Wireless fuel sensor system

• US 9,293,033 B2
• Filed: 07/16/2013
• Issued: 03/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Bommer, Jason P., Minteer, David William, Nesting, Richard J., Ayyagari, Arun, Bostwick, Richard Neal, Robb, Andrew Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Backer, Firmin
• Assistant Examiner(s): MURPHY, JEROLD B
• Application Number:
  US13/942,981
• Publication Number:
  US 20150022373A1
• Time in Patent Office: 980 Days
• Field of Search: 235435-495, 455 411- 45, 600/561
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 37/00 Arrangements in connection with fuel supply for power plant refuelling during flight B64D39/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/44 for aircrafts
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/001 Energy harvesting or scavenging
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/20 using microwaves or radio frequency waves
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/402 the two or more transmitting or the two or more receiving devices being integrated in the same unit, e.g. power mats with several coils or antennas with several sub-antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/40 Weight reduction

Abstract

A method for generating sensor data is presented. A number of wireless power signals is sent to a group of sensor units. A number of wireless data collection signals is sent to the group of sensor units after the number of wireless power signals have been sent to the group of sensor units. Sensor data in a number of wireless response signals is received from the group of sensor units.

Claims

1. An aircraft fuel sensor system comprising:

a group of sensor units located in a fuel tank of an aircraft;

a wireless system configured to send a number of wireless power signals and a number of wireless data collection signals to the group of sensor units under a control of a sensor controller and receive sensor data in a number of wireless response signals sent from the group of sensor units;

the sensor controller, wherein the sensor controller is configured to cause the wireless system to send the number of wireless power signals to the group of sensor units;

cause the wireless system to send the number of wireless data collection signals to the group of sensor units after the number of wireless power signals have been sent to the group of sensor units; and

receive the sensor data transmitted wirelessly in the number of wireless response signals from the wireless system; and

a radio frequency window formed in a structure of the fuel tank, wherein the radio frequency window facilitates the passage at least one of the wireless response signals, the wireless power signals, or the wireless data collection signals through the structure, and wherein the radio frequency window is formed of a physical aperture in the structure and a material placed in the physical aperture, wherein the material facilitates the passage of at least one of the wireless response signals, the wireless power signals, or the wireless data collection signals through the radio frequency window.

2. The aircraft fuel sensor system of claim 1, wherein a sensor unit in the group of sensor units comprises:

a sensor;

an antenna system physically connected to the sensor, wherein the antenna system is configured to send and receive wireless signals;

an energy harvesting device configured to derive energy from the wireless signals received; and

a controller configured to control the sensor to make a measurement, save the measurement as the sensor data, and send the sensor data in the wireless signals.

3. The aircraft fuel sensor system of claim 1, wherein the material is selected from one of a polyurethane, polystyrene, polytetrafluoroethylene, a quartz/cyanate-ester composite material, a quartz/polybutadiene composite material, polyoxymethylene, nylon, a closed cell foam, a non-supported film adhesive.

4. A method for generating sensor data, the method comprising:

sending a number of wireless power signals to a group of sensor units;

sending a number of wireless data collection signals to the group of sensor units after the number of wireless power signals have been sent to the group of sensor units;

receiving the sensor data in a number of wireless response signals from the group of sensor units; and

facilitating the passage of at least one of the number of wireless response signals, the number of wireless power signals, or the number of wireless data collection signals through a structure and to or from the sensor unit using a radio frequency window, wherein the radio frequency window is formed of a physical aperture in the structure and a material placed in the physical aperture, wherein the material facilitates the passage of at least one of the wireless response signals, the wireless power signals, or the wireless data collection signals through the radio frequency window.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

waking up a controller in a sensor unit in the group of sensor units when the number of wireless power signals is received;

making a measurement using energy derived from the number of wireless power signals; and

storing the measurement as the sensor data.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

sending the sensor data in wireless signals when the number of wireless data collection signals is received.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein sending the number of wireless data collection signals to the group of sensor units after the number of wireless power signals have been sent the group of sensor units comprises:

identifying an identifier for a sensor unit in the group of sensor units; and

sending the identifier in the number of wireless data collection signals to the group of sensor units after the number of wireless power signals have been sent the group of sensor units.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the steps of identifying the identifier for the sensor unit in the group of sensor units and sending the identifier in the number of wireless data collection signals to the group of sensor units after the number of wireless power signals have been sent the group of sensor units is performed sequentially for each sensor unit in the group of sensor units.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein the number of wireless power signals is selected from one of a single wireless power signal and a plurality of sequential wireless power signals.

10. A method comprising:

receiving a number of wireless power signals at a sensor unit;

making a number of measurements using a sensor at the sensor unit after receiving the number of wireless power signals;

storing the number of measurements as sensor data;

transmitting the sensor data in a number of wireless sensor data signals when a number of wireless data collections signals is received; and

facilitating the passage of at least one of the number of wireless power signals, or the number of wireless data collection signals through a structure and to or from the sensor unit using a radio frequency window outside of the sensor unit, wherein the radio frequency window is formed of a physical aperture in the structure and a material placed in the physical aperture, wherein the material facilitates the passage of at least one of the wireless response signals, the wireless power signals, or the wireless data collection signals through the radio frequency window.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the sensor unit comprises a sensor;

an antenna system physically connected to the sensor, wherein the antenna system is configured to send and receive wireless signals;

an energy harvesting device configured to derive energy from the wireless signals received; and

a controller configured to control the sensor to make a measurement, save the measurement as the sensor data, and send the sensor data in the wireless signals.