System and method for monitoring an analog data signal

• US 8,023,928 B2
• Filed: 01/16/2008
• Issued: 09/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intuitive Research and Technology Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intuitive Research and Technology Corporation
• Inventors: Segrest, Alan W., Kendall, Ray, Roberts, Mark D., Fulks, Charles E. III
• Primary Examiner(s): Jackson; Blane J
• Application Number:
  US12/007,880
• Publication Number:
  US 20090181636A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,343 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.2, 455/67.11, 455/90.1, 455/90.3, 455/414.1, 701/29, 701/30, 324/378, 324/380, 324/399, 324/384
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/2506 Arrangements for conditioning or analysing measured signals, e.g. for indicating peak values G01R19/003 takes precedence; Details concerning sampling, digitizing or waveform capturing displaying waveforms G01R13/00; analog sampling G01R19/0053

Abstract

A system and method for monitoring an analog data signal is provided that includes an analog data compression subsystem. The analog data compression subsystem includes a frequency bandpass filter, a rectifier, and an integrator such as a leaky integrator or one that is reset after being sampled. An analog data signal is bandpass filtered by the frequency bandpass filter, rectified, and integrated in the analog domain. The output of the integrator is converted into a digital data value by an analog-to-digital converter circuit that samples the integrator at a desired sample rate or duty cycle. The output of the integrator can trigger an event based upon established criteria. Multiple analog data compression subsystems can be used in parallel to monitor multiple frequency bands-of-interest.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring an analog data signal, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving said analog data signal;

bandpass filtering said analog data signal over a plurality of frequency ranges to produce a corresponding plurality of bandpass filtered analog data signals;

rectifying said plurality of bandpass filtered analog data signals to produce a corresponding plurality of rectified bandpass filtered analog data signals;

integrating said plurality of rectified bandpass filtered analog data signals to produce a corresponding plurality of integrated bandpass filtered analog data signals; and

processing said plurality of integrated bandpass filtered analog data signals.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of processing comprises at least one of:

triggering at least one event when one or more of said plurality of integrated bandpass filtered analog data signals meets at least one trigger criteria;

converting at least one of said plurality of integrated bandpass filtered analog data signals to a digital data signal comprising at least one digital data value;

or

assessing one or more of said plurality of integrated bandpass filtered analog data signals relative to a determined normal integrated bandpass filtered analog data signal behavior.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of:

storing said at least one digital data value in a memory.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising the step of:

time stamping said at least one digital data value.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein said normal integrated bandpass filtered analog data signal behavior corresponds to at least one of a minimum integrated bandpass filtered analog data measurement, a maximum integrated bandpass filtered analog data measurement, an average integrated bandpass filtered analog data measurement, a mean average integrated bandpass filtered analog data measurement, or a standard deviation of integrated bandpass filtered analog data measurements.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

conditioning said analog data signal prior to the step of bandpass filtering.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said analog data signal is received from a sensor.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

varying at least one of the ranges of the plurality of frequency ranges in accordance with at least one rule corresponding to at least one of an acceptable integrated bandpass filtered analog data signal or an unacceptable integrated bandpass filtered analog data signal.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein bandpass filtering said analog data signal over the plurality of frequency ranges comprises bandpass filtering said data signal in parallel over the plurality of frequency ranges.

10. A system for monitoring an analog data signal comprising:

a bandpass filter circuit that receives said analog data signal and produces a plurality of bandpass filtered analog data signals corresponding to a plurality of frequency ranges of interest;

a rectifier circuit that rectifies said plurality of bandpass filtered analog data signals to produce a plurality of rectified bandpass filtered analog data signals;

an integrator circuit that integrates said plurality of rectified bandpass filtered analog data signals to produce a plurality of integrated bandpass filtered analog data signals; and

a processing circuit that processes said plurality of integrated bandpass filtered analog data signals.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising at least one of:

a trigger circuit that triggers at least one event when at least one of said plurality of integrated bandpass filtered analog data signal meets at least one trigger criteria;

or

an analog-to-digital converter circuit that converts said at least one of said plurality of integrated bandpass filtered analog data signal to a digital data signal comprising at least one digital data value.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

a memory for storing said at least one digital data value in a memory.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

a clock used for time stamping said at least one digital data value.

14. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

a conditioning circuit for conditioned said analog signal, said analog signal being output to said bandpass filter circuit.

15. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

a sensor that produces said analog data signal.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein said integrator circuit comprises one of a leaky integrator circuit or a resettable integrator circuit.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein said system monitors an analog signal representing a parameter relating to at least one of a munitions, a cargo, a crate, a container, a person, a crowd, a sporting facility, a theme park, a concert facility, a parade route, a coliseum, a traffic, a vehicle, an object within a monitored area, a power plant, an airport, a water treatment plant, a pipeline, a power line, a prisoner, a feedstock yard, a pasture, a poultry facility, a swine facility, an animal, an unmanned ground sensor, a bridge, a moving part, a wheel, a gear, an engine part, a fan motor, a rotor, a drilling platform, a well, a biological condition, a ballast, a farm crop, an amusement park ride, a building structure, a frame, an infrastructure, a sound, a storm, a levee, a dam, an environmental characteristic, a restricted area, a prison, a ground moisture, a presence of chemicals in the ground, a ground temperature, a nuclear weapon, a biological weapon, or a chemical weapon.

18. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

a sealed housing.

19. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

an interface to a communications link.

20. A method of monitoring an analog data signal, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving from a sensor said analog data signal;

bandpass filtering said analog data signal over a plurality of frequency ranges;

integrating said plurality of bandpass filtered analog data signal; and

processing said plurality of integrated bandpass filtered analog data signal.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the step of processing comprises at least one of:

triggering at least one event when at least one of said plurality of integrated bandpass filtered analog data signal meets at least one trigger criteria;

converting at least one of said plurality of integrated bandpass filtered analog data signal to a digital data signal comprising at least one digital data value;

or

assessing at least one of said plurality of integrated bandpass filtered analog data signal relative to a determined normal integrated bandpass filtered analog data signal behavior.