US 11,984,824 B2
Sensing system
Dayan Ban, Waterloo (CA); and Peter Michael Voss, Cambridge (CA)
Assigned to SHIMCO NORTH AMERICA INC., Cambridge (CA)
Appl. No. 16/762,816
Filed by SHIMCO NORTH AMERICA INC., Cambridge (CA)
PCT Filed Nov. 8, 2018, PCT No. PCT/CA2018/051412
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date May 8, 2020,
PCT Pub. No. WO2019/090426, PCT Pub. Date May 16, 2019.
Claims priority of application No. CA 2985238 (CA), filed on Nov. 10, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2021/0175822 A1, Jun. 10, 2021
Int. Cl. G01B 7/00 (2006.01); B64D 43/00 (2006.01); G01B 7/16 (2006.01); H02N 2/18 (2006.01); H10N 30/00 (2023.01); B82Y 15/00 (2011.01)
CPC H02N 2/18 (2013.01) [B64D 43/00 (2013.01); G01B 7/18 (2013.01); H10N 30/1061 (2023.02); B82Y 15/00 (2013.01)] 22 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A sensing system for gap management in an component in which this system is to be installed, the sensing system comprising at least one shim portion secured with respect to at least one nanogenerator portion; wherein the at least one nanogenerator portion comprises:
(i) a strain sensing portion configured to sense strain in the component;
(ii) an energy-harvesting portion configured to harvest energy from the component with a piezoelectric nanogenerator and to power the sensing system; and
(iii) a data managing portion configured to receive sensed strain data from the strain sensing portion and wirelessly communicate said data to a receiver,
wherein the shim portion is shaped to position in a gap in the component and mechanically fill the gap.