SENSING SYSTEM AND METHOD
First Claim
1. A system comprising:
- a resonant sensor configured to be in contact with oil within a gearbox of a rotor system, the sensor including electrodes and a sensing region circuit that is configured to generate electrical stimuli at different times during an operational life of the gearbox, each electrical stimulus having multiple different frequencies that are applied to the oil via the electrodes; and
one or more processors configured to receive multiple electrical signals from the resonant sensor, the electrical signals representative of impedance responses of the oil to the electrical stimuli, the one or more processors configured to analyze the impedance responses and determine a concentration of a polar analyte in the oil at each of the different times based on the impedance responses, the one or more processors further configured to calculate a degradation value for the gearbox based on the concentration of the polar analyte in the oil,wherein, responsive to the degradation value exceeding a designated degradation threshold, the one or more processors are configured to at least one of schedule maintenance for the rotor system, provide an alert to schedule maintenance for the rotor system, or prohibit operation of the rotor system until maintenance is performed on the rotor system.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system includes a resonant sensor in contact with oil within a gearbox of a rotor system, such as a wind turbine, and one or more processors. The sensor includes electrodes and a sensing circuit that generates electrical stimuli having frequencies applied to the oil at different times during a life of the gearbox. The processors receive electrical signals from the resonant sensor representative of impedance responses of the oil to the electrical stimuli. The processors analyze the impedance responses and determine a concentration of a polar analyte in the oil at different times. The processors calculate a degradation value for the gearbox based on the concentration of the polar analyte. Responsive to the degradation value exceeding a designated threshold, the processors at least one of schedule maintenance for the rotor system, provide an alert to schedule maintenance, or prohibit operation of the rotor system until maintenance is performed.
60 Citations
25 Claims
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1. A system comprising:
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a resonant sensor configured to be in contact with oil within a gearbox of a rotor system, the sensor including electrodes and a sensing region circuit that is configured to generate electrical stimuli at different times during an operational life of the gearbox, each electrical stimulus having multiple different frequencies that are applied to the oil via the electrodes; and one or more processors configured to receive multiple electrical signals from the resonant sensor, the electrical signals representative of impedance responses of the oil to the electrical stimuli, the one or more processors configured to analyze the impedance responses and determine a concentration of a polar analyte in the oil at each of the different times based on the impedance responses, the one or more processors further configured to calculate a degradation value for the gearbox based on the concentration of the polar analyte in the oil, wherein, responsive to the degradation value exceeding a designated degradation threshold, the one or more processors are configured to at least one of schedule maintenance for the rotor system, provide an alert to schedule maintenance for the rotor system, or prohibit operation of the rotor system until maintenance is performed on the rotor system. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method comprising:
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obtaining multiple measurements of a concentration of at least one polar analyte in oil within a gearbox of a rotor system, the measurements obtained at different times during an operational life of the gearbox via a resonant sensor in operational contact with the oil, the resonant sensor including electrodes and a sensing region circuit that is configured to generate an electrical stimulus having multiple different frequencies that are applied to the oil via the electrodes, the concentration of the at least one polar analyte in the oil determined based on an impedance response of the oil to the electrical stimulus; calculating a degradation value for the gearbox based on the concentration of the at least one polar analyte in the oil within the gearbox; and responsive to the degradation value exceeding a designated degradation threshold, at least one of scheduling maintenance for the rotor system, providing an alert to schedule maintenance for the rotor system, or prohibiting operation of the rotor system until maintenance is performed on the rotor system. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A system comprising:
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a resonant sensor configured to be in contact with oil within a gearbox of a rotor system, the sensor including electrodes and a sensing region circuit that is configured to generate electrical stimuli at different times during an operational life of the gearbox, each electrical stimulus having multiple different frequencies that are applied to the oil via the electrodes; one or more processors configured to receive multiple electrical signals from the resonant sensor, the electrical signals representative of impedance responses of the oil to the electrical stimuli, the one or more processors configured to analyze the impedance responses and determine a concentration of water in the oil at each of the different times based on the impedance responses; and an operating condition sensor mounted to the rotor system, the operating condition sensor configured to detect when the rotor system is in a non-operating state and when the rotor system is in an operating state, wherein the one or more processors are configured to calculate a degradation value for the gearbox based on the concentration of water in the oil during time periods that the rotor system is in the non-operating state, and, responsive to the degradation value exceeding a designated degradation threshold, the one or more processors are configured to at least one of schedule maintenance for the rotor system, provide an alert to schedule maintenance for the rotor system, or prohibit operation of the rotor system until maintenance is performed on the rotor system. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25)
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Specification