Etegent Technologies, Ltd.

Oleg Lobkis

Stuart James Shelley

Richard Allan Roth, Ii

Christopher George Larsen

Kevin Sigmund

Richard A Roth

Ann El Demery

Conor Coyan

Mackenzie Shelley

Jason Feldman

An environmental condition may be measured with a sensor () including a wire () having an ultrasonic signal transmission characteristic that varies in response to the environmental condition by sensing ultrasonic energy propagated through the wire using multiple types of propagation, and separating an effect of temperature on the wire from an effect of strain on the wire using the sensed ultrasonic energy propagated through the wire using the multiple types of propagation. A positive feedback loop may be used to excite the wire such that strain in the wire is based upon a sensed resonant frequency, while a square wave with a controlled duty cycle may be used to excite the wire at multiple excitation frequencies. A phase matched cone () may be used to couple ultrasonic energy between a waveguide wire () and a transducer ().

Active waveguide excitation and compensation

An active mechanical waveguide including an ultrasonically-transmissive material and a plurality of reflection points defined along a length of the waveguide may be driven at multiple resonant frequencies to sense environmental conditions, e.g., using tracking of a phase derivative. In addition, frequency-dependent reflectors may be incorporated into an active mechanical waveguide, and a drive frequency may be selected to render the frequency-dependent reflectors substantially transparent.

Distributed active mechanical waveguide sensor driven at multiple frequencies and including frequency-dependent reflectors

A sensor with a mechanical waveguide may be characterized using test ultrasonic signals to generate a baseline signature, and the baseline signature may later be used to detect faults in the sensor.

Damage detection for mechanical waveguide sensor

A broadband waveguide comprising at least one filament configured to transmit a signal therethrough. The broadband waveguide may include one or more reflection suppression techniques including a damping material coupled to at least a portion of the at least one filament and/or at least one reflection point configured thereon. The waveguide may further including a cladding material coupled to the at least one filament. The at least one filament may be coupled to a securing element configured to couple to a surface. The at least one filament may be coupled to a sensor configured to sense the transmitted signal.

Broadband waveguide

A composite active waveguide temperature sensor () incorporates a first, sensor portion () formed of an environment-resistant material such as ceramic coupled through an ultrasonically-transparent bond () to a second, waveguide portion () formed of an ultrasonically-transmissive material such as a metallic filament wire. By doing so, the sensor portion () may be positioned within a harsh environment and subjected to a temperature to be measured, and the waveguide portion () may be used to propagate ultrasonic energy to and/or from the sensor portion () to a location distal from the harsh environment for measurement of the temperature. The ultrasonically-transparent bond () between these portions () limits attenuation of and the introduction of reflections and other noise to an ultrasonic signal propagated across the bond ().

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Mason, OH, United States of America

Oleg Lobkis