Enhanced detection of vibration

Abstract

A device detects an emission source of a vibration signal against a background of noise, where the vibration signal is produced by a mechanical system and has one or more frequency components. A sensor senses the vibration signal and produces a sensor signal corresponding to the vibration signal. The sensor has a mechanical frequency selection structure for mechanically resonating at desired frequencies and for mechanically attenuating a frequency component of the vibration signal having a frequency outside the desired frequencies. The mechanical frequency selection structure thus produces a mechanically-tuned sensor signal. Electrical frequency selection filters electrically attenuate a frequency component of the mechanically-tuned sensor signal having a frequency outside the desired frequencies. The electrical frequency selection filters thus produce an electrically-tuned sensor signal. The device has at least one amplifier with gain for producing an amplified signal corresponding to the electrically-tuned sensor signal. An amplitude characteristic determination circuit determines an amplitude characteristic corresponding to the vibration signal's amplitude. The amplitude characteristic determination circuit also generates an amplitude indication based on the amplitude characteristic. The amplitude indication and adjusts the gain of the amplifier based at least in part on the amplitude indication.