DYNAMIC SENSORS

• US 20140046494A1
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Published: 02/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Advanced Green Innovations, LLC
• Original Assignee: McAlister Technologies, LLC
• Inventors: McAlister, Roy Edward
• Application Number:
  US13/831,344
• Publication Number:
  US 20140046494A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/287
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2041/281 between sensors and control unit
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 35/02 on interior conditions
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 35/022 using an optical sensor, e.g. in-cylinder light probe
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 35/023 by determining the cylinder pressure
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 35/025 by determining temperatures inside the cylinder, e.g. combustion temperatures
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 9/0032 using photoelectric means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C

Abstract

Dynamic sensors for sensing and adaptively controlling various events, operations and/or conditions in various systems including combustion engines and thermochemical regeneration systems are disclosed. A dynamic sensor includes one or more transducer components for detecting conditions and events and generating detected signals, a controller for receiving and processing detected signals to generate an output signal for controlling one or more conditions, a transceiver component that can be controlled using radio frequency, acoustic or other means, and that can report the output signal continuously, periodically or when interrogated, a memory for storing instructions, calibration data and/or measured data, and an energy harvester component that harvests energy from events to power one or more components of the dynamic sensor.

Claims

1. A dynamic sensor for sensing conditions in a combustion engine, comprising:

a transducer located inside or outside a combustion chamber of a combustion engine for detecting a condition inside the combustion chamber and generating one or more detected signals;

a controller for receiving and processing the one or more detected signals to generate an output signal for controlling one or more conditions inside the combustion chamber;

a transceiver for reporting the output signal;

a memory for storing instructions and calibration data; and

an energy harvester for harvesting energy from events in the combustion chamber to power at least one of the transducer, the controller, the transceiver and the memory.

2. The dynamic sensor of claim 1, wherein the transducer is disposed on or near an intake valve, an exhaust valve, a piston or a cylinder wall of the combustion engine.

3. The dynamic sensor of claim 1, wherein the transducer is located inside the combustion chamber and the controller is located outside the combustion chamber.

4. The dynamic sensor of claim 1, wherein the transceiver is located in an injector of the combustion engine.

5. The dynamic sensor of claim 1, wherein the dynamic sensor is a system on a chip (SoC) integrating the transducer, the controller, the transceiver, the memory and the energy harvester on a single integrated circuit.

6. The dynamic sensor of claim 3, wherein the transducer and the controller communicate with each other using optical communication or radio frequency communication.

7. The dynamic sensor of claim 1, wherein the transducer includes a pressure or a temperature sensor that comprises:

a tube having sealed ends,

a light source disposed inside the tube and an array of photo-detectors adjacent to the light source,

wherein the tube has a wall that reflects incident light from the light source.

8. The dynamic sensor of claim 7, wherein the array of photo-detectors detects an interference pattern formed by constructive and destructive interference between the incident and reflected light, the interference pattern being modulated by pressure exerted on the wall of the tube.

9. The dynamic sensor of claim 8, wherein the controller is configured to:

extract one or more parameters from the interference pattern;

retrieve pre-calibrated pressure data from the memory; and

correlate the extracted parameters to the pre-calibrated pressure data to determine pressure exerted on the tube.

10. The dynamic sensor of claim 9, wherein the transceiver are configured to:

transmit an output signal corresponding to the pressure exerted on the tube.

11. The dynamic sensor of claim 7, wherein the light source is selected from a group including:

one or more light emitting diodes and radiation generated by combustion event in the combustion chamber, the radiation being transported from the inside of the combustion chamber to the inside of the tube via a fiber optic cable.

12. The dynamic sensor of claim 1, wherein the transducer is triggered to detect the condition inside the combustion chamber by at least one of a radio frequency signal or an acoustic signal received by the transceiver.

13. The dynamic sensor of claim 1, wherein transceiver is triggered to report the output signal by at least one of a radio frequency signal or an acoustic signal received by the transceiver.

14. The dynamic sensor of claim 1, wherein the transducer is triggered to emit an acoustic wave in response to a radio frequency signal received by the transceiver.

