Wireless Collection of Fastener Data

• US 20110181393A1
• Filed: 01/22/2010
• Published: 07/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Mitchell, Bradley J., Spinelli, Charles B., Herley, Peter E., Carlson, Brenda K., Farricker, James T., Ross, Tamaira E., Venema, Steven C., Rocks, Richard R., Chinn, Kristina A., Hendricks, Daniel A., Blackwell, David B., Ung, Kevin Y., Tillotson, Brian J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,810,370 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.1
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 31/02 for indicating the attainment of a particular tensile load or limiting tensile load apparatus for, or method of, determining value of torque or twisting moment for tightening a nut or other member similarly stressed G01L5/24
• CPC Class Codes: F16B 37/14 Cap nuts; Nut caps or bolt caps
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/40 using a wireless architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/50 using a mobile data collecting device, e.g. walk by or drive by
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/886 using energy harvesting, e.g. solar, wind or mechanical
• 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: H04Q 9/14 Calling by using pulses

Abstract

Data is remotely collected from a plurality of fasteners in response to a query signal wirelessly transmitted by a reader. Each of the fasteners includes a sensor for measuring a parameter related to the stress on the fastener. A device adapted to be attached to each of the fasteners receives the query signal, activates the sensor to measure the parameter and wirelessly transmits the data including the parameter to the reader.

Claims

1. Apparatus for collecting data from a plurality of fasteners each including a sensor for measuring the stress on the fastener, comprising:

a device adapted to be attached to each of the fasteners for wirelessly transmitting data related to the measured stress; and

a reader for wirelessly reading the data transmitted by the device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the device includes:

a cap attachable to the fastener,

an antenna in the cap, and

a wireless transmitter in the cap and coupled with the antenna for transmitting the data to the reader.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein:

the reader includes a transmitter for wirelessly transmitting a signal to each of the devices, and

each of the devices further includes a wireless receiver in the cap for receiving the signal from the reader, and means for converting the signal into energy and for storing the energy.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the devices includes:

means for converting ambient energy into electrical energy, and

means for storing the electrical energy and for converting the stored energy into a pulse used to activate the sensor.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the cap includes a set of electrical contacts that are brought into contact with the sensor and the fastener when the device is attached to the fastener.

6. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the receiver is one of:

an light signal receiver,

a radio frequency signal receiver, and

an acoustic signal receiver.

7. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the device further includes a temperature sensor on the cap for sensing the temperature of the fastener.

8. A method of collecting data from a plurality of fasteners, comprising:

attaching a cap to each of the fasteners;

wirelessly transmitting a query signal from a reader to one of the fasteners;

wirelessly receiving the query signal at a receiver within the cap;

using a sensor on the fastener to measure the stress on the fastener; and

using a wireless transmitter in the cap to wirelessly transmit the measured stress to the reader.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein attaching the cap includes bringing a set of electrical contacts in the cap into engagement with the sensor and the fastener.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein attaching the cap is performed by twisting the cap onto a head of the fastener.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

converting the received query signal into electrical energy;

storing the energy in the cap; and

using the stored energy to activate the sensor.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

converting ambient energy into electrical energy;

storing the energy in the cap; and

using the stored energy to power the sensor when activated.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

aiming the reader at a fastener to be queried, including directing a beam of light from the reader to the fastener to aid in the aiming of the reader.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein wirelessly transmitting the query signal is performed using one of:

electrical energy transmission,

light energy transmission, and

acoustic energy transmission.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein attaching the cap to the fastener includes:

securing a flange to the fastener, and

using the flange to hold the cap on the fastener.

16. Apparatus for collecting data from a plurality of fasteners each including a sensor for measuring the stress on the fastener, comprising:

a reader for wirelessly transmitting a first signal along a relatively narrow path to the fastener;

means on the fastener for receiving the first signal; and

means on the fastener for wirelessly transmitting a second signal to the reader containing data related to the stress measured by the sensor.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the reader includes a transmitting antenna for forming the first signal into a relatively narrow beam.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the antenna is a directional dipole antenna.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the antenna is a dish antenna.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein:

the reader includes a radio frequency transmitter,

the first signal is a radio frequency signal, and

the receiving means on the fastener is a radio frequency receiver.

21. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein:

the reader includes an infrared beam transmitter,

the first signal is an infrared beam, and

the receiving means on the fastener is an infrared receiver.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the infrared beam transmitter includes:

an infrared diode for producing infrared light, and

means for concentrating infrared light into the infrared beam.

23. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein:

the reader includes an acoustic energy transmitter,

the first signal is an acoustic signal, and

the receiving means on the fastener is an acoustic signal receiver.

24. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the receiving means on the fastener includes a directional antenna for receiving the first signal along the narrow path.

25. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising:

a cap attachable to the fastener for housing the receiving means and the means for transmitting the second signal.

26. A method of collecting data from a plurality of fasteners, comprising:

wirelessly transmitting a first signal from a reader along a relatively narrow path to the fastener;

receiving the first signal at the fastener;

sensing at least one parameter at the fastener; and

wirelessly transmitting a second signal related to the parameter from the fastener to the reader.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein wirelessly transmitting the first signal from the reader is performed using a directional antenna.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein wirelessly transmitting the first signal from the reader is performed using beam of energy.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein beam of energy is one of:

radio frequency energy,

light energy, and

acoustic energy.

