Machine monitoring device

A system comprising:

• a machine monitoring device operationally coupled to a machine, the machine monitoring device comprising:
• (a) a communications link to interrogate the machine with a probe signal and receive one or more measured machine operating condition outputs;
• and
• (b) a device controller for:
• (i) selecting a machine operating condition input variable for which a corresponding machine operating condition output is unknown;
• (ii) applying a predictive model in which the machine operating condition input variable serves as an argument of a predicted machine operating condition output;
• (iii) updating a library of predicted machine operating condition outputs;
• and
• (iv) alerting a human operator if a measured or predicted machine operating condition output is at variance with a predetermined threshold machine operating condition output;
• wherein the predictive model comprises at least two independent primary models, for each of which primary models at least one correspondence between a primary model machine operating condition and a corresponding primary model machine output are known;
• the primary models sharing or having been converted into the predictive model in which the primary models share a single common basis.

A method of monitoring a machine with a machine monitoring device, the method comprising:

• (a) interrogating a targeted machine component with a probe signal via a communications link and receiving one or more measured machine operating condition outputs;
• (b) selecting a targeted machine component operating condition input variable for which a corresponding targeted machine component operating condition output is unknown;
• (c) applying a predictive model in which the targeted machine component operating condition input variable serves as an argument of a predicted targeted machine component operating condition output;
• (d) updating a library of predicted targeted machine component operating condition outputs;
• and
• (e) alerting a human operator if a measured or predicted targeted machine component operating condition output is at variance with a predetermined threshold targeted machine component operating condition output;
• wherein the predictive model comprises at least two independent primary models, for each of which primary models at least one correspondence between a primary model targeted machine component operating condition and a corresponding primary model targeted machine component output are known;
• the primary models sharing or having been converted into the predictive model in which the primary models share a single common basis.