Self-diagnosing intelligent motors: a key enabler for next generation manufacturing systems

One of the significant trends changing the landscape of manufacturing systems is the migration toward intelligent devices. The low cost of microprocessors, memory, and I/O provides for embedding intelligence into remote, distributed components of a manufacturing process. These remote components may be sensors (e.g. intelligent sensors) or actuators (e.g. intelligent motors). Another important trend we see is the growing importance on machinery reliability and condition-based maintenance (CBM) strategies. Several manufacturers provide a motor controller integrated with a motor for variable speed motor operation. This “integrated motor” provides a compact package for distributed control. We believe significant opportunity lies in integrating low-cost sensors and processors within industrial machinery, such as a motor and enabling the machine to continuously monitor its own health. The capability of a motor for self-diagnosis through distributed intelligence is called an “intelligent motor”. The capability of an intelligent device provides for establishing the health of the machinery and its operation and in addition also enables establishing the future state of the machine (failure prediction). Intelligent devices also provide for establishing the health of connected machinery and to evaluate the performance of the driven, connected, process. Finally, these devices provide valuable state estimation data that enables superior closed-loop control and promotes fail-safe machinery operation. The implication of these new self-diagnosing technologies are far reaching and include reducing maintenance costs, providing process optimization and enhancing process quality, insuring reliable machinery operation and improving operating safety and safe-guarding the environment. Collectively, these technologies pave the way for the effective implementation of next generation manufacturing strategies