Piezoelectric film transducer sytem for bearings
First Claim
1. A monitoring system for in-use monitoring of a rolling element bearing in order to detect pressure waves generated in said bearing as a result of bearing damage and to detect pressure waves generated in said bearing as a result of bearing rotational speed, said monitoring system comprising:
- said rolling element bearing having a support structure and a plurality of rolling elements;
at least two piezoelectric film transducers coupled to said support structure of said bearing on opposing sides thereof, said transducers receiving and sensing pressure waves generated by said rolling elements in said bearing, said transducers being mechanically responsive to said pressure waves generated within said bearing and said transducers being operable to output corresponding electrical signals in response to said pressure waves; and
detecting means for monitoring said electrical signals and for detecting a specific pressure wave recurring over intervals of time indicative of bearing damage and for detecting a specific pressure wave recurring over intervals of time indicative of rotational speed, said detecting means including electronic circuit means for comparing an electrical signal from one of said transducers with an electrical signal from another of said transducers, said circuit operable to cancel out common background noise in said signals by subtracting said signals from one another thereby resulting in signal spikes indicative of bearing damage and rotational speed when generated.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An in-use rolling element bearing monitoring system which uses a piezoelectric film transducer on either a bearing, bearing support structure, or on a separate washer in close proximity to a bearing for monitoring bearing performance. One embodiment provides a bearing monitoring system for detecting and predicting bearing failure. Another embodiment provides a system configured for detecting rotational speed of a rolling element bearing. Each embodiment of the invention entails maintaining a piezoelectric film transducer in contiguous pressure wave responsive communication with a bearing for detecting bearing performance, and provides the system in a compact configuration for in-use operation on a variety of machinery and vehicle components heretofore previously not compatible.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. A monitoring system for in-use monitoring of a rolling element bearing in order to detect pressure waves generated in said bearing as a result of bearing damage and to detect pressure waves generated in said bearing as a result of bearing rotational speed, said monitoring system comprising:
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said rolling element bearing having a support structure and a plurality of rolling elements; at least two piezoelectric film transducers coupled to said support structure of said bearing on opposing sides thereof, said transducers receiving and sensing pressure waves generated by said rolling elements in said bearing, said transducers being mechanically responsive to said pressure waves generated within said bearing and said transducers being operable to output corresponding electrical signals in response to said pressure waves; and detecting means for monitoring said electrical signals and for detecting a specific pressure wave recurring over intervals of time indicative of bearing damage and for detecting a specific pressure wave recurring over intervals of time indicative of rotational speed, said detecting means including electronic circuit means for comparing an electrical signal from one of said transducers with an electrical signal from another of said transducers, said circuit operable to cancel out common background noise in said signals by subtracting said signals from one another thereby resulting in signal spikes indicative of bearing damage and rotational speed when generated. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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Specification