Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080283332 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DETECTING AN ANOMALY AND DETERMINING ITS SIZE - A method for detecting an anomaly and measuring its size may include generating a wave signal into a structure being evaluated and collecting at least one of any front and back scattered wave data and any side scattered wave data caused by the wave signal impacting an anomaly. The method may also include processing the at least one front and back scattered wave data and side scattered wave data to measure a size, location, and shape of the anomaly. | 11-20-2008 |
20090032329 | IMAGING AN ANOMALY USING BACKSCATTERED WAVES - A method for generating an image of an anomaly may include generating a pulse wave into a structure being evaluated from each of a plurality of sensors and collecting any scattered wave data caused by the pulse wave impacting an anomaly. The scattered wave data may be collected by the same sensor that generated the pulse wave or by a different sensor. The method may also include identifying any backscattered wave data from a distal edge or border of any anomaly relative to a location of the sensor collecting the scattered wave data. The method may additionally include processing the backscattered wave data from each of the sensors collecting the scattered wave data to generate a two dimensional image of any anomaly. The method may further include presenting the two dimensional image of any anomaly. | 02-05-2009 |
20090048721 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MODELING RESPONSES OF A MATERIAL TO VARIOUS INPUTS - A computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer usable program code for testing a material. A signal is sent into the material using the transmitter. The signal has a frequency range that falls within a selected frequency range to form a transmitted signal. An actual response to the transmitted signal is received at a sensor. A simulated response of the material to the transmitted signal is generated using a functional model capable of modeling responses of the material to different frequency ranges falling within the selected frequency range. The simulated response is compared to the actual response to determine if a change has occurred in the material. | 02-19-2009 |
20090083004 | VIRTUAL TIME REVERSAL ACOUSTICS FOR STRUCTURALHEALTH MONITORING - A method, apparatus, and computer program product for monitoring structures using virtual time reversal signal processing. In one embodiment, a signal having a frequency range is sent into a structure in a vehicle from a fixed transmitter to form an original transmitted signal. A response to the original transmitted signal is received at a fixed sensor associated with the structure to form a received response. The received response is reversed. The reversed response is processed using a transfer function to simulate propagation of the reversed response from the fixed sensor to the fixed transmitter to form a simulated time reversed response. The simulated time reversed response is a simulation of a response of the fixed transmitter to receiving the reversed response from the fixed sensor. The simulated time reversed response is analyzed to monitor for anomalies associated with the structure. | 03-26-2009 |
20090093999 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR QUANTIFYING DAMAGE IN A STRUCTURE - A method for quantifying damage in a test structure having a plurality of transducer units coupled to at least one portion of the test structure includes: (a) training an evaluating algorithmic system coupled with the transducer units to establish a trained algorithmic system able to recognize a plurality of characteristics of signals traversing a plurality of paths through a training structure substantially similar to the test structure after the training structure is damaged. Each path is situated between a respective pair of transducer units coupled to the training structure; the plurality of characteristics relates each path to a plurality of physical aspects of the damage. A trained algorithmic system is employed to recognize the plurality of characteristics of signals traversing paths in the test structure to effect the quantifying. The plurality of physical aspects includes less than ten physical aspects. | 04-09-2009 |
20090192729 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR THE DETERMINATION OF DAMAGE LOCATION - A method for determining the health of a structural element. The method includes providing a plurality of transducer elements arranged and disposed to permit measurement of vibration generated by at least one of the transducer elements at one or more of the other transducers elements. Vibration is induced with at least one transducer element. Vibration is measured at least one other transducer element, where the measured vibration corresponding to a vibratory path. At least one damage index value is calculated for each vibratory path in response to the measured vibration. At least one damage image is generated in response to the damage index value. The damage image assigns damage index values to each vibratory path. A damage location is determined from the damage image. | 07-30-2009 |
20090306907 | DECOMPOSITION MODE MATCHING CHANGE INDEX - A method, apparatus, and computer usable program code for identifying change indices for a structure. In one advantageous embodiment a method receives a response signal in response to a transmission of an interrogation signal into the structure. The response signal is decomposed into a first plurality of modes. The first plurality of modes is compared to a second plurality of modes for a comparison signal to form a comparison. A change index is assigned to the response signal using the comparison. | 12-10-2009 |
20100036618 | REDUCING THE RINGING OF ACTUATOR ELEMENTS IN ULTRASOUND BASED HEALTH MONITORING SYSTEMS - A method and apparatus are present for monitoring a structure. A signal is sent into the structure, wherein the signal has a limited duration and a varying frequency. A response to the signal is received and the response is compared to a baseline to form a comparison. | 02-11-2010 |
20100079258 | MODE IDENTIFICATION AND DECOMPOSITION FOR ULTRASONIC SIGNALS - A method is present for processing a signal. A response signal is received from a structure. The response signal is decomposed into a plurality of signals based on a number of characteristics. A mode in the plurality of signals is identified based on a number of known characteristics for the mode, wherein the mode has a velocity. | 04-01-2010 |
20100299095 | Method and Apparatus for Modeling Responses of a Material to Various Inputs - A computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer usable program code for testing a material. A signal is sent into the material using the transmitter. The signal has a frequency range that falls within a selected frequency range to form a transmitted signal. An actual response to the transmitted signal is received at a sensor. A simulated response of the material to the transmitted signal is generated using a functional model capable of modeling responses of the material to different frequency ranges falling within the selected frequency range. The simulated response is compared to the actual response to determine if a change has occurred in the material. | 11-25-2010 |
