# US 12,001,198 B2 · Sensor device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,001,198 B2 - Document ID: US12001198B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/221,781 - Filed: 2021-04-03 - Published: 2021-07-22 - Granted: 2024-06-04 - Earliest claimed: 2018-10-04 - Assignees: Woodside Energy Technologies Pty Ltd - Applicants: Woodside Energy Technologies Pty Ltd - Inventors: Benjamin Wilkinson; Thomas Chaney; Ryan Tripodi - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12001198B2 ## CPC - G05B 19/0426: {Programming the control sequence} - G05B 23/0205: {by means of a monitoring system capable of detecting and responding to faults} - G01H 1/00: Measuring {characteristics of} vibrations in solids by using direct conduction to the detector (G01H9/00, G01H11/00 take precedence) - G05B 19/406: characterised by monitoring or safety (G05B19/19 takes precedence) - H04W 4/70: Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC] - G05B 2219/25428: Field device - G05B 2219/2639: Energy management, use maximum of cheap power, keep peak load low - H04W 84/18: Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks - G05B: CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS (systems for controlling or regulating non-electric variables G05D; systems for regulating electric or magnetic variables G05F; control devices or systems insofar as characterised by mechanical features only G05G) - G01H: MEASUREMENT OF MECHANICAL VIBRATIONS OR ULTRASONIC, SONIC OR INFRASONIC WAVES - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract A sensor device includes a sensor arranged to produce time domain data representative of a sensed time dependent characteristic adjacent the sensor, and a signal processing component. The signal processing component is arranged to use the time domain data to produce frequency domain data indicative of frequency components present in the time domain data. The sensor device also includes a data transmission component arranged to transmit at least a portion of the frequency domain data. The sensor device is arranged to select a subset of frequency domain data corresponding to a defined number of highest peaks in the frequency domain data and to transmit the selected subset of frequency domain data. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A sensor device comprising: a sensor controlled to produce time domain data representative of a sensed time dependent characteristic adjacent the sensor; a signal processing component, the signal processing component arranged to use the time domain data to produce frequency domain data indicative of frequency components present in the time domain data; a data transmission component arranged to transmit a portion of the frequency domain data using a low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) protocol; and a power manager arranged to control provision of power to at least one component of the sensor device according to power management criteria, the power management criteria defining wake up and sleep times whereby power to the at least one sensor device component is caused to be connected during wake time and power to the at least one sensor device component is caused to be disconnected during sleep time; wherein during each wake time, the sensor device is arranged to: select a subset of frequency domain data from the frequency domain data according to the amount of data that can be included in a single data packet: and transmit the selected subset of frequency domain data in the single data packet; wherein only one data packet is transmitted during each wake time. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The sensor device of claim 1, wherein the selected subset of frequency domain data corresponds to a defined number of frequency peaks in the frequency domain data. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The sensor device of claim 2, wherein the selected subset of frequency domain data corresponds to a defined number of the highest frequency peaks in the frequency domain data. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The sensor device of claim 1, wherein the sensor device is also arranged to transmit other data in addition to the selected subset of frequency domain data. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The sensor device of claim 4, wherein the other data includes any one or more of the following: maximum peak acceleration amplitude; minimum peak acceleration amplitude; mean acceleration amplitude; time domain acceleration crest factor; frequency domain rms value; frequency domain positive peak mean value; frequency domain negative peak mean value; peak velocity data values derived by integrating the acceleration frequency domain data, for example wherein each velocity value is the or one of several maximum values in a bin of a set of bins; and/or turning speed of a rotatable part of a component to which the sensor is attached. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The sensor device of claim 1, wherein the sensor is arranged to produce time domain vibration, acceleration, velocity and/or displacement data. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The sensor device of claim 1, wherein the data transmission component is arranged to use a long range wide area network (LoRaWAN) protocol. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The sensor device of claim 1, wherein the sensor device includes an external memory separate to the signal processing component and the data transmission component, the sensor device arranged to store the time domain data in the external memory and to load the time domain data into the signal processing component for processing. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The sensor device of claim 8, wherein the sensor device is arranged to load successive portions of the time domain data into the signal processing component so that the time domain data can be processed in several batches. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The sensor device of claim 1, wherein the selected subset of frequency domain data is selected from a defined frequency band. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The sensor device of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor device component comprises the sensor, at least one sensor port, an external memory separate to the signal processing component and the data transmission component, and/or a reprogramming port. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The sensor device of claim 1, wherein the sensor device includes at least one power switch responsive to an activation signal from the power manager, the power switch arranged to cause power to be provided to at least one of the sensor device components in response to the activation signal and to cause power to not be provided to at least one of the sensor device components in absence of the activation signal. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The sensor device of claim 1, wherein the power manager is arranged to progressively fill a buffer with data until the amount of data in the buffer is sufficient to fill a payload of a data packet used by the data transmission component, and to cause the data in the buffer to be sent by the data transmission component when sufficient data is present in the buffer. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The sensor device of claim 13, wherein the power manager is arranged to send the data irrespective of whether there is sufficient data to fill a data packet if at least one defined criterion is met. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The sensor device of claim 14, wherein the at least one defined criterion includes a maximum and/or minimum permissible value associated with a sensor, and the power manager is arranged such that if a current value associated with the sensor exceeds the maximum or minimum value, the current value is transmitted. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The sensor device of claim 14, wherein the at least one defined criterion includes a maximum permissible difference value associated with a sensor, the permissible difference value representing a difference amount between a current value and a corresponding previous value, and the power manager arranged such that if a current difference value exceeds the maximum difference value, the current value is transmitted. ### Claim 17 (depends on 14) The sensor device of claim 14, wherein the sensor device is arranged to transmit a heartbeat communication to indicate that a monitored component is operating as expected based on received sensor values, and to send frequency domain data if the at least one defined criterion is met. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The sensor device of claim 1, comprising at least one further sensor, the data transmission component arranged to transmit at least a portion of sensor data derived from the at least one further sensor. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The sensor device of claim 18, wherein the at least one further sensor includes a temperature sensor. ### Claim 20 (depends on 1) A sensor device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises an accelerometer arranged to sense vibrations in 3 mutually orthogonal axes. ### Claim 21 (depends on 1) The sensor device of claim 1, comprising an intrinsically safe switch arranged to control provision of power from a battery to all electrical components of the sensor device. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) The sensor device of claim 21, wherein the intrinsically safe switch includes a reed switch and a magnet that is receivable in a recess disposed adjacent the reed switch, wherein when the magnet is not received in the recess, the reed switch is closed, and when the magnet is received in the recess, the magnetic force provided by the magnet causes the reed switch to open. ### Claim 23 (depends on 1) A sensor network comprising: a plurality of sensor devices, each sensor device as recited in claim 1; a communications network capable of facilitating data transmissions from the data transmission components of the sensor devices; and a remote facility in network communication with the plurality of sensor devices through the communications network such that the data transmissions from the data transmission components are receivable at the remote facility. ### Claim 24 A method of sensing an operational characteristic of a component using a sensor device, the method comprising: disposing the sensor device on the component; providing the sensor device with a sensor; controlling the sensor device to produce time domain data representative of a sensed time dependent characteristic adjacent the sensor; using a signal processing component of the sensor device to produce frequency domain data using the time domain data, the frequency domain data indicative of frequency components present in the time domain data; controlling provision of power to at least one component of the sensor device according to power management criteria, the power management criteria defining wake up and sleep times whereby power to the at least one sensor device component is caused to be connected during wake time and power to the at least one sensor device component is caused to be disconnected during sleep time; and during each wake time, the method comprises: selecting a subset of frequency domain data from the frequency domain data according to the amount of data that can be included in a single data packet; and using a low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) protocol, transmitting the selected subset of frequency domain data in the single data packet using a data transmission component of the sensor device; wherein only one data packet is transmitted during each wake time. ### Claim 25 (depends on 24) The method of claim 24, wherein the selected subset of frequency domain data corresponds to a defined number of frequency peaks in the frequency domain data. ### Claim 26 (depends on 25) The method of claim 25, wherein the selected subset of frequency domain data corresponds to a defined number of the highest frequency peaks in the frequency domain data. ### Claim 27 (depends on 24) The method of claim 24, wherein the sensor device is also arranged to transmit other data in addition to the selected subset of frequency domain data. ### Claim 28 (depends on 27) The method of claim 27, wherein the other data includes any one or more of the following: maximum peak acceleration amplitude; minimum peak acceleration amplitude; mean acceleration amplitude; time domain acceleration crest factor; frequency domain rms value; frequency domain positive peak mean value; frequency domain negative peak mean value; peak velocity data values derived by integrating the acceleration frequency domain data, for example wherein each velocity value is the or one of several maximum values in a bin of a set of bins; and/or turning speed of a rotatable part of a component to which the sensor is attached. ### Claim 29 (depends on 28) The method of claim 28, comprising producing time domain vibration, acceleration, velocity and/or displacement data. ### Claim 30 (depends on 24) The method of claim 24, comprising transmitting the subset of the frequency domain data using a long range wide area network (LoRaWAN) protocol. ### Claim 31 (depends on 24) The method of claim 24, comprising storing the time domain data in an external memory and loading the time domain data into the signal processing component for processing. ### Claim 32 (depends on 31) The method of claim 31, comprising loading successive portions of the time domain data into the signal processing component so that the time domain data can be processed in several batches. ### Claim 33 (depends on 24) The method of claim 24, comprising selecting the subset of frequency domain data from a defined frequency band. ### Claim 34 (depends on 33) The method of claim 33, comprising progressively filling a buffer with data until the amount of data in the buffer is sufficient to fill a payload of a data packet used by the data transmission component, and causing the data in the buffer to be sent by the data transmission component when sufficient data is present in the buffer. ### Claim 35 (depends on 34) The method of claim 34, comprising sending the data irrespective of whether there is sufficient data to fill a data packet if at least one defined criterion is met. ### Claim 36 (depends on 35) The method of claim 35, wherein the at least one defined criterion includes a maximum and/or minimum permissible value associated with a sensor, wherein if a current value associated with the sensor exceeds the maximum or minimum value, the current value is transmitted. ### Claim 37 (depends on 35) The method of claim 35, wherein the at least one defined criterion includes a maximum permissible difference value associated with a sensor, the permissible difference value representing a difference amount between a current value and a corresponding previous value, wherein if a current difference value exceeds the maximum difference value, the current value is transmitted.