Development of a Smart, Cheap, Autonomous Condition Monitoring Sensor

The objective of this project was to design, develop and demonstrate a 'smart' autonomous self-contained sensor, which does not require external cabling.

First stage, this Smart Sensor would be suited to the range of equipment found in open cut or coal preparation plants. That is, gear-boxes, screens, pumps, and compressors, etc. It will bring together three crucial elements, which have only recently become mature and viable:

• Small inexpensive accelerometers and temperature sensor
• Signal Processing within the Sensor package using cost-effective processors
• Wireless Data Transmission for fault annunciation using a Transceiver to diagnose faults and their severity.

One of the distinguishing features of the Smart Autonomous Condition Monitoring Sensor is its wireless remote access capability. It will extend Condition-Based Maintenance of rotating machines, and hence enable the reduction in unscheduled maintenance especially in applications such as:

• Unsafe areas such as dangerous mechanical systems and chemical processes
• Inaccessible areas such as tall equipment, equipment on towers, ceiling, roofs, and holding ponds.
• Mobile equipment or moving parts such as overhead cranes and lifts
• Areas where wiring is problematic such as between rooms and floors, over long runs.
• This cheap system will ultimately replace the off line and on line condition monitoring system used today.