20100319455 | DAMAGE VOLUME AND DEPTH ESTIMATION - In one embodiment, a system to characterize an anomaly in a laminate structure comprises a plurality of actuators to generate a wave signal into a structure being evaluated, a plurality of sensors to collect scattered wave data caused by energy of the wave signal being at least partially reflected or scattered by an anomaly, and a structural health monitoring unit. In some embodiments the structural health monitoring unit executes a scatter imaging algorithm to generate three dimensional image data for the anomaly from the scattered wave data, extracts a scatter volume from the from the scattered wave data, and generates a damage volume estimate and a damage depth estimate from the scattered wave data. Other embodiments may be described. | 12-23-2010 |
20110132090 | Mode Decomposition of Sound Waves Using Amplitude Matching - The different advantageous embodiments provide a transducer unit, a testing system, and a method for testing a structure. The transducer unit comprises a first segment configured to generate a first electrical signal in response to detecting a plurality of waves propagating in a structure. The transducer unit also comprises a second segment configured to generate a second electrical signal in response to detecting the plurality of waves propagating in the structure. | 06-09-2011 |
20110222225 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS OF COUPLING DIGITIZING SENSORS TO A STRUCTURE - Systems and methods of coupling digitizing sensors to a structure are disclosed. A particular method includes applying one or more communication traces and one or more power traces to a structure using at least one direct-write technique. The method may also include coupling the one or more communication traces to at least one digitizing sensor. The method may also include coupling the one or more power traces to the at least one digitizing sensor. | 09-15-2011 |
20120029877 | METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR STRUCTURAL HEALTH MONITORING - Methods and systems are provided for obtaining structural health data for evaluating a structural health of a component. A transducer detects a first signal representative of a signal transmitted through at least a portion of the component. An estimated signal for a remote transducer is determined based on at least the first signal and a transfer function. | 02-02-2012 |
20120255359 | Transducer Based Health Monitoring System - A method and apparatus for detecting an inconsistency in an object. A signal sent from a first transducer unit is received at a second transducer unit. The signal is sent along a path through an object from the first transducer unit to the second transducer unit. The second transducer unit has segments. A velocity is identified at each segment in the segments for a number of modes for the signal to form identified velocities. A determination is made as to whether the inconsistency is present along the path through the object using the identified velocities for the number of modes for the signal. | 10-11-2012 |
20120265449 | System and Method for Monitoring Bonding Integrity - The disclosure provides in one embodiment a system for monitoring adhesive integrity within a cured bondline of a bonded structural assembly. The system comprises a bonded structural assembly having a cured bondline. The cured bondline comprises an adhesive layer, a scrim ply layer integrated with the adhesive layer, and an electrical sensor network integrated with the scrim ply layer. The system further comprises an electrical power source for providing electrical power to the electrical sensor network. The system further comprises a digital data communications network for retrieving and processing data from the electrical sensor network. The electrical sensor network monitors adhesive integrity on demand by interpreting changes in local dynamic responses and electromechanical properties directly measured within the cured bondline. | 10-18-2012 |
20130018525 | Mobilized Sensor Network for Structural Health MonitoringAANM Jang; Jung SoonAACI BellevueAAST WAAACO USAAGP Jang; Jung Soon Bellevue WA USAANM Ihn; Jeong-BeomAACI BellevueAAST WAAACO USAAGP Ihn; Jeong-Beom Bellevue WA US - A method and apparatus for inspecting an object is provided. Movement of inspection vehicles relative to a surface of the object is controlled using a controller. Generation of data about the object by sensor systems configured to generate the data when the sensor systems are in a configuration with respect to a location on the object for inspection and receiving power from the inspection vehicles is controlled using the controller. The data generated by the sensor systems is stored. | 01-17-2013 |
20130139598 | Reference Free Inconsistency Detection System - A method and apparatus for identifying an inconsistency. A number of waves that propagate through a structure are generated. A response signal is generated in response to detecting at least a portion of the number of waves that propagate through the structure. A determination is made as to whether the response signal includes a reflected component. A presence of the inconsistency in the structure is indicated when the response signal includes the reflected component. | 06-06-2013 |
20140100832 | METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR STRUCTURAL HEALTH MONITORING - Methods and apparatus for structural health monitoring are described. In one example, a method for use in designing a structural health monitoring (SHM) system for use in monitoring a host structure is described. The method includes one or more of a process for designing SHM systems for any given piece of structural hardware, a process for evaluating a given SHM system, a method to quantify the performance of a given SHM system in comparison to current inspection processes, a finite element modeling approach to determining excitation frequencies to detect damage and for selecting the best time window to use for sensed excitation signals, a Bayesian Network based data fusion technique that fuses in environmental information (load cycles induced on the structure) with a damage index (DI) to produce crack detection and estimation of crack length, and a damage location and sensor selection technique. | 04-10-2014 |
20140232552 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS OF COUPLING DIGITIZING SENSORS TO A STRUCTURE - Systems and methods of coupling digitizing sensors to a structure are disclosed. A particular system includes a digitizing sensor node. The system further includes a bus including a plurality of conductive elements applied to a substrate. A first conductive element of the bus is coupled to the digitizing sensor node using a direct-write technique. | 08-21-2014 |
20140327433 | BONDLINE EMBEDDED CURRENT SENSOR - A system for monitoring electrical current passing through a cured bondline may include a current sensor network embedded in an adhesive layer of the cured bondline. The current sensor network may include a plurality of inductive coils and a plurality of current sensor nodes electrically interconnecting the inductive coils to form a plurality of current sensor loops generating induced current in response to a magnetic field associated with an electrical current passing through the adhesive layer. The current sensor nodes may generate current signals representative of the induced current. The current sensor network may include a digital data communications network located external to the cured bondline and receiving the current signals from the current sensor nodes and detecting and monitoring electrical current passing through the cured bondline based on the current signals. | 11-06-2014 |