15. The dynamic sensor of claim 1, wherein the transceiver communicates the one or more detected signals from the transducer to the controller.

16. The dynamic sensor of claim 2, wherein the transducer is a velocity sensor that measures the velocity of the piston as it moves inside the combustion chamber, the transducer comprising:

an emitter that emits an acoustic signal of a known frequency; and

a detector that detects an acoustic signal reflected from the surface of the piston and the walls of the combustion chamber.

17. The dynamic sensor of claim 16, wherein the controller is configured to:

receive the acoustic signal detected by the detector;

determine the velocity of the piston based on the difference in frequency between the emitted acoustic signal and the detected acoustic signal.

18. The dynamic sensor of claim 1, wherein the transducer includes an array of detectors for detecting an interference pattern formed by interference between an acoustic signal from an event in the combustion chamber and acoustic signals reflected from surfaces of the combustion chamber.

19. The dynamic sensor of claim 18, wherein, the interference pattern is an acoustic signature corresponding to addition of an oxidant to fuel in the combustion chamber.

20. The dynamic sensor of claim 18, wherein, the interference pattern is an acoustic signature corresponding to a surplus of air in the combustion chamber.

21. The dynamic sensor of claim 18, wherein, the interference pattern is an acoustic signature corresponding to an optimum plasma for injection.

22. The dynamic sensor of claim 18, wherein, the interference pattern is an acoustic signature corresponding to production of one or more products of combustion.

23. The dynamic sensor of claim 1, wherein the transducer includes a chemical species detector for measuring concentration of the chemical species in the combustion chamber, comprising:

a tunable laser producing a light beam having a wavelength that corresponds to the absorption band of a chemical species for illuminating the combustion chamber;

a detector for detecting a portion of the light beam reflected from a surface of the combustion chamber.

24. The dynamic sensor of claim 18, wherein the chemical specifies includes at least one of:

methane, ozone, hydrocarbons, or particulates.

25. The dynamic sensor of claim 1, further configured to detect an emission triggered by an event in the combustion chamber, wherein the emission is from a chemical agent added to fuel.

26. The dynamic sensor of claim 1, wherein the energy harvester includes a piezoelectric element and circuitry to produce electrical energy from vibration, pressure or acoustic waves generated by combustion events.

27. The dynamic sensor of claim 1, wherein the energy harvester includes a photovoltaic element and circuitry to produce electricity from radiation generated by combustion events.

28. The dynamic sensor of claim 1, wherein the energy harvester includes a thermoelectric element and interface circuitry to produce electricity from temperature difference generated by combustion events.

29. The dynamic sensor of claim 1, wherein:

the memory includes data on a range of temperatures or pressures for the combustion chamber in operation,

the transducer measures temperature or pressure inside the combustion chamber, and

the controller compares the measured temperature or pressure to the range of temperatures or pressures to determine;

if the measured temperature or pressure is outside of the range of temperatures or pressures,

and if so, send a radio frequency signal to a central controller to report the measured temperature or pressure being outside of the range of temperatures.

30. A dynamic sensor for sensing conditions in a thermochemical regeneration (TCR) apparatus, comprising:

a transducer located at or near a reaction zone of the TCR apparatus for detecting one or more constituents of fuel in the reaction zone and generating one or more detected signals;

a controller for receiving and processing the one or more detected signals to generate an output signal for promoting production of oxygenated carbon fuel in reaction zone for injection in a combustion chamber;

a transceiver for reporting the output signal;

a memory for storing instructions and calibration data; and

an energy harvester for harvesting energy from vibration, temperature or light to power at least one of the transducer, the controller, the transceiver and the memory.

31. The dynamic sensor of claim 30, wherein the one or more constituents of fuel include methane or carbon monoxide.

32. The dynamic sensor of claim 30, wherein the output signal for promoting production of oxygenated carbon fuel in reaction zone for injection in the combustion chamber controls the supply of steam to the reaction zone via capillaries.

33. The dynamic sensor of claim 30, wherein the output signal for promoting production of oxygenated carbon fuel in reaction zone for injection in the combustion chamber controls the heating of the fuel in the reaction zone via heat supplied by the energy harvester.