Patent ID: 7627439
Filing Date: 2009-12-01
Classification: G01B,G01L,G01M,G01N

Abstract:
1. A method of detecting an occurrence in a material, the method comprising: distributing a plurality of sensor nodes in a structure, wherein each of the sensor nodes includes an internal analog-to-digital conversion element; passively collecting data related to the structure from at least one of the plurality of nodes; analyzing the data to identify a structural occurrence in the structure by comparing the data to a baseline measurement of the structure; triggering an active damage detection operation in response to an identified structural occurrence to determine a location and a degree of the structural occurrence, wherein the active damage detection operation includes at least one of the plurality of nodes supplying excitation energy to the structure; collecting data related to the structure using at least one of the plurality of nodes during the active damage detection operation; passing at least one of i) the data collected at a first of the plurality of nodes, and ii) data derived from the data collected at the first of the plurality of nodes to a second node; combining the data from the first node with data collected at the second node; and determining a position of a structural occurrence based on the data from the first node and the data from the second node.