Systems and methods for monitoring moving surfaces
First Claim
1. A monitoring system for a moving surface comprising:
- an emitter for emitting at least one light signal onto said moving surface;
a collector for receiving at least one reflected representation of said at least one light signal; and
electronics connected to said collector and configured to combine said at least one reflected representation into at least one waveform;
said electronics further configured to derive and collect a plurality of sample points from said at least one waveform;
said electronics further configured to derive a timing period from said collection of sample points when a sufficient number of said sample points have been collected;
said electronics further configured to define a marker in said at least one waveform and generate an output signal that includes a representation of at least said marker,wherein said electronics comprise a microcomputer configuration including one or more central processing units, volatile memory, non-volatile memory, all interconnected by a bus to which a source respective to said emitter and said collector also connect.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
This present specification provides, amongst other things, an electro-optical monitoring system for obtaining a once-per-revolution signal based on the surface reflection of a rotating device that mandates non-contacting sensor input in potentially hostile environments. The system can use optical and electronic sections to illuminate and detect surface reflections from the rotating surface using existing mounting locations on the periphery of the machine to be measured. The electronic portion is configured to determine a unique mark as the once-per-revolution marker or allow an attending operator to assign a specific marker based on the observed reflected pattern. The optical portion consists of a light source, receiver, and optics that allow for focused and directed light paths.
28 Citations
17 Claims
-
1. A monitoring system for a moving surface comprising:
-
an emitter for emitting at least one light signal onto said moving surface; a collector for receiving at least one reflected representation of said at least one light signal; and electronics connected to said collector and configured to combine said at least one reflected representation into at least one waveform;
said electronics further configured to derive and collect a plurality of sample points from said at least one waveform;
said electronics further configured to derive a timing period from said collection of sample points when a sufficient number of said sample points have been collected;
said electronics further configured to define a marker in said at least one waveform and generate an output signal that includes a representation of at least said marker,wherein said electronics comprise a microcomputer configuration including one or more central processing units, volatile memory, non-volatile memory, all interconnected by a bus to which a source respective to said emitter and said collector also connect. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
-
-
9. A method for monitoring a moving surface comprising:
-
emitting at least one light signal onto said moving surface, wherein said emitting step is performed using a plurality of light emitting fiber-optic strands randomly dispersed in parallel to each other; receiving at least one reflected representation of said at least one light signal; combining said at least one reflected representation into at least one waveform; deriving a plurality of sample points from said at least one waveform; deriving a timing period from said plurality of sample points when a sufficient number of said sample points have been derived; defining a marker in said at least one waveform; and generating an output signal that includes a representation of at least said marker. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13)
-
-
14. A method for monitoring a moving surface comprising:
-
emitting at least one light signal onto said moving surface, wherein said moving surface is a gas turbine engine and an emitter and a collector are mounted within a bulkhead fitting attached within a bore of a chassis of said gas turbine engine; receiving at least one reflected representation of said at least one light signal; combining said at least one reflected representation into at least one waveform; deriving a plurality of sample points from said at least one waveform; deriving a timing period from said plurality of sample points when a sufficient number of said sample points have been derived; defining a marker in said at least one waveform; and generating an output signal that includes a representation of at least said marker. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17)
-
Specification