Condition monitoring device with multiple wireless sensors

Abstract

The invention relates to a state monitoring device having a gateway device (2) and a plurality of wireless sensors (1, 4), the gateway device (2) having a transmission antenna (21), the transmission antenna (21) comprising a transmission array, the transmission antenna (21) having a beam steering capability, and the wireless sensors (1, 4) having a plurality of wireless sensors (1, 4). The transmitting antenna (21) is capable of directional wireless energy transfer to a specific sensor of the plurality of sensors (1, 4).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of wireless power transmission, and in particular to a state monitoring device with multiple wireless sensors, which can monitor specific equipment at any time. Background Art

[0002] In the prior art, there are high requirements for improving the life of batteries used in condition monitoring equipment, because in some special cases, it is difficult to replace batteries or power them through cables. In order to solve this problem, a power supply system that can power condition monitoring equipment to extend its service life is needed. In the prior art, there are several methods for powering condition monitoring equipment: 1) photovoltaic, such as photovoltaic effect and photochemical effect; 2) thermoelectric, such as Seebeck effect; 3) vibration, such as electromagnetic generator, piezoelectric nanogenerator and tri-electric nanogenerator. For photovoltaic technology, a light source is required, and the light source is easily affected by the on-site environment; for thermoelectric, temperature difference is difficult to ensure stability; for vibration, the condition monitoring equipment needs to be installed on an object with vibration, which limits the use scenario. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a condition monitoring device with multiple wireless sensors, which can be powered by wireless charging technology to overcome the shortcomings of the above-mentioned prior art.

[0004] The technical problem is solved by a condition monitoring device. The condition monitoring device has a gateway device and multiple wireless sensors, wherein the gateway device has a transmitting antenna, and the transmitting antenna includes a transmission array, wherein the transmitting antenna has a beam steering capability, and the transmitting antenna is capable of directional wireless energy transmission to a specific sensor among the multiple sensors. Using wireless charging technology to power the sensor components can eliminate the need for battery replacement or wired power supply, significantly reducing maintenance costs and complexity. The condition monitoring device designed according to the present invention performs beam steering through the transmission array, and the transmitting antenna has a beam steering capability, so that power can be transmitted in a direction to a specific wireless sensor. The power level of each sensor can be kept consistent by program design, thereby realizing intelligent control of the monitoring network.

[0005] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the multiple wireless sensors include a first wireless sensor, comprising a sensor antenna, a rectifier circuit, and a battery. The sensor antenna has a first band and a second band, with the first band used for wireless energy transmission and the second band for communication. The dual-band design of the sensor antenna enables simultaneous energy and signal transmission, increasing system flexibility and efficiency. The entire system is compact and easily integrated into existing monitoring systems. This integrated design minimizes the impact of the system on machine operations and improves safety.

[0006] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, multiple wireless sensors include a second wireless sensor, and the first and second wireless sensors are capable of wireless energy transmission. This allows for a monitoring network covering a specific area to be formed, with each wireless sensor wirelessly connected to a gateway device. The information transmitted to the gateway by these wireless sensors, in addition to status data, should also include real-time power data, which can be displayed in real time on a terminal display.

[0007] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the gain of the transmitting antenna is greater than 10 dBi. According to the Friis formula, the receiving power of the receiving antenna can be increased by increasing the gain of the transmitting antenna. For this purpose, the gain of the transmitting antenna can be increased to 10 dBi.

[0008] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the rectifier circuit of the rectifier is a microwave rectifier circuit. A microwave rectifier circuit is a rectifier circuit specifically used to process microwave frequency signals. The main function of the microwave rectifier circuit is to convert the received microwave energy (usually a radio frequency (RF) signal) into direct current (DC) electrical energy, which can achieve efficient wireless energy transmission and high-frequency signal processing. It is also preferred that the microwave rectifier circuit includes an impedance matching part and a rectifier part, wherein the impedance matching part has a microstrip line and radio frequency electronic components. In order to maximize the energy conversion efficiency, the microwave rectifier circuit can include a carefully designed impedance matching network, which achieves impedance matching with the radio frequency input by adjusting the bandwidth of the radio frequency electronic components and the microstrip line to ensure optimal energy transmission between the antenna and the rectifier circuit.

[0009] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the transmission array of the transmitting antenna includes PIN diodes, such as the SMP1345-079LF, which offer low capacitance and fast switching capabilities, which are crucial for maintaining energy quality. Furthermore, the condition monitoring device designed according to the present invention preferably includes a controller for balancing the power of each wireless sensor in the wireless sensor assembly. The controller is programmed to adjust the power level of each sensor in the condition monitoring device, thereby enabling intelligent control of the monitoring network. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only one embodiment of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other similar embodiment drawings can be obtained based on the provided drawings without paying any creative work.

[0011] Figure 1 The following is a block diagram of the WPT system structure in the prior art;

[0012] Figure 2 The wireless sensor device for condition monitoring equipment designed according to the present invention is shown;

[0013] Figure 3 A diagram showing a wireless sensor network configuration for condition monitoring equipment.

[0014] It should be noted that the numerals ("first," "second," ...) used herein are primarily (only) used to distinguish between multiple similar objects, quantities, or processes. In other words, they do not necessarily specify any relationship, quantity, and / or order between these objects, quantities, or processes. If any relationship, quantity, and / or order is required, this is explicitly stated herein or will be apparent to a person skilled in the art upon studying the specifically described design. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] like Figure 1 As shown, a conventional WPT system includes a radio frequency generator 101, a transmitting antenna 102 (transmitting electromagnetic waves), a receiving antenna 103 (receiving electromagnetic waves), a rectifier circuit 104 (converting radio frequency to direct current), and a terminal load 105 (e.g., a sensor battery). Both transmitting antenna 102 and receiving antenna 103 can be bidirectional antennas. To more clearly illustrate the principles of transmission and reception, they are distinguished as transmitting antennas and receiving antennas, but this is not a strict limitation.

