Automated sensor specific calibration through sensor parameter download

• US 8,536,878 B2
• Filed: 08/10/2011
• Issued: 09/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Andarawis, Emad Andarawis, Hasz, Wayne Charles, Chan, David So Keung, Shaddock, David Mulford, Down, John Harry, Dasgupta, Samhita, Parry, David Walter, Esler, David Richard, Ren, Zhiyuan, Balasubramaniam, Mahadevan, Herron, William Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Vincent Q
• Application Number:
  US13/206,740
• Publication Number:
  US 20110295538A1
• Time in Patent Office: 769 Days
• Field of Search: 324/601, 324/662
• US Class Current: 324/601
• 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 method for calibrating a clearance sensor, the method comprising:

storing a first sensor information in a clearance sensor memory;

storing a second sensor information in a electronics interface memory;

reading the first sensor information from the clearance sensor memory; and

calibrating the clearance sensor based on the first sensor information and the second sensor information.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising tracking the clearance sensor deterioration over time based on the first sensor information and the second sensor information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein storing a second sensor information comprises detecting a change in the clearance sensor and manually downloading a plurality of new calibration data into the electronics interface memory.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first sensor information comprises a plurality of calibration data for the clearance sensor.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first sensor information comprises a sensor identification number.

6. The method 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.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the clearance sensor is configured to monitor a clearance between a rotating component and a stationary component, and wherein the first sensor information comprises a mathematical relationship between the clearance between the stationary and rotating components and the clearance measurement signal.

8. The method 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.

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