SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR VIBRATION ANALYSIS

• US 20140069195A1
• Filed: 09/12/2013
• Published: 03/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Group CBS, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Finley Lee Ledbetter
• Inventors: Ledbetter, Finley Lee
• Granted Patent: US 10,345,141 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/649
• 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: G01H 17/00 Measuring mechanical vibrations or ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves, not provided for in the preceding groups see provisionally also G01H1/00

Abstract

An exemplary analyzer, such as a circuit breaker analyzer, method, and system are provided for use in determining the mechanical condition of a device, such as a circuit breaker, appliance, machine, equipment, or other mechanical system. In one embodiment the analyzer is implemented using a smartphone or other smart device to couple to the device being analyzed to measure mechanical vibrations generated at a surface of the device during an operational event using a force detector, such as an accelerometer, and then comparing such measured values to a known, good signature of mechanical vibrations for the same type of operational event for same type of equipment.

Claims

1. A method for performing vibration analysis of the operation of a circuit breaker to analyze the mechanical condition of the circuit breaker, the method comprising:

placing an analyzer, which includes at least an accelerometer and a memory, adjacent the circuit breaker to be analyzed;

measuring mechanical vibrations generated during an operational event of the circuit breaker using the accelerometer of the analyzer to measure the mechanical vibrations generated during the operational event of the circuit breaker;

recording the measured mechanical vibrations generated during the operational event of the circuit breaker using the memory of the analyzer;

comparing the recorded mechanical vibrations of the operational event of the circuit breaker to one or more known mechanical vibration signatures of the operational event for a type of circuit breaker similar to that being analyzed; and

determining a status of the circuit breaker based upon the comparison.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the one or more known mechanical vibration signatures of the operational event are known good mechanical vibration signatures of the operational event for the type of circuit breaker similar to that being analyzed.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the one or more known mechanical vibration signatures of the operational event are known bad mechanical vibration signatures of the operational event for the type of circuit breaker similar to that being analyzed.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein placing the analyzer adjacent the circuit breaker to be analyzed includes coupling the analyzer to at least a portion of the circuit breaker so that the analyzer is in mechanical vibration communication with the circuit breaker.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein coupling the analyzer to at least a portion of the circuit breaker includes using at least one or more from the group that includes a magnet, a strap, a suction cup, a hook and loop fastener, and an adhesive.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein coupling the analyzer to at least a portion of the circuit breaker includes holding the analyzer in contact with a portion of the circuit breaker.

7. The method according to claim 4, wherein coupling the analyzer to at least a portion of the circuit breaker includes holding the analyzer in contact with a portion of an external portion of a case of the circuit breaker.

8. The method according to claim 4, wherein coupling the analyzer to at least a portion of the circuit breaker includes leveling the analyzer along at least one dimension.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the analyzer includes a gyroscope operable for use in leveling the analyzer.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

inputting the type of circuit breaker for use in identifying the one or more known mechanical vibration signatures of the operational event for the type of circuit breaker similar to that being analyzed.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein inputting the type of circuit breaker includes using at least one from the group that includes data entry, bar code scan, optical reader, rf tag reader, and identification tag.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the accelerometer is a three axes or less accelerometer that measures forces at a rate of about 400 hertz or less.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the accelerometer is an acoustic accelerometer.

14. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

generating and storing a known mechanical vibration signature of the operational event for the circuit breaker using the analyzer.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the operational event of the circuit breaker includes one or more operational events from the group that includes opening or tripping of the circuit breaker, charging of the circuit breaker, and closing of the circuit breaker.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein comparing the measured and recorded mechanical vibrations of the operational event of the circuit breaker to one or more known mechanical vibration signatures of the operational event for the type of circuit breaker similar to that being analyzed includes using a pattern recognition algorithm.

17. The method according to claim 1, wherein comparing the measured and recorded mechanical vibrations of the operational event of the circuit breaker to one or more known mechanical vibration signatures of the operational event for the type of circuit breaker similar to that being analyzed includes a visual comparison.

18. The method according to claim 1, wherein comparing the measured and recorded mechanical vibrations of the operational event of the circuit breaker to one or more known mechanical vibration signatures of the operational event for the type of circuit breaker similar to that being analyzed includes aligning the measured and recorded vibrations of the operational event with that of the one or more known mechanical vibration signatures.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein aligning includes using a landmark for a particular operational event.

20. The method according to claim 1, wherein the one or more known mechanical vibration signatures of the operational event are stored in memory at the analyzer.

21. The method according to claim 1, wherein the one or more known mechanical vibration signatures of the operational event are stored remotely.

22. The method according to claim 21, further comprising:

sending the recorded mechanical vibrations of the operational event of the circuit breaker to a remote location, and wherein the comparing the measured and recorded mechanical vibrations of the operational event of the circuit breaker to one or more known mechanical vibration signatures of the operational event for the type of circuit breaker similar to that being analyzed are performed at the remote location.

23. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining the status of the circuit breaker includes at least one of the following statuses from the group that includes good, bad, pass, fail, repair, recheck, replace, defective, invalid reading, invalid test, retest later, and replace part.

24. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining the status of the circuit breaker based upon the comparison is performed at the analyzer.

25. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining the status of the circuit breaker is performed remote from the analyzer.

26. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting the status of the circuit breaker to a user electronically.

27. The method according to claim 26, wherein transmitting the status is performed at the analyzer.

28. The method according to claim 26, wherein transmitting the status is performed remote from the analyzer.

29. The method according to claim 1, wherein the analyzer is a smart device that is implemented using one or more from the group that includes a smartphone, an iPhone, an iPod, an iPad, an iOS device, an Android device, Windows Mobile OS device, and a tablet computing device.

30. The method according to claim 1, wherein the one or more known mechanical vibration signatures of the operational event for this type of circuit breaker are generated and stored using the analyzer to test a circuit breaker multiple times.

31. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

generating and storing a known mechanical vibration signature for one or more circuit breakers for the operational event using the analyzer, and wherein the one or more circuit breakers have one or more known properties.

32. The method according to claim 31, wherein the one or more known properties of the one or more circuit breakers include one or more of the following from the group that includes a new circuit breaker, a used circuit breaker, a circuit breaker operated in a test position, a circuit breaker operated in a location separate from a switchgear, a circuit breaker having sufficient vacuum seal, and a circuit breaker with a known defect.

33. The method according to claim 32, wherein the circuit breaker with the known defect includes a known defect in one or more of the following from the group that includes a part, a gear, a tooth, a bearing, a spring, a hardened material, a charging system, a lubrication quality, a lubrication quantity, and a vacuum seal.

34. A vibration analysis system for performing vibration analysis of the operation of a circuit breaker to analyze the mechanical condition of the circuit breaker, the vibration analysis system comprising:

an accelerometer operable to measure the forces of mechanical vibrations along at least two axes that are generated adjacent a surface of the circuit breaker during an operational event of the circuit breaker;

a memory configured to receive and store the measurements of the forces of the mechanical vibrations generated at the surface of the circuit breaker during the operational event;

a database configured with a known good mechanical vibration signature of the operational event for a type of circuit breaker similar to that being analyzed; and

a processor configured to compare the measurements of the forces of the mechanical vibrations generated at the surface of the circuit breaker during the operational event with the known good mechanical vibration signature of the operational event for the type of circuit breaker similar to that being analyzed to determine a mechanical status of the circuit breaker based at least in part on the comparison.

35. The vibration analysis system according to claim 34, further comprising:

a display operable to generate a graphical representation of the measurements of the forces of the mechanical vibrations generated at the surface of the circuit breaker during the operational event.

36. The vibration analysis system according to claim 34, wherein the display is operable to generate the graphical representation of the measurements of the forces generated along at least two axes.

37. The vibration analysis system according to claim 34, further comprising:

a magnet operable to couple the accelerometer at a position to measure the forces of the mechanical vibrations that are generated adjacent the surface of the circuit breaker during the operational event of the circuit breaker.

38. The vibration analysis system according to claim 34, further comprising:

a coupling to position the accelerometer at a location to measure the forces of the mechanical vibrations that are generated adjacent the surface of the circuit breaker during the operational event of the circuit breaker.

39. The vibration analysis system according to claim 38, wherein the coupling includes at least one from the group that includes a magnet, a strap, a suction cup, a hook and loop fastener, and an adhesive.

40. The vibration analysis system according to claim 35, further comprising:

a leveling system operable to graphically display a level on the display.

41. The vibration analysis system according to claim 40, wherein the leveling system uses a gyroscope to determine orientation along at least one dimension.

42. The vibration analysis system according to claim 34, wherein the memory is configured to receive and store data identifying the type of circuit breaker being analyzed.

43. The vibration analysis system according to claim 34, wherein the accelerometer is a three axes or less accelerometer that measures forces at a rate of about 400 hertz or less.

44. The vibration analysis system according to claim 34, wherein the accelerometer is an acoustic accelerometer.

45. The vibration analysis system according to claim 34, wherein the operational event of the circuit breaker includes one or more operational events from the group that includes opening or tripping of the circuit breaker, charging of the circuit breaker, and closing of the circuit breaker.

46. The vibration analysis system according to claim 34, wherein the processor is configured to use pattern recognition to compare the measurements of the forces of the mechanical vibrations generated at the surface of the circuit breaker during the operational event with the known good mechanical vibration signature of the operational event for the type of circuit breaker similar to that being analyzed to determine a mechanical status of the circuit breaker based at least in part on the comparison.

47. The vibration analysis system according to claim 34, wherein the type of circuit breaker similar to that being analyzed has one or more known properties.

