General Electric Company

Research in Motion Corporation

Mahadevan Balasubramaniam

Emad Andarawis Andarawis

Samhita Dasgupta

Wayne Charles Hasz

David Mulford Shaddock

David Richard Esler

David So Keung Chan

John Harry Down

Zhiyuan Ren

William Lee Herron

David Walter Parry

Jie Jiang

David So Chan

James Anthony Ruud

Slawomir Rubinsztajn

Glen Peter Koste

Minesh Ashok Shah

Huageng Luo

Kevin Thomas McCarthy

Todd Alan Anderson

Clayton Ming Young

Abdul Rahman Abdallah Al-Khalidy

Cheryl Lynn Herron, Legal Representative

Le Yan

Hua Xia

Donald E Castleberry

William Andrew Hennessy

Renato Guida

Ljubisa Dragoljub Stevanovic

Brian Magann Rush

Habib Vafi

Kaustubh Ravindra Nagarkar

Richard S Zhang

Walter John Smith

Robert Michael Zirin

Richard Alfred Beaupre

Loucas Tsakalakos

Jeffrey Bernard Fortin

Michael John Utschig

David Sirda Shanks

George Hanna Ghanime

Sachin Narahari Dekate

Andrew John Ewanchuk

Philip Paul Beauchamp

Ramakrishna Venkata Mallina

Adam Gregory Pautsch

Stephen Duane Sanborn

Boon Kwee Lee

Ronesh Puri

Michael Colan Moscinski

Stephen Adam Solovitz

Sudeep Mandal

Shobhana Mani

Faisal Razi Ahmad

Charles Rickards

Paul Jeffrey Gillespie

Ibrahim Issoufou Kouada

Sunilkumar Onkarnath Soni

Andrew Jacob Gorton

Suyu Hou

Satish Sivarama Gunturi

Ajit Achuthan

Jeffrey Roy Rudd

Christopher Michael Fogel

Virendra Vilas Gaikwad

Vincent Frank Rubino

Anurag Kasyap Vejjupalle Subramanyam

David J Wagner

Ryan Alexander Holt

Hua Xai

George Ghanime

Sambita Dasgupta

A sensing system that includes an optical fiber disposed helically around an outer surface of a structure along a longitudinal axis of the structure is provided. The optical fiber is disposed such that at least one complete helical turn of the optical fiber covers the length of the structure. Further, the sensing system also includes a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) set comprising a plurality of FBGs in the optical fiber. Each FBG in the set is configured to generate reflected light that is indicative of strain values at a location of each respective FBG on the optical fiber. Furthermore, the system also includes a processing system coupled to the optical fiber. The processing system is configured to determine location coordinates of each FBG and values of one or more of bending moment, tensile force, and torsional moment acting at each FBG location on the optical fiber.

Structures monitoring system and method

A fluid sensor cable assembly and method uses one or more conductive bodies extending along an elongated core body for conducting a heating current to heat the cable assembly. The one or more conductive bodies also are configured to conduct an interrogation signal and to conduct reflections of the interrogation signal. One or more optical fibers extend along the length of the core body and include temperature sensitive elements at different locations along the length of the core body. The temperature sensitive elements measure heat flux out of the cable assembly at the different locations subsequent to heating the cable assembly and communicate the heat flux to a computer acquisition system.

Fluid sensor cable assembly, system, and method

A sensor deployment system for positioning within a well casing is provided. The sensor deployment system includes a deployment shuttle comprising a first end, a second end, and an inner surface and an outer surface extending between the first end and the second end. The inner surface is configured to define a channel between the first end and the second end. A sleeve is coupled to the outer surface and configured to move relative to the well casing. A wire support is coupled to the inner surface and extending into the channel.

Sensor deployment system for a wellbore and methods of assembling the same

A capacitive sensor device and a method of manufacture are provided. The capacitive sensor device includes at least one sensor tip that includes an electrode positioned at a first end of the sensor tip, and a stem member coupled to the electrode and extending toward a second end of the sensor tip. The device also includes a coaxial cable including a center conductor, the center conductor coupled to the sensor tip at the second end, and an insulation layer supporting the sensor tip between the first and second ends. The insulation layer includes a metallization on a portion surrounding the second end of the sensor tip. The device further includes a casing surrounding a portion of the coaxial cable, the metallization, and the coupling of the center conductor and the sensor tip, wherein a braze joint is formed between the casing and the metallization to form a hollow, hermetic cavity.

Capacitive sensor device and method of manufacture

A system is provided for monitoring strain in a substrate using a strain sensor element within a fiber optic sensing cable. Accurate and rapid measurement of strain of remote substrates presents major technical challenges and is the focus of much of the description presented. However, systems, methods and devices provided by the present invention are not only capable of reliably measuring strain in real time, but are also capable of measuring other characteristics of a substrate such as its temperature, pressure and its acoustic characteristics. The system is configured such that a strain sensor element within a strain sensing zone detects substantially the true strain characteristics of the substrate. And while other sensing elements within the same fiber optic sensing cable may not be configured to detect substrate strain at all, these sensing elements may reliably measure the temperature and pressure at the surface of the substrate adjacent to the strain sensing zone.

System and method for monitoring strain

An optical-based sensing apparatus and method are provided. A sensing apparatus () may include a tube (). An optical fiber () may be encased in the tube. A buffering layer () may be interposed between the optical fiber and the tube. The buffering layer and/or the tube may be selectively configured to form along a length of the apparatus a plurality of optical sensing zones () spatially arranged to sense parameters involving different parameter modalities.

Fiber optic sensing apparatus and method for sensing parameters involving different parameter modalities

A radial clearance measurement system is provided. The radial clearance measurement system comprises a radial clearance sensor that is relatively insensitive to axial movement of an object rotating relative to the radial clearance sensor. In one embodiment, the radial clearance sensor includes an electrode having a relatively constant overlap area over the range of axial movement of the object.

Rotational clearance measurement system and method of operation

An actuator decoupler for selectively coupling and decoupling a driving part and a driven part of an actuation system is disclosed. The driving part can be coupled to the actuator decoupler, and the actuator decoupler can be coupled to the driven part via at least one coupling pin. In a selectively coupled state, the driven part can be at least one of rotationally and longitudinally fixed to the actuator decoupler and, thereby, the driving part. The actuator decoupler can be decoupled from the driven part through the use of a preloaded energy mechanism configured to disengage the at least one coupling pin from the driven part. Thereby, the actuator may be responsive to a jam in the actuation system to selectively decouple the driven part from the actuator decoupler and the driving part so that the driven part has freedom to translate at least one of rotationally and longitudinally.

Jam tolerant actuator decoupler

A clearance sensing system for a rotating machine includes a plurality of sensor probes disposed within a stationary shroud of the rotating machine. Each of the plurality of sensor probes is adapted to measure a parameter indicative of an axial and a radial displacement of a rotating component within the shroud and to produce a signal that corresponds to the parameter. In certain embodiments, this parameter may include a capacitance between the rotating component and the sensor probe. The clearance sensing system further includes a circuit that receives the signal from each of the plurality of sensor probes and determines (a) the axial displacement of the rotating component within the shroud and (b) a radial displacement of the rotating component relative to the shroud.

Displacement sensor system and method of operation

A sensor system for measuring a clearance parameter between a stationary component and a rotating component of a rotating machine is provided. The system includes a clearance sensor to output a clearance measurement signal. A sensor memory is attached to the sensor for storing a first sensor information. A second sensor information is stored in a electronics interface memory. The first and the second sensor information are read and the clearance sensor is matched with a respective plurality of calibration data by an electronic interface based on the first and the second sensor information.

Automated sensor specific calibration through sensor parameter download

Self-calibration of a multiple channel clearance sensor system, which in one embodiment includes at least one sensor for measuring at least one clearance parameter signal between a stationary object and a rotating object of a rotating machine. The sensor output is processed as a clearance parameter by an offset correction section configured to determine an offset error in the clearance parameter signal which is used by a level shifter. The level shifter is also switchably coupled to the clearance parameter signal wherein the output of the level shifter, which may be amplified and digitally converted, is processed by a signal level analyzer to determine a channel gain signal.

Electronic self-calibration for sensor clearance

A fiber optic sensor is provided. The fiber optic sensor includes a fiber core having a plurality of grating elements wherein, the grating elements comprise a periodic or a quasiperiodic modulated microcrystalline and silicon dioxide tetrahedral structure and a cladding disposed about the fiber core.

Fiber optic sensor for detecting multiple parameters in a harsh environment

A method of detecting rubs during operation of a turbomachine comprising at least one rotating object having a tip and a shelf is provided. The method includes generating signals representative of a sensed parameter and processing the signals to generate height versus time data for the tip. The height of the tip corresponds to the distance between the tip and the shelf. The method further includes monitoring the height versus time data, in order to determine whether a change in the height data exceeds a threshold value, and detecting a rub of the rotating object(s) on a second object, when the change in the height data exceeds the threshold value. A rub detection system for a turbomachine and a turbine engine system with rub detection are also provided.

System and method for turbine engine clearance control with rub detection

A processing system for clearance estimation in a rotating machine includes one or more sensors and one or more digital signal processors for calculating the estimated clearance. The processing system may include techniques for obtaining real-time clearance estimates and techniques for obtaining averaged clearance estimates. Aspects of the processing system may also include a method of switching between real-time clearance estimates and averaged clearance estimates depending on the operating conditions of the rotating machine. Other aspects of the processing system include the use of two digital signal processors: a first digital signal processor configured to receive signals from a clearance sensor and perform a first set of high speed processing tasks, and a second digital signal processor configured to receive signals from the first digital signal processor and perform a second set of lower speed processing tasks.

System and method for clearance estimation between two objects

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Ballston Lake, NY, United States of America

Mahadevan Balasubramaniam