[0016] According to Friis formula (1), R is the distance between the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna, e p is the polarization matching, Γ is the reflection coefficient of the antenna, p t is the power of the transmitting antenna (due to the SAR value, the maximum transmitting power is 30dBm), the power received by the receiving antenna p r This can be increased by increasing the gain of the transmitting and receiving antennas and improving the wavelength.

[0017]

[0018] Figure 2A wireless sensor device for a condition monitoring device designed according to the present invention is shown. The wireless sensor device has a first wireless sensor 1. The first wireless sensor 1 has a sensor antenna 11, a rectifier circuit 12 and a battery 13. The sensor antenna 11 adopts a dual-band antenna, one frequency band (high frequency band) is used for communication, and the other frequency band (low frequency band) is used for WPT. The sensor antenna needs to be designed to occupy a smaller space, so it can be considered to use a high dielectric constant material such as ceramic as a substrate. Regarding the rectifier circuit 12, first of all, the efficiency of RF to DC has a great influence on the charging efficiency. Due to the attenuation of electromagnetic waves in free space, the power reaching the RF input end of the rectifier circuit is low, so a rectifier circuit with high conversion efficiency at low input is required. As Figure 2 As shown, according to the design of the present invention, a microwave rectifier circuit is used. This microwave rectifier circuit comprises an impedance matching circuit and a rectifier circuit. By utilizing the bandwidth of RF electronic components and microstrip lines, impedance matching with the RF input is achieved. Increasing the number of rectifier components in the rectifier circuit can improve rectification efficiency.

[0019] In addition, the condition monitoring device includes a gateway device 2. The gateway device 2 has a transmitting antenna 21, which can use a patch array antenna to obtain a higher peer gain G t If the conditions of use permit (such as sufficient space), a transmission array can also be used on the transmission path of the transmitting antenna 21 (the distance between the transmitting antenna and the transmission array is sufficient to meet the focal length ratio). The focusing capability of the transmission array can be used to further improve the peak gain of the transmitting antenna, and the beam steering capability of the transmission array can be used to make the WPT system intelligent. The transmission array has a PIN diode, such as SMP1345-079LF, which can have low capacitance and fast switching capability, which is very important for maintaining energy quality. Figure 2 As shown, using OPTIME as an example, the RF generator can be integrated into the gateway device 2, and the patch array antenna 21 is connected to the RF generator via a coaxial cable. If the usage scenario allows, a transmission array can be placed in front of the patch array antenna 21. The terminal control microcontroller controls the transmission phase of each unit in the transmission array, realizing an intelligent WPT system. The dual-band antenna 11 and rectifier circuit 12 are integrated into the OPTIME sensor, and the battery 13 in the OPTIME sensor is rechargeable.

[0020] WPT networks for condition monitoring equipment such as Figure 3As shown. The status monitoring device has multiple wireless sensors. Each wireless sensor can be wirelessly connected to the gateway device 2. In addition to status data, the information transmitted by these wireless sensors to the gateway should also include real-time power data, and can be displayed in real time on the terminal display screen 3. The figure exemplarily marks the first wireless sensor 1 and the second wireless sensor 4. In addition to the transmitting antenna placed on the gateway to charge the sensors, the present invention also allows sensors to charge each other. The program design can keep the power level of each sensor consistent. If the transmission array is loaded, the microcontroller can be programmed to control the phase of each transmission array unit to charge a specific sensor. Through the above method, the battery of the sensor can be charged in real time, thereby extending the battery life of the sensor.

[0021] Reference Signs List

[0022] 101 RF Generator

[0023] 102 Transmitting Antenna

[0024] 103 Receiving Antenna

[0025] 1 First Wireless Sensor

[0026] 11 Sensor Antenna

[0027] 12 Rectifier Circuit

[0028] 13 Batteries

[0029] 2 Gateway device

[0030] 21 Transmitting Antenna

[0031] 3 Terminal display

[0032] 4 Second wireless sensor

Claims

1. A condition monitoring device comprising a gateway device (2) and a plurality of wireless sensors (1, 4), wherein: The gateway device (2) has a transmitting antenna (21), and the transmitting antenna (21) includes a transmission array, wherein the transmitting antenna (21) has a beam steering capability, and the transmitting antenna (21) can perform directional wireless energy transmission to a specific sensor among the multiple sensors (1, 4).

2. The condition monitoring device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The plurality of wireless sensors (1, 4) include a first wireless sensor (1), wherein the first wireless sensor (1) includes a sensor antenna (11), a rectifier circuit (12) and a battery (13), wherein the sensor antenna (11) has a first band and a second band, the first band being used for wireless energy transmission, and the second band being used for communication.

3. The condition monitoring device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The plurality of wireless sensors (1, 4) include a second wireless sensor (4), and the first wireless sensor (1) and the second wireless sensor (4) are capable of wireless energy transmission with each other.

4. The condition monitoring device according to claim 1, characterized in that The gain of the transmitting antenna (21) is greater than 10dBi.

5. The condition monitoring device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rectifier circuit (12) is a microwave rectifier circuit.

6. The condition monitoring device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The microwave rectification circuit includes an impedance matching part, wherein the impedance matching part has a microstrip line and radio frequency electronic components.

7. The condition monitoring device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The transmission array has PIN diodes.

8. The condition monitoring device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The condition monitoring device has a controller for balancing the wireless sensor power of the plurality of wireless sensors (1, 4).

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