Moving Element Monitoring With Stroboscopic Imaging for Failure Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current maintenance protocols for moving elements, such as cables and belts, are inefficient as they often require scheduled replacements of fully functional units and may miss detecting anomalies due to the objects' movement, making thorough examination difficult, especially when they are complex or fast-moving, and monitoring them statically can disrupt operation or miss critical areas.
Innovation Solution
An automated system using an illumination device and image sensor with a rolling shutter to capture high-resolution images of moving elements during motion, analyzing these images for failure modes, and optionally registering them with other images to provide comprehensive monitoring.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If monitoring is performed when the element is static, then image quality and analysis accuracy are improved, but system operation is disrupted and not all areas can be monitored
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from static monitoring to dynamic monitoring by capturing images of moving elements during their operation. The illumination device and image sensor work together to freeze motion blur, enabling quality images to be obtained while the element is in motion, thus maintaining system operation continuity without sacrificing image quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The illumination device provides periodic instantaneous light pulses synchronized with the rolling shutter's exposure periods. This periodic illumination allows the system to capture multiple images of moving elements at different positions during operation, enabling comprehensive monitoring without disrupting system function.
2Reliability
If scheduled maintenance is performed, then replacement of worn parts is ensured, but fully functional units are replaced unnecessarily and anomalies are missed
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously captures and analyzes images of moving elements during operation, providing real-time feedback on their condition. This enables detection of actual wear, damage, or anomalies, allowing maintenance to be scheduled only when needed based on real condition data rather than fixed schedules, thereby improving both reliability and productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system detects anomalies and wear conditions before they lead to failure by continuously monitoring moving elements during operation. This preliminary detection allows for proactive maintenance scheduling, replacing or repairing parts only when conditions indicate necessity, avoiding unnecessary replacements of fully functional units.
3Measurement precision
If human examination is performed on moving objects, then detailed inspection can be conducted, but the movement makes thorough examination difficult and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces manual human examination with an automated optical measurement system. The image sensor captures multiple images of moving elements during operation, and computational algorithms automatically analyze these images to detect wear, damage, and anomalies, eliminating the time-consuming nature of manual inspection while maintaining or improving inspection thoroughness.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates optical copies (images) of moving elements during their operation. By capturing multiple images at different positions and times, the system creates a comprehensive visual record that can be analyzed automatically, replacing the need for physical manual examination and significantly reducing inspection time.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables accurate, ongoing monitoring of moving elements, detecting failure modes early, reducing unnecessary maintenance, and ensuring all areas are checked without disrupting operation, with the capability to adapt to new failure modes over time.
Implementation Method 1
an illumination device configured to periodically provide instantaneous light to a longitudinal moving element
Implementation Method 2
an image sensor configured to capture one or more images of at least a portion of the moving element
Data Source
AI summary
A system for monitoring a moving element within a monitored system, comprising: an illumination device configured to periodically provide instantaneous light to a longitudinal moving element; an image sensor configured to capture at least one image of at least a portion of the moving element; and one or more processors configured to: obtain one or more images of the moving element during motion under illumination emitted by the illumination device; analyze an image to determine whether one or more failure modes are present within the captured portion of the moving element; and register the image with one or more other images to obtain further information about the at least one failure mode.