Methods for Forewarning of Critical Condition Changes in Monitoring Civil Structures
First Claim
1. A method for processing data in a computing apparatus and signaling a forewarning of a failure of a physical structure, the method comprising:
- acquiring data for each one of a plurality of channels of axis data provided by at least one sensor that incorporates a multi-axis accelerometer that is mounted on the physical structure;
computing process-indicative data, which is mechanical power data (P), from the tri-axial accelerometer data;
acquiring a plurality of sets of the process-indicative data;
computing a composite measure of dissimilarity (Ci) from normalized measures of dissimilarity (U) for distribution functions derived from a phase space for the plurality of sets of process-indicative data;
determining a forewarning threshold based on the composite measure (Ci) exceeding a straight line fit by more than a preselected number of standard deviations; and
in response to the cumulative sum exceeding a forewarning threshold over a preselected number of occurrences, providing a forewarning signal to a human observer, through one or more of a visual signal, an audible signal and a tangible signal.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Sensor modules (12) including accelerometers (20) are placed on a physical structure (10) and tri-axial accelerometer data is converted to mechanical power (P) data (41) which then processed to provide a forewarning (57) of a critical event concerning the physical structure (10). The forewarning is based on a number of occurrences of a composite measure of dissimilarity (Ci) exceeding a forewarning threshold over a defined sampling time; and a forewarning signal (58) is provided to a human observer through a visual, audible or tangible signal. A forewarning of a structural failure can also be provided based on a number of occurrences of (Ci) above a failure value threshold.
15 Citations
25 Claims
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1. A method for processing data in a computing apparatus and signaling a forewarning of a failure of a physical structure, the method comprising:
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acquiring data for each one of a plurality of channels of axis data provided by at least one sensor that incorporates a multi-axis accelerometer that is mounted on the physical structure; computing process-indicative data, which is mechanical power data (P), from the tri-axial accelerometer data; acquiring a plurality of sets of the process-indicative data; computing a composite measure of dissimilarity (Ci) from normalized measures of dissimilarity (U) for distribution functions derived from a phase space for the plurality of sets of process-indicative data; determining a forewarning threshold based on the composite measure (Ci) exceeding a straight line fit by more than a preselected number of standard deviations; and in response to the cumulative sum exceeding a forewarning threshold over a preselected number of occurrences, providing a forewarning signal to a human observer, through one or more of a visual signal, an audible signal and a tangible signal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A sensor module for forewarning of a critical event in a larger-than-human-size physical structure, the sensor module comprising:
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means for mounting the sensor module on the physical structure, wherein the sensor module further comprises a multi-axis accelerometer producing accelerometer data for a plurality of axes of motion at a location on the physical structure; wherein the sensor module further comprises a processor that executes program instructions for computing mechanical power data (P) from the accelerometer data; wherein the processor computes a composite measure of dissimilarity (Ci) from normalized measures of dissimilarity for distribution functions derived from a phase space for a plurality of sets of mechanical power data; wherein the processor computes a forewarning of an impending critical event based on either one of a
1) a selected number of occurrences of the composite measure of dissimilarity (Ci) above the forewarning threshold or
2) after a selected number of occurrences of composite measure of dissimilarity (Ci) above a failure value threshold; andwherein the processor causes transmission of a forewarning signal of the impending critical event to a human observer, through one or more of a visual signal, an audible signal or a tangible signal. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13)
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14. A method for monitoring structural integrity of a physical structure, the method comprising:
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sensing mechanical vibrations at a plurality of locations in the structure with a respective plurality of sensors each including a tri-axial accelerometer mounted on the structure for providing data; converting tri-axial acceleration data into mechanical power (P) data representative of hysteresis strain energy at the plurality of locations on the structure; collecting the mechanical power (P) data at a single processing device; processing the mechanical power (P) data within the single processing device to provide a failure forewarning threshold of an impending failure of the structure based on a number of occurrences of the mechanical power data exceeding the failure forewarning threshold over a predetermined sampling time; and wherein the forewarning signal is provided to a human observer through a visual, audible or tangible signal. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A computer system for forewarning of a critical event in a larger-than-human-size physical structure, the system comprising:
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a plurality of sensor units mounted on the physical structure, each including a tri-axial accelerometer and each producing data for a plurality of respective locations on the physical structure; wherein the sensor units each include a radio transmitter for periodically transmitting radio signals carrying the accelerometer data representative of the mechanical vibrations from the respective locations; and a network gateway receiver receiving the radio signals from the sensor units and converting the radio signals to data for transmission over a wide area network; a host computer receiving the accelerometer data transmitted through the wide area network; wherein the host computer executes program instructions for computing vibration mechanical power data from the multiple axes of accelerometer data for each respective sensor; and providing a forewarning signal of an impending critical event to a human observer, through a visual, audible or tangible signal. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification