Microwire-controlled autoclave and method

• US 8,192,080 B2
• Filed: 01/22/2008
• Issued: 06/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TSI SUB LLC
• Original Assignee: TSI Technolocies, LLC
• Inventors: Clothier, Brian L.
• Primary Examiner(s): KAPLAN VERBITSKY, GAIL
• Application Number:
  US12/018,100
• Publication Number:
  US 20080175753A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,596 Days
• Field of Search: 374/120, 374/163, 374/183, 374/184, 374/100, 374/177, 374/141, 374/208, 219/600, 219/494, 219/635, 219/9, 324/219, 324/224, 324/225, 324/494, 324/226, 324/228, 324/244, 324/260, 324/263, 324/200, 324/201, 422/26, 422/295, 422/119, 422/121, 422/125, 148/566, 148/567, 148/568, 340/572.5, 340/572.4, 340/572.1, 340/584, 340/870.17, 116/216, 702/130
• US Class Current: 374/163
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 3/04 Pressure vessels, e.g. autoclaves
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2035/0811 using induction
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 35/0227 using pressure vessels, e.g. autoclaves, vulcanising pans B29C35/065 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 35/0288 Controlling heating or curing of polymers during moulding, e.g. by measuring temperatures or properties of the polymer and regulating the process controlling or regulating chemical, physical or physico- chemical processes in general B01J19/0006
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 73/30 for local pressing or local heating
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 73/34 for local heating
• CPC Class Codes: F27B 17/00 Furnaces of a kind not covered by any preceding group structural combinations of furnaces F27B19/02
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/26 the sensing element having a permeability varying with temperature

Abstract

Improved treatment apparatus (120, 152) is provided for the treatment (e.g., molding, heating and/or curing) of objects such as parts or part precursors (148, 170) including wireless detection of a temperature parameter related to the objects during treatment thereof. The objects include associated microwire-type sensors (150, 174) which have characteristic re-magnetization responses under the influence of applied, alternating magnetic fields. The apparatus (120, 152) have treatment chambers (122, 153) sized to hold the objects to be treated, with one or more antennas (132, 124, 166) proximal to such objects and operable to generate interrogating alternating magnetic fields and to detect the responses of the sensors (150, 174). The detected temperature parameter information is used by an apparatus controller (146) to maintain desired ambient conditions within the treatment chamber (122, 153).

Claims

1. Apparatus for the treatment of objects, comprising:

a chamber configured to hold an object to be treated, there being a magnetically susceptible microwire sensor element associated with said object and operable to sense a parameter related to the temperature of the object during the treatment thereof,

said microwire sensor element operable to generate a temperature-sensitive re-magnetization response under the influence of an applied alternating magnetic field, said re-magnetization response being;

(1) correlated with said temperature parameter during said treatment of said object;

(2) defined by at least one short, detectable pulse of magnetic field perturbation of defined duration; and

(3) different above and below at least one set point temperature; and

a detector including an antenna assembly proximal to said chamber and operable to generate said alternating magnetic field in the region of said sensor, and to detect said re-magnetization response of said sensor as a measure of said parameter.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the temperature parameter is selected from the group consisting of a temperature of the object, a desired temperature of the object, a temperature range of the object, a desired temperature range of the object, a minimum temperature of the object, a maximum temperature of the object, a heating property of the object, and the temperature of a material supported by the object.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, said at least one set point temperature below about 400°

C.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, there being a plurality of said sensor elements, with at least certain of the sensor elements having a different set point temperature than other of the sensor elements.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, the set point temperature being a Curie temperature of the sensor element.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, the sensor element having different re-magnetization responses above and below a plurality of different set point temperatures.

