Autonomous temperature accelerometer sensor

• US 9,435,819 B1
• Filed: 04/29/2013
• Issued: 09/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wolfspeed, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Cree Fayetteville, Inc. (Wolfspeed, Inc.)
• Inventors: Fraley, John, Western, Bryon, Schupbach, Roberto Marcelo
• Primary Examiner(s): Chapman, Jr., John
• Application Number:
  US13/872,505
• Time in Patent Office: 1,226 Days
• Field of Search: 736/60, 340/870.16
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01H 1/006 of the rotor of turbo machines
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 1/024 for remote indication
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 13/08 in rotary movement
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 13/045 Acoustic or vibration analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/08 with conversion into electric or magnetic values
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/09 by piezoelectric pick-up

Abstract

A turbine environment wireless transmitter for monitoring bearing health inside jet turbines. This transmitter has the ability to operate in 225 to 300 degree Celsius environments and monitor real time bearing temperature and vibration and transmit that data to a centralized system for processing. The system is powered by a built in thermal electric generator, which produces power in response to a thermal gradient across it. The information transmitted is used to monitor and diagnose a bearing operating parameters in real-time and predict a failure event before any damage occurs.

Claims

1. A sensor apparatus configured to operate in a high temperature environment defined as being above two hundred and twenty five degrees celsius, the sensor apparatus comprising:

a high temperature power subsystem including a high temperature energy harvesting component electrically connected to a high temperature energy storage component;

high temperature power conditioning electronics connected to the high temperature power subsystem;

a high temperature sensor connected to the high temperature power subsystem, the high temperature sensor generating a sensor output;

a high temperature signal conditioning block connected to receive the sensor output and output a conditioned signal;

a high temperature voltage controlled oscillator connected to receive the conditioned signal and output an oscillating signal, the high temperature voltage controlled oscillator being connected to and responsive to a temperature dependent component; and

a high temperature amplifier connected to receive the oscillating signal and output a wireless signal to an antenna.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the energy harvesting component comprises a thermal electric generator.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a transmitter configured to power condition an output of the thermal electric generator.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the energy storage component comprises a capacitor with an operating range above two hundred and twenty five degrees celsius.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensor Comprises a high temperature accelerometer.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising a transmitter configured to signal condition a charge output of the high temperature accelerometer.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the transmitter is further configured to generate a wireless signal with vibration information and to transmit the wireless signal to a remote location.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the high temperature signal conditioning block comprises a silicon on insulator operational amplifier.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the temperature dependent component comprises a gallium nitride light emitting diode.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the high temperature amplifier comprises a silicon carbide junction gate field-effect transistor.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a window ring and a substrate baseplate, the window ring being attached to a top portion of the substrate baseplate.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the substrate baseplate is attached to a main baseplate.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising a sealing lid which is seam sealed to the window ring.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the window ring and the sealing lid are made of Kovar, and wherein the substrate baseplate is made of a copper-tungsten alloy.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a JFET carrier transistor to generate a radiofrequency carrier signal using a Colpitts oscillator.

16. A sensor apparatus configured to operate in a high temperature environment defined as being above two hundred and twenty five degrees celsius, the sensor apparatus comprising:

a high temperature power subsystem including a high temperature energy harvesting component electrically connected to a high temperature energy storage component;

high temperature power conditioning electronics connected to the high temperature power subsystem;

a high temperature sensor connected to the high temperature power subsystem, the high temperature sensor generating a sensor output;

a high temperature signal conditioning block connected to receive the sensor output and output a conditioned signal;

a high temperature voltage controlled oscillator connected to receive the conditioned signal and output an oscillating signal, the high temperature voltage controlled oscillator comprising a 555 timer integrated circuit connected to a temperature dependent component; and

a high temperature amplifier connected to receive the oscillating signal and output a wireless signal to an antenna.

17. A sensor apparatus configured to operate in a high temperature environment defined as being above two hundred and twenty five degrees celsius, the sensor apparatus comprising:

a high temperature power subsystem including a high temperature energy harvesting component electrically connected to a high temperature energy storage component;

high temperature power conditioning electronics connected to the high temperature power subsystem;

a high temperature sensor connected to the high temperature power subsystem, the high temperature sensor generating a sensor output;

a high temperature signal conditioning block connected to receive the sensor output and output a conditioned signal;

a high temperature voltage controlled oscillator connected to receive the conditioned signal and output an oscillating signal, the high temperature voltage controlled oscillator comprising an integrated timer circuit connected to and responsive to a temperature dependent component; and

a high temperature amplifier connected to receive the oscillating signal and output a wireless signal to an antenna.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the energy harvesting component comprises a thermal electric generator.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the sensor comprises a high temperature accelerometer, and wherein the high temperature signal conditioning block comprises a silicon on insulator operational amplifier.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the temperature dependent component is a temperature dependent resistor configured to vary a frequency of an output of the integrated timer circuit with temperature.