ADVANCE MANUFACTURING MONITORING AND DIAGNOSTIC TOOL

• US 20140218229A1
• Filed: 12/27/2013
• Published: 08/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokomis Inc.
• Original Assignee: Walter J. Keller III
• Inventors: KELLER, WALTER J. III, PAULY, GERALD W.
• Granted Patent: US 9,797,993 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/173
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 29/0871 Complete apparatus or systems; circuits, e.g. receivers or amplifiers G01R29/0878, G01R29/0892 take precedence; dosimeters, warning devices G01R29/0857
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 29/0892 Details related to signal analysis or treatment; presenting results, e.g. displays; measuring specific signal features other than field strength, e.g. polarisation, field modes, phase, envelope, maximum value
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/006 on road vehicles, e.g. automobiles or trucks testing of ignition installations peculiar to internal combustion engines F02P17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/008 on air- or spacecraft, railway rolling stock or sea-going vessels
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/26 Testing of individual semiconductor devices testing or measuring during manufacture or treatment H01L22/00; testing of photovoltaic devices H02S50/10
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2642 Testing semiconductor operation lifetime or reliability, e.g. by accelerated life tests
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/265 Contactless testing of circuits, also in wafer-form G01R31/302
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2829 Testing of circuits in sensor or actuator systems testing of apparatus for measuring electric or magnetic variables G01R35/00; testing of indicating or recording apparatus G01D; in airbag systems B60R21/0173; checking gas analysers G01N33/007; monitoring or fail-safe circuits for electromagnets H01F7/1844
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2851 Testing of integrated circuits [IC] G01R31/317 takes precedence; testing individual devices G01R31/26; testing printed circuits G01R31/2801
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2894 Aspects of quality control [QC] G01R31/31718 takes precedence; program control for QC G05B19/41875
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/302 Contactless testing G01R31/66 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/315 by inductive methods
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/31703 Comparison aspects, e.g. signature analysis, comparators concerning scan tests G01R31/318566; concerning testers G01R31/3193
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3278 of relays, solenoids or reed switches measuring contact resistance G01R27/205; high voltage magnetic switches G01R31/3271, G01R31/333; testing electric windings G01R31/72; monitoring of fail safe circuits H01H47/002
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/34 Testing dynamo-electric machines
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/62 Testing of transformers
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/72 Testing of electric windings testing of transformers G01R31/62
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 35/00 Testing or calibrating of apparatus covered by the other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/41 using analysis of echo signal for target characterisation; Target signature; Target cross-section

Abstract

A device and a method for monitoring and analysis utilize unintended electromagnetic emissions of electrically powered components, devices or systems. The emissions are received at the antenna and a receiver. A processor processes and measures change or changes in a signature of the unintended electromagnetic emissions. The measurement are analyzed to both record a baseline score for future measurements and to be used in determining status and/or health of the analyzed system or component.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

an antenna,

a receiver configured, in combination with said antenna, to receive at least one emission of an electromagnetic energy, said at least one electromagnetic emission being given off by at least one electrical device,

at least one processor, and

wherein said device is configured to measure and process a change or changes in a signature of the at least one electromagnetic emission.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein said device is configured to monitor said at least one electrical device by measuring and processing more than one electromagnetic emission given off by the at least one electrical device.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein said device further comprises an active illumination transmitter.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein said device comprises an analog to digital converter.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein said device is configured to monitor a health of at least one of the at least one electrical device and an electronic system.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein said device is configured to diagnose defects in the at least one electrical device.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein said device is configured to predict a degradation of at least one of the at least one electrical device and a component thereof.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein said device is configured to assess a health of the at least one electrical device in a real time manner.

9. The electromagnetic emission measurement device of claim 1, wherein said device is used in stand-alone measurements to assess a health of the at least one electrical device in a real-time manner.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein said device is configured to focus on a specified component and subcomponent.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein aid device is configured to measure the at least one electromagnetic emission for an extended period of time in at least two periodic measurements.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein said device is configured to assess changes in said signature over time.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein said device is a diagnostic tool and wherein said receiver is configured to monitor frequency bands above microwave frequencies.

