Monitoring system for turbine engine
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A system for monitoring an area of interest in a gas turbine, the system comprising:
- at least one photonic crystal fiber having an imaging end and a processing end, the at least one photonic crystal fiber comprising a sapphire cladding and defining a hollow core;
an imaging camera operably connected to the processing end of the at least one photonic crystal fiber; and
an imaging processor operably connected to the imaging camera, wherein the imaging end of the at least one photonic crystal fiber captures light in the area of interest and guides the light to the imaging camera, and wherein the imaging processor generates an image based on the light.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A monitoring system for a gas turbine or other elevated temperature environment is provided. The system has one or more photonic crystal fibers for capturing and transmitting light to an imaging camera for generation of an image. The photonic crystal fibers can be formed from a sapphire cladding. The photonic crystal fibers can be band gap fibers. The photonic crystal fibers can be arranged in a bundle, including an array or a linear bundle.
34 Citations
20 Claims
-
1. A system for monitoring an area of interest in a gas turbine, the system comprising:
-
at least one photonic crystal fiber having an imaging end and a processing end, the at least one photonic crystal fiber comprising a sapphire cladding and defining a hollow core; an imaging camera operably connected to the processing end of the at least one photonic crystal fiber; and an imaging processor operably connected to the imaging camera, wherein the imaging end of the at least one photonic crystal fiber captures light in the area of interest and guides the light to the imaging camera, and wherein the imaging processor generates an image based on the light. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
-
-
10. A monitoring system for an environment having an elevated temperature, the system comprising:
-
a bundle of photonic crystal fibers having an imaging end and a processing end, each of the photonic crystal fibers having a cladding comprising a lattice of sapphire capillaries; an imaging camera operably connected to the processing end of the bundle of photonic crystal fibers; and an imaging processor operably connected to the imaging camera, wherein the lattice of sapphire capillaries have a microstructure that allows the photonic crystal fibers to capture light with a wavelength of between 3 to 12 μ
m, wherein the photonic crystal fibers guide the light to the imaging camera, and wherein the imaging processor generates an image based on the light. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13)
-
-
14. A method of monitoring a gas turbine comprising:
-
providing at least one photonic crystal fiber having a hollow core, an imaging end and a processing end; positioning the imaging end in proximity to an area of interest of the gas turbine; operably connecting the processing end to an imaging camera; capturing light with the imaging end; guiding the light through the at least one photonic crystal fiber to the imaging camera; and converting the light into an image with an image processor. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
-
Specification