Prentice C Lyons

US Patent:

40634507, Dec 20, 1977

Filed:

Jul 2, 1976

Appl. No.:

5/702316

Inventors:

Prentice Coleman Lyons - Cincinnati OH

Assignee:

General Electric Company - Lynn MA

International Classification:

G01N 2900

US Classification:

73579

Abstract:

The response characteristics of an electronic filter are automatically adjusted as a function of the magnitude of an applied DC voltage to permit the same filter to be used for varying applications. Embodiments for varying the center frequency and Q of the filter are disclosed. The filter has particular utility in vibration monitoring systems wherein the center frequency may be selectively set at a value which is characteristic of the frequency of particular vibration signals of interest. In a disclosed vibration monitoring system incorporating the voltage controlled filter of this invention, which is particularly useful for monitoring vibration levels in gas turbine engines, the magnitude of the DC control voltage is varied as a function of gas turbine rotational velocity. In an alternate embodiment of the vibration monitoring system an adjustable feedback circuit is provided which may be set to reduce variations in phase shift as the center frequency of the filter is varied or alternatively to automatically track a particular center frequency.