14. The device of claim 1, wherein said device is further configured to analyze and identify signature characteristics of the at least one electrical device for measurement, analysis and diagnosis of a condition of the at least one electrical device.

15. The device of claim 1, wherein said device is configured to monitor an RFID system.

16. The device of claim 1, wherein said device is configured to monitoring and analyze of health of a ground based electrical systems that employ electronic components.

17. The device of claim 1, wherein said device is configured to provide intermittent or continuous health monitoring of a manufacturing or non-manufacturing equipment so as to facilitate efficient maintenance thereof.

18. The device of claim 1, wherein said device is a mobile device configured to monitor electrical or electronic manufacturing equipment.

19. The device of claim 1, wherein said device is configured as a permanently fixed device to monitor electrical or electronic manufacturing equipment.

20. The device of claim 1, wherein said device is used for quality control related to products developed in a manufacturing facility.

21. The device of claim 1, wherein said device is used for quality control of materials to be incorporated into a manufactured product.

22. The device of claim 1, wherein said device is used to assure that all subcomponents and subassemblies for construction into a manufactured product are correctly identified or assembled.

23. The device of claim 1, wherein said device is used for quality control to identify improperly constructed products.

24. The device of claim 1, wherein said device is configured to assure that quality of each subcomponent and subassembly for construction into a manufactured product meets a predetermined quality standard.

25. The device of claim 1, wherein said device is configured to diagnose inconsistencies in a semiconductor.

26. The device of claim 25, wherein said device is configured to diagnose said inconsistencies in said semiconductor integrated within at least one of a microcontroller and a microprocessor.

27. The device of claim 25, wherein said device is configured to diagnose said inconsistencies in said semiconductor installed within at least one circuit board.

28. The device of claim 25, wherein said device is configured to diagnose said inconsistencies during a manufacturing process.

29. The device of claim 25, wherein said device is configured to diagnose said inconsistencies during manufacturing of a semiconductor.

30. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one electrical device is at least two semiconductors and wherein said device is configured to diagnose inconsistencies between individual semiconductors.

31. The device of claim 30, wherein said device is configured to diagnose said inconsistencies between the at least two semiconductors integrated within at least one of a microcontroller and a microprocessor.

32. The device of claim 30, wherein said device is configured to diagnose said inconsistencies between the at least two semiconductors that form integrated circuits.

33. The device of claim 30, wherein said device is configured to diagnose said inconsistencies between individual semiconductors for a quality control of components to be installed on a manufacturing line within at least one circuit board.

34. The device of claim 1, further comprising a housing sized to be held by a hand of a user, wherein said antenna and said receiver are disposed within said housing.

35. The device of claim 1, wherein said device is configured to measure and process the change or changes in the signature of the at least one unintended electromagnetic emission in a passive manner and is further configured to assess at least one of a health, defect, inconsistency and degradation of the at least one semiconductor device either during manufacturing of the at least one semiconductor device, during manufacturing of an assembly containing the at least one semiconductor device or during a quality control inspection.

36. The device of claim 1, wherein said device is configured to monitor a level of a degradation of the at least one electrical device.

37. The device of claim 1, wherein said at least one processor comprises a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) processor configured to conduct an initial processing of a targeted analog signal and wherein said at least one processor further comprises a general purpose processor (GPU) coupled to said FPGA processor and configured to perform higher level processing of said analog signal, said higher level processing including at least one of comparing said signal to a predetermined signature, accessing a non-volatile memory provided within said device so as to store historical records, and interfacing with a user of said device.

38. The device of claim 37, wherein said FPGA processor is further configured to transform a digital waveform of the emitted spectrum from the at least one electrical device to a frequency domain of interest.

39. The device of claim 38, further comprising a cascade integrated comb (CIC) filter configured to decimate a frequency signal, and wherein said FPGA processor is further configured to apply Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) to said frequency signal.

40. The device of claim 38, wherein said FPGA and GPU are configured to process said frequency domain and are further configured to identify inconsistencies in said digital waveform from an anticipated waveform.