7. The apparatus of claim 4, the plurality of different set point temperatures being below the Curie temperatures of the sensor elements.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, the sensor element comprising a metallic body.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, the metallic body being amorphous.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, the metallic body being nanocrystalline.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, the metallic body being in the form of an elongated wire or thin strip having a maximum cross-sectional dimension of up to about 100 μ

m.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, the metallic body formed of an alloy selected from the group consisting from Fe-based alloys, Co-based alloys, and mixtures thereof.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, the alloy having chromium therein.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, the sensor element comprising a metallic body with a glass coating surrounding the body.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, the sensor element comprising a metallic body, there being a ferromagnetic sheath adjacent the metallic body.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, the element comprising a metallic body having a coercivity less than 10 A/m, a relative magnetic permeability above 20,000, a magnetostriction substantially 0 or of slightly positive value, and a large Barkhausen discontinuity.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, the element comprising a metallic body producing a characteristic re-magnetization pulse above the Curie temperature of the adjacent ferromagnetic sheath, and producing no re-magnetization pulse, or an altered re-magnetization pulse, at one or more temperatures below the Curie temperature of the adjacent ferromagnetic sheath.

18. The apparatus of claim 1, said object being a part or part precursor.

19. The apparatus of claim 1, said chamber selected from the group consisting of an autoclave chamber, a resin transfer mold, and a pressure- or vacuum-bag assembly.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, said chamber being an autoclave chamber, said detector assembly including at least one antenna located within the confines of said autoclave chamber and operably coupled with a detector outside of the autoclave chamber.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, said chamber being a pressure- or vacuum-bag assembly, said detector assembly including an antenna positioned outside of the pressure- or vacuum-bag assembly.

43. The apparatus of claim 1, said object being a part to be repaired.

44. The apparatus of claim 43, said chamber comprising a pressure- or vacuum-bag assembly.

45. The apparatus of claim 44, said chamber comprising a vacuum-bag assembly.

46. The apparatus of claim 43, said process being a heating and curing process.

47. The apparatus of claim 43, said chamber comprising a tooling base supporting said part, and a flexible cover, said base and cover cooperatively defining an internal treatment zone.

22. The combination comprising:

an object treatment chamber;

an object to be treated positioned within said chamber;

a magnetically susceptible microwire sensor element associated with said object within said chamber and operable to sense a parameter related to the temperature of the object during the treatment thereof,

said microwire sensor element operable to generate a temperature-sensitive re-magnetization response under the influence of an applied alternating magnetic field, said re-magnetization response being;

(1) correlated with said temperature parameter during said treatment of said object;

(2) defined by at least one short, detectable pulse of magnetic field perturbation of defined duration; and

(3) different above and below at least one set point temperature; and

a detector including an antenna assembly proximal to said chamber and operable to generate said alternating magnetic field in the region of said sensor, and to detect said re-magnetization response of said sensor as a measure of said parameter.

23. The combination of claim 22, said object comprising apart or part precursor.

24. The combination of claim 22, wherein the temperature parameter is selected from the group consisting of a temperature of the object, a desired temperature of the object, a temperature range of the object, a desired temperature range of the object, a minimum temperature of the object, a maximum temperature of the object, a heating property of the object, and the temperature of a material supported by the object.

25. The combination of claim 22, said at least one set point temperature below about 400°

C.

26. The combination of claim 22, there being a plurality of said sensor elements, with at least certain of the sensor elements having a different set point temperature than other of the sensor elements.

27. The combination of claim 22, the set point temperature being a Curie temperature of the sensor element.

28. The combination of claim 26, the sensor elements having different re-magnetization responses above and below a plurality of different set point temperatures.

29. The combination of claim 28, the plurality of different set point temperatures being below the Curie temperatures of the sensor elements.

30. The combination of claim 22, the sensor element comprising a metallic body.

31. The combination of claim 30, the metallic body being amorphous.

32. The combination of claim 31, the metallic body being nanocrystalline.

33. The combination of claim 30, the metallic body being in the form of an elongated wire or thin strip having a maximum cross-sectional dimension of up to about 100 μ

m.

34. The combination of claim 30, the metallic body formed of an alloy selected from the group consisting from Fe-based alloys, Co-based alloys, and mixtures thereof.

35. The combination of claim 34, the alloy having chromium therein.

36. The combination of claim 22, the sensor element comprising a metallic body with a glass coating surrounding the body.

