SELF REGULATING POWER CONDITIONER FOR ENERGY HARVESTING APPLICATIONS

• US 20100194600A1
• Filed: 02/04/2009
• Published: 08/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Inventors: Berkcan, Ertugrul, Andarawis, Emad, Wojnarowski, Robert, Delgado, Eladio, Rao, Samantha
• Granted Patent: US 8,294,597 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/971
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/21151 Activate output only if power sufficient
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 9/02 electric

Abstract

A monitoring system for an aircraft.

Claims

1. A distributed monitoring system for monitoring one or more operating conditions of a structure, comprising:

one or more sensor nodes coupled to the structure, each sensor node comprising;

a power supply;

a sensor operably coupled to the power supply for sensing one or more operating conditions of the structure in the immediate environment and for sensing whether or not the power level of the power supply is increasing; and

a communications interface operably coupled to the power supply and the sensor for communicating the sensed operating conditions of the structure;

a communication network operably coupled to the sensor nodes; and

a controller operably coupled to the communication network for monitoring the sensor nodes.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor is adapted to determine whether the amount of available power provided by the power supply is increasing;

and wherein the sensor is adapted to control the operation of the sensor as a function of whether or not the amount of available power is increasing.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the sensor is adapted to execute one or more operations if the amount of available power is increasing.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the sensor is adapted to execute one or more operations at an increased rate of execution if the amount of available power is increasing.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the controller is adapted to direct the sensor to execute a plurality of operations in parallel if the amount of available power is increasing.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the controller is adapted to direct the sensor to execute a plurality of operations in parallel if the amount of available power is increasing.

7. The system of claim 2, wherein the sensor is adapted to discontinue execution of operations if the amount of available power is not increasing.

8. The system of claim 2, wherein the controller is adapted to direct the sensor to execute one or more operations at an increased rate of execution if the amount of available power is increasing.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the controller is adapted to direct the sensor to execute a plurality of operations in parallel if the amount of available power is increasing.

10. The system of claim 2, wherein the controller is adapted to direct the sensor to execute one or more operations at a baseline rate of execution if the amount of available power is not increasing.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the controller is adapted to direct the sensor to execute operations in series if the amount of available power is not increasing.

12. The system of claim 2, wherein the controller is adapted to direct the sensor to execute a plurality of operations in parallel if the amount of available power is increasing.

13. The system of claim 2, wherein the controller is adapted to direct the sensor to execute operations in series if the amount of available power is not increasing.

14. The system of claim 2, wherein the controller is adapted to direct the sensor to execute operations at a decreasing rate if the amount of available power provided by the power supply is not increasing.

15. The system of claim 2, wherein the controller is adapted to direct the sensor to execute operations at a decreasing rate if the amount of available power provided by the power supply is increasing at a rate that is less than a predetermined amount.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor node is adapted to dynamically adjust the operation of the sensor to use no more than the amount of available power provided by the power supply.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the sensor is adapted to choose the operation of the sensor node based on a priority list.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein a factor used to determine the priority list is based on achieving a minimum power usage, wherein power usage is defined by (Power_In−

Power_Out) divided by (Energy Inertia).

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is adapted to dynamically adjust the operation of the sensor node to use no more than the amount of available power provided by the power supply.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the controller is adapted to choose the operation of the sensor node based on a priority list.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein a factor used to determine the priority list is based on achieving a minimum power useage, wherein power usage is defined by Power_In−

Power_Out divided by Energy Inertia.

23. The method of claim 14, further comprising one or more of the sensors executing one or more operations if the amount of available power to the one or more sensors is increasing.

24. The method of claim 15, further comprising one or more of the sensors executing one or more operations at an increased rate of execution if the amount of available power to the one or more of the sensors is increasing.

25. The method of claim 16, further comprising one or more of the sensors executing a plurality of operations in parallel if the amount of available power to the one or more sensors is increasing.

