Vibration source probe system

• US 7,107,849 B2
• Filed: 06/12/2003
• Issued: 09/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Chubu Electric Power Company Incorporated, Kabushiki Kaisha Kumagaigumi
• Original Assignee: Chubu Electric Power Company Incorporated
• Inventors: Yamashita, Yasuhiro, Kawaguchi, Noboru, Ohwaki, Masanao, Sugiyama, Takeshi, Zaima, Takefumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams, Hezron
• Assistant Examiner(s): FAYYAZ, NASHMIYA SAQIB
• Application Number:
  US10/459,592
• Publication Number:
  US 20040035209A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,195 Days
• Field of Search: 735/87, 735/94, 735/92, 73/405.A, 735/77, 735/79, 735/83, 367/127, 367/129, 367/906
• US Class Current: 73/592
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/103 one emitter, two or more receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/045 by imparting shocks to the workpiece and detecting the vibrations or the acoustic waves caused by the shocks measuring resonant frequency G01H13/00; measuring strength properties by application of mechanical stress G01N3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/075 by measuring or comparing phase angle measuring frequencies or phase angles per se G01R23/00, G01R25/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/14 using acoustic emission techniques echo of particles G01N29/046; measuring mechanical vibrations or acoustic waves in solids in general G01H1/00

Abstract

A vibration source probe system for detecting the surface waves of vibration coming over the ground or the floor of a building and specifying and displaying a vibration source at a factory or on a road.

The position of a vibration source is estimated from a phase difference or arrival time difference between vibrations of surface waves detected by the vibration sensors which are separated from each other by a predetermined distance, an image near the estimated position of the vibration source is picked up by a camera, and the estimated position of the vibration source is displayed on the image displayed on the display screen of a personal computer.

Claims

1. A vibration source probe system comprising:

vibration detection means for detecting continuous vibrations or surface waves from a vibration source to provide output signals, said vibration detection means having at least three vibration sensors arranged on the same plane to form at least two pairs of vibration sensors arranged on two crossing straight lines; and

vibration source estimation means for analyzing frequencies of the output signals from the at least two pairs of vibration sensors to determine phase differences for the at least two pairs of vibration sensors at a predetermined frequency and determined arrival time differences from the phase differences at the predetermined frequency and estimating a location of the vibration source based on a ratio of the phase differences or arrival time differences.

2. The vibration source probe system according to claim 1, wherein said two crossing straight lines cross each other at a right angle, vibration sensors of each of the at least two pairs being separated from each other at a predetermined distance, to obtain the arrival time differences between vibrations detected by the at least two pairs of vibration sensors in order to specify the location of the vibration source based on said ratio of the arrival time differences.

3. The vibration source probe system according to claim 1, wherein the vibration detection means detects the vibration at predetermined time intervals to estimate a movement of the vibration source.

4. The vibration source probe system according to claim 1 further comprising means for measuring an absolute position of the vibration detection means located on a ground.

5. The vibration source probe system according to claim 1, wherein the vibration detection means is moved to a plurality of positions.

6. The vibration source probe system according to claim 1, wherein the vibration detection means is made rotatable.

7. The vibration source probe system according to claim 1, further comprising image pick-up means for picking up an image near an estimated vibration source and display means for displaying a location of the estimated vibration source on the picked up image.

8. The vibration source probe system according to claim 7, wherein either one or both of a time change in a magnitude and a frequency spectrum of the vibration detected by the at least two pairs of vibration sensors are displayed on the display means.

9. The vibration source probe system according to claim 7, wherein a color of a symbol indicating the position of the vibration source displayed on the display means is changed by a level or a frequency of the vibration detected by the at least two pairs of vibration sensors.

10. The vibration source probe system according to claim 7, wherein a movement of a specified vibration source is displayed on the display means.