Composite active waveguide temperature sensor for harsh environments
First Claim
1. A composite sensor comprising:
- a solid and non-flexible sensor component formed of an environment-resistant material for sensing an environmental condition in an environment;
a solid and non-flexible transition component having first and second ends and formed of a first ultrasonically-transmissive material that is different from, and has a lower environment-resistance than, the environment-resistant material, the transition component coupled proximate the first end to the sensor component through a first ultrasonically-transparent bond; and
a solid and flexible waveguide portion including a wire filament formed of a second ultrasonically-transmissive material that is different from, and has a lower environment-resistance than, the environment-resistant material, the waveguide portion coupled to the transition component proximate the second end of the transition component through a second ultrasonically-transparent bond;
wherein the sensor component, transition component and waveguide portion are each configured to propagate ultrasonic mechanical stress waves generated by a transducer coupled to the solid and flexible waveguide portion when sensing the environmental condition.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A composite active waveguide temperature sensor (10) incorporates a first, sensor portion (16) formed of an environment-resistant material such as ceramic coupled through an ultrasonically-transparent bond (20) to a second, waveguide portion (18) formed of an ultrasonically-transmissive material such as a metallic filament wire. By doing so, the sensor portion (16) may be positioned within a harsh environment and subjected to a temperature to be measured, and the waveguide portion (18) may be used to propagate ultrasonic energy to and/or from the sensor portion (16) to a location distal from the harsh environment for measurement of the temperature. The ultrasonically-transparent bond (20) between these portions (16, 18) limits attenuation of and the introduction of reflections and other noise to an ultrasonic signal propagated across the bond (20).
70 Citations
30 Claims
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1. A composite sensor comprising:
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a solid and non-flexible sensor component formed of an environment-resistant material for sensing an environmental condition in an environment; a solid and non-flexible transition component having first and second ends and formed of a first ultrasonically-transmissive material that is different from, and has a lower environment-resistance than, the environment-resistant material, the transition component coupled proximate the first end to the sensor component through a first ultrasonically-transparent bond; and a solid and flexible waveguide portion including a wire filament formed of a second ultrasonically-transmissive material that is different from, and has a lower environment-resistance than, the environment-resistant material, the waveguide portion coupled to the transition component proximate the second end of the transition component through a second ultrasonically-transparent bond; wherein the sensor component, transition component and waveguide portion are each configured to propagate ultrasonic mechanical stress waves generated by a transducer coupled to the solid and flexible waveguide portion when sensing the environmental condition. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A temperature sensor, comprising:
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a solid and non-flexible sensor component formed of an environment-resistant material and configured to sense a temperature in an environment; a solid and non-flexible transition component having first and second ends and formed of a metal having a lower environment-resistance than the environment-resistant material, the transition component coupled proximate the first end to the sensor component through a first ultrasonically-transparent bond; a solid and flexible waveguide portion formed of a metal wire filament having a diameter of less than or equal to 0.125″ and
a lower environment-resistance than the environment-resistant material, the waveguide portion coupled to the transition component proximate the second end of the transition component through a second ultrasonically-transparent bond; anda transducer coupled to the waveguide portion at an opposite end from the sensor portion and configured to propagate an ultrasonic mechanical stress wave signal of at least 200 kHz through the sensor to measure an ultrasonic signal transmission characteristic of the sensor that varies in response to temperature in the environment.
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27. An apparatus, comprising:
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a composite sensor including, a solid and non-flexible sensor component formed of an environment-resistant material for sensing an environmental condition in an environment; a solid and non-flexible transition component having first and second ends and formed of a first ultrasonically-transmissive material that is different from, and has a lower environment-resistance than, the environment-resistant material, the transition component coupled proximate the first end to the sensor component through a first ultrasonically-transparent bond; and a solid and flexible waveguide portion including a wire filament formed of a second ultrasonically-transmissive material that is different from, and has a lower environment-resistance than, the environment-resistant material, the waveguide portion coupled to the transition component proximate the second end of the transition component through a second ultrasonically-transparent bond; and control logic configured to generate an ultrasonic signal and propagate the ultrasonic energy as a mechanical stress wave signal through the composite sensor, the control logic further configured to sense the ultrasonic energy propagated through the composite sensor and determine the environmental condition based upon the sensed ultrasonic energy.
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28. A method of measuring an environmental condition in an environment with a composite sensor of the type that includes a solid and non-flexible sensor component formed of an environment-resistant material, a solid and non-flexible transition component having first and second ends and formed of a first ultrasonically-transmissive material that is different from, and has a lower environment-resistance than, the environment-resistant material, and a solid and flexible waveguide portion including a wire filament formed of a second ultrasonically-transmissive material that is different from, and has a lower environment-resistance than, the environment-resistant material, wherein the transition component is coupled proximate the first end to the sensor component through a first ultrasonically-transparent bond, and wherein the waveguide portion is coupled to the transition component proximate the second end of the transition component through a second ultrasonically-transparent bond, the method comprising:
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propagating ultrasonic energy generated by a transducer through the waveguide portion, the transition component and the sensor component of the composite sensor as mechanical stress waves; sensing the ultrasonic energy propagated through the waveguide portion, the transition component and the sensor component of the composite sensor; and determining the environmental condition based upon the sensed ultrasonic energy. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30)
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Specification