INTERPOLATIVE SENSOR OUTPUT VISUAL MAP DISPLAY SYSTEM

• US 3,810,138 A
• Filed: 01/10/1972
• Issued: 05/07/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Francis T. Thompson, Shan C. Sun, Steven L. Silverstein
• Original Assignee: Francis T. Thompson, Shan C. Sun, Steven L. Silverstein
• Inventors: Thompson, Francis T., Silverstein, Steven L., Sun, Shan C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Yusko, Donald J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Curtis, Marshall M.
• Application Number:
  US05/216,691
• Time in Patent Office: 848 Days
• Field of Search: 340/166R,225,172,378,324R,324M 178/18 176/19EC 323/94,68-70
• US Class Current: 340/518
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 7/04 using a separate indicating element for each variable
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 1/02 Means for indicating or recording specially adapted for thermometers
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 7/021 Particular circuit arrangements G01K7/026, G01K7/12, G01K7/14 take precedence

Abstract

A sensor output visual display system is presented for coherently displaying the output readings of a plurality of sensors, such as the in-core thermocouples of a nuclear reactor. The in-core temperature distribution, as detected by the in-core thermocouples, is displayed using light intensity modulation over a reactor core map - the brighter areas on the map corresponding to the hotter areas of the core. The active display area is divided into blocks, each corresponding to a zone within the core representing a fuel rod assembly. Interpolation for assemblies not monitored directly by thermocouples is provided for a coherent display. The interpolation is performed by a resistive plate or resistor matrix constructed to conform to the geometric configuration of the reactor core. The total temperature information is then processed to interface with the display media. A visual alarm feature is included to indicate thermocouple readings which are outside preset limits and for identifying the existence of defective thermocouples.

Claims

1. A sensor monitoring system for displaying a profile of the parameter monitored over a defined area divided into a plurality of zones, comprising:

a plurality of sensors positioned to monitor at least a portion of the zones within the defined area, each of said sensors having a corresponding output representative of the value of the parameter monitored within the respective zones;

means for interpolating the outputs of said sensors to provide an output representative of the interpolated value of the monitored parameter in each of the corresponding zones within the defined area; and

means for displaying the respective interpolated values of the monitored parameter according to each of the corresponding zones so as to present the parameter profile over the defined area.

2. The display system of claim 1 wherein the defined area comprises the core of a nuclear reactor and the zones correspond to the respective fuel assembly locations within the core and the sensors are arranged to monitor at least a portion of the total number of fuel assemblies within the core.

3. The display system of claim 1 wherein said sensors monitor, respectively, fewer than said plurality of zones and said interpolating means provides an output to said display means representative of the interpolated value of the monitored parameter within each of the respective zones.

4. The display system of claim 1 including means for interfacing said sensor outputs to said interpolating means so as to amplify and buffer said sensor outputs to obtain a signal of sufficient definition for interpolation.

5. The display system of claim 4 wherein said sensor interface includes:

means for sequentially addressing and reading out the output from each of said plurality of sensors; and

means for storing said sensor outputs in corresponding storage locations and simultaneously presenting the respective outputs from said address means storage locations to the corresponding inputs of said interpolation means.

6. The display system of claim 5 wherein said address means includes contact relay means for sequentially connecting and communicating the outputs from each of said plurality of sensorS to the respective storage locations within said address means.

7. The display system of claim 5 including means for arithmetically normalizing the outputs from said sensors to a reference value.

8. The display system of claim 5 wherein said storage means comprise:

a plurality of sample and hold modules equal to at least the number of sensors positioned to monitor the defined area, said modules having inputs from said address means and corresponding outputs to said interpolation means, said address means sequentially activating said modules to communicate the corresponding thermcouple readings to the respective modules for storage and said modules providing simultaneous outputs to the corresponding inputs of said interpolation means.

9. The display system of claim 1 wherein said display means includes:

a visual map designed to correspond to the defined area with subdivisions corresponding to the respective zones, said subdivisions being light intensity modulated according to the respective value of the parameter monitored within the corresponding zones presenting a relative light intensity profile of the monitored parameter over the defined area.

10. The display system of claim 9 including means for indicating a sensor output which is outside the limits of a preselected range.

11. The display system of claim 10 wherein said indicating means flashes a light within at least a portion of the subdivision corresponding to the respective zone associated with the sensor providing the out of limits reading.

12. The display system of claim 9 wherein said visual map is formed on an electroluminescent display comprising an electroluminescent lamp correspondingly subdivided according to the respective zones within the defined area.

13. The display system of claim 9 including means for indicating a sensor failure.

14. The display system of claim 9 wherein said visual map is formed on a TV monitor display.

15. The display system of claim 14 wherein said TV monitor display comprises:

a display interface for selectively communicating said interpolating means outputs to the input of said TV monitor;

scan generator means for providing the control signals required by said TV monitor and said display interface including;

vertical and horizontal blanking signals to form the outline of said visual map;

selection signals for said display interface to identify the corresponding interpolation means output signal to be communicated to the visual map subdivision being scanned by the TV monitor; and

a synchronization signal to synchronize said TV monitor to said scan generator so as trace sweeps across the subdivisions on the TV screen, the brightness is modulated according to the profile of the monitored parameter; and

a video signal processor for interfacing the output signals from said scan generator and said display interface to said TV monitor so as to process said scan generator and display interface outputs into compatible inputs for said TV monitor.

16. The display system of claim 1 wherein said interpolation means comprises a resistive bridge constructed in the form of a matrix corresponding to the shape of the zoned defined area and wherein substantially matched resistors are positioned on the outline of each of the respective zones corresponding to the zones within the defined area, the common resistor terminals forming the nodes of the matrix.

17. The display system of claim 16 wherein the respective sensor outputs are connected to the corresponding nodes of the resistor matrix in the same geometric configuration as the sensors are positioned within the defined area and the respective outputs of the matrix are taken at each of the respective matrix nodes to provide the interpolation means output.

18. The display system of claim 17 wherein each one of the nodes of said matrix having an input representative of a corresponding sensor output is insulated from all other adjacent nodes of said matrix hAving an input representative of a corresponding sensor output.

19. The display system of claim 1 wherein said interpolation means comprises a resistive plate formed substantially in the shape of the defined area having respective inputs representative of said sensor outputs geometrically arranged to correspond to said sensor location within the defined area and respective outputs geometrically arranged to correspond to the respective zone locations within the defined area.

20. The display system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of sensors are respectively responsive to the temperature values of a corresponding plurality of zones to provide respective outputs respresentative thereof.

21. The display system of claim 20 wherein said sensors comprise thermocouples.