# US 10,871,423 B2 · Internet of things device for monitoring the motion of oscillating equipment > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,871,423 B2 - Document ID: US10871423B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/085,545 - Filed: 2016-03-30 - Published: 2017-10-05 - Granted: 2020-12-22 - Earliest claimed: 2016-03-30 - Assignees: Intel Corporation - Applicants: Intel Corporation - Inventors: Keith Nolan; Mark Kelly - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10871423B2 ## CPC - G01M 99/008: {by doing functionality tests} - G08B 3/10: using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission - G08B 5/36: using visible light sources - G08B 21/18: Status alarms (G08B21/02 takes precedence) - G08B 25/08: using communication transmission lines {(G08B13/19658, G08B21/0286, G08B25/016 take precedence)} - H04W 4/70: Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC] - G01M: TESTING STATIC OR DYNAMIC BALANCE OF MACHINES OR STRUCTURES; TESTING OF STRUCTURES OR APPARATUS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - G08B: SIGNALLING SYSTEMS, e.g. PERSONAL CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract A method and apparatus for monitoring the motion of an oscillating mechanical device using one or more internet of things (IoT) devices. An exemplary method for monitoring an oscillating mechanical device includes collecting motion data from an accelerometer attached to a moving part in the oscillating mechanical device. A power spectrum for the oscillating mechanical device is calculated from the motion data. A mask is applied over the power spectrum to determine if a device is having operational difficulties. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An apparatus for monitoring a plurality of oscillating mechanical devices, comprising: a plurality of Internet of Things (IoT) devices, each IoT device corresponding to a respective one of the plurality of oscillating mechanical devices, the IoT devices each comprising: an accelerometer attached to the respective oscillating mechanical device; a movement measurer to obtain movement data from the accelerometer attached to the respective oscillating mechanical device; a transform calculator to generate a power spectrum from the movement data; a comparator to compare a power spectrum for upstrokes to a power spectrum for downstrokes to determine if pumping efficiency has changed; and a backend processing system to accept data from each of the IoT devices, wherein a power spectrum for each of the plurality of oscillating mechanical devices is combined into a single plot, and the backend processing system comprises an analyzer to apply an alert mask to the single plot to determine if any of the plurality of oscillating mechanical devices is having operational problems. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, comprising a pumpjack with the accelerometer mounted to the pumpjack. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the accelerometer is mounted to a counterweight of the pumpjack. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, comprising a display to show the power spectrum. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, comprising an alert system comprising a visual alert, an electronic alert, and audible alert, or combination thereof. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, comprising a reporter to report the power spectrum to a server through a communications device. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, comprising a calculator to calculate in-phase and quadrature (I/Q) vectors from the motion data. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The apparatus of claim 7, comprising a converter to convert the I/Q vectors to frequency domain data. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, each of the IoT devices to convert rotational movement of the mechanical oscillating device into coordinate data points. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, the backend processing system to perform frequency analysis to determine a pumping rate, upstroke loadings, downstroke loadings, pumping rate variations across the mechanical oscillating devices, and to identify idle mechanical oscillating devices. ### Claim 11 An internet of things (IoT) device for monitoring movement of an oscillating mechanical device, comprising: an accelerometer attached to the oscillating mechanical device; a movement measurer to obtain movement data from the accelerometer attached to the oscillating mechanical device; a transform calculator to generate a power spectrum from the movement data; an analyzer to generate an alert if the power spectrum is outside of a mask; a radio transceiver to transmit the alert; and a comparator to compare a power spectrum for upstrokes to a power spectrum for downstrokes to determine if pumping efficiency has changed. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The IoT device of claim 11, the radio transceiver to send the movement data to a backend processing system. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The IoT device of claim 11, wherein the transform calculator comprises: a frequency domain calculator to convert vector data into frequency domain data; and a power spectrum calculator to calculate the power spectrum from the frequency domain data. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The IoT device of claim 11, the oscillating mechanical device comprising a pumpjack, with the accelerometer mounted to the pumpjack. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The IoT device of claim 11, the oscillating mechanical device comprising a pumpjack, with the accelerometer mounted to a counterweight of the pumpjack. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The IoT device of claim 11, comprising a calculator to calculate in-phase and quadrature (I/Q) vectors from the motion data. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The IoT device of claim 16, comprising a converter to convert the I/Q vectors to frequency domain data. ### Claim 18 (depends on 11) The IoT device of claim 11, the IoT device to convert rotational movement of the mechanical oscillating device into coordinate data points. ### Claim 19 An apparatus for monitoring a plurality of oscillating mechanical devices, comprising: a plurality of Internet of Things (IoT) devices, each IoT device corresponding to a respective one of the plurality of oscillating mechanical devices, the IoT devices each comprising: an accelerometer attached to the respective oscillating mechanical device; a movement measurer to obtain movement data from the accelerometer attached to the respective oscillating mechanical device; a transform calculator to generate a power spectrum from the movement data; and a backend processing system to accept data from each of the IoT devices, wherein a power spectrum for each of the plurality of oscillating mechanical devices is combined into a single plot, and the backend processing system comprises an analyzer to apply an alert mask to the single plot to determine if any of the plurality of oscillating mechanical devices is having operational problems, the backend processing system to perform frequency analysis to determine a pumping rate, upstroke loadings, downstroke loadings, pumping rate variations across the mechanical oscillating devices, and to identify idle mechanical oscillating devices. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The apparatus of claim 19, comprising a calculator to calculate in-phase and quadrature (I/Q) vectors from the motion data. ### Claim 21 (depends on 19) The apparatus of claim 19, each of the IoT devices to convert rotational movement of the mechanical oscillating device into coordinate data points.