48. The vibration analysis system according to claim 47, wherein the one or more known properties of the type of circuit breaker similar to that being analyzed include one or more of the following from the group that includes a new circuit breaker, a used circuit breaker, a circuit breaker operated in a test position, a circuit breaker operated in a location separate from a switchgear, a circuit breaker having sufficient vacuum seal, and a circuit breaker with a known defect.

49. The vibration analysis system according to claim 48, wherein the type of circuit breaker with the known defect includes a known defect in one or more of the following from the group that includes a part, a gear, a tooth, a bearing, a spring, a hardened material, a charging system, a lubrication quality, a lubrication quantity, and a vacuum seal.

50. The vibration analysis system according to claim 34, wherein the accelerometer and the memory are provided in one housing, and the database and the processor are provided at a separate location.

51. The vibration analysis system according to claim 50, further comprising:

a wireless communication system operable to transmit the measurements of the forces of the mechanical vibrations generated at the surface of the circuit breaker during the operational event to the separate location.

52. The vibration analysis system according to claim 34, wherein the determination of the mechanical status of the circuit breaker includes at least one of the following statuses from the group that includes good, bad, pass, fail, repair, recheck, replace, defective, invalid reading, invalid test, retest later, and replace part.

53. The vibration analysis system according to claim 34, wherein the mechanical status of the circuit breaker is determined at a separate location.

54. The vibration analysis system according to claim 35, wherein the accelerometer, the memory, the database, the processor, and the display are all integrated into one device as part of a smart device that is implemented using one or more from the group that includes an iPhone, an iPod, an iPad, an iOS device, an Android device, Windows Mobile OS device, and a tablet computing device.

55. A method for performing vibration analysis of the operation of a device to analyze the mechanical condition of the device, the method comprising:

placing an analyzer, which includes an accelerometer and a memory, adjacent the device to be analyzed;

measuring the mechanical vibrations generated during an operational event of the device using the accelerometer of the analyzer to measure the mechanical vibrations generated during the operational event of the device;

recording the measured mechanical vibrations generated during the operational event of the device using the memory of the analyzer;

comparing the recorded mechanical vibrations of the operational event of the device to one or more known good mechanical vibration signatures of the operational event for a type of device similar to that being analyzed; and

determining a mechanical status of the device based upon the comparison.

56. The method according to claim 55, wherein the device is one from the group that includes a motor, a generator, a furnace, a blower, a refrigeration unit, a washing machine, a dryer, a vehicle, a motorcycle, a windmill, an airplane, an engine, a turbine, a hoist, a jack, a compressor, a disposal, a hard disk drive, a computer, an actuator, a fan, a pump, and a circuit breaker.

57. The method according to claim 55, wherein placing the analyzer adjacent the device to be analyzed includes coupling the analyzer to at least a portion of the device so that the analyzer is in mechanical vibration communication with the device.

58. The method according to claim 57, wherein coupling the analyzer to at least a portion of the device includes using at least one or more from the group that includes a magnet, a strap, a suction cup, a hook and loop fastener, and an adhesive.

59. The method according to claim 57, wherein coupling the analyzer to at least a portion of the device includes leveling the analyzer relative to the device along at least one dimension.

60. The method according to claim 59, wherein the analyzer includes a gyroscope operable for use in leveling the analyzer.

61. The method according to claim 55, further comprising:

inputting the type of device for use in identifying the one or more known good mechanical vibration signatures of the operational event for the type of device similar to that being analyzed.

62. The method according to claim 55, wherein the accelerometer is a three axes or less accelerometer that measures forces at a rate of about 400 hertz or less.

63. The method according to claim 55, wherein the analyzer is a computer.

64. The method according to claim 55, further comprising:

generating and storing a known good mechanical vibration signature of the operational event for the device using the analyzer.

65. The method according to claim 55, wherein the one or more known good mechanical vibration signatures of the operational event are stored in memory at the analyzer.

66. The method according to claim 55, wherein the one or more known good mechanical vibration signatures of the operational event are stored remotely.

67. The method according to claim 66, further comprising:

sending the recorded mechanical vibrations of the operational event of the device to a remote location, and wherein the comparing the measured and recorded mechanical vibrations of the operational event of the device to one or more known good mechanical vibration signatures of the operational event for the type of device similar to that being analyzed are performed at the remote location.

68. The method according to claim 55, wherein determining the mechanical status of the device based upon the comparison is performed at the analyzer.

69. The method according to claim 55, wherein determining the mechanical status of the device is performed remote from the analyzer.

70. The method according to claim 55, further comprising:

transmitting the mechanical status of the device to a user electronically.

71. The method according to claim 55, wherein the analyzer is a smartphone.

72. The method according to claim 55, wherein the analyzer is a smart device that is implemented using one or more from the group that includes an iPhone, an iPod, an iPad, an iOS device, an Android device, a Windows Mobile OS device, and a tablet computing device.