What wireless condition monitoring would look like in a car
An exploration of wireless sensors and when too much data makes things difficult
There seems to be a common misconception out there that the more data you have, the clearer things become. With condition monitoring, it’s not about the quantity of the data, but about the quality. This blog will explore how wireless sensors should be used to collect the right kind of useable data – giving you access to important, top-level metrics that have a direct influence on performance, safety, and usability.
How much data is too much data?
To illustrate this, we’re going to make a quick comparison that might help clarify this. Picture this: you’re driving down the road and you see a red light appear on your dashboard. Your tyre has burst and is beyond repair. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to continue your journey, as you’ll have to stop and get it fixed.
While the warning sign was helpful, it didn’t give you much scope to prevent the issue. New technology, however, is helping to prevent these situations by predicting them. Nowadays, we have cars that give you a warning prior to the big red flag (i.e. your tyre bursting). Let’s call this the amber light, which shows up and gives you a gradual warning, letting you know exactly what the problem is (for example, your tyre pressure) and letting you know how long you can continue with it.
This is essentially what condition monitoring does for your machinery. What you don’t need is constant feedback and huge amounts of data, constantly telling you exactly what the tyre pressure is all the time. Similarly, you don’t want it to get to the point where your car breaks down. Instead, you want to know the absolutely vital information, instead of ALL the details. You just want to know when it’s wearing down, when it’s about to break, and how much time you can safely use the equipment for.
Valuable Information not huge quantities of data
We have incorporated this philosophy into our sensors. Our sensors help put you in the driving seat by actively preventing breakdowns. Alerts and alarms can be customised, providing you with a simple, yet effective solution that gives you advanced warnings whenever needed. Furthermore, these predictive maintenance frameworks are based on all the collected data of your machinery, meaning that you can trust the reliability and the severity of warning messages when they appear. This is all compiled in a state-of-the-art software package that brings together the most important information into a digestible and comprehensive analytical hub, without bombarding you with needless statistics and endless measurements.
Instead of constant measurements, we utilise a system of periodic monitoring, which allows you to compare the measured results against previously recorded levels of acceptability. Not only is this efficient, but it removes the need for constant and unnecessary feedback, allowing you to get the updates you need without any extra background noise.
Sensor-Works
A good condition monitoring system will do the monitoring for you, filtering out any inconsequential and nonessential data. This leaves you with the most important information, which smoothens all your system and processes. Contact us for more information regarding our sensors and our systems.
