165results about "Measurement gauges" patented technology

A system and method is disclosed for minimizing power consumption of a sensor unit that is capable of detecting an object. Main circuitry operates the sensor unit in a high power mode of operation when the sensor unit detects an object. Low power control circuitry operates the sensor unit in a low power mode of operation when the sensor unit does not detect an object within a pre-determined period of time. The low power control circuitry also comprises a counter to periodically determine when to restore the sensor unit to a high power mode of operation. One advantageous embodiment of the sensor unit is a fingerprint sensor unit for detecting a finger to obtain fingerprint information.

A hose fault detection system includes a hose assembly including a hose having first and second conductive layers. The hose assembly has an electrical characteristic. A fault detector is in electrical communication with the first and second conductive layers. The fault detector includes an indicator operatively connected to the hose assembly. A method for monitoring the structural integrity of a hose assembly includes providing a fault detection system having a hose assembly including a hose having a first conductive layer and a second conductive layer. The hose assembly has an electrical characteristic. The electrical characteristic of the hose assembly is compared to a threshold value. A visual indicator in operative communication with the hose assembly is illuminated when the electrical characteristic goes beyond the threshold value.

Techniques and apparatuses for wind turbine component fatigue load measurement and assessment are disclosed. In one embodiment the component is a tower, fore-aft and side-to-side signals from a two-axis accelerometer attached to a bedplate of a wind turbine are used to measure tower fatigue loads. A yaw axis azimuth position signal can also be used for tower fatigue load measurement and assessment.

The invention relates bridge structure safety evaluation technology by means of combining vibration measuring and structural model analysis techniques for bridge erosion evaluation and pre-warning monitoring applications. This technology can also be applied for long-term bridge structure monitoring and safety evaluation as well as judgment and evaluation of rail structure abnormality.

Degradation of the lubricant due to contamination of the lubricant with wear particles or moisture, which greatly affects the service life of rolling bearings, can be detected in a cost-effective manner through the use of a resonance frequency band signal or high-frequency signal of an accelerometer, and the service life of a rolling bearing can be estimated with high precision at an early stage on the basis of the detected state of the wear particles and lubricant.

Provided is a method comprising baseline data acquisition means for obtaining vibration signals by using an accelerometer 4 and using a testing device to acquire resonance frequency band signals detectable at the highest sensitivity, for each specification such as model number, manufacturer name, and other specifications for a rolling bearing 3 as pertains to the relationship between the state of wear particle penetration in a rolling bearing 3 and the vibration/bearing service life, and to lubricant degradation and vibration/bearing service life; measurement means whereby an accelerometer 4 is used to obtain vibration signals for the rolling bearing 3 whose remaining service life is being assessed and which resides on a fan, a pump, or another rotating device 1, 2, for the purpose of measuring resonance frequency band signals detectable at the highest sensitivity; and determination means for estimating the state of wear particle penetration and the state of lubricant degradation of the diagnostic rolling bearing 3, and computing the remaining service life of the diagnostic rolling bearing 3 by using measurement values obtained by the measurement means, determination results of the bearing specification determination means, and data obtained by the baseline data acquisition means.

A method and system for calculating pipeline integrity business risk score for a pipeline network is provided. The method includes a step of first calculating a structural risk score, an operational risk score and a commercial risk score for each pipeline segment in a pipeline network. The method further includes calculating pipeline integrity business risk score for each pipeline segment. The structural risk score, operational risk score, commercial risk score and pipeline integrity business risk score for each pipeline segment is rolled-up to calculate the respective risk scores of a pipeline network. The rolled-up risk scores are calculated by computing weight factors for each pipeline segment, relative risk scores weight of each pipeline segment and relative risk scores contribution of each pipeline segment. The system of the invention comprises executable files, dynamic linked libraries and risk score computing modules configured to display the risk scores using a dashboard.

A system and method to fully characterize the thermal behavior of complex 3D submicron electronic devices. The system replaces and/or supplements laser-based surface temperature scanning with a CCD camera-based approach. A CCD camera records multiple points of light energy reflected from an integrated circuit to obtain a static temperature measurement. The system is used to non-invasively measure with submicron resolution the 2D surface temperature field of an activated device. A CW laser illuminates a single point on the surface of an active device and a photodetector records the reflected light energy to obtain a transient temperature measurement. The measured 2D temperature field is used as input for an ultra-fast inverse computational solution to fully characterize the thermal behavior of the complex 3D device. The system extracts geometric features of a known device, assessing the system's ability to combine measured results and computations to fully characterize complex 3D electronic devices.

