Shielded Sensor Network for Gas Turbine Wireless Characterization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sensing systems in gas turbine engines and other machinery face challenges due to difficult access locations caused by moving parts and harsh internal environments, leading to bulky, expensive, and vulnerable wire routing, as well as limitations in sensor and interconnect operating environments.
Innovation Solution
A shielded electromagnetic local area network (SEN) system that uses an electrical interface device mounted within or on a sub-system component, operating within a frequency range from K band to W band, to facilitate reliable electromagnetic communication while containing signals within the component and using a key exchange mechanism for secure data transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If wire routing is used to connect sensors in difficult to access locations, then sensor data can be transmitted, but the wiring becomes bulky, expensive and vulnerable to interconnect failures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical wire routing system with an electromagnetic field-based communication system. Sensors mounted on rotor components transmit data wirelessly through the air gap to stator-mounted receivers, eliminating the need for physical interconnects in harsh rotating environments. This substitution resolves the contradiction by removing vulnerable wiring while maintaining reliable data transmission.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the interconnect function from the mechanical domain and places it in the electromagnetic domain. By taking out the wire routing requirement entirely and using electromagnetic coupling across the air gap, the system eliminates the bulky, vulnerable wiring while preserving the essential data transmission function.
2Device complexity
If electromagnetic sensor technologies are applied to address wiring constraints, then cable cost and volume are reduced, but reliable communication in potentially unknown environments with interference becomes challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary electromagnetic coupling system that bridges the rotor and stator components. The air gap acts as a controlled intermediary medium, allowing electromagnetic energy transfer while providing natural isolation from external interference. This intermediary approach reduces cable volume while maintaining communication reliability through the controlled electromagnetic field.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a localized electromagnetic communication channel between specific sensor locations on the rotor and corresponding receiver locations on the stator. By concentrating the electromagnetic energy transfer in specific localized paths rather than using general-purpose cables, the system achieves reliable communication with reduced infrastructure while adapting to the specific geometric and environmental conditions at each sensor location.
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
The system enables reliable and secure communication in challenging environments, reduces cable and interconnect costs and weight, enhances system reliability, and allows for flexible addition of sensors without requalifying the entire system, thereby reducing qualification costs and time.
Implementation Method 1
The shielding may be configured to contain electromagnetic communication signals within the sub-system component
Implementation Method 2
The waveguide may include a waveguide transmitter interface that enables electromagnetic signal transmission within a guidance structure to a waveguide transition interface incorporating a transition window
Data Source
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AI summary
A system for a gas turbine engine includes an electrical interface device (90), a sensing / control / identification device (68A, 68B, 68C), and a remote processing unit (66). The electrical interface device (90) has electrical interface device data. The electrical interface device (90) is operatively connected to a sub-system component (70) that is provided with a shielding (84). The sensing / control / identification device (68A, 68B, 68C) is disposed within the sub-system component (70) and is attached to the electrical interface device (90). The remote processing unit (66) is in electromagnetic communication with the sensing / control / identification device (68A, 68B, 68C).