An electronic tire maintenance system is provided for measuring a parameter of a device at a first location. The system includes a sensor for measuring the device parameter and generating a data signal representing the measured parameter. The system also includes a microprocessor coupled to the sensor for activating the sensor on a first periodic basis to measure the device parameter. The microprocessor includes a memory for storing the generated data signal representing the measured parameter. A transmitter and a receiver are coupled to the microprocessor. The microprocessor periodically partially awakens to determine, on a second periodic basis, if a received transmission is a valid interrogation signal and, if so, fully awakens and responds to the valid interrogation signal, via the transmitter, by at least transmitting the last stored measured parameter. In one embodiment, the device is a tire tag mounted inside a tire that measures tire data and transmits that data to a remote source in response to an interrogation request, an alert condition, or automatically on a periodic basis.

Electronic tire management system

A wearout monitor for failure prognostics is a prognosis tool to predict incipient failure in rotating mechanical equipment. The wearout monitor provides maintenance management of a plant or process with information essential to planning preventive maintenance strategies. The monitor also assists in constructing a data base for development and implementation of policies for plant life extension, refurbishment, and modernization. The apparatus identifies systems of operation degradation of the whole system, as well as diagnosis of signs of commencing aging cycles of specific equipment, components or parts of equipment during operation. Data from the system is stored and also supplied to a central processing unit which includes an expert system, rule-based failure data bank, a predictor, a performance evaluator and a system identifier. The results of the predictions are supplied to management terminals or other indicators for subsequent use. Combination of prognostics and diagnostics of the symptoms of existing fault in mechanical equipment allows continuous on-line monitoring of systems to predict failures at early stages before leading to catastrophic breakdown and to assure safe and economic operation. By providing correlations between defect sizes and life expectancy of a rotating mechanical component, the monitor can provide the operator of the equipment with a warning time that indicates the time before loss of operation, thereby being critical to operation of transport systems wherein gearboxes can lead to loss of transmission power and subsequent loss of life particularly in helicopters.

System for prognosis and diagnostics of failure and wearout monitoring and for prediction of life expectancy of helicopter gearboxes and other rotating equipment

A system and method for load sharing processing operations between a vehicle mounted station (105) and a stationary base station (25) having a large capacity host computer (18) is described. The vehicle mounted station (105) has detectors for determining operating conditions of a vehicle and controllers (3,4,501) for varying the operating conditions. The controllers (3,4,501) are connected to a transmitter-receiver (5) which is arranged to communicate over a path (10) with a transmitter-receiver (11) of the base station (25). The base station (25) has a host computer (18) having a large memory capacity. At predetermined intervals, for example, distance of travel or at engine stop, the vehicle transmitter (5) transmits operating conditions to the base receiver (11) for data processing and the base transmitter (11) then transmits processed data back to the receiver vehicle (5), whereupon the controllers (3, 4, 501) modify the vehicle operating conditons. The vehicle operating conditions may be an indication of life expectancy of fuel injectors or sensors, updating data processing maps. The presence of abnormal operating conditions may be detected by the vehicle mounted station (105), evaluated by the base station (25) and an emergency warning indication provided back to the vehicle mounted station (105), or if the abnormal condition is not of an emergency nature then counter measures are transmitted from the base station (25) to the vehicle mounted station (105).

System and method of load sharing control for automobile

The design and construction of the large Drift Chamber for the KLOE experiment at the Frascati φ-factory, DAΦNE, are described. The relevant aspects of the various elements of the detector are reviewed together with a description of the track reconstruction program and of the calibration procedures. The performance of the detector based on measurements with cosmic rays and with e+e− colliding beams during DAΦNE commissioning is presented.

The tracking detector of the KLOE experiment

A system is disclosed for monitoring a structure and detecting disturbances and faults associated with such structure The system includes an actuation device for mechanically exciting the structure, a sensing device for transducing vibrations experienced by the structure, and digital signal processing means for processing signals output by the sensing device The response of the structure due to the mechanical excitation is analyzed and a baseline or normal response is determined Vibrations of the structure are then analyzed and compared to the normal response of the structure and the nature of disturbances identified Another aspect of the invention relates to a system for monitoring cracks, strains and the like and includes a continuity/strain sensor having a piezoelectric layer, and first and second low resistance layers By suitably monitoring sensors in accordance with the invention, the magnitude as well as the location of a force can be determined

Method and apparatus for structural integrity monitoring

A data acquisition system utilizing a microcomputer and incorporating a plurality of monitors each adapted to produce an electrical signal indicative of a physical condition of apparatus to be monitored. The electrical signals are fed via multiplexing equipment and analog-to-digital converters into the microcomputer which is equipped with print-out means. The system is such that the level of any one or all of the signals from the respective monitors can be printed out as well as a change in the condition of any signal. Means are incorporated into the computer for calculating and printing the trend (i.e., the slope of a plot of signal amplitude versus time) of a succession of stored signals from any monitor which would indicate a probable malfunction of a device being monitored and the probable time to failure. In the case where the signals from the monitors comprise vibration signals, the system performs an automatic frequency spectrum analysis whenever a probable or actual malfunction is detected.

Robert Samuel Morrow

Papers

Data acquisition system

System and method for monitoring the operation of an apparatus