Sensor signal processing system and method

• US 10,559,138 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2016
• Issued: 02/11/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Transportation IP Holdings, LLC (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: GE Global Sourcing LLC (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Worden, Bret, Zhang, Jingjun, Petersen, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Robert T
• Application Number:
  US15/365,980
• Publication Number:
  US 20170178421A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,167 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 15/0081 On-board diagnosis or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 25/021 Measuring and recording of train speed
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/263 by measuring variations in capacitance of capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 13/028 Acoustic or vibration analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 3/00 Registering or indicating the condition or the working of machines or other apparatus, other than vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/004 Indicating the operating range of the engine economical driving B60R16/0236, F02B77/084; measuring liquid fuel of an engine G01F9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/02 Registering or indicating driving, working, idle, or waiting time only apparatus forming part of taximeters G07B13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2200/00 Transmission systems for measured values, control or similar signals

Abstract

A sensor assembly includes one or more accelerometers that generate movement signals indicative of movement of a powered system, a fluid level sensor that generates fluid level signals indicative of an amount of fluid in the powered system, and one or more processors that receive the movement signals and the fluid level signals. The one or more processors also (a) filter at least some of the movement signals based on a speed at which the powered system operates and/or (b) calculate one or more of (1) a statistical measure, (2) a fast Fourier transform (FFT), or (3) a discrete Fourier transform (DFT) of the movement signals. The assembly also includes a first antenna that wirelessly communicates the one or more of the movement signals, the amount of fluid, the statistical measure, the FFT, or the DFT to a remote location.

Claims

1. A sensor assembly comprising:

one or more accelerometers configured to generate movement signals indicative of sensed movement of a powered system in one or more directions;

a fluid level sensor configured to generate fluid level signals indicative of a sensed amount of fluid in the powered system;

one or more processors configured to receive the movement signals and the fluid level signals from the one or more accelerometers and the fluid level sensor, the one or more processors also configured to

filter at least some of the movement signals based on a speed at which the powered system operates; and

a first antenna configured to wirelessly communicate one or more of the movement signals or the fluid level signals to a remote location.

2. The sensor assembly of claim 1, further comprising a housing in which the one or more accelerometers, the fluid level sensor, the one or more processors, and the first antenna are disposed.

4. The sensor assembly of claim 1, wherein the movement signals represent a combination of movements of a propulsion system of the powered system in multiple, different directions.

5. The sensor assembly of claim 4, wherein the one or more processors also are configured to calculate a root mean square of the movement signals of the propulsion system in the multiple, different directions over a sampling period.

3. A sensor assembly comprising:

one or more accelerometers configured to generate movement signals indicative of sensed movement of a powered system in one or more directions;

a fluid level sensor configured to generate fluid level signals indicative of a sensed amount of fluid in the powered system;

one or more processors configured to receive the movement signals and the fluid level signals from the one or more accelerometers and the fluid level sensor, the one or more processors also configured to

filter the movement signals with a filter having a bandwidth that increases for faster speeds of a motor of the powered system and that decreases for slower speeds of the motor;

a first antenna configured to wirelessly communicate one or more of the movement signals or the fluid level signals to a remote location.

6. A sensor assembly comprising:

one or more accelerometers configured to generate movement signals indicative of sensed movement of a powered system in one or more directions,

a fluid level sensor configured to generate fluid level signals indicative of a sensed amount of fluid in the powered system;

one or more processors configured to receive the movement signals and the fluid level signals from the one or more accelerometers and the fluid level sensor, the one or more processors also configured to one or more of;

filter at least some of the movement signals based on a speed at which the powered system operates, or

calculate one or more of a fast Fourier transform (FFT) or a discrete Fourier transform (DFT) of the movement signals; and

a first antenna configured to wirelessly communicate one or more of the movement signals, the fluid level signals, the FFT, or the DFT to a remote location, wherein the first antenna is configured to wirelessly communicate the one or more of the movement signals, the fluid level signals, the FFT, or the DFT to the remote location according to a predetermined schedule; and

a second antenna configured to wirelessly communicate the one or more of the movement signals, the fluid level signals, the FFT, or the DFT to the remote location responsive to receipt of an interrogation signal from an external device.

7. The sensor assembly of claim 6, wherein the first antenna is configured to communicate the one or more of the movement signals, the fluid level signals, the FFT, or the DFT over a first communication link and the second antenna is configured to communicate the one or more of the movement signals, the fluid level signals, the FFT, or the DFT over a different, second communication link, wherein the first communication link is a higher power and longer range communication link than the second communication link.

8. A vehicle comprising:

a gear box having a gear box housing that holds a fluid; and

a sensor assembly coupled to the gear box housing, the sensor assembly comprising a sensor assembly housing, one or more accelerometers, a fluid level sensor, one or more processors, and a first antenna;

wherein;

the one or more accelerometers are configured to generate movement signals indicative of sensed movement of the vehicle in one or more directions;

the fluid level sensor is configured to generate fluid level signals indicative of a sensed amount of the fluid;

the one or more processors are configured to receive the movement signals and the fluid level signals from the one or more accelerometers and the fluid level sensor, and the one or more processors also are configured to one or more of filter at least some of the movement signals based on a speed at which the vehicle operates or calculate one or more of a statistical measure, a fast Fourier transform (FFT), or a discrete Fourier transform (DFT) of the movement signals; and

the first antenna is configured to wirelessly communicate one or more of the movement signals, the fluid level signals, the statistical measure, the FFT, or the DFT to a remote location.

9. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein the one or more processors are configured to filter the movement signals with a filter having a bandwidth that increases for faster speeds of a motor of the vehicle and that decreases for slower speeds of the motor.

10. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein the one or more processors are configured to calculate the statistical measure of the movement signals as a combination of movements of a propulsion system of the vehicle in multiple, different directions.

11. The vehicle of claim 10, wherein the one or more processors are configured to calculate the statistical measure as a root mean square of the movement signals of the propulsion system in the multiple, different directions over a sampling period.

12. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein the first antenna is configured to wirelessly communicate the one or more of the movement signals, the fluid level signals, the statistical measure, the FFT, or the DFT to the remote location at regular intervals, and the sensor assembly further comprising a second antenna configured to wirelessly communicate the one or more of the movement signals, the fluid level signals, the statistical measure, the FFT, or the DFT to the remote location responsive to receipt of an interrogation signal from an external device.

13. The vehicle of claim 12, wherein the first antenna is configured to communicate the one or more of the movement signals, the fluid level signals, the statistical measure, the FFT, or the DFT over a first communication link and the second antenna is configured to communicate the one or more of the movement signals, the fluid level signals, the statistical measure, the FFT, or the DFT over a different, second communication link, wherein the first communication link is a higher power and longer range communication link than the second communication link.