US 11,112,374 B2Granted

Verifying structural integrity of materials

Assignee3M Innovative Properties Company

InventorsChristopher R. Yungers, Subhalakshmi M. Falknor, David H. Redinger, Ronald D. Jesme, Eric M. Chinnock

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Abstract

A method may include coupling a first electrical connector of an article to a second electrical connector of a measurement device. The article may include a tested material, the first electrical connector, and a plurality of electrical contacts electrically connected to the first electrical connector. The measurement device may include a power source and a user interface. The method also may include causing, by a controller, an electrical signal to be applied to a pair of drive electrical contacts from the plurality of electrical contacts. The method further may include receiving, by the controller, from an analog-to-digital converter, a measured voltage measured using a measurement electrical contact from the plurality of electrical contacts. The method also may include determining, by the controller, whether the tested material includes a crack or other defect based on the measured voltage.

Claims18

Dependent claims

An article comprising:

a tested material;
a plurality of electrical contacts distributed about a perimeter of the tested material and electrically connected to the perimeter of the tested material;
a nonvolatile memory device configured to store a control voltage, the nonvolatile memory being physically attached to the tested material;
a programmable switch array electrically connected to the plurality of electrical contacts via a plurality of electrical connections;
a voltage source electrically connected the plurality of electrical contacts;
and
a controller electrically coupled to the programmable switch array, wherein the controller is configured to:
control the programmable switch array to designate a pair of drive electrical contacts from the plurality of electrical contacts comprising, such that all remaining electrical contacts of the plurality of electrical contacts not included in the pair of drive electrical contacts are measurement electrical contacts;
cause the voltage source to apply an electrical signal to the tested material via the pair of drive electrical contacts;
determine a plurality of measured voltages at the measurement electrical contacts in response to the electrical signal applied to the tested material via the pair of drive electrical contacts;
retrieve the control voltage from the nonvolatile memory device;
and
determine whether the tested material includes a defect based on respective ratios between the control voltage and each respective measurement voltage of the plurality of measurement voltages.

10 more elements

A measurement system comprising:

an article comprising:
a tested material;
a first electrical connector attached to a perimeter of the tested material;
a plurality of electrical contacts distributed about the perimeter of the tested material and electrically connected to the tested material and to the first electrical connector;
and
a programmable switch array electrically connected between the first electrical connector the plurality of electrical contacts;
a nonvolatile memory device configured to store a control voltage;
and
a measurement device comprising:
a second electrical connector configured to be removably and electrically coupled to the first electrical connector;
and
a power source electrically connected to the second electrical connector, wherein at least one of the article or the measurement device comprises a controller configured to:
control the programmable switch array to designate a pair of drive electrical contacts from the plurality of electrical contacts comprising, such that all remaining electrical contacts of the plurality of electrical contacts not included in the pair of drive electrical contacts are measurement electrical contacts;
cause the power source to apply an electrical signal to the tested material via the pair of drive electrical contacts;
determine a plurality of measured voltages at the measurement electrical contacts in response to the electrical signal applied to the tested material via the pair of drive electrical contacts;
and
determine whether the tested material includes a defect based on respective ratios between the control voltage and each respective measured voltage of the plurality of measurement voltages.

14 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.