26. The method of claim 15, further comprising one or more of the sensors executing a plurality of operations in parallel if the amount of available power to the one or more sensors is increasing.

27. The method of claim 14, further comprising one or more of the sensor discontinuing execution of operations if the amount of available power to the one or more sensors is not increasing.

28. The method of claim 14, further comprising one or more of the sensors executing one or more operations at an increased rate of execution if the amount of available power to the one or more sensors is increasing.

29. The method of claim 20, further comprising one or more of the sensors executing a plurality of operations in parallel if the amount of available power to the one or more sensors is increasing.

30. The method of claim 14, further comprising one or more of the sensors executing one or more operations at a baseline rate of execution if the amount of available power to the one or more sensors is not increasing.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising one or more of the sensors executing operations in series if the amount of available power to the one or more sensors is not increasing.

32. The method of claim 14, further comprising one or more of the sensors executing a plurality of operations in parallel if the amount of available power to the one or more sensors is increasing.

33. The method of claim 14, further comprising one or more of the sensors executing operations in series if the amount of available power to the one or more sensors is not increasing.

22. A method of operating a system for monitoring one or more operating conditions of a structure, comprising:

providing power at sensors positioned around the structure;

determining if the power provided to one or more of the sensors is increasing; and

controlling the operation of the sensors as a function of whether or not the power provided to one or more of the sensors in increasing.

34. A sensor node for use in a distributed monitoring system for monitoring one or more operating conditions of a structure, comprising:

a power supply;

a sensor operably coupled to the power supply for sensing one or more operating conditions of the structure in the immediate environment and for sensing whether or not the power level of the power supply is increasing;

a controller operably coupled to the communication network for monitoring the sensor nodes; and

a communications interface operably coupled to the power supply and the sensor for communicating the sensed operating conditions of the structure.

35. The sensor node of claim 34, wherein the sensor is adapted to determine the whether the amount of available power provided by the power supply is increasing;

and wherein the sensor is adapted to control the operation of the sensor as a function of whether or not the amount of available power is increasing.

36. The sensor node of claim 35, wherein the sensor is adapted to execute one or more operations if the amount of available power is increasing.

37. The sensor node of claim 36, wherein the sensor is adapted to execute one or more operations at an increased rate of execution if the amount of available power is increasing.

38. The sensor node of claim 37, wherein the controller is adapted to direct the sensor to execute a plurality of operations in parallel if the amount of available power is increasing.

39. The sensor node of claim 36, wherein the controller is adapted to direct the sensor to execute a plurality of operations in parallel if the amount of available power is increasing.

40. The sensor node of claim 35, wherein the sensor is adapted to discontinue execution of operations if the amount of available power is not increasing.

41. The sensor node of claim 35, wherein the controller is adapted to direct the sensor to execute one or more operations at an increased rate of execution if the amount of available power is increasing.

42. The sensor node of claim 41, wherein the controller is adapted to direct the sensor to execute a plurality of operations in parallel if the amount of available power is increasing.

43. The sensor node of claim 35, wherein the controller is adapted to direct the sensor to execute one or more operations at a baseline rate of execution if the amount of available power is not increasing.

44. The sensor node of claim 43, wherein the controller is adapted to direct the sensor to execute operations in series if the amount of available power is not increasing.

45. The sensor node of claim 35, wherein the controller is adapted to direct the sensor to execute a plurality of operations in parallel if the amount of available power is increasing.

46. The sensor node of claim 35, wherein the controller is adapted to direct the sensor to execute operations in series if the amount of available power is not increasing.

47. The sensor node of claim 35, wherein the controller is adapted to direct the sensor to execute a plurality of operations at a decreasing rate if the amount of available power provided by the power supply is not increasing.

48. The sensor node of claim 35, wherein the controller is adapted to direct the sensor to execute a plurality of operations at a decreasing rate if the amount of available power provided by the power supply is increasing by a rate that is less than a predetermined rate.