Diagnostic system for monitoring structural health conditions
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Abstract
Sensors and systems for monitoring structural health conditions. The present invention provides a device for monitoring structural health conditions including a dielectric substrate, a piezoelectric device for actuating and/or sensing Lamb waves, a molding layer deposited over the piezoelectric device, a cover layer deposited over the molding layer and a hoop layer surrounding the piezoelectric device and being attached to the substrate. The device further includes an optical fiber coil sensor attached to the dielectric substrate, where the coil sensor has a rolled optical fiber cable and a coating layer applied to the rolled optical fiber cable. The present invention also provides a diagnostic patch network that includes a plurality of patch sensors attached to a host structure and a bridge box connected to the patch sensors. The bridge box sends information of structural health conditions to and receive power from a ground control system using a wireless communication technique.
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Citations
77 Claims
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1-33. -33. (canceled)
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34. An interrogation system for monitoring structural health conditions, comprising:
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at least one wave generator coupled to a structure and operative to generate a wave signal that propagates through said structure;
a plurality of optical fiber sensors applied to the structure, each of said optical fiber sensors and said wave generator forming a communication path for transmitting the wave signal therebetween;
at least one electronic module operative to generate an input sensor signal and to send the input sensor signal to at least one of the optical fiber sensors, each of said optical fiber sensors being operative to impress the wave signal onto the input sensor signal to generate an output sensor signal, said electronic module being responsive to said output sensor signal and operative to generate an information signal;
a signal processing unit; and
a relay switch array module having a plurality of relay switches, one of said relay switches being operative to relay the information signal to said signal processing unit, said signal processing unit being responsive to said information signal and operative to generate a digital sensor signal and send the digital sensor signal to a computer means. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47)
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48. An interrogation system for monitoring structural health conditions, comprising:
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a waveform generating unit for receiving an actuator input signal from a computer means and operative to generate an actuator signal;
a plurality of diagnostic patches applied to a structure, each of the diagnostic patches including a dual mode device that operates as an actuator and a sensor;
a relay switch array module having a plurality of relay switches and operative to relay said actuator signal to a first one of said diagnostic patches;
said first diagnostic patch being responsive to said actuator signal and operative to generate a wave signal, a second one of said diagnostic patches forming a communication path for the wave signal with said first diagnostic patch and being responsive to the wave signal and operative to generate a sensor signal; and
a signal processing unit;
wherein one of said relay switches is operative to relay said sensor signal to said signal processing unit and wherein said signal processing unit is responsive to said sensor signal and operative to generate a digital sensor signal and to send the digital sensor signal to said computer means. - View Dependent Claims (49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77)
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Specification