Passive Surface Resonator Sensing for Crack and Deformation Detection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing surface change detection methods require active elements and power supplies for each sensor sheet, leading to high costs.

Innovation Solution

A surface change detection body comprising a sensor unit that resonates with high-frequency signals, a signal propagation unit, and an incidence and reflection unit, which can detect changes in the surface using passive components without an active element or power supply, by analyzing frequency changes in reflected signals.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If active elements and power supplies are used for each sensor sheet to enable surface change detection, then detection capability is achieved, but cost increases significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesurface change detection capabilityVSAvoidcost

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces active electronic sensing systems with a passive optical resonance system. The sensor sheet uses a resonator structure that responds to surface changes through optical resonance frequency shifts, eliminating the need for active elements and power supplies while maintaining detection capability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses optical resonance characteristics as a proxy for direct electrical sensing. By measuring shifts in resonance frequency of light interacting with the sensor sheet structure, the system indirectly detects surface changes without requiring direct electrical contact or active sensing elements on the sensor sheet itself

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

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

Enables cost-effective detection of surface changes such as cracks or deformations using passive components, reducing the need for active elements and power supplies, and facilitating efficient inspection of objects without increasing operational costs.

Implementation Method 1

a sensor unit configured to resonate with a high-frequency signal

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectResonance: Resonance

Implementation Method 2

an incidence and reflection unit configured to receive the high-frequency signal from an outside and output a high-frequency signal reflected from the sensor unit to the outside

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectReflection: Reflection

Data Source

PatentUS11921055B2Surface change detector and surface change detection method using same

Publication Date: 2024.03.05 NIPPON TELEGRAPH & TELEPHONE CORP

AI summary

Provided is a surface change detection body capable of detecting a change in the surface of an object only with passive components. The surface change detection body is disposed on a surface of an object to detect a change in the surface, and includes: a sensor unit that resonates with a high-frequency signal; a signal propagation unit that propagates the high-frequency signal to the sensor unit; and an incidence and reflection unit that receives the high-frequency signal from the outside and outputs a high-frequency signal reflected from the sensor unit to the outside, the sensor unit is a parallel plate resonator in which a dielectric is interposed, and the incidence and reflection unit is an antenna having a length which is an integral multiple of one fourth of an effective wavelength of a resonance frequency of the parallel plate resonator.