Entek Ird International Corporation

Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated

Patrick F Carle

Kevin E Kramb

David J Bibelhausen

Dan R Shupe

Donn V Stoutenburg

David P Trumpy

Chien-Tan Lien

Frederick Michael Discenzo

Thomas Lee Alford

A machine condition assessment module may be integrated with standard industrial control and communications networks to receive dynamic operating data from signal processing engines and optionally process data from controlled machinery and to operate on that data according to standard and user customized rule sets to produce an assessment of the presence and severity of specific electrical and/or mechanical faults. The output of the assessment module will be, for each of the one or more machines monitored, and for each of the one or more faults assessed, a single parameter that indicates the presence and severity of the fault. This data, in turn, may be readily communicated to an industrial controller on the network for use in effecting the control process itself.

Machinery condition assessment module

A wireless dynamic operating condition system is described that includes one or more wireless monitors located at a monitoring point in an instrumented machine system. The wireless monitors may be configured as a modular base with modular power supplies that can be attached to the base. The base may include integrated sensors or additional sensors may be tethered to the base. The resulting modular system allows for points to be monitored on the machine system for dynamic operating conditions that are difficult to access or are less critical than wired monitoring points. Calculations may be carried out based upon the sensed data either within the monitoring modules themselves or within specific modules that are so equipped.

Wireless integrated condition monitoring system

A monitoring and protection system for a machine system includes monitoring modules or groups of modules positioned at various locations of the machine system at which dynamic operating conditions are monitored. The modules are configured to communicate with one another via an open industrial data exchange protocol. Network media is routed between groups of monitoring modules to establish an overall system topology that is highly distributed and that is not dependent upon routing of multiple signal cables to central monitoring locations or racks.

Modular monitoring and protection system topology

A monitoring and protection system includes monitoring modules configurable with multiple alarm, alert or response parameters. The configuration parameters may be user set to allow for adaptation of the monitoring modules to specific applications. In one implementation, a vibration monitor receives signals from sensors or transducers and derives vibrational data based upon the received signals. The alarm configuration may include multiple levels or limits for various speed or frequency bands.

Multi-alarm monitoring and protection system

A monitoring and protection system includes monitoring modules that are positioned proximate to locations of interest in a machine system where dynamic operating conditions are monitored. The monitoring modules may be configured to communicate with other modules via an open industrial data exchange protocol. The monitors are also configured to control the operative state of a component such as a relay circuit, either integrated into the monitoring module or provided in a separate relay module. Extremely rapid and versatile response is attained through implementation of a local control loop for control of the state of the relay circuit, which may be complemented by a remote loop that includes a remote monitoring or control system for response to different inputs or conditions.

Modular monitoring and protection system with local protection loop

A monitoring and protection system is provided which is highly modular and expandable. The system is based upon individual monitoring modules which may be associated with one another in groups at locations or points along a machine system where dynamic operating conditions are to be monitored and controlled. The individual modules communicate between themselves, and with remote modules, via an open industrial data exchange protocol. The modules are thus freed of the need for a backplane or other backbone for mounting and communications purposes. Any number of modules may be positioned at the points of interest along the machine system, from as few as a single module to a large group of modules, with the entire system being expandable and contractible according to the design needs based upon the open industrial data exchange protocol.

Modular monitoring and protection system with open communication backbone

A system for monitoring and protection machine systems includes multiple monitoring modules positioned proximate to points of interest in the machine system where dynamic operating conditions are monitored. The monitoring modules, which may communicate with one another via an open industrial data exchange protocol, include user-configurable voting logic for controlling or protecting the machine system based upon the monitored conditions. The logic of the modules is interdependent such that certain of the responses will or will not be taken unless combined conditions occur as defined by the voting logic of multiple modules.

Modular monitoring and protection system with distributed voting logic

Monitoring modules of a monitoring and protection system are disposed in groups proximate to points of interest in a machine system where dynamic operating conditions are monitored. A master module, which may be a similar monitoring module or a different device such as a gateway, stores user configuration parameters that are also stored in the monitoring modules. In the event of loss of service or replacement of a module, once the same or a different module is detected by the master, the configuration parameters are restored to the monitoring module to permit continuity of operation. The parameters may include multiple settings such as alarm levels, units of measure, processing parameters, response settings, and so forth.

Modular monitoring and protection system with automatic device programming

A monitoring and protection system includes a plurality of monitoring modules that are positioned proximate to points of interest in a machine system where dynamic operating conditions are to be monitored. The monitoring modules at individual locations communicate with one another via an open industrial data exchange protocol. The groups of modules may also communicate via the same protocol, creating a flexible and expandable system that accommodates a wide range of modules and that avoids the need for conventional backplane architecture. The groups also communicate with remote equipment via a different standard data exchange protocol, such as via a gateway associated with each of the monitoring module groups.

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Austin, TX, United States of America

Patrick F Carle