Patent ID: 8170836

Claim:
A low-power triggered data acquisition system for continuously monitoring detecting, identifying and assessing impact and damage to surfaces, comprising: a plurality of self-generating transducer sensors that do not require constant excitation voltage or current disposed on the surface for generating an electrical charge output signal responsive to a triggering event; a plurality of comparator means each having a first input interfaced with a respective said transducer sensor for receiving said electrical charge output signal from the respective said sensor, a second input for receiving a threshold voltage from a voltage source correlated with a respective sensor, and each comparator means having an output; digital memory means for storing digital data; digital logic circuitry interfaced with a frequency source functioning as a clock means and with said comparator means output for controlling the operation of the system including latching and reset functions, and transferring data from each said digital converter means to said digital memory means; and signal conditioning means and analog-to-digital converter means interfaced with said self-generating transducer sensors, said digital logic circuitry, and said first input of each said comparator means for conditioning analog output signals from said sensors prior to being received by each said comparator means; wherein, the output of said comparator means changes upon receiving an electrical charge output signal from a first one of said sensors that is greater than the threshold voltage correlated with said first one of said sensors received by said comparator means to cause said digital logic circuitry to acquire and store digital data representative of a first triggering event generated by said first one of said sensors in said digital memory means, along with the output from the other said sensors, and said digital logic circuitry latches and resets the system for detecting a subsequent triggering event.