Low-cost structural vibration monitoring device with intelligent electric control system

Abstract

The low-cost structural vibration monitoring device with intelligent electrical control system measures three-axis acceleration — two orthogonal horizontal directions and one vertical direction — at its installation point. It is designed to be easy for building or structure owners to install, offering a cost-effective alternative to imported products for measuring floor acceleration or vibration levels. The device can reliably detect vibration caused by natural hazards such as storms or earthquakes, and when acceleration exceeds a preset threshold it immediately alerts the responsible owner or authorities. This enables timely planning of user warning systems and provides data for future engineering assessments of structural performance. Measurement accuracy has been confirmed by comparison with high-end standard instruments. Beyond natural - hazard monitoring, the device can also be applied to other vibration scenarios, including roadway vibrations from vehicular traffic, pile-driving activities, and machinery -induced vibration in industrial facilities. The intelligent electrical control system not only serves as a backup power source for the low-cost monitoring device but also permits remote on / off control of its power supply via the Internet, allowing operation from anywhere without requiring physical access to the installation site.

Description

[0001] LOW-COST STRUCTURAL VIBRATION MONITORING DEVICE WITH INTELLIGENT ELECTRIC CONTROL SYSTEM

[0002] Field of the Invention

[0003] The present invention relates to the field of structural vibration monitoring devices and intelligent electric control systems.

[0004] Background of the Invention

[0005] Natural hazards such as storms or earthquakes can adversely affect buildings and other structures, potentially causing significant damage. Therefore, inspecting the performance or quality of the structures after such disasters is essential and should be carried out by the owners of each building or structure. However, such performance inspections require vibration data of the structures recorded by vibration monitoring devices, which must be analyzed using engineering methods. For the assessment or inspection results to be accurate, high-performance vibration monitoring equipment (commercial-grade) is required. Such equipment often needs to be imported from abroad and tends to be expensive, discouraging many local owners from adoption. Moreover, there is currently no legal requirement in Thailand mandating installation of such monitoring equipment, so uptake remains limited.

[0006] To address these barriers, the present inventors have developed a low-cost structural vibration monitoring device whose production cost is more than ten times lower than equivalent imported systems, yet still provides reliable measurement of vibration caused by natural hazards (e.g., storms, earthquakes). By reducing cost and maintaining sufficient performance, this invention aims to motivate wider installation — particularly on high-rise buildings in Bangkok and its vicinity vulnerable to distant storms and seismic events, as well as in northern regions and in critical public facilities (hospitals, schools, hotels, etc.). The device’s small, low-power, noiseless design also lends itself to other vibration-measurement applications, such as traffic -induced roadway vibrations, pile-driving activity, and machinery-induced vibrations in industrial plants.

[0007] Summary of the Invention

[0008] The low-cost structural vibration monitoring device with intelligent electric control system measures three-axis acceleration — two horizontal orthogonal directions and one vertical direction — at the installation point. The objective of the invention is to enable building and structure owners an affordable, easy-to-install solution for recording and, when necessary, alerting authorities to excessive vibration levels from natural hazards. When measured acceleration exceeds a preset threshold, the device immediately notifies responsible personnel, enabling timely user alerts and providing data for future structural performance analyses. Measurement accuracy has been validated by comparison against high-end imported instruments. In addition to naturalhazard monitoring, the device can be adapted to other vibration scenarios, such as monitoring vibrations on road surfaces caused by vehicular traffic, vibrations due to pile-driving acitivities, and structural vibrations in industrial facilities caused by industrial machinery, etc. The accompanying intelligent electric control system not only provides battery backup power for the monitoring device but also allows remote on / off control of its power supply via the Internet, eliminating the need for physical access to the installation site.

[0009] Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010] Figure 1 illustrates a front view of the low-cost structural vibration monitoring device.

[0011] Figure 2 illustrates a top view of the vibration monitoring device.

[0012] Figure 3 illustrates the internal layout of the vibration monitoring device.

[0013] Figure 4 illustrates left side (left), front (center), and right side (right) views of the intelligent electric control system.