37. The combination of claim 22, the sensor element comprising a metallic body, there being a ferromagnetic sheath adjacent the metallic body.

38. The combination of claim 22, the element comprising a metallic body having a coercivity less than 10 A/m, a relative magnetic permeability above 20,000, a magnetostriction substantially 0 or of slightly positive value, and a large Barkhausen discontinuity.

39. The combination of claim 38, the element comprising a metallic body producing a characteristic re-magnetization pulse above the Curie temperature of the adjacent ferromagnetic sheath, and producing no re-magnetization pulse, or an altered re-magnetization pulse, at one or more temperatures below the Curie temperature of the adjacent ferromagnetic sheath.

40. The combination of claim 22, said chamber selected from the group consisting of an autoclave chamber, a resin transfer mold, and a pressure- or vacuum-bag assembly.

41. The combination of claim 40, said chamber being an autoclave chamber, said detector assembly including at least one antenna located within the confines of said autoclave chamber and operably coupled with a detector outside of the autoclave chamber.

42. The combination of claim 40, said chamber being a pressure- or vacuum-bag assembly, said detector assembly including an antenna positioned outside of the pressure- or vacuum-bag assembly.

48. Apparatus for the treatment of objects, comprising:

structure defining an object treatment zone configured to hold an object to be treated, there being a magnetically susceptible microwire sensor element associated with said object and operable to sense a parameter related to the temperature of the object during the treatment thereof,

said microwire sensor element operable to generate a temperature-sensitive re-magnetization response under the influence of an applied alternating magnetic field, said re-magnetization response being;

(1) correlated with said temperature parameter during said treatment of said object;

(2) defined by at least one short, detectable pulse of magnetic field perturbation of defined duration; and

(3) different above and below at least one set point temperature; and

a detector including an antenna assembly proximal to said zone and operable to generate an alternating magnetic field in the region of said sensor, and to detect said re-magnetization response of said sensor as a measure of said parameter.

49. The apparatus of claim 48, said zone-defining structure comprising a vacuum bag assembly.

50. The apparatus of claim 48, said zone-defining structure comprising an autoclave.

51. The apparatus of claim 48, wherein the temperature parameter is selected from the group consisting of a temperature of the object, a desired temperature of the object, a temperature range of the object, a desired temperature range of the object, a minimum temperature of the object, a maximum temperature of the object, a heating property of the object, and the temperature of a material supported by the object.

52. The apparatus of claim 48, said at least one set point temperature below about 400°

C.

53. The apparatus of claim 52, there being a plurality of said sensor elements, with at least certain of the sensor elements having a different set point temperature than other of the sensor elements.

54. The combination comprising:

structure defining an object treatment zone;

an object to be treated positioned within said zone;

a magnetically susceptible microwire sensor element associated with said object within said zone and operable to sense a parameter related to the temperature of the object during the treatment thereof,

said microwire sensor element operable to generate a temperature-sensitive re-magnetization response under the influence of an applied alternating magnetic field, said re-magnetization response being;

(1) correlated with said temperature parameter during said treatment of said object;

(2) defined by at least one short, detectable pulse of magnetic field perturbation of defined duration; and

(3) different above and below at least one set point temperature; and

a detector including an antenna assembly proximal to said zone and operable to generate an alternating magnetic field in the region of said sensor, and to detect said re-magnetization response of said sensor as a measure of said parameter.

55. The combination of claim 54, said zone-defining structure comprising a vacuum bag assembly.

56. The combination of claim 54, said zone-defining structure comprising an autoclave.

57. The combination of claim 54, wherein the temperature parameter is selected from the group consisting of a temperature of the object, a desired temperature of the object, a temperature range of the object, a desired temperature range of the object, a minimum temperature of the object, a maximum temperature of the object, a heating property of the object, and the temperature of a material supported by the object.

58. The combination of claim 54, said at least one set point temperature below about 400°

C.

59. The combination of claim 58, there being a plurality of said sensor elements, with at least certain of the sensor elements having a different set point temperature than other of the sensor elements.