General Electric Company

Other

Donald Shaw

Kurt Kramer Schleif

Mario Joseph Arceneaux

Zachary John Snider

Andrew David Ellis

Michael Allen Ball

Robert D Jones

David L Beshears

Stephen W Allison

Jason Ryan Henderson

Duane Weldon Dinkel

Derek Ray Wilson

R David Jones

Raymond Lavigne

A mounting member for a sensor for a turbomachine having an axis is disclosed. The mounting member includes a body configured to mount to a portion of a circumferential interior surface of a casing of the turbomachine. An opening extends through a radially inner surface of the body, and is configured to position the sensor facing radially inward relative to the axis. A passage in the body extends longitudinally through the body to route a communications lead of the sensor circumferentially relative to the circumferential interior surface of the casing.

Sensor mounting for circumferential interior surface of turbomachine casing

A casing for a turbomachine is disclosed. The casing includes a casing body including an interior surface and an exterior surface. At least one sensor is coupled relative to the interior surface of the body, the at least one sensor at most only partially extending through the body. A communications lead is operatively coupled to the at least one sensor, and extends circumferentially along the interior surface of the body.

Systems and methods for sensors on circumferential interior surface of turbomachine casing

The invention is a modular vehicle having an air vehicle that can be coupled to cargo containers, land vehicles, sea vehicles, medical transport modules, etc. In one embodiment the air vehicle has a plurality of propellers positioned around a main airframe, which can provide vertical thrust and/or horizontal thrust depending on the configuration. One or more of the propellers may be configured to tilt forward, backward, and/or side-to-side with respect to the airframe.

Modular flight vehicle

A system includes a thermographic temperature sensor that may measure a temperature of a fluid. The thermographic temperature sensor includes a probe, an optical source coupled to the probe, and a detector coupled to the probe. The system also includes a housing of the probe; and a light pipe of the probe disposed within the housing and including a thermographic phosphor that may phosphoresce in response to absorbing light from the optical source. The phosphorescence by the thermographic phosphor is representative of a temperature of the fluid within a flow path of the fluid, and the detector may detect the phosphorescence by the thermographic phosphor.

Thermographic temperature sensor

A thermographic temperature sensor includes a probe having a housing and a light pipe disposed within the housing. The light pipe includes a thermographic phosphor that may phosphoresce in response to absorbing light. The phosphorescence by the thermographic phosphor is representative of a temperature of a fluid in contact with the probe, and a surface area of the light pipe is not in contact with an inner surface of the housing.

Methods and systems for communicating a signal between a rotating antenna and a plurality of stationary antennae based on an axial displacement of the rotating antenna are provided. In one example, the method can include obtaining one or more measurements of an axial displacement of the rotating antenna from one or more axial displacement sensors. The method can further include determining a selected stationary antenna from the plurality of stationary antennae based at least in part on the measurements of an axial displacement of the rotating antenna. The method can further include activating the selected stationary antenna to communicate a signal with the rotating antenna. The method can further include communicating a signal between the rotating antenna and the selected stationary antenna.

Communicating signal between rotating antenna and plurality of stationary antennae based on displacement

A system for packaging electronic components in a rotatable shaft includes an annular carrier shaft having a first end that is axially spaced from a second end and an inner surface that is radially spaced from an outer surface, and a plurality of transmitter assemblies annularly arranged within the carrier shaft. Each transmitter assembly includes a transmitter housing radially supported within the carrier shaft via a pair of circumferentially spaced rail members. Each transmitter assembly comprises a daughter board that extends laterally and longitudinally across a bottom portion of the transmitter housing and at least one electronic component electrically coupled to the daughter board. The electronic component extends substantially perpendicular to the daughter board within the transmitter housing.

System for packaging electronic components in a rotatable shaft

A system for routing rotatable wire bundles which extend from a rotor shaft of a turbomachine includes a plurality of wire bundles which extend outwardly from an inner passage of the rotor shaft of the turbomachine. An annular wire barrel is coupled to an end of the rotor shaft. A plurality of thru-holes is defined within and/or by the wire barrel. The plurality of thru-holes is annularly arranged therein. Each thru-hole extends through an aft wall of the wire barrel and is circumferentially spaced from adjacent thru-holes. Each wire bundle extends individually through a corresponding thru-hole of the plurality of thru-holes.