[0014] Detailed Description of the Invention

[0015] As shown in Figures 1-4, the low-cost structural vibration monitoring device comprises a plastic enclosure for housing the components and electronic parts (1), shaped as a rectangular box consisting of two pieces fastened by screws (6). The upper portion of the low-cost structural vibration monitoring device includes at least one section that is moisture- and dust-resistance. The side of the plastic enclosure for housing the components and electronic parts (1) includes an outward-projecting flanges each with two mounting holes (3) for anchoring to a structural surface, and a circular spirit level (2) is provided to ensure horizontal alignment. For external connection, the plastic enclosure for housing the components and electronic parts (1) includes a USB Type-C port (4) for supplying 5V 3A power (5V3A) to a single -board computer (7) through a power transceiver (11). The device can optionally connect to the internet via either a wired LAN (5), using a LAN cable connected to a LAN port (10), or via a wireless LAN (Wi-Fi) signal.

[0016] A micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS) sensor (8) is used to measure the acceleration at the installation area. The MEMS sensor (8) is connected to the single -board computer (7) via the general-purpose input / output (GPIO) port (9) using a serial peripheral interface (SPI) communication protocol. The system collects data at a rate of 125 Hz and stores the data on a micro-SD card (12). Whenever acceleration in any axis exceeds a preset threshold, the system sends an immediate alert to relevant personnel via Line Notify. The intelligent electric control system comprises a plastic enclosure for housing components and electronic parts (13), which is moisture- and dust-resistant, further comprising an on / off switch (18) and a 12.6 V charging port (20). The top panel of the plastic enclosure for housing components and electronic parts (13) houses a mode-selection button (14) for toggling between remote (Internet-enabled) and offline control, and a reset button (15). The intelligent electrical control system can supply power to the structural vibration monitoring system in two modes: 1.) power supply without Internet connectivity, by connecting a USB cable to port (17); 2) power supply with Internet connectivity and remote control capability, by connecting a USB cable to port (19). During operation, the system can be charged via the charging port (20), and the electrical energy is stored in an internal battery. The intelligent electrical control system enables vibration monitoring in locations where electricity is not available, for a duration of 3 to 6 hours depending on the number of connected devices.

[0017] Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0018] As previously described in the Detailed description of the Invention section.

Claims

Claim1. A low-cost structural vibration monitoring device and intelligent electrical control system comprising a Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) sensor ( 8) connected to a single-board computer (7) and an intelligent electrical control system capable of Internet-enabled remote on / off control, wherein the device is characterized as follows: a plastic enclosure for housing the components and electronic parts (1), being a two-piece rectangular box fastened together with screws (6) , an upper portion of which is moisture- and dust-resistance, and side portions of which include protruding sections each with two holes (3) for embedding and fixing to a structural surface, a circular spirit level (2) provided for ensuring proper horizontal alignment, a USB Type-C port (4) for supplying 5V 3A power to the single board computer (7) via a power transceiver (11), and connectivity to the Internet through either a wired LAN system (5) by connecting a cable to a LAN port (10) or via wireless LAN; the MEMS sensor ( 8) being configured to measure acceleration at the installation point and connect to a single board computer (7) through a general purpose input / output (GPIO) port (9) using a serial peripheral interface (SPI) , with data sampled at a rate of 125 Hz and recorded onto a Micro-SD card (12), and when acceleration in any direction exceeds a preset threshold, the system immediately notifies relevant personnel via Line Notify, and an intelligent electrical control system comprising a plastic enclosure for housing the components and electronic parts (13) that is moisture- and dust-resistance with an on / off switch (18) and a 12.6 V charging port (20), a mode-selection button (14) at top used to toggle between remote Internet-based control and offline control, and a reset button ( 15) , wherein power is supplied to the vibration monitoring device and recharges its internal battery via port ( 20) , permitting 3- 6 hours of operation without mains power depending on the number of connected devices.

2. The low-cost structural vibration monitoring device and intelligent electrical control system according to claim 1, wherein the intelligent electrical control system is configured to supply power to the structural vibration monitoring system in two modes; mode 1 being power supply without requiring Internet connectivity via a USB cable connected to port ( 17) , and mode 2 being power supply with remote Internet control via a USB cable connected to port (19).

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