Vibration monitoring systems

• US 9,955,274 B2
• Filed: 04/08/2015
• Issued: 04/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Smith, Nicholas Samuel Lee, Pothier, Jared R., Munger, Cary Dean
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Manish S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Miller, Rose M
• Application Number:
  US14/681,939
• Publication Number:
  US 20160302019A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,112 Days
• Field of Search: 73579
• CPC Class Codes: G01H 1/00 Measuring characteristics of vibrations in solids by using direct conduction to the detector G01H9/00, G01H11/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 13/045 Acoustic or vibration analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 7/00 Vibration-testing of structures; Shock-testing of structures G01M9/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 99/005 Testing of complete machines, e.g. washing-machines or mobile phones testing of machine parts G01M13/00; testing of electric apparatus or components G01R31/50
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/00 Indicating arrangements for variable information in which the information is built-up on a support by selection or combination of individual elements in which the variable information is permanently attached to a movable support G09F11/00; abacus G06C1/00; slide-rules G06G1/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/008 Visual indication of individual signal levels visual indication of stereophonic sound image H04S7/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/04 for correcting frequency response

Abstract

A vibration monitoring and analysis system may include a transducer configured to convert sensed vibration into an alternating current. A processing module may analyze the alternating current and produce an output configured to convey information regarding characteristics of the alternating current. One or more analysis modules may be utilized to compare a waveform of the sensed vibration to known patterns, for example to identify known events and/or conditions.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring a device for vibration exposure, the method comprising:

sensing a vibration using an unpowered transducer coupled to a device being monitored;

determining a frequency and amplitude of the sensed vibration using an electrical circuit in communication with the transducer, the circuit including a tiered plurality of band pass filters and powered only by an output of the transducer; and

visually displaying the frequency and amplitude information using a passive display having a plurality of visual indicators wherein each of the visual indicators is configured to change permanently and automatically from a first human readable state to a second human readable state in response to the output of the transducer; and

wherein the change in human readable state is permanent and persists in the absence of electrical power.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein sensing the vibration includes using a piezoelectric element.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the electrical circuit includes at least one set of tiered parallel resistive sub-circuits in series with the plurality of band pass filters.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein visually displaying includes permanently changing at least one visual indicator designated to correspond to the frequency information from the first visual state to the second visual state.

5. The method of claim 4, the at least one visual indicator including a number of visual indicators, wherein the number corresponds to the amplitude information.

6. The method of claim 4, further including changing the at least one visual indicator, by a selected amount, from the first visual state to the second visual state, the selected amount corresponding to the amplitude information.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the amplitude of the sensed vibration includes passing at least a portion of the output of the transducer through a rectifier.

8. The method of claim 1, further including mounting the transducer to the device being monitored.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of visual indicators comprises a thermochromatic material.