US 2014/0111229 A1 · CORROSION SENSORS

Abstract

Corrosion sensor apparatus for detection of contamination affecting metal based components and devices. For example, an apparatus includes: a set of corrosion sensor elements, wherein a width of a first corrosion sensor element is different than a width of a second corrosion sensor element, wherein each corrosion sensor element is susceptible to corrosion caused by an operating environment of the corrosion sensor elements; and a set of reference elements wherein a width of a first reference sensor element is substantially equal to the width of the first corrosion sensor element and a width of a second reference sensor element is substantially equal to the width of the second corrosion sensor element, wherein each reference sensor element is not substantially susceptible to corrosion caused by the operating environment of the corrosion sensor elements.

Claims15

Dependent claims

An apparatus, comprising:

a first corrosion sensor;
a second corrosion sensor;
and
at least a third corrosion sensor;
wherein the first, second, and third corrosion sensors are configured in a bridge arrangement such that when none of the first, second, and third corrosion sensors experiences corrosion, the bridge arrangement is in a balanced condition, and when at least one of the first, second, and third corrosion sensors experiences corrosion, the bridge arrangement is in an unbalanced condition.

2 more elements

A method for fabricating a corrosion sensor device, comprising:

forming on a substrate, a set of corrosion sensor elements comprising a first corrosion sensor element and at least a second corrosion element, each corrosion sensor element being coupled between a source and a monitor, wherein a width of the first corrosion sensor element is different than a width of the second corrosion sensor element, wherein each corrosion sensor element is susceptible to corrosion caused by an operating environment of the corrosion sensor elements;
and
forming on the substrate, a set of reference elements comprising a first reference sensor element and at least a second reference sensor element, each reference sensor element being coupled between the source and the monitor, wherein a width of the first reference sensor element is substantially equal to the width of the first corrosion sensor element and a width of the second reference sensor element is substantially equal to the width of the second corrosion sensor element, wherein each reference sensor element is not substantially susceptible to corrosion caused by the operating environment of the corrosion sensor elements.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application

14/146,116Filed 2 Jan 2014

Priority

11 Aug 2010

Published

24 Apr 2014

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification3 codes

G01N 27/00
Investigating or analysing materials by the use of electric, electrochemical, or magnetic
G01N 17/04
Investigating resistance of materials to the weather, to corrosion, or to light: corrosion probes
G01N
Investigating or analysing materials by determining their chemical or physical properties

Family

Application12/854,416Division · filed 11 Aug 2010

Application13/760,391Division · filed 6 Feb 2013

Application14/146,116Division

US 2012/0038377 A1Published application

US 2013/0149195 A1Published application

US 8,390,306 B2Related patent

US 8,643,390 B2Related patent

US 9,423,366 B2Related patent

US 2014/0111229 A1This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

Corrosion sensors

Life of this patent

Corrosion sensors

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims15