HYBRID LOAD DIFFERENTIAL AMPLIFIER OPERABLE IN A HIGH TEMPERATURE ENVIRONMENT OF A TURBINE ENGINE

• US 20140002191A1
• Filed: 06/29/2012
• Published: 01/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Energy Incorporated (Siemens AG), Wolfspeed, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Bryon Western
• Inventors: Mitchell, David J., Fraley, John R., Yang, Jie, Schillig, Cora, Schupbach, Roberto Marcelo, Western, Bryon
• Granted Patent: US 8,766,720 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 330/253
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 17/085 to temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 5/14 Form or construction selecting particular materials, measures against erosion or corrosion F01D5/28
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 5/3007 of axial insertion type
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2270/54 by electronic means, e.g. electronic tubes, transistors or IC's within an electronic circuit
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 1/225 Measuring circuits therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/45 Differential amplifiers differential sense amplifiers G11C7/062

Abstract

A circuitry (120) adapted to operate in a high-temperature environment of a turbine engine is provided. The circuitry may include a differential amplifier (122) having an input terminal (124) coupled to a sensing element to receive a voltage indicative of a sensed parameter. A hybrid load circuitry (125) may be AC-coupled to the differential amplifier. The hybrid load circuitry may include a resistor-capacitor circuit (134) arranged to provide a path to an AC signal component with respect to the drain terminal of the switch (e.g., 126) of a differential pair of semiconductor switches 126, 128, which receives the voltage indicative of the sensed parameter.

Claims

1. A circuitry adapted to operate in a high-temperature environment of a turbine engine, the circuitry comprising:

a sensing element disposed on a component of the turbine engine to sense a parameter of the component and provide a voltage indicative of the sensed parameter;

a differential amplifier having an input terminal coupled to the sensing element to receive the voltage indicative of the sensed parameter; and

a hybrid load circuitry AC-coupled to the differential amplifier, wherein the differential amplifier and the hybrid load circuitry are disposed in the high-temperature environment of the turbine engine.

2. The circuitry of claim 1, wherein the differential amplifier comprises a first pair of semiconductor switches, and the hybrid load circuitry comprises a second pair of semiconductor switches, each pair of switches having respective drain, source and gate terminals, wherein the hybrid load circuitry further comprises a resistor-capacitor circuit arranged to provide a path to an AC signal component with respect to the drain terminal of the switch of the first pair of semiconductor switches, which receives the voltage indicative of the sensed parameter.

3. The circuitry of claim 2, wherein the resistor-capacitor circuit is connected to a node coupled in parallel circuit to the respective gate terminals of the second pair of semiconductor switches.

4. The circuitry of claim 3, wherein a resistor of the resistor-capacitor circuit has a first lead connected to the node and a second lead electrically grounded.

5. The circuitry of claim 4, wherein a capacitor of the resistor-capacitor circuit has a first lead connected to the node and a second lead connected to the drain terminal of the switch of the first pair of semiconductor switches, which receives the voltage indicative of the sensed parameter.

6. The circuitry of claim 2, wherein the hybrid load circuitry further comprises a first resistor coupled from a source terminal of one of the switches of the second pair of semiconductor switches to a drain terminal of one of the switches of the first pair of semiconductor switches.

7. The circuitry of claim 6, wherein the hybrid load circuitry further comprises a second resistor coupled from a source terminal of the other one of the switches of the second pair of semiconductor switches to a drain terminal of the other one of the switches of the first pair of semiconductor switches.

8. The circuitry of claim 2, wherein the differential amplifier comprises a single stage differential amplifier.

9. The circuitry of claim 2, wherein the respective first and second pairs of semiconductor switches comprise circuitry without complementary pairs of semiconductor switches.

10. The circuitry of claim 2, wherein the respective first and second pairs of semiconductor switches comprise n-channel junction field-effect transistor (JFET) switches.

11. The circuitry of claim 2, wherein the respective first and second pairs of semiconductor switches comprise a respective high-temperature, wide bandgap material.

12. The circuitry of claim 11, wherein the high-temperature, wide bandgap material is selected from the group consisting of SiC, AlN, GaN, AlGaN, GaAs, GaP, InP, AlGaAs, AlGaP, AlInGaP, and GaAsAlN.

13. The circuitry of claim 1, wherein the sensing element comprises a strain gauge to sense a strain of the component, and the voltage is indicative of the sensed strain of the component.

14. A telemetry system comprising the circuitry of claim 1.

15. Circuitry comprising:

a differential amplifier; and

a hybrid load circuitry AC-coupled to the differential amplifier, wherein the differential amplifier and the hybrid load circuitry are disposed in the high-temperature environment of the turbine engine, wherein the differential amplifier comprises a first pair of semiconductor switches, and the hybrid load circuitry comprises a second pair of semiconductor switches, each pair of switches having respective drain, source and gate terminals, wherein the hybrid load circuitry further comprises a resistor-capacitor circuit arranged to provide a path to an AC signal component with respect to the drain terminal of the switch of the first pair of semiconductor switches, which receives the voltage indicative of the sensed parameter.

16. The circuitry of claim 15, wherein the resistor-capacitor circuit is connected to a node coupled in parallel circuit to the respective gate terminals of the second pair of semiconductor switches.

17. The circuitry of claim 16, wherein a resistor of the resistor-capacitor circuit has a first terminal connected to the node and a second terminal electrically grounded.

18. The circuitry of claim 17, wherein a capacitor of the resistor-capacitor circuit has a first lead connected to the node and a second lead connected to a drain terminal of the switch of the first pair of semiconductor switches, which receives the voltage indicative of the sensed parameter.

19. The circuitry of claim 15, wherein the hybrid load circuitry further comprises a first resistor coupled from a source terminal of one of the switches of the second pair of semiconductor switches to a drain terminal of one of the switches of the first pair of semiconductor switches.

20. The circuitry of claim 19, wherein the active load circuitry further comprises a second resistor coupled from a source terminal of the other one of the switches of the second pair of semiconductor switches to a drain terminal of the other one of the switches of the first pair of semiconductor switches.

21. The circuitry of claim 15, wherein the differential amplifier comprises a single stage differential amplifier, wherein the respective first and second pairs of semiconductor switches comprise n-channel junction field-effect transistor (JFET) switches.

22. The circuitry of claim 15, wherein the respective first and second pairs of semiconductor switches comprise a respective high-temperature, wide bandgap material.

23. The circuitry of claim 22, wherein the high-temperature, wide bandgap material is selected from the group consisting of SiC, AlN, GaN, AlGaN, GaAs, GaP, InP, AlGaAs, AlGaP, AlInGaP, and GaAsAlN.