Patent ID: 8401804

Claim:
A structural health monitoring system, comprising: a structural health monitoring system operable to monitor a structure to detect stress waves propagating in the structure, the structural health monitoring system comprising: a plurality of sensing elements operable to generate signals corresponding to the detected stress waves, wherein one or more of the sensing elements are additionally operable to actuate so as to generate the stress waves propagating in the structure; and a processor programmed with an operational mode and a sleep mode, the processor operable in the operational mode to receive sensor signals corresponding to the signals generated by the sensing elements, and to perform at least one of processing the sensor signals and storing the sensor signals; and a trigger circuit connected between the plurality of sensing elements and the processor, the trigger circuit operable to receive the signals generated by the plurality of sensing elements, and to transmit a wake signal to the processor in response to receiving one of the signals with a voltage having a magnitude greater than a predetermined threshold; wherein the processor is further operable to enter the operational mode from the sleep mode upon receiving the wake signal.