摘要 |
<p>A wireless machine monitoring and communication system includes one or more machine monitors (4a-m) which attach to one or more machines to sense a physical characteristic of the machine, such as vibration or temperature, and to produce wireless transmissions corresponding to the sensed characteristic. A command station (6) executes machine status polling in accordance with a time-division communication protocol and processes machine status data obtained during polling to determine the status of the machine. The machine monitor incorporates a wireless transmitter (430, 440) for transmitting at least status information, and the command station (6) incorporates a wireless receiver (618) for receiving monitor transmissions. To conserve power, the machine monitors (4a-m) are turned on only at preprogrammed times in accordance with the time-division communication protocol. Each machine monitor (4a-m) includes a receiver (430) and the command station (6) includes a transmitter (604) to enable the command station to send commands to each machine monitor. A microcomputer (418) in each monitor analyzes sensor data and a memory (422) stores the analyzed sensor data. Repeaters (8a-e) are employed as necessary to assist in propagating wireless transmissions throughout the system. A tachometer sensor (5a-c) is employed at each machine to provide monitors and sensors with information relating to machine speed. A computer network (10) is connected to the command station (6) for transferring data and for controlling the overall operation of the system.</p> |