ADI’s MEMS Wireless Vibration Sensing System Enables Remote Monitoring of Industrial Machine Health

The new networked system includes the ADIS16229 iSensor wireless vibration sensor node, which combines dual-axis digital MEMs (micro-electro mechanical systems) acceleration sensing with advanced frequency-domain and time-domain signal processing.

The sensing system also includes the ADIS16000 gateway node, which supports up to six ADIS16229 sensors at one time using a proprietary wireless protocol, managed through an SPI interface compatible with most embedded processor platforms. The wireless function enables the remote monitoring of equipment in hard to reach or dangerous locations, while the vibration sensing and detection node is easy to install into existing infrastructure and allows continual monitoring that can be used to evaluate equipment performance and schedule predictive maintenance.

“The primary driver of predictive maintenance is the reduction of factory system downtime, which currently relies on periodic off-line performance trend analysis,” said Bob Scannell, iSensor business development manager, MEMS/Sensors Group, Analog Devices. “With MEMS-based vibration sensors that continuously monitor machine tools, turbines, pumps, conveyors, compressors, engines and other equipment, factory operators receive real-time statistical performance data and process control feedback that allow them to prevent costly system shut-downs.”

More About the ADIS16229 and ADIS16000
The ADIS16229 is a complete sensor node featuring a MEMs vibration sensor, an RF transceiver and embedded frequency and time domain signal processing. The device captures shifts in equipment performance through direct analysis and reporting of the frequency-domain signature using a 512-point, real-valued FFT (fast Fourier transform), FFT magnitude averaging and programmable spectral alarms. An FFT record storage system offers users the ability to track changes over time and capture FFTs with multiple decimation filter settings.

The ADIS16000 gateway node wirelessly connects with up to six sensor nodes, and then interfaces with most embedded processor platforms, through a standard SPI interface.

ADIS16229 and ADIS16000 Key Features
• MEMS wireless vibration system: 862 MHz to 928 MHz

• Sensor node (ADIS16229)
o Dual-axis, ±18g MEMS accelerometer
o 5.5k-Hz resonant frequency
o Sample rate up to 20 kSPS
o Programmable wake-up capture, update cycle times
o FFT, 512-point, real valued; programmable averaging/storage
o Programmable alarms, 6 spectral bands, 2 levels
o Internal self-test, with status flags
o Single-supply operation: 3.0 V to 3.6 V

• Gateway node (ADIS16000)
o SPI to RF function
o Manage up to 6 sensor nodes