Patent ID: 8752432

Claim:
A system including a self diagnostic composite armor structure, comprising: ceramic tiles in one layer of the armor structure, the tiles having a regular polygonal outline; transducers in the one layer, one of the transducers sending vibrations detected by another of the transducers, the transducers being of ceramic material and having a same thickness and a same regular polygonal outline as the regular polygonal outline of the ceramic tiles; wherein the other of the transducers responds essentially only to vibrations travelling parallel to the one layer; wherein the ceramic tiles and the transducers fit closely together so that the one layer is a ballistically windowless layer; a bonding agent between adjacent ceramic tiles and between adjoining ceramic tiles and transducers, the agent enhancing the passage of vibrations from the one transducer to the other transducer through the ceramic tiles; other layers of armor material stacked with the one layer so that the one layer and the other layers form a plate which vibrates as a unit and has characteristic fundamental frequencies; logic means to analyze signals resulting from vibrations transmitted from the one transducer to the other transducer parallel to the plate through the one layer to derive a signal fingerprint characterizing an undamaged plate, the logic means capable of using the vibrations to determine an initial change in the fingerprint and to thus detect initial damage to the plate, and determine the health of the entire plate; wherein the logic means can continue to analyze vibrations after the initial change in the fingerprint to determine a subsequent change in the received vibrations and detect subsequent additional damage to the plate; and transducer damage detection means to detect cessation of transducer function, thereby detecting damage to the plate in the form of damage to one or more of the transducers.