Condition, health, and usage monitoring system
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A sensor module comprising:
- a plurality of environment sensors, each environment sensor capable of sensing an attribute of an environment;
a plurality of condition sensor interfaces, each condition sensor interface configured to couple with a condition sensor capable of sensing an attribute of a component exposed to the environment;
a controller coupled to the plurality of condition sensor interfaces, the controller configured to assess the health of the component based on the condition data and the environment data;
a housing;
a controller within the housing and coupled to the plurality of environment sensors and the plurality of condition sensor interfaces, the controller configured to receive environment data associated with the attributes sensed by the environment sensors, and to receive condition data associated with the attributes sensed by the condition sensor interfaces;
a memory coupled to the controller, the memory configured to store the condition data and environment data;
a communication module coupled to the controller, the communication module configured to communicate all or a part of the condition data and the environment data to an external device;
a power source coupled to the controller;
whereinthe housing is configured to be integrated into structure adjacent to the environment; and
further whereinthe component is a solid rocket component, and wherein the housing is configured to be integrated into an exhaust plug coupled to the solid rocket component.
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Abstract
A sensor module includes a number of environment sensors and condition sensor interfaces. Each condition sensor interface is configured to couple with a condition sensor capable of sensing an attribute of a component exposed to the environment. The sensor module may be embedded within a structure associated with the component. For example, in the context of a solid rocket motor, the sensor module may be embedded within the exhaust plug.
3 Citations
15 Claims
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1. A sensor module comprising:
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a plurality of environment sensors, each environment sensor capable of sensing an attribute of an environment; a plurality of condition sensor interfaces, each condition sensor interface configured to couple with a condition sensor capable of sensing an attribute of a component exposed to the environment; a controller coupled to the plurality of condition sensor interfaces, the controller configured to assess the health of the component based on the condition data and the environment data; a housing; a controller within the housing and coupled to the plurality of environment sensors and the plurality of condition sensor interfaces, the controller configured to receive environment data associated with the attributes sensed by the environment sensors, and to receive condition data associated with the attributes sensed by the condition sensor interfaces; a memory coupled to the controller, the memory configured to store the condition data and environment data; a communication module coupled to the controller, the communication module configured to communicate all or a part of the condition data and the environment data to an external device; a power source coupled to the controller;
whereinthe housing is configured to be integrated into structure adjacent to the environment; and
further whereinthe component is a solid rocket component, and wherein the housing is configured to be integrated into an exhaust plug coupled to the solid rocket component. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A sensor module comprising:
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a plurality of environment sensors, each environment sensor capable of sensing an attribute of an environment; a plurality of condition sensor interfaces, each condition sensor interface configured to couple with a condition sensor capable of sensing an attribute of a component exposed to the environment; a controller coupled to the plurality of condition sensor interfaces, the controller configured to assess the health of the component based on the condition data and the environment data; a housing; a controller within the housing and coupled to the plurality of environment sensors and the plurality of condition sensor interfaces, the controller configured to receive environment data associated with the attributes sensed by the environment sensors, and to receive condition data associated with the attributes sensed by the condition sensor interfaces; a memory coupled to the controller, the memory configured to store the condition data and environment data; a communication module coupled to the controller, the communication module configured to communicate all or a part of the condition data and the environment data to an external device; and a power source coupled to the controller; wherein only the n highest and/or m lowest values of the condition data are stored for at least some of the condition attributes, where n and m are predetermined integers.
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11. A sensor module comprising:
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a plurality of environment sensors, each environment sensor capable of sensing an attribute of an environment; a plurality of condition sensor interfaces, each condition sensor interface configured to couple with a condition sensor capable of sensing an attribute of a component exposed to the environment; a controller coupled to the plurality of condition sensor interfaces, the controller configured to assess the health of the component based on the condition data and the environment data; a housing; a controller within the housing and coupled to the plurality of environment sensors and the plurality of condition sensor interfaces, the controller configured to receive environment data associated with the attributes sensed by the environment sensors, and to receive condition data associated with the attributes sensed by the condition sensor interfaces; a memory coupled to the controller, the memory configured to store the condition data and environment data; a communication module coupled to the controller, the communication module configured to communicate all or a part of the condition data and the environment data to an external device; and a power source coupled to the controller; wherein only the n highest and/or m lowest values of the environment data are stored for at least some of the environment attributes, where n and m are predetermined integers.
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12. A method of assessing the health of a component exposed to an environment, the method comprising:
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embedding a plurality of condition sensors within the component, each condition sensor capable of sensing an attribute of the component; providing a sensor module within the environment, the sensor module including a plurality of environment sensors, each environment sensor capable of sensing an attribute of the environment; acquiring, via the sensor module, condition data from the condition sensors and environment data from the environment sensors; transferring the condition data and environment data to an external device; assessing the health of the component based on the condition data and the environment data;
whereinthe housing is configured to be integrated into structure adjacent to the environment; and further wherein the component is a solid rocket component, and wherein the housing is configured to be integrated into an exhaust plug coupled to the solid rocket component.
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13. A health and usage monitoring system comprising:
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a plurality of condition sensors embedded within a component, each condition sensor capable of sensing an attribute of the component as it is exposed to an environment; a sensor module comprising a plurality of environment sensors, each environment sensor capable of sensing an attribute of the environment; and
a plurality of condition sensor interfaces, each condition sensor interface configured to couple with one or more of the condition sensors;a controller configured to store data associated with the attributes of the environment and the attributes of the component; and a communication module coupled to the controller and configured to wirelessly transmit the data to an external device; wherein the controller is configured to assess the health of the component based on the condition data and the environment data; and
further whereinthe component comprises a solid rocket component, and the sensor module is configured to be embedded within a exhaust plug of the solid rocket component. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15)
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Specification