Ridgetop Group’s RotoSense advanced rotational vibration sensor enables easy extraction of high-resolution acoustic signatures from rotating components in harsh environments. RotoSense is included in the Sentinel Motion™ product line of advanced diagnostic and prognostic tools for industrial applications.
RotoSense utilizes a low-power system architecture based on the Internet-of-Things (IoT) to help engineers perform wireless vibration analysis of rotating equipment and machinery. RotoSense is available in different packages for a range of applications. In addition, data from this innovative instrument can be used with a library of Sentinel Motion algorithms that extract prognostic feature data as a means to perform condition-based maintenance (CBM). The result is an improvement in safety, performance, and maintenance costs for future generations of rotating components.
Complete sensor assembly, end point; circuit board diameter is 1.2 in. (3 cm)
RotoSense graphical user interface – Data collection
Data is logged and compared in real time between the local testbed and a remotely located wireless gateway with precise results.
The latest update to RotoSense includes Sentinel MotionView, enabling faster setup for field analysis. Go to the Apple Store and download Sentinel MotionView on your IOS device today.
Applications
Standard RotoSense form factors are available by purchasing a Sentinel Motion Development Kit (SMDK), and can even be customized for unique industrial IOT applications. The RotoSense wireless vibration and temperature sensors have been installed and tested inside a Bell OH-58 helicopter gearbox spinning at 5,500 RPM. A paper jointly authored by NASA and Ridgetop Group details the impressive results. RotoSense has also been tested on the Transportation Technology Center, Inc. (TTCI) test track in Pueblo, Colorado. Additional applications are listed below:
- Sensing gear tooth wear, chatter, or spindle balance in computer numerical control (CNC) applications
- Real-time monitoring of downhole drill vibration in oil and gas exploration applications
- Detecting vibrational signatures in rotating shafts or pinions to give early warning of gear tooth cracking or spalling in wind turbines and transmissions
- Sensing wheel cracks, friction, and wear in train applications
For more information, contact us directly, or visit the links below.
Product Briefs
White Papers and Related Publications
- Evaluation of MEMS-Based Wireless Accelerometer Sensors in Detecting Gear Tooth Faults in Helicopter Transmissions
- Advanced Diagnostics and Anomaly Detection for Railroad Safety Applications
- Ruggedized and Improved MEMS-based Sensors for Rolling Stock
- Ridgetop Group Debuts Mobile Application in Apple Store
Links to IEEE and AutoTestCon conference presentations on this subject can be found in our Resource Library
Featured Articles & Press Releases
- Wireless Sensors Pinpoint Rotorcraft Troubles (Article in NASA Spinoff Magazine)
- Ridgetop Group Announces New Products for Rail Safety Improvements
- New Solution for Monitoring Performance of Gear Trains and Complex Rotary Systems
- 2011 NASA Program Phase 2 awards press release
Ridgetop is certified as category 1A under the Defense Microelectronics Activity (DMEA) as part of the Trusted Supplier Program. Ridgetop has history of designing analog and mixed signal ICs for demanding applications in space satellites that are subjected to extreme temperatures and radiation. Our designs have utilized bulk CMOS, CMOS-SOI, and SiGe at process geometries down to 28 nm channel lengths. Radiation hardness is also a concern, and Ridgetop has addressed those requirements as well. A recent Ridgetop design was delivered to ON Semiconductor for the U.S. Air Force STELLAR Star Tracker.
Under contract to NASA, Ridgetop designed an effective 3-axis wireless rotational sensor. The RotoSense™ sensor has been tested on fast-spinning pinion gears on helicopter gear boxes, and also rolling stock for railroad safety improvements.