41. The device of claim 1, wherein said receiver is a radio frequency (RF) receiver configured to extract a desired target frequency from a raw signal received from said antenna.

42. The device of claim 41, wherein said at least one processor includes a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) configured to convert said target frequency to a baseband frequency.

43. The device of claim 1, wherein said at least one processor is configured to extract a desired target frequency from a raw signal received from said antenna.

44. The device of claim 1, wherein said at least one processor is configured to transform a digital waveform of the emitted spectrum from the at least one electrical device to a frequency domain of interest.

45. The device of claim 1, wherein said at least one processor is configured to determine a status of the at least one electrical device.

46. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one electrical device comprises at least one of an electric motor, an electric generator, an electrical oscillator, a digital processing component, an electrical relay, a transformer, a solenoid, an engine ignition mechanism, a propane powered device, a gasoline powered device, a transistor based device, a semiconductor, a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a sensor, a device that transmits electromagnetic energy, an electronic control mechanism for automated manufacturing activities, functions in an RFID system, an aerospace vehicle, an aerospace system, a ground vehicle, and a ground based system.

47. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one electrical device is configured to provide electronic controls.

48. A device for aiding at least one of a quality control and an inspection of at least one of an electrically powered component, an electrically powered sub-system and an electrically powered system, each of said sub-system and system configurable during manufacture thereof to include said at least one electrically powered component, said device comprising at least an antenna, a receiver, and at least one processor, wherein said device is configured to measure at least one emission given off by the at least one of said component, subsystem and system, wherein said device is further configured to identify a match between a signature of said at least one emission and at least one predefined emission signature, and wherein an identified match is being indicative of a condition wherein a quality of the at least one of said component, sub-system and system corresponds to a predetermined quality standard therefor.

49. A method comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a device comprising an antenna, a receiver and at least one processor, said receiver configured, in combination with said antenna, to receive at least one emission of an electromagnetic energy, said at least one emission being given off by at least one electrical device, said device being configured to measure and process a change or changes in a signature of the at least one electromagnetic emission; and

(c) measuring and processing said change or changes in a signature of said at least one electromagnetic emission, received in step (a).

50. The method of claim 49, further comprising the additional step of identifying, by a user, a target within said at least one electrical device that is to be monitored and the additional step of setting said receiver for appropriate frequencies for said target.

51. The method of claim 49, further comprising additional steps of weighing the results of comparing said measurement of said electromagnetic emission signature to a predefined measurement and assessing said status of the at least one electrical device.

52. The method of claim 49, further comprising the additional step of identifying inconsistencies in said measurement of said signature from said predefined measurement and assessing said status of the at least one electrical device.

53. The method of claim 49, wherein said at least one processor includes a Field Programmable Gate Array based processor configured to conduct initial processing of a targeted analog signal, including converting said targeted analog signal to a baseband frequency and a general purpose processor coupled to said Field Programmable Gate Array based processor and configured to perform higher level processing of said analog signal including at least one of comparing said signal to a predetermined signature, accessing a non-volatile memory provided within said electromagnetic emission measurement device so as to store historical records, and interfacing with a user.

54. The method of claim 49, further comprising the additional step of providing a database of measurements of electromagnetic emission signatures and comparing said measurement of said change or changes in said signature of said at least one electromagnetic emission to said database of said measurements of said electromagnetic emission signatures.

55. The method of claim 54, further comprising the step of determining a status of said at least one electrical device.

56. The method of claim 54, further comprising the step of determining a degradation level for said at least one predetermined electrical component without an aid from a hardwire connection to said at least one electrical device.

57. The method of claim 49, further comprising the additional steps of carrying, by a user, said device within a facility or environment and the step of at least one of monitoring, diagnosing and inspecting, with said device, based on said change or changes in said signature, at least one of a status and a health of said at least one electrical device being present in said facility or environment.

58. The method of claim 49, further comprising the additional steps of positioning said device remotely from said at least one electrical device and at least one of monitoring, diagnosing and inspecting, with said device, based on said change or changes in said signature, at least one of a status and a health of said at least one electrical device.