Clearance measurement systems and methods of operation
First Claim
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1. A method comprising:
- exciting a sensor with an incident signal;
generating a reflected signal by reflecting the incident signal from the sensor, wherein the incident signal and the reflected signal interfere to form a standing wave; and
processing the signals to determine a sensed parameter based upon a frequency at which the standing wave exhibits a null.
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Abstract
A method is provided and includes exciting a sensor with an incident signal and generating a reflected signal by reflecting the incident signal from the sensor. The incident signal and the reflected signal interfere to form a standing wave. The method also includes processing the signals to determine a sensed parameter based upon a frequency at which the standing wave exhibits a null.
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Citations
39 Claims
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1. A method comprising:
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exciting a sensor with an incident signal;
generating a reflected signal by reflecting the incident signal from the sensor, wherein the incident signal and the reflected signal interfere to form a standing wave; and
processing the signals to determine a sensed parameter based upon a frequency at which the standing wave exhibits a null. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method of measuring a clearance between a first object and a second object, the method comprising:
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supplying an incident signal to a sensor disposed on one of the first or second objects;
reflecting the incident signal from the sensor to generate a reflected signal, wherein the incident signal and the reflected signal interfere to form a standing wave; and
processing the signals to determine the clearance between the first and second objects based upon a frequency at which the standing wave exhibits a null. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A sensor system for measuring a clearance between a first object and a second object, the sensor system comprising:
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a sensor disposed on one of the first or second objects, wherein the sensor is configured to receive an incident signal and to reflect the incident signal to generate a reflected signal, wherein the incident signal and the reflected signal interfere to form a standing wave;
an excitation source configured to generate the incident signal; and
a processing unit configured to determine the clearance between the first and second objects based upon a frequency at which the standing wave exhibits a null. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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32. A sensor system for measuring a clearance between a first object and a second object, the sensor system comprising:
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a sensor disposed on one of the first or second objects, wherein the sensor is configured to receive an incident signal and to reflect the incident signal to generate a reflected signal, wherein the incident signal and the reflected signal interfere to form a standing wave;
a slotted transmission line configured to transmit the incident signal to the sensor and to transmit the reflected signal from the sensor, wherein the slotted transmission line comprises a slot to facilitate detection of a standing wave null at one of a plurality of locations on the slotted transmission line; and
a processing unit configured to process the signals corresponding to each of the plurality of locations to determine the clearance between the first and second objects based upon the location of the standing wave null and a frequency at which the standing wave null is detected. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39)
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Specification