Integrated circuit system for controlling structural health monitoring processes

• US 8,352,201 B2
• Filed: 02/09/2012
• Issued: 01/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Acellent Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Acellent Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Qing, Xinlin, Zhang, Chang, Li, Irene, Chang, Fu-kuo, Chung, Hung Chi
• Primary Examiner(s): TSAI, CAROL S W
• Application Number:
  US13/370,099
• Publication Number:
  US 20120271563A1
• Time in Patent Office: 334 Days
• Field of Search: 702/34, 702/35, 702/36, 702/39, 702/58, 702/183, 737/60, 737/67, 737/72, 735/87, 737/89, 738/01, 738/02, 738/03, 735/84, 736/28, 735/79, 737/63, 735/83, 738/620.46, 738/620.41, 735/94, 296/00, 298/25
• US Class Current: 702/58
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 5/00 Investigating the elasticity of structures, e.g. deflection of bridges or air-craft wings G01M9/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 5/0033 by determining damage, crack or wear
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 5/0066 by exciting or detecting vibration or acceleration vibration testing of structures G01M7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 5/0075 by means of external apparatus, e.g. test benches or portable test systems G01M5/005 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/0289 Internal structure, e.g. defects, grain size, texture
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/105 two or more emitters, two or more receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/075 by measuring or comparing phase angle measuring frequencies or phase angles per se G01R23/00, G01R25/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/2437 Piezoelectric probes
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/4427 with stored values, e.g. threshold values
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/48 by amplitude comparison
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49016 Antenna or wave energy "plumbing" making
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49117 Conductor or circuit manufacturing

Abstract

A structural health monitoring system using ASICs for signal transmission, reception, and analysis. Incorporating structural health monitoring functionality into one or more ASICs provides a durable yet small, lightweight, low cost, and portable system that can be deployed and operated in field conditions. Such systems provide significant advantages, especially in applications such as armor structures.

Claims

1. A structural health monitoring system, comprising:

a first integrated circuit, comprising;

a processing block receiving sensor signals from sensors affixed to a structure, comparing the sensor signals to baseline signals, generating results data from the comparing, and generating interrogation signals initiating transmission of interrogating signals for interrogating the structure; and

a waveform generation block receiving the interrogation signals from the processing block and generating corresponding ones of the interrogating signals;

a second integrated circuit, comprising;

a signal conditioning block receiving the sensor signals, conditioning the sensor signals, and transmitting the conditioned sensor signals for receiving by the processing block of the first integrated circuit; and

a multiplexer block routing the interrogating signals to predetermined actuators affixed to the structure.

2. The structural health monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the sensors and the actuators are piezoelectric transducers.

3. The structural health monitoring system of claim 1, the processing block further generating an actuator selection signal identifying the predetermined actuators to the multiplexer block.

4. The structural health monitoring system of claim 1, the processing block further generating a sensor selection signal identifying ones of the sensors to the multiplexer block, the multiplexer block further routing the sensor signals from the identified ones of the sensors to the first integrated circuit.

5. The structural health monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the second integrated circuit further comprises a sensor signal amplifier block amplifying the sensor signals.

6. The structural health monitoring system of claim 1, further comprising an interrogating signal amplifier block amplifying the interrogating signals.

7. The structural health monitoring system of claim 6, wherein the second integrated circuit further comprises the interrogating signal amplifier block.

8. The structural health monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the first integrated circuit further comprises:

an interface receiving the conditioned sensor signals, wherein the conditioned sensor signals received at the interface are analog signals; and

an analog to digital (A/D) conversion block in electrical communication with the interface and the processing block, the A/D conversion block converting the conditioned sensor signals from analog signals to digital signals and transmitting the digital sensor signals to the processing block.

9. The structural health monitoring system of claim 8:

wherein the interrogating signals generated by the waveform generation block are digital signals; and

wherein the first integrated circuit further comprises a digital to analog (D/A) conversion block receiving the digital interrogating signals, converting the digital interrogating signals to analog interrogating signals, and transmitting the analog interrogating signals to the multiplexer block of the second integrated circuit.

10. The structural health monitoring system of claim 1, wherein at least, one of the first integrated circuit and the second integrated circuit is coupled to the structure.

11. The structural health monitoring system of claim 10, wherein the structure is a ballistic protective armor.

12. The structural health monitoring system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first integrated circuit and the second integrated circuit is placed remote from the structure.

13. The structural health monitoring system of claim 12, wherein the structure is a ballistic protective armor.