A vibration sensor (1) for monitoring the state of rotating components or bearings, includes a housing (2), a sensor element (3), evaluation electronics (4), and at least one interface (5, 6). With the vibration sensor (1), reliable monitoring of the state of rotating components and bearings can be done easily and economically, and in addition the vibration sensor can be easily operated. The evaluation electronics (4) has an analog-to-digital converter (7), and a signal conditioning means (8) having a plurality of signals, which have been acquired by the sensor element (3), and which are converted into a state value using signal analysis and a diagnosis algorithm.

A method and apparatus are disclosed for predicting the service life of a metallic structure subjected to cyclic loading. Such structures experience fatigue, which can lead to failure after a number of loading cycles. The disclosed invention allows for an accurate prediction of the number of cycles to failure for a metallic structure by observing the slope of the rise in surface temperature of the structure after the cyclic loading has begun. The method of this invention provides early and accurate predictions of service life and does not require destructive testing. The method and apparatus of the present invention may be installed on working equipment, thus providing service life predictions for materials in real world use. The invention uses an empirically derived relationship that was confirmed using analytical relationships and material properties. The derived formula uses two constants that may be determined empirically using a disclosed process. The constants also may be estimated mathematically. The apparatus may include a wireless temperature sensor mounted on the metallic structure of interest and a data analysis unit to perform the needed calculations.

A device and method for use in detecting anomalies in wind turbines is provided. The method includes monitoring data acquired by at least one sensor in a first wind turbine, wherein the data is calculated to produce a value for a predetermined amount of time, monitoring data acquired by at least one sensor in a grouping of wind turbines similar to the first wind turbine, wherein the monitored data corresponds to the monitored data of the first wind turbine and is combined for a predetermined amount of time, and comparing the monitored data of the first wind turbine with the monitored data of the grouping of wind turbines. The method also includes generating a sensor error if the monitored data of the first wind turbine deviates more than a predetermined amount from the monitored data of the grouping of wind turbines, and displaying the results of the comparison of the monitored data.

A condition detection apparatus comprising an AE sensor 1 that detects AE waves, which elastically-occur when a plurality of balls included in an LM system self-rotate and revolve within a circulation section at the same time, and generates detection signals Sae, and a signal processing unit 4 that generates a first parameter indicating an intensity of the AE waves based on the generated detection signals Sae, generates based on the detection signals Sae a second parameter by weighting only detection signals Sae temporally-continuously detected among the detection signals Sae, generates based on the detection signals Sae a third parameter by weighting only detection signals Sae temporally-discontinuously detected in correspondence with the movement of the balls among the detection signals Sae, and judges contents of an operational condition of the LM system using any one of the first, second or third parameter, is provided to enable prognosis of occurrences of failures in the LM system, to improve maintainability for a user of the LM system, and to contribute to the prolonging of the operation life of the LM system as well as performance assurance and quality improvement of apparatuses or devices incorporated with the LM system.

An apparatus for graphically displaying analytical data, comprising a generic model to graphically represent a complex set of physical characteristics potentially leading to catastrophic failure of a physical system. A central region represents failure of the physical system; a series of concentric ridges represents level of function. Wedge shaped regions upon the ridges represent predetermined subsystems of the physical system. An icon is displayed with changes in the icon proportional to time, and any one or more of color, position, shape, and rotation of the icon representing prescribed analysis of the physical characteristics. Mappings correlate predetermined characteristics of the system with failure of the physical system, levels of functioning represented by the ridges, subsystems represented by the wedge shaped regions, and/or analysis of the physical characteristics represented in the icon. A sensor interface receives measurements, and a graphics generator prepares a presentation of the model.

Machine vibration baselines are synthesized without averaging historical vibration data. Instead machinery configuration information is used, including data about the machine train, the machine's rotating components, and the machine speeds. For each component being considered, a plurality of parameters is identified for deriving baseline portions. The parameters for one component are used to identify baseline vibration amplitude floor values, vibration amplitudes at frequencies corresponding to various harmonics of a rotational speed, and vibration amplitudes corresponding to forcing frequencies and their harmonics/sidebands. Parameters for other components also may be used to identify amplitudes at harmonic frequencies and forcing frequencies.