WIRELESS SENSOR MODULE

• US 20150338326A1
• Filed: 05/22/2015
• Published: 11/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: ABet SKF
• Original Assignee: ABet SKF
• Inventors: CAMPBELL, Andrew, MURRAY, Brian, SANSOM, Mark David
• Application Number:
  US14/719,347
• Publication Number:
  US 20150338326A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 19/52 with devices affected by abnormal or undesired conditions
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 2233/00 Monitoring condition, e.g. temperature, load, vibration
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 13/04 Bearings
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 3/02 Details

Abstract

A sensor module for monitoring bearings in steel industry applications, the sensor module comprising an embedded portion for being fitted into a hole in a bearing component of the bearing to be monitored, wherein the embedded portion comprises at least one sensor. The embedded portion includes a clamping mechanism generating a clamping force acting on at least two opposing lateral internal faces of the hole.

Claims

1. A sensor module for monitoring bearings in steel industry applications, the sensor module comprising:

an embedded portion adapted to be fitted into a hole in a bearing component of a bearing to be monitored, the embedded portion comprising at least one sensor and a clamping mechanism generating a clamping force acting on at least two opposing lateral internal faces of the hole.

2. The sensor module according to claim 1, the clamping mechanism further comprising a clamping ring with at least one conical inner surface interacting with at least one conical inner part and a pressing element for pressing the conical inner part into the clamping ring adapted to widen the clamping ring.

3. The sensor module according to claim 2, wherein the at least one sensor is bonded to the clamping ring.

4. The sensor module according to claim 3, further comprising at least two strain bridges bonded to the clamping ring and connected so as to form a resistive bridge.

5. The sensor module according to claim 1, further comprising at least one temperature sensor.

6. The sensor module according to claim 1, further comprising a wireless transceiver adapted to exchange data with an electronic processing system.

7. The sensor module according to claim 6, further comprising at least an antenna of the wireless transceiver, wherein the at least an antenna of the wireless transceiver is arranged outside of the hole.

8. The sensor module according to claim 1, further comprising an energy harvesting circuit adapted to harvest power from a local environment.

9. The sensor module according to claim 8, the energy harvesting circuit further comprising a thermoelectric generator.