Active Waveguide Sensor for Harsh Environment Measurement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional sensors in harsh environments, such as aero gas turbine engines, face high failure rates due to extreme conditions like high temperatures, pressures, and vibrations, leading to increased maintenance costs and inaccurate measurements.
Innovation Solution
The development of waveguide sensors using a single material to minimize thermal strains, with ultrasonic signals transmitted through wires that vary in tension, allowing for the separation of temperature and strain effects using multi-shape propagation, resonance-based detection, and phase-matched cones to optimize energy propagation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional sensors are used in harsh environments, then measurement capabilities are provided, but sensor reliability deteriorates due to high failure rates from extreme temperatures, pressures, and vibrations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conventional mechanical sensors with an active waveguide system that uses ultrasonic wave propagation through a wire to measure environmental conditions. The wire acts as a mechanical waveguide, substituting direct sensor contact with remote ultrasonic measurement, thereby eliminating sensor exposure to harsh conditions while maintaining measurement capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an active waveguide wire as an intermediary between the measurement location and the sensor system. The wire transmits ultrasonic waves from a remote transducer to the measurement point and back, allowing environmental condition measurement without placing sensitive sensor components directly in the harsh environment.
2Reliability
If conventional sensors use multiple bonded materials, then sensor functionality is achieved, but manufacturing complexity increases and reliability decreases due to material bonding issues under thermal stress
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a homogeneous single-material construction for the active waveguide wire, eliminating the need to bond dissimilar materials with different thermal expansion coefficients. This single-material approach removes the complexity of material selection, bonding processes, and thermal stress management associated with multi-material sensor construction.
3Measurement precision
If ultrasonic energy is transmitted through active waveguide wires, then environmental condition measurements are enabled, but signal strength decreases due to energy losses reducing signal-to-noise ratio
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes mechanical vibration in the form of ultrasonic waves propagating through the active waveguide wire. By exciting the wire at ultrasonic frequencies and measuring the wave propagation characteristics, the system enables precise environmental condition measurements while accounting for energy attenuation through the wire's mechanical vibration response.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the transmitted ultrasonic signal is reflected back from the measurement point and detected by the transducer. This feedback loop allows the system to measure environmental conditions by analyzing the returned signal's characteristics, compensating for energy losses through comparative analysis of transmitted and received waveforms.
4Measurement precision
If temperature compensation is applied to ultrasonic measurements, then strain measurement accuracy improves, but measurement complexity increases due to the need to separate temperature and strain effects
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs periodic ultrasonic wave transmission through the active waveguide wire at different frequencies or modes. By transmitting waves periodically and analyzing the temporal and frequency characteristics of the returned signals, the system can separate temperature effects from strain effects through their different temporal signatures, enabling accurate strain measurement without complex real-time compensation algorithms.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
These sensors provide reliable measurements in harsh environments by minimizing material bonding issues, reducing signal loss, and accurately separating temperature and strain effects, leading to improved durability and accuracy.
Implementation Method 1
sensing ultrasonic energy propagated through the wire using multiple types of propagation
Implementation Method 2
separating an effect of temperature on the wire from an effect of strain on the wire
Implementation Method 3
sensing a resonant frequency of ultrasonic energy propagated through the wire in a positive feedback loop
Implementation Method 4
positive feedback loop
Implementation Method 5
phase-matched cones to optimize energy propagation
Implementation Method 6
couple ultrasonic energy between the waveguide wire and transducer
Data Source
AI summary
An environmental condition may be measured with a sensor (10) including a wire (20) having an ultrasonic signal transmission characteristic that varies in response to the environmental condition by sensing ultrasonic energy propagated through the wire using multiple types of propagation, and separating an effect of temperature on the wire from an effect of strain on the wire using the sensed ultrasonic energy propagated through the wire using the multiple types of propagation. A positive feedback loop may be used to excite the wire such that strain in the wire is based upon a sensed resonant frequency, while a square wave with a controlled duty cycle may be used to excite the wire at multiple excitation frequencies. A phase matched cone (200, 210) may be used to couple ultrasonic energy between a waveguide wire (202, 212) and a transducer (204, 214).