Apparatus and method for identifying a defect and/or operating characteristic of a system

• US 7,693,673 B2
• Filed: 06/06/2007
• Issued: 04/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Progress Rail Services Corporation (Caterpillar Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Tait, Robert William, Sun, Zongqi, Durling, Michael Richard, Tougas, Thomas Anthony, Luo, Huageng, Ruggiero, Andrew Lawrence, Mathews, Harry Kirk Jr., Church, Benjamin Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Nghiem; Michael P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Le; Toan M
• Application Number:
  US11/758,996
• Publication Number:
  US 20080306705A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,035 Days
• Field of Search: 702/99, 702103-106, 702134-136, 702141-143, 702 33- 36, 702 39- 43, 702/56, 702/81, 702 84- 85, 702/96, 702/101, 702/127, 702130-132, 702/145, 702/148, 702173-175, 702182-185, 701 19- 20, 104/41, 104/43, 104/46, 104/18, 105/1.4, 105/26.05, 105/218.1, 105 53- 54, 105/96, 105154-155, 246/2.F, 246/169.A, 246/169.S, 700/94, 381/150, 324/162, 340/584, 374/121, 374/4, 374/100, 374/117, 374/119, 374/124, 374/129, 374/130, 374/132, 374/137, 374141-142, 374/159, 374186-187
• US Class Current: 702/99
• CPC Class Codes: B61K 9/04 Detectors for indicating the overheating of axle bearings and the like, e.g. associated with the brake system for applying the brakes in case of a fault
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 25/021 Measuring and recording of train speed
• CPC Class Codes: B61L 25/026 Relative localisation, e.g. using odometer
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 13/08 in rotary movement
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 15/00 Testing or calibrating of thermometers

Abstract

An apparatus and methods for identifying a defect and/or an operating characteristic of a system being monitored (and/or one or more of the system'"'"'s components) are described. In an embodiment, orthogonally related data monitored by two or more detectors may be fused to determine whether a component of a system is defective and/or malfunctioning. Additionally or alternatively, data from a first detector may be determined to be accurate using non-orthogonally related data outputted by a second detector. Both types of determinations may be made with minimal or no false indications, which lowers the cost of operating the system being monitored. Embodiments of the invention may also be configured to forecast and/or prevent accidents and/or damage to the system being monitored by predicting whether a defect and/or a malfunction will occur.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

collecting with a temperature detector data indicative of a temperature (“

temperature data”

) produced by a component of a mechanical or an electromechanical system (“

system”

);

determining from non-orthogonally related data collected by at least one non-orthogonally related detector whether the temperature data is a true reading, wherein the at least one non-orthogonally related detector is coupled to the temperature detector for collecting the non-orthogonally related data from the temperature detector, said non-orthogonally related data being non-temperature data; and

fusing the temperature data with orthogonally related data collected by at least one orthogonally-related detector to reduce a false indication rate.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the temperature detector is one of a hot bearing detector and a hot wheel detector.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one non-orthogonally related detector comprises at least one of:

an accelerometer, an output signal integrity sensor, and a sunlight sensor.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the accelerometer is coupled with the hot bearing detector and configured to detect vibrations of the hot bearing detector that may cause microphonics.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the non-orthogonally-related data further comprises microphonic data produced by at least by one of the system and its environment, and wherein the method further comprises:

detecting the microphonic data with the accelerometer; and

eliminating, based on the detected microphonic data, a false indication in the temperature data.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the temperature detector comprises at least one of:

an infrared sensor, a photovoltaic sensor, a piezoelectric sensor, a pyroelectric sensor, and a thermopile.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the system is a piece of railway rolling stock, and wherein the component is a wheel bearing assembly.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one orthogonally related detector is an acoustical detector that comprises a microphone.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

collecting acoustical data; and

identifying at least one of a defect and an operating characteristic of the component from the collected acoustical data.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising at least one of:

alerting an operator of the system of an identified defect and/or an identified operating characteristic of the system; and

predicting whether at least one of a defect and a malfunction will occur.

11. An apparatus, comprising:

a temperature detector configured to collect data indicative of a temperature (“

temperature data”

) produced by a component of a mechanical or an electromechanical system;

a non-orthogonally related detector coupled with the temperature detector and configured to output non-orthogonally related data collected from the temperature detector to be used to determine whether the temperature data outputted by the temperature detector is a true reading, wherein the non-orthogonally related data is non-temperature data; and

an orthogonally related detector configured to output orthogonally related data to be fused with the temperature data to reduce a false indication rate.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the temperature detector is one of a hot bearing detector and a hot wheel detector that comprises at least one of an infrared sensor, a photovoltaic sensor, a piezoelectric sensor, and a thermopile.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the non-orthogonally related detector comprises at least one of:

an accelerometer, an output signal integrity sensor, and a sunlight sensor.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the orthogonally related detector comprises a microphone.