Sensor and antenna arrangement

• US 9,121,769 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2008
• Issued: 09/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: United Technologies Corporation (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Scheid, Paul Raymond, Harnist, Kevin A., Pristas, James
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): PIPALA, EDWARD J
• Application Number:
  US12/194,683
• Publication Number:
  US 20100049377A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,568 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/3, 701/14, 701/29, 701/33, 701/100, 701/4, 701/7, 701/8, 701/9, 701/10, 701/99, 701/123, 701/29.1, 701/29.4, 701/29.5, 701/29.7, 701/31.4, 701/31.5, 701/32.7, 701/32.8, 701/34.2, 701/34.4, 477/30, 455/41.2, 340/870.01, 340/870.07, 340/870.11, 340/870.28, 340/870.3, 340/870.31, 340/870.32, 340/870.37, 340/870.38, 340/945, 340/963, 340/971, 73/10.1, 73/10.2, 73/10.6, 73/11.4, 73/11.5, 73/11.6, 73/13.7, 73/18.2, 702/1, 702/33, 702/34, 702/45, 702/47, 702/48, 702/50, 702/54, 702/57, 702/85
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 17/02 Arrangement of sensing elements
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 21/003 Arrangements for testing or measuring for measuring vibrations G01H
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 21/00 Measuring or testing not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 1/024 for remote indication
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 2215/00 Details concerning sensor power supply
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2225 used in active tags, i.e. provided with its own power source or in passive tags, i.e. deriving power from RF signal
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/28 Adaptation for use in or on aircraft, missiles, satellites, or balloons
• CPC Class Codes: H02N 2/186 Vibration harvesters

Abstract

An exemplary sensor for an aircraft includes a sensor mountable within an aircraft and operative to communicate wirelessly communications to a distributed aperture antenna. The sensor is operative to harvest energy from the aircraft to power the sensor.

Claims

1. A sensor for an aircraft, comprising

a sensor mountable within an aircraft and configured to communicate line-of-sight wireless communications to a distributed aperture antenna, wherein the sensor is configured to harvest energy from the aircraft to power the sensor.

2. The sensor of claim 1, wherein the distributed aperture antenna is mounted within a gas turbine engine portion of the aircraft.

3. The sensor of claim 1, wherein the sensor is a wireless aircraft sensor.

4. The sensor of claim 1, wherein the sensor harvests at least one of thermal energy or vibratory energy from the aircraft.

5. The sensor of claim 1, wherein the sensor is mounted adjacent an aperture of the distributed aperture antenna.

6. The sensor of claim 1, wherein the sensor is removeably mountable to a gas turbine engine portion of the aircraft.

7. The sensor arrangement of claim 1, including a controller in communication with the antenna that receives the wireless communications from the sensor.

22. The sensor or claim 1, wherein the sensor operative to harvest energy from at least one of thermal potential differences, vibrations, static electricity generated by airflow, pressure differentials, or acoustic energy.

8. A sensor arrangement for an aircraft, comprising:

at least one energy harvesting sensor configured to be at least partially powered by energy harvested from the aircraft; and

a distributed aperture antenna configured to receive wireless communications from the at least one energy harvesting sensor, wherein the wireless communications are line-of-sight wireless communications.

9. The sensor arrangement of claim 8, wherein the distributed aperture antenna comprises a plurality of energy leakage paths.

10. The sensor arrangement of claim 9, wherein the plurality of energy leakage paths comprise apertures extending through the shield to a core portion of a coaxial antenna.

11. The sensor arrangement of claim 9, wherein at least one of the plurality of energy leakage paths is positioned adjacent at least one of the plurality of sensors.

12. The sensor arrangement of claim 9, wherein each of the plurality of energy leakage paths is configured to provides an electric field corresponding to one of the at least one energy harvesting sensor.

13. The sensor arrangement of claim 8, wherein the at least one energy harvesting sensor is configured to be at least partially powered by energy harvested from a gas turbine engine portion of the aircraft.

14. The sensor arrangement of claim 8, including a controller connected to the distributed aperture antenna, the controller operative to receive the wireless communications from the sensor through the distributed aperture antenna.

23. The sensor arrangement of claim 8, wherein at least one energy harvesting sensor is at least partially powered by thermal potential differences, vibrations, static electricity generated by airflow, pressure differences, or acoustic energy.

15. A method of wireless communication in an aircraft, comprising:

harvesting energy from an aircraft;

sensing a condition of the aircraft; and

communicating the condition to a distributed aperture antenna using the energy from the harvesting, wherein the communicating is along a line-of-sight communication path.

16. The method of claim 15, including sensing using the energy from the harvesting.

17. The method of claim 15, including positioning an aperture in the distributed aperture antenna near the sensing.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the condition includes at least one of the temperature of the aircraft or the vibration of the aircraft.

19. The method of claim 15, including communicating wireless signals from a controller connected to a distributed aperture antenna to the sensor.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the communications configure the sensor, manage the sensor, or both.

21. The method of claim 15, including harvesting energy from the aircraft using a sensor, wherein the sensor comprises a transmitter to communicate the condition sensed by the sensor to the distributed aperture antenna.

24. The method of claim 15, wherein the harvesting comprising harvesting energy from at least one of thermal potential differences, vibrations, static electricity generated by airflow, pressure differences, or acoustic energy.