System to monitor the health of a structure, sensor nodes, program product, and related methods

A multi-node sensor system to monitor the health of a structure, the system comprising:

• a structure to be monitored having a body including both a first area having a first level of environmental energy to define an area of high environmental energy and a second area having a second level of environmental energy to define an area of low environmental energy when in operation, the first area spaced apart from the second area, a mean of the first level of environmental energy substantially greater than a mean of the second level of environmental energy;
• a plurality of separate wireless energy harvesting structural health monitoring sensor nodes each connected to or embedded within the body of the structure to monitor structural health of a portion of the body of the structure and positioned in the area of low environmental energy;
• and
• an energy distributing node connected to the body of the structure, having an energy harvester to harvest energy and a wireless energy transmitter to provide energy through the body of the structure to each of the plurality of energy harvesting structural health monitoring sensor nodes, and positioned in the area of high environmental energy to thereby obtain environmental energy from the body to power the energy distributing node and to convert and distribute excess energy through the body of the structure to the plurality of energy harvesting health monitoring sensor nodes positioned in the area of low environmental energy.

A method of providing energy to health monitoring sensor nodes connected to a structure, the method comprising the steps of:

• positioning a plurality of separate wireless energy harvesting health monitoring sensor nodes on or within a first portion of a body of a structure having insufficient environmental energy to allow desired operation of each of the plurality of energy harvesting health monitoring sensor nodes defining an area of low environmental energy;
• positioning an energy distributing node on or within a second portion of the body of the structure, the energy distributing node having a wireless energy transmitter to transmit excess energy to each of the plurality of energy harvesting structural health monitoring sensor nodes positioned in the area of low environmental energy;
• and
• transmitting excess energy to each of the plurality of energy harvesting structural health monitoring sensor nodes by the energy distributing node to thereby provide energy to each of the plurality of energy harvesting health monitoring sensor nodes to allow for desired operation of each of the plurality of energy harvesting health monitoring sensor nodes during a preselected phase of activity of the structure.