System to monitor the health of a structure, program product and related methods

• US 20070265790A1
• Filed: 05/09/2006
• Published: 11/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Inventors: Berkcan, Ertugrul, Andarawis, Emad, Sealing, Charles
• Granted Patent: US 7,571,058 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/33
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 5/0033 by determining damage, crack or wear
• 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

A system to monitor the health of the structure, program product, and associated methods are provided. The system can include multiple health monitoring sensor nodes each including a sensor element connected to or embedded within the body of a structure to be monitored and positioned to monitor parameters of a portion of the body of the structure. The sensor nodes are spatially positioned along the body of structure at related or complementary locations to form a special correlative relationship between sensor nodes. The system can also include a data collector having a transceiver positioned to gather sensed parameter data from each of the sensor nodes. The system can also include a central computer in communication with the data collector and including in memory parameter process program product adapted to analyze the sensed parameter data, correlate the sensed parameter data to infer a state of health of the structure responsive to the correlation, and to detect or otherwise determine a type, severity, and/or location of damage to or incipient failure of the structure.

Claims

1. A structural health monitoring system comprising:

a structure to be monitored having a body; and

a plurality of separate and spaced apart health monitoring sensor nodes, each connected to or embedded within the body of the structure to monitor data related to parameters of a portion of the body of the structure, each node including a sensor element to sense parameters of a respective portion of the body of the structure to define sensed parameters, at least one of the plurality of health monitoring sensor nodes spatially positioned along the body of structure at a related or a complementary location to that of the at least one other of the plurality of health monitoring sensor nodes to form a special correlative relationship therebetween.

2. The system as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

a data collector having a transceiver positioned to gather sensed parameter data from each of the plurality of health monitoring sensor nodes;

a central computer in communication with the data collector and having a processor and memory coupled to the processor to receive sensed parameter data; and

parameter processing program product stored in the memory of central computer and including instructions that when executed by the central computer processor perform the operations of collectively analyzing the sensed parameter data from each of the plurality of health monitoring sensor nodes and spatially correlating the sensed parameter data from each of the plurality of health monitoring sensor nodes to infer a state of health of the structure to thereby provide damage and incipient failure detection.

3. The system as defined in claim 2, wherein the parameter processing program product includes instructions to perform the operations of:

providing a periodic time synchronization message to each of the plurality of health monitoring sensor nodes; and

temporally correlating the spatially correlated sensed parameter data.

4. The system as defined in claim 2,

wherein each of the plurality of health monitoring sensor nodes includes an internal counter to determine when to sense parameters of a respective portion of the body of the structure;

and

wherein the parameter processing program product includes instructions to perform the operations of;

forming a network time synchronization data packet, and

transmitting the network time synchronization data packet to each of the plurality of health monitoring sensor nodes to thereby provide for timer phase error correction in each of the plurality of health monitoring sensor nodes.

5. The system as defined in claim 1,

wherein the body of the structure includes an axis of symmetry;

wherein the plurality of health monitoring sensor nodes includes a plurality of spatially paired health monitoring sensor nodes; and

wherein each of the plurality of health monitoring sensor node pairs are located on opposite sides of an axis of symmetry to establish the special correlative relationship.

6. The system as defined in claim 5,

wherein each of the plurality of health monitoring sensor node pairs has a separate communication link to share information;

and

wherein only one of the nodes of each node pair transmits the correlated data to a central computer or data collector.

7. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the sensed parameters include stress, and wherein the system further comprises:

a central computer in communication with the data collector and having a processor and memory coupled to the processor to receive sensed parameter data; and

parameter processing program product stored in the memory of at least one of a central computer or one of the plurality of health monitoring sensor nodes each having a processor and including instructions that when executed by the respective processor perform the operations of collectively analyzing the sensed parameter data from each of the plurality of health monitoring sensor nodes, correlating the sensed parameter data from each of the plurality of health monitoring sensor nodes to detect a change in stress distribution among nodes describing onset of an incipient failure of the structure, inferring a state of health of the structure responsive to detection of the change in stress distribution, and triggering an alarm responsive to the change in stress distribution.

8. The system as defined in claim 7, wherein the structure is a mobile structure, and wherein the system is adapted to perform data acquisition during operational movement of the structure.

9. The system as defined in claim 8, wherein no external excitation is required other than natural vibration energy inherent within the body of the structure when operationally employed to provide each health monitoring sensor node data indicating damage to or incipient failure of the structure.

10. The system as defined in claim 2, wherein the data collector is the one of the plurality of health monitoring sensor nodes.

