Sensor system for monitoring a vehicle axle and for discriminating between a plurality of axle failure modes

A method of monitoring a vehicle axle and of discriminating between a plurality of axle failure modes, the method comprising:

• acquiring first axle data and second axle data from a first sensor and a second sensor selected from sensor types consisting of:
• an inertial measurement unit, a lubricant temperature sensor, a lubricant debris sensor, and a lubricant viscosity sensor, and the second sensor is a different type of sensor than the first sensor;
• detecting at least one first anomaly if the acquired first axle data deviate from first reference data provided by a model of the axle;
• detecting at least one second anomaly if the acquired second axle data deviate from second reference data provided by the model of the axle;
• distinguishing between a plurality of axle failure modes based on a comparison of the type of the first sensor, type of the second sensor, indication of the first anomaly, indication of the second anomaly, and data correlating the plurality of axle failure modes to combinations of anomalies and sensor types;
• determining a current temperature rise time of lubricant disposed within an axle housing;
• and
• detecting that the lubricant features an anomaly if the current temperature rise time of the lubricant is below a minimum temperature rise time of the lubricant;
• and
• issuing a failure notice indicative of the at least one detected axle failure mode.