System for routing rotatable wire bundles of turbomachine

An apparatus for determining axial spacing between conductive rings of a slip ring assembly includes a signal generator that generates an incident signal, a plurality of conductive rings axially spaced along a shaft where the plurality of conductive rings includes a first conductive ring and a second conductive ring that are axially spaced at a first axial distance. The shaft and the plurality of conductive rings are submerged in a bath of a liquid or encased in an epoxy. A first twisted wire pair is electronically coupled at to the signal generator and to inputs of the first and second conductive rings. A second twisted wire pair is electronically coupled at one end to outputs of the first and second conductive rings. A method for determining axial spacing between conductive rings of a slip ring assembly is also disclosed.

Apparatus and method for axially spacing conductive rings of a slip ring assembly

A method for routing wires from a rotor shaft of a turbomachine includes routing a plurality of wire bundles through an end portion of the rotor shaft and into an annular extension shaft which is coupled to the end portion of the rotor shaft, threading each wire bundle through a corresponding thru-hole of a plurality of thru-holes defined in an annular wire barrel, inserting the wire barrel into the extension shaft and fixedly connecting the wire barrel to the extension shaft.

Method for routing wire bundles from a rotor shaft of a turbomachine

A damping system for a turbomachine slip ring includes a slip ring assembly. The slip ring assembly includes a rotating component which is coupled at one end to a rotor shaft of the turbomachine and a stator component which circumferentially surrounds a rotatable center core portion of the rotating component. The system further includes a static structure which defines a carrier sleeve where the carrier sleeve circumferentially surrounds a portion of the stator component. The system also includes a damping material which extends radially between an inner surface of the carrier sleeve and an outer surface of the stator component so as to dissipate vibrational energy of the slip ring assembly during rotation of the rotor shaft.

Damping system for a turbomachine slip ring

A system for transmitting data from a rotating component of a turbomachine includes a plurality of thermal sensors coupled to corresponding rotatable components within the turbomachine where each thermal sensor generates a discrete analog signal indicative of temperature. A plurality of transmitter assemblies is coupled to an end of a rotor shaft of the turbomachine. The plurality of transmitter assemblies comprises a first transmitter assembly and a second transmitter assembly. The first transmitter assembly is configured to receive the discrete analog signals from the plurality of thermal sensors, multiplex the plurality of discrete analog signals into a single amplifier and an analog-to-digital converter to generate a single stream of digital data therefrom. The system also includes a slip ring assembly having a plurality of conductive rings where at least one of the conductive rings defines a digital signal path between the first transmitter assembly and a data acquisition system.

System and method for transmitting sensor data from a rotating component of a turbomachine

A system for dissipating thermal energy from electronic components disposed within a rotatable shaft includes an annular carrier shaft having one end formed to couple to an end of a rotor shaft. The system also includes a transmitter assembly. The transmitter includes an outer casing, a daughter board and a circuit board electronically coupled to the daughter board within an inner pocket of the transmitter housing. The circuit board comprises a strip of thermally conductive material. The transmitter assembly further includes a lid that at least partially seals the inner pocket. A contact surface of the lid is in thermal communication with the thermally conductive material of the circuit board and at least a portion of a top surface of the lid is thermally coupled to an inner surface of the carrier shaft during rotation thereof. A method for dissipating thermal energy away from the circuit board is also provided.

System and method for dissipating thermal energy away from electronic components in a rotatable shaft

A slip ring assembly includes a pair of conductive rings consecutively positioned along a center shaft of the slip ring assembly. The pair of conductive rings are electronically coupled to a high frequency signal source via a first twisted wire pair. The pair of conductive rings are electronically coupled to a data processor via a second twisted wire pair. The first and second twisted wire pairs have constant target impedances that are substantially similar. The first and second conductive rings are axially spaced at an axial distance that is sized so as to maintain the constant target impedance across the first and second conductive rings during transmission of a high frequency signal from the high frequency signal source to the data processor. The slip ring assembly provides a method for impedance matching across the conductive rings of the slip ring assembly.

Growing community of inventors

Simpsonville, SC, United States of America

Donald Shaw