11. A multi-node sensor system to monitor the structural health of a structure, the system comprising:

a structure to be monitored having a body;

a plurality of separate and spaced apart health monitoring sensor nodes each connected to or embedded within the body of the structure to monitor data related to parameters of a portion of the body of the structure, each node including a sensor element to sense parameters of a respective portion of the body of the structure to define sensed parameters, a processor coupled to the sensor element to receive sensed parameters, and memory coupled to the processor to store data and operating instructions therein, at least one of the plurality of health monitoring sensor nodes spatially positioned along the body of structure at a related or a complementary location to that of at least one other of the plurality of health monitoring sensor nodes to form a special correlative relationship therebetween;

a data collector having a transceiver positioned to gather sensed parameter data from each of the plurality of health monitoring sensor nodes and to transmit a periodic time synchronization message to each of the plurality of health monitoring sensor nodes; and

a central computer in communication with the data collector and having a processor and memory coupled to the processor to store requested data and operating instructions therein.

12. The system as defined in claim 11, further comprising parameter processing program product stored in the memory of central computer and including instructions that when executed by the central computer processor perform the operations of:

collectively analyzing the sensed parameter data from each of the plurality of health monitoring sensor nodes;

correlating the sensed parameter data from each of the plurality of health monitoring sensor nodes in both space and time;

inferring a state of health of the structure responsive to the correlation; and

determining at least one of the following;

a type, severity, and location of damage to the structure or incipient failure thereof responsive to the inference.

13. The system as defined in claim 11, further comprising parameter processing program product stored in the memory of one of the plurality of health monitoring sensor nodes and including instructions that when executed by the respective processor perform the operations of:

gathering sensed parameters from at least one other of the plurality of health monitoring sensor nodes;

collectively analyzing the sensed parameters from the one of the plurality of health monitoring sensor nodes and the at least one other of the plurality of health monitoring sensor nodes;

correlating the sensed parameter data in both space and time;

inferring a state of health of the structure responsive to the correlation; and

detecting at least one of the following;

a type, severity, and location of damage to the structure or incipient failure thereof responsive to the inference.

14. The system as defined in claim 11,

wherein the body of the structure includes an axis of symmetry;

wherein the plurality of health monitoring sensor nodes includes a plurality of spatially paired health monitoring sensor nodes; and

wherein each of the plurality of health monitoring sensor node pairs are located on opposite sides of an axis of symmetry to establish the special correlative relationship.

15. The system as defined in claim 11, wherein the sensed parameters include stress, and wherein the system further comprises parameter processing program product stored in the memory of at least one of the central computer or one of plurality of health monitoring sensor nodes and including instructions that when executed by the respective processor perform the operations of:

collectively analyzing the sensed parameter data from each of the plurality of health monitoring sensor nodes;

correlating the sensed parameter data from each of the plurality of health monitoring sensor nodes to detect a change in stress distribution among nodes describing onset of an incipient failure of the structure; and

inferring a state of health of the structure responsive to detection of the change in stress distribution.

16. The system as defined in claim 15, wherein the structure is an aircraft, and wherein the parameter processing program product further includes instructions to perform the operation of determining an optimized flight envelope responsive to detection of damage to or incipient failure of the structure.

17. The system as defined in claim 12, wherein the parameter processing program product further includes instructions to perform the operation of employing a network time synchronization process to correct a time sampling phase error in each of the plurality of health monitoring sensor nodes including providing the periodic time synchronization message to each of the plurality of health monitoring sensor nodes.

18. A method to monitor the structural health of a structure, the method comprising:

positioning a plurality of health monitoring sensor nodes at spatially related or complementary positions along a body of a structure to form a special correlative relationship;

sensing parameters of a portion of the body of the structure by each of a plurality of health monitoring sensor nodes;

gathering sensed parameter data from each of the plurality of health monitoring sensor nodes; and

correlating the sensed parameter data from each of the plurality of health monitoring sensor nodes in both space and time to infer a state of health of the structure to thereby detect at least one of the following;

a type, severity, and location of damage to the structure or to detect incipient failure thereof.

19. A method as defined in claim 18, further comprising the step of employing data synchronization between each of the plurality of health monitoring sensor nodes to provide an enhanced view of the health of the structure, the data synchronization including performing synchronized data acquisition by each one of the plurality of health monitoring sensor nodes with at least one other of the plurality of health monitoring sensor nodes.

20. A method as defined in claim 18, further comprising the step of employing a network time synchronization process to correct a time sampling phase error in each of the plurality of health monitoring sensor nodes, the time synchronization process including providing a periodic time synchronization message to each of the plurality of health monitoring sensor nodes.

21. A method as defined in claim 18, wherein the sensed parameters include stress, and wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

detecting a change in stress distribution among nodes describing onset of an incipient failure of the structure; and

triggering an alarm responsive to the change in stress distribution.

22. A method as defined in claim 18, wherein the sensed parameters include stress, and wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

detecting a variation in stress between a pair of nodes describing damage to the structure; and

triggering an alarm responsive to the change in stress distribution.

23. A method as defined in claim 18, wherein the structure is an aircraft, and wherein the method further comprises the step of determining an optimized flight envelope during flight responsive to in-flight detection of damage to or incipient failure of the structure.