30. The method of claim 26, wherein wirelessly transmitting the second signal is performed using a directional antenna.

31. Apparatus for collecting data from a plurality of fasteners each including a sensor for measuring the stress on the fastener, comprising:

a device adapted to be attached to each of the fasteners for sensing the temperature of the fastener and for wirelessly transmitting data related to the measured stress and the sensed temperature; and

a reader for reading the data transmitted by the device.

32. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the device includes:

a cap attachable to the fastener,

a temperature sensor in the cap, and

a wireless transmitter in the cap for transmitting the data to the reader.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein:

the reader includes a transmitter for wirelessly transmitting a query signal to each of the devices, and

each of the devices further includes a wireless receiver in the cap for receiving the query signal, and means for converting the query signal into energy and for storing the energy.

34. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein each of the devices further includes means in the cap for converting ambient energy into electrical energy and for storing the energy used to transmit the data to the reader.

35. The apparatus of claim 33, wherein each of the devices includes means in the cap for converting the stored energy into a pulse used to activate the sensor.

36. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the cap includes a set of electrical contacts that are brought into contact with the sensor and the fastener when the device is attached to the fastener.

37. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the temperature sensor is coupled with the fastener through at least one of the contacts.

38. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the temperature sensor engages the fastener.

39. A method of collecting data related to the stress on a fastener, comprising:

sensing at least one temperature varying parameter on the fastener related to the stress on the fastener;

sensing the temperature of the fastener; and

adjusting the parameter based on the sensed temperature.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein sensing the temperature is performed using a sensor in the area of the fastener.

41. The method of claim 39, further comprising:

wirelessly transmitting the sensed parameter and the sensed temperature from the fastener to a reader.

42. The method of claim 39, wherein adjusting the sensed parameter is performed at the reader.

43. The method of claim 39, wherein adjusting the sensed parameter is performed at the fastener.

44. The method of claim 39, further comprising:

attaching a cap to the fastener;

wirelessly transmitting the sensed parameter and the sensed temperature from the cap to a reader.

45. The method of claim 44, further comprising:

generating a data packet in the cap containing the sensed parameter and the sensed temperature;

wirelessly transmitting the data packet from the cap to a reader;

receiving the data packet at the reader; and

adjusting the parameter at the reader using the sensed temperature.

46. Apparatus for collecting data from a plurality of fasteners installed on a structure, wherein each of the fasteners includes a sensor for measuring the stress on the fastener, comprising:

a device on each of the fasteners and coupled with the sensor for wirelessly transmitting an acoustic signal through the structure representing the measured stress; and

a reader for reading the acoustic signal.

47. The apparatus of claim 46, wherein the device includes:

a cap attachable to the fastener, and

a transducer in the cap for transmitting the acoustic signal through the structure.

48. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the device includes an acoustic coupler adapted to engage the structure for coupling the acoustic signal from the transducer to the structure.

49. The apparatus of claim 46, wherein the reader includes:

an acoustic transducer for converting the acoustic signal to electrical energy, and

an acoustic coupler for acoustically coupling the transducer with the structure.

50. The apparatus of claim 49, wherein the acoustic transducer is a directional transducer for directing the acoustic signal from the reader along a relatively narrow path toward one of the fasteners.

51. The apparatus of claim 46, wherein:

the reader includes an acoustic transducer for transmitting an acoustic signal for querying the devices, and

each of the devices includes an acoustic transducer for receiving the acoustic signal from the reader and for converting the received signal into electrical energy.

52. The apparatus of claim 51, wherein each of the devices includes means for storing the electrical energy and for powering the sensor using the stored energy.

53. The apparatus of claim 51, wherein the reader includes means for selecting the frequency of the acoustic signal transmitted to the fastener.

54. A method of collecting data from a fastener on a structure, comprising:

sensing at least one parameter at the fastener;

transmitting an acoustic signal including the sensed parameter from the fastener through the structure; and

reading the acoustic signal.

55. The method of claim 54, wherein transmitting the signal is performed by directing the signal along a relatively narrow path though the structure.

56. The method of claim 54, further comprising:

selecting a frequency for the acoustic signal based on characteristics of the structure.

57. The method of claim 54, wherein the reading is performed by:

acoustically coupling a reader with the structure, using the reader to receive the acoustic signal from the fastener, and

converting the received acoustic signal into an electrical signal representing the value of the sensed parameter.

58. The method of claim 54, wherein reading the acoustic signal is performed by a reader, and the method further includes:

querying the fastener by sending an acoustic query signal from the reader through the structure to the fastener; and

receiving the query signal at the fastener,

wherein the sensing is performed in response to receipt at the fastener of the query signal.

59. The method of claim 58, further comprising:

converting the received query signal into electrical energy at the fastener; and

storing the electrical energy at the fastener.

60. The method of claim 59, wherein transmitting the acoustic signal from the fastener is performed using the electrical energy stored at the fastener.