Back to results
US 11,913,643 B2Granted
Engine wireless sensor system with energy harvesting
AssigneeRtx Corporation
InventorsPaul Raymond Scheid, Paul A. Adamski, Eli Cole Warren
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A wireless sensor system of a gas turbine engine of an aircraft can include a plurality of wireless sensors distributed within an engine core of the gas turbine engine and an energy harvesting system including one or more energy harvesting devices configured to convert mechanical or thermal energy within the gas turbine engine into electric power and provide the electric power to the wireless sensors. The wireless sensor system can also include a data concentrator coupled to the gas turbine engine. The data concentrator can be configured to receive a plurality of wireless sensor data from the wireless sensors and transmit the wireless sensor data to a communication adapter of the gas turbine engine.
Claims17
A wireless sensor system of a gas turbine engine of an aircraft, the wireless sensor system comprising:
- a plurality of wireless sensors distributed within an engine core of the gas turbine engine;
- an energy harvesting system comprising one or more energy harvesting devices configured to convert mechanical or thermal energy within the gas turbine engine into electric power and provide the electric power to the wireless sensors;
- a data concentrator coupled to the gas turbine engine, the data concentrator configured to wirelessly receive a plurality of wireless sensor data from the wireless sensors and transmit the wireless sensor data to a communication adapter of the gas turbine engine, wherein the communication adapter is configured to communicate with an engine control of the gas turbine engine and to communicate wirelessly with an offboard system using a different frequency spectrum than the data concentrator and the wireless sensors;
- and
- the communication adapter is configured to:
- form an enhanced data set based on the wireless sensor data, a plurality of internal sensor data of the communication adapter, and a plurality of engine control parameters from the engine control of the gas turbine engine;
- transmit the enhanced data set to the offboard system;
- and
- transmit the enhanced data set to the engine control of the engine over a wired connection.
6 more elements
A method comprising:
- providing electric power to a plurality of wireless sensors in an engine core of a gas turbine engine using an energy harvesting system in the gas turbine engine, wherein the energy harvesting system comprises one or more energy harvesting devices configured to convert mechanical or thermal energy within the gas turbine engine into electric power;
- transmitting a plurality of wireless sensor data wirelessly from the wireless sensors to a data concentrator coupled to the gas turbine engine;
- transmitting the wireless sensor data from the data concentrator to a communication adapter of the gas turbine engine, wherein the communication adapter is configured to communicate with an engine control of the gas turbine engine and to communicate wirelessly with an offboard system using a different frequency spectrum than the data concentrator and the wireless sensors;
- storing a data set in the communication adapter based on the wireless sensor data;
- transmitting the data set wirelessly from the communication adapter to an offboard system based on a transmit condition;
- forming an enhanced data set at the communication adapter based on the wireless sensor data, a plurality of internal sensor data of the communication adapter, and a plurality of engine control parameters from the engine control of the gas turbine engine;
- transmitting the enhanced data set to the offboard system;
- and
- transmitting the enhanced data set to the engine control of the engine over a wired connection.
6 more elements
A gas turbine engine of an aircraft, the gas turbine engine comprising:
- a fan section comprising a fan case;
- an engine control mounted on the fan case, the engine control configured to monitor and control operation of the gas turbine engine in real-time;
- a communication adapter mounted on the fan case;
- an engine core;
- an engine core cowl and a fan core cowl that define a volume in which an engine fan stream is configured to flow from the fan section external of the engine core;
- a plurality of wireless sensors distributed within the engine core;
- an energy harvesting system comprising one or more energy harvesting devices configured to convert mechanical or thermal energy within the gas turbine engine into electric power and provide the electric power to the wireless sensors;
- a data concentrator configured to receive a plurality of wireless sensor data from the wireless sensors and transmit the wireless sensor data to the communication adapter, wherein the data concentrator is mounted on the engine core cowl and to communicate wirelessly with an offboard system using a different frequency spectrum than the data concentrator and the wireless sensors;
- and
- the communication adapter is configured to:
- form an enhanced data set based on the wireless sensor data, a plurality of internal sensor data of the communication adapter, and a plurality of engine control parameters from the engine control of the gas turbine engine;
- transmit the enhanced data set to the offboard system;
- and
- transmit the enhanced data set to the engine control of the engine over a wired connection.
11 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.