Automated sensor specific calibration through sensor parameter download

• US 8,022,715 B2
• Filed: 01/27/2009
• Issued: 09/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Ren, Zhiyuan, Herron, William Lee, Balasubramaniam, Mahadevan, Esler, David Richard, Down, John Harry, Parry, David Walter, Chan, David So Keung, Dasgupta, Samhita, Hasz, Wayne Charles, Shaddock, David Mulford, Andarawis, Emad Andarawis
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Vincent Q
• Application Number:
  US12/360,485
• Publication Number:
  US 20100188100A1
• Time in Patent Office: 966 Days
• Field of Search: 324/662, 324/644
• US Class Current: 324/662
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 11/14 Adjusting or regulating tip-clearance, i.e. distance between rotor-blade tips and stator casing rotors with blades adjustable in operation F01D7/00
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 21/003 Arrangements for testing or measuring for measuring vibrations G01H
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 21/04 responsive to undesired position of rotor relative to stator or to breaking-off of a part of the rotor, e.g. indicating such position
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 7/14 for measuring distance or clearance between spaced objects or spaced apertures G01B7/30 takes precedence

Abstract

A sensor system for measuring a clearance parameter between a stationary component and a rotating component of a rotating machine is provided. The system includes a clearance sensor to output a clearance measurement signal. A sensor memory is attached to the sensor for storing a first sensor information. A second sensor information is stored in a electronics interface memory. The first and the second sensor information are read and the clearance sensor is matched with a respective plurality of calibration data by an electronic interface based on the first and the second sensor information.

Claims

1. A sensor system comprising:

a clearance sensor configured to measure a clearance between a stationary component and a rotating component of a rotating machine and to output a clearance measurement signal;

a sensor memory coupled to the clearance sensor and configured to store a first sensor information;

an electronics interface comprising;

an electronics interface memory configured to store a second sensor information;

an electronics circuitry configured to read the first and the second sensor information and to match the clearance sensor with a respective plurality of calibration data based on the first and the second sensor information; and

a calibration module configured to calibrate the clearance measurement signal based on the respective calibration data.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the stationary object comprises a shroud of the rotating machine.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the rotating object comprises a rotating blade of the rotating machine.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the clearance sensor is selected from the group consisting of a capacitive sensor, a microwave based sensor, an optical based sensor, an eddy current sensor and combinations thereof.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor memory and the electronics interface memory are selected from the group consisting of an electronic memory, an electrical memory, a mechanical memory and combinations thereof.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronics interface periodically probes the sensor memory to detect a change in the clearance sensor.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first sensor information comprises the calibration data for the clearance sensor, and wherein the electronics interface uses the calibration data to calibrate the clearance measurement signal.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the first sensor information comprises a sensor identification number.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the electronics interface issues an alert when a mismatch is detected between the sensor identification number and the calibration parameters.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the first sensor information comprises a plurality of scaling parameters with respect to a plurality of proto-calibration data for the clearance sensor.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the first sensor information comprises a mathematical relationship between the clearance between the stationary and rotating components and the clearance measurement signal.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the second sensor information comprises a plurality of calibration data with a respective identification number for each of the calibration data points.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the second sensor information comprises a plurality of calibration data for a proto-sensor.