined through a machine dielectric layer extending over a portion of a first portion of a machine substrate; sensing changes in the regulated electromagnetic field at the reader subsystem; and transmitting signals representative of the changes in the regulated electromagnetic field to a reader processor.

13 . The method in accordance with claim 12 , wherein generating an electromagnetic field comprises energizing a reader conducting subcomponent of a reader electromagnetic subassembly and configuring the reader conducting subcomponent to operate as an antenna.

14 . The method in accordance with claim 12 , wherein illuminating a sensor conducting subcomponent with the electromagnetic field comprises energizing the sensor conducting subcomponent and configuring the sensor conducting subcomponent to operate as an antenna.

15 . The method in accordance with claim 12 , wherein transmitting signals representative of the changes in the regulated electromagnetic field to a reader processor comprises:
generating signals representative of values of the at least one measurement characteristic of the machine measurand within the reader processor; and transmitting the signals representative of values of the at least one measurement characteristic to at least one of a recording device and an indicating device.

16 . The method in accordance with claim 12 , wherein generating an electromagnetic field proximate a sensor subsystem comprises generating the electromagnetic field with a predetermined frequency within a predetermined portion of the radiofrequency (RF) spectrum.

17 . The method in accordance with claim 16 , wherein generating the electromagnetic field with a predetermined frequency comprises generating the electromagnetic field with a frequency within a predetermined wideband range of the RF frequency spectrum, the wideband range of the RF frequency spectrum including predetermined resonant frequencies of the sensor subsystem.

18 . The method in accordance with claim 16 , wherein generating the electromagnetic field with a predetermined frequency comprises generating the electromagnetic field with time-varying frequencies that sweep through a range of frequencies that encompass predetermined resonant frequencies of the sensor subsystem.

19 . A turbomachine comprising:
at least one rotatable component comprising a first substrate and a first dielectric layer formed over at least a portion of said first substrate; at least one stationary component comprising a second substrate and a second dielectric layer formed over at least a portion of said second substrate, said at least one stationary component p

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Berkcan Ertugrul
• Lee Yongjae

Classifications

• G01H1/006 Primary

  of the rotor of turbo machines · CPC title

• G01H13/00 Primary

  Measuring resonant frequency · CPC title

• G01M15/14

  Testing gas-turbine engines or jet-propulsion engines · CPC title

• F01D17/20

  Devices dealing with sensing elements or final actuators or transmitting means between them, e.g. power-assisted (sensing elements alone F01D17/02; final actuators alone F01D17/10) · CPC title

• Y02T50/60

  Efficient propulsion technologies, e.g. for aircraft · CPC title