Systems and methods for environment sensing

• US 10,368,146 B2
• Filed: 09/20/2016
• Issued: 07/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Infrastructure Technology, LLC (General Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Potyrailo, Radislav Alexandrovich, Sexton, Daniel White, Go, Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tung X
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hawkins, Dominic E
• Application Number:
  US15/270,442
• Publication Number:
  US 20180080890A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,043 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/0036 specially adapted to detect a particular component physical analysis of gaseous biological material G01N33/497
• CPC Class Codes: G01W 1/00 Meteorology
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/40 using a wireless architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/823 where the data is sent when the measured values exceed a threshold, e.g. sending an alarm
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/845 where the measuring is synchronized between sensing devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/883 where the sensing device enters an active or inactive mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/886 using energy harvesting, e.g. solar, wind or mechanical
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for environment sensing. The system includes a sensor node having a sensor. The sensor includes a sensing material configured to be in contact with an ambient environment. The system includes a remote system having a communication circuit and a controller circuit. The communication circuit is configured to be wirelessly communicatively coupled to the sensor node. The controller circuit electrically coupled to the communication circuit. The controller circuit configured to receive an impedance response of the sensing material and analyze the impedance response of the sensing material at frequencies that provide a linear response of the sensing material to an analyte of interest and at least partially reject effects of interferences.

Claims

1. A sensor system, comprising:

a sensor node having a sensor and an environmental sensor, the sensor includes a sensing material configured to be in contact with an ambient environment, the environmental sensor configured to acquire one or more ambient parameters of the ambient environment proximate the sensor node; and

a remote system having a communication circuit and a controller circuit, the communication circuit is configured to be wirelessly communicatively coupled to the sensor node, the controller circuit electrically coupled to the communication circuit, the controller circuit configured to;

receive an impedance response of the sensing material;

receive the one or more ambient parameters; and

analyze the impedance response of the sensing material using the one or more ambient parameters and at frequencies that provide a linear response of the sensing material to an analyte of interest and at least partially reject effects of interferences.

2. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the sensor node includes at least one pair of electrodes in contact with the sensing material, and a controller circuit of the sensor node electrically coupled to the at least one pair of electrodes, the controller circuit of the sensor node is configured to generate a stimulation waveform for application to the sensing material of the sensor via the at least one pair of electrodes.

3. The sensor system of claim 2, wherein the controller circuit of the sensor node is configured to receive an electrical signal from the at least one pair of electrodes representative of the impedance response of the sensing material.

4. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the sensor node includes a communication circuit configured to wirelessly transmit the impedance response of the sensing material to the remote system.

5. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the sensor node includes an ambient power source configured to generate electrical power derived from the ambient environment proximate to the sensor node.

6. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the controller circuit is further configured to synchronize the one or more ambient parameters acquired by the environmental sensor with the impedance response acquired by the sensor based on time stamps.

7. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the one or more ambient parameters include at least one of a temperature, pressure, or humidity.

8. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the controller circuit is further configured to adjust the impedance response based on the one or more ambient parameters.

9. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the sensor node further includes an electrical current sensor or a gas flow sensor.

10. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the sensor node further includes a controller for operating the sensor at a temperature of at least 200 degrees Celsius.

11. The sensor system of claim 1, further comprising a weather station configured to acquire one or more ambient parameters based on an ambient environment of a wireless sensor network, wherein the controller circuit is further configured to align the one or more ambient parameters with the impedance response based on time stamps.

12. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the communication circuit of the remote system or a communication circuit of the sensor node is configured to communicatively couple the sensor node with the remote system utilizing a plurality of bi-directional communication links.

13. The sensor system of claim 1, wherein the controller circuit is configured to calculate one or more spectral parameters based on the impedance response and to alert a user when an environmental parameter of interest of the analyte of interest is above a predetermined threshold.

14. A sensor node comprising:

a sensor having a sensing material and at least one pair of electrodes in contact with the sensing material, the sensing material configured to be in contact with an ambient environment;

an environmental sensor configured to acquire one or more ambient parameters of the ambient environment proximate the sensor node;

a communication circuit configured to be communicatively coupled to a remote system; and

a controller circuit electrically coupled to the at least one pair of electrodes, the controller circuit is configured to generate a stimulation waveform for applications to the sensing material of the sensor via the at least one pair of electrodes, the controller circuit configured to receive an electrical signal from the at least one pair of electrodes representative of an impedance response of the sensing material, the controller circuit configured to receive the one or more ambient parameters, the controller circuit further configured to control the communication circuit to transmit the impedance response and the one or more ambient parameters to the remote system.

15. The sensor node of claim 14, further comprising an ambient power source configured to generate electrical power derived from the ambient environment proximate to the sensor node.

16. The sensor node of claim 14, wherein the controller circuit is configured to generate the stimulation waveform during a collection interval, the collection interval is interposed between a sleep mode.

17. The sensor node of claim 16, wherein during the sleep mode the controller circuit is configured to reduce an amount of current utilized by the sensor node relative to the collection interval.

18. The sensor node of claim 14, wherein the sensor node further includes an electrical current sensor or a gas flow sensor.

19. The sensor node of claim 14, wherein the controller circuit is configured to operate the sensor node at a temperature of at least 200 degrees Celsius.

20. The sensor node of claim 14,

wherein the one or more ambient parameters include at least one of a temperature, pressure, or humidity.

21. The sensor node of claim 14, wherein the impedance response of the sensing material is measured at one or more frequencies.

22. The sensor node of claim 14, wherein the impedance response of the sensing material is measured using an application specific integrated circuit.

23. The sensor node of claim 14, wherein the sensor node is connected wirelessly or wired to an Internet of Things or to an Industrial Internet.

24. A method comprising:

receiving a plurality of impedance responses and one or more ambient parameters from a plurality of sensor nodes, each sensor node comprising a sensor including a sensing material and an environmental sensor, wherein the sensor is configured to provide the plurality of impedance responses and the environmental sensor is configured to provide the one or more ambient parameters, wherein each impedance response is representative of the sensing material of the sensor of each sensor node in operational contact with an ambient environment;

adjusting the plurality of impedance responses based on the one or more ambient parameters; and

analyzing the plurality of impedance responses at frequencies that provide a linear response of the sensing material to an analyte of interest and at least partially reject effects of interferences.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising aligning the one or more ambient parameters with the plurality of impedance responses based on time stamps.