Gas Turbine Sensor Sampling Control for Vibration Events

The system dynamically adjusts the sampling rate based on real-time vibrational conditions. During normal operation, sampling occurs at a base rate to conserve energy. When vibrational events exceed thresholds detected by MEMS sensors, the system automatically increases the sampling rate to capture critical data. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction by making the sampling rate flexible rather than fixed, ensuring measurement precision only when necessary while reducing energy consumption during normal operation.

The system changes the sampling rate parameter in response to detected vibrational events. The controller monitors parameters such as vibration magnitude and frequency through MEMS sensors, and when threshold violations occur, it modifies the sampling rate parameter from a base rate to an increased rate. This parameter change approach allows the system to maintain measurement precision during critical events while avoiding continuous high-rate sampling that would waste energy.

The system segments the monitoring function by placing individual MEMS sensors at specific locations near critical components. Each MEMS sensor independently monitors local vibrational conditions and triggers sampling rate increases only when its local thresholds are exceeded. This segmentation approach improves measurement precision at critical points without requiring a complex centralized system, as each sensor operates semi-independently to control the sampling rate.

The MEMS sensors act as intermediaries between the physical vibrational environment and the data acquisition system. Rather than directly complexifying the main control system, the patent introduces MEMS sensors as intermediary devices that detect vibrational events and signal the controller to adjust sampling rates. This intermediary approach simplifies the overall architecture by offloading the detection function to specialized sensors while keeping the controller's logic relatively simple.

The patent employs identical MEMS sensor designs across multiple components, making each sensor universal and multi-functional. The same MEMS sensor type monitors different components (compressor, combustor, turbine, etc.), eliminating the need for component-specific sensor designs. This universality improves reliability through redundant monitoring capability while reducing device complexity by standardizing the sensor architecture across the entire engine system.

The system pre-positions MEMS sensors at anticipated problem locations during manufacturing, before actual vibrational events occur. This preliminary placement ensures that sensors are already in optimal positions to detect critical events, improving reliability without requiring complex real-time sensor deployment mechanisms. The sensors are pre-configured to monitor specific components, and their thresholds are set in advance, simplifying the overall system architecture.