STRUCTURAL HEALTH MONITORING SYSTEM

• US 20180202959A1
• Filed: 01/16/2017
• Published: 07/19/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Mitchell, Timothy M., Hood, John Michael, Baughen, Devon Alexander
• Granted Patent: US 10,401,319 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 5/0016 of aircraft wings or blades
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 5/0083 by measuring variation of impedance, e.g. resistance, capacitance, induction
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 17/04 Corrosion probes
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/041 of a solid body
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/20 Investigating the presence of flaws

Abstract

A structural health monitoring system may include a structural health monitoring device comprising a measuring circuit attachable to a target area of a workpiece. The measuring circuit may be communication with a radio circuit having an antenna configured to facilitate offboard communication. The measuring circuit may be configured to measure an impedance of the target area of the workpiece, and the processing circuit may be configured to determine a change in the impedance of the target area indicative of a change in structural health of the workpiece. An ambient energy harvester circuit may be configured to provide electrical power to the measuring circuit. A remote reader may wirelessly interrogate the structural health monitoring device to obtain information regarding the change in the impedance of the target area.

Claims

1. A structural health monitoring device comprising:

a measuring circuit including a processing circuit communicatively coupled to a pair of electrodes attachable to a target area of a workpiece, the measuring circuit in communication with a radio circuit having an antenna configured to facilitate offboard communication; and

an energy harvester circuit configured to provide electrical power to the measuring circuit;

wherein the measuring circuit is configured to measure an impedance of the target area of the workpiece; and

wherein the processing circuit is configured to determine a change in the impedance of the target area indicative of a change in structural health of the workpiece.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the energy harvester circuit comprises an energy harvesting integrated circuit coupled to a thermoelectric generator.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the energy harvester circuit comprises an energy storage device.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the energy storage device comprises a rechargeable lithium-ion battery.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the measuring circuit is communicatively coupled to an onboard memory store.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the measuring circuit is configured to measure at least two different electrical characteristics of the target area of the workpiece.

7. A structural health monitoring system comprising:

a structural health monitoring device comprising a measuring circuit including a processing circuit communicatively coupled to a pair of electrodes attachable to a target area of a workpiece, the measuring circuit in communication with a radio circuit having an antenna configured to facilitate offboard communication; and

an energy harvester circuit configured to provide electrical power to the measuring circuit;

wherein the measuring circuit is configured to measure an impedance of the target area of the workpiece; and

wherein the processing circuit is configured to determine a change in the impedance of the target area indicative of a change in structural health of the workpiece; and

a reader configured to wirelessly interrogate the structural health monitoring device to obtain information regarding the change in the impedance of the target area.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the energy harvester circuit comprises an energy harvesting integrated circuit coupled to a thermoelectric generator.

9. The device of claim 7, wherein the energy harvester circuit comprises an energy storage device.

10. The device of claim 7, wherein the workpiece comprises a portion of an aircraft, and the reader comprises an onboard network system of the aircraft.

11. The device of claim 7, wherein the reader comprises a portable radio-frequency identification (RFID) reader configured to communicate with the antenna and the radio circuit of the structural health monitoring device.

12. The device of claim 7, wherein the measuring circuit is communicatively coupled to an onboard memory store.

13. A method for structural health monitoring, the method comprising:

monitoring structural health of a workpiece using a structural health monitoring device coupled to the workpiece, the structural health monitoring device comprising a measuring circuit including a processing circuit communicatively coupled to a pair of electrodes attached to a target area of the workpiece, wherein the measuring circuit is configured to measure an impedance of the target area of the workpiece, and wherein the processing circuit is configured to determine a change in the measured impedance of the target area indicative of a change in structural health of the workpiece;

harvesting environmental energy using an energy harvesting circuit of the structural health monitoring device to provide electrical power to the structural health monitoring device; and

transmitting information regarding the measured impedance of the target area to an offboard reader using a radio circuit of the structural health monitoring device in communication with the measuring circuit.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising comparing the measured impedance of the target area of the workpiece to an expected impedance range.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising, in response to the measured impedance being outside the expected impedance range, sending an alert signal to the offboard reader.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising storing the measured impedance in a memory store of the measuring circuit.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein harvesting environmental energy comprises harvesting thermal energy using a thermoelectric generator (TEG) coupled to an energy harvester integrated circuit (IC).

18. The method of claim 13, wherein harvesting environmental energy comprises harvesting solar energy using a photovoltaic cell coupled to an energy harvester IC.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the workpiece comprises a portion of an aircraft, and the offboard reader comprises an onboard network system (ONS) of the aircraft.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the energy harvesting circuit comprises an electrical power storage device.