Advanced sensing strategies in the industrial sector are becoming a valued technological answer to increase the performance and competitiveness. The development of enhanced sensing solutions considering both technology and monitoring requirements is, nowadays, subject of concern in the industrial maintenance field. In this context, this paper presents a novel self-powered wireless sensor applied to condition monitoring of gears. The proposed sensor is based on a modular architecture, offering multipoint sensing, local wireless communication, multisource energy harvesting, and embedded diagnosis algorithm for mechanical fractures detection based on acoustic emission analysis. The developments are complemented by means of a remote management interface, from which the user can configure the functionalities of the sensors, visualize the network status as well as analyze the diagnosis evolution. The sensor performance, in terms of power consumption and fault detection, has been analyzed by means of experimental results.

An industrial machinery condition monitoring methodology based on ensemble novelty detection and evolving classification is proposed in this study. The methodology contributes to solve current challenges dealing with classical electromechanical system monitoring approaches applied in industrial frameworks, that is, the presence of unknown events, the limitation to the nominal healthy condition as starting knowledge, and the incorporation of new patterns to the available knowledge. The proposed methodology is divided into four main stages: 1) a dedicated feature calculation and reduction over available physical magnitudes to increase novelty detection and fault classification capabilities; 2) a novelty detection based on the ensemble of one-class support vector machines to identify not previously considered events; 3) a diagnosis by means of eClass evolving classifiers for patterns recognition; and 4) re-training to include new patterns to the novelty detection and fault identification models. The effectiveness of the proposed fault detection and identification methodology has been compared with classical approaches, and verified by experimental results obtained from an automotive end-of-line test machine.

Industrial process modelling represents a key factor to allow the future generation of industrial manufacturing plants. In this regard, accurate models of critical signals need to be designed in order to forecast process deviations. In this work a novel multimodal forecasting methodology based on adaptive dynamics packaging and codification of the process operation is proposed. First, a target signal is decomposed by means of the Empirical Mode Decomposition in order to identify the characteristics intrinsic mode functions. Second, such dynamics are packaged depending on their significance and modelling complexity. Third, the operating condition of the considered process, reflected by available auxiliary signals, is codified by means of a Self-Organizing Map and presented to the modelling structure. The forecasting structure is supported by a set of ensemble ANFIS based models, each one focused on a different set of signal dynamics. The performance and effectiveness of the proposed method is validated experimentally with industrial data from a copper rod manufacturing plant and performance comparison with classical approaches. The proposed method improves performance and generalization versus classical single model approaches.

A common denominator in the vast majority of processes in the food industry is refrigeration. Such systems guarantee the quality and the requisites of the final product at the expense of high amounts of energy. In this regard, the new Industry 4.0 framework provides the required data to develop new data-based methodologies to reduce such energy expenditure concern. Focusing in this issue, this paper proposes a data-driven methodology which improves the efficiency of the refrigeration systems acting on the load side. The solution approaches the problem with a novel load management methodology that considers the estimation of the individual load consumption and the necessary robustness to be applicable in highly variable industrial environments. Thus, the refrigeration system efficiency can be enhanced while maintaining the product in the desired conditions. The experimental results of the methodology demonstrate the ability to reduce the electrical consumption of the compressors by 17% as well as a 77% reduction in the operation time of two compressors working in parallel, a fact that enlarges the machines life. Furthermore, these promising savings are obtained without compromising the temperature requirements of each load.

Industrial process monitoring and modeling represent a critical step in order to achieve the paradigm of zero defect manufacturing. The aim of this paper is to introduce the neo-fuzzy neuron method to be applied in industrial time series modeling. Its open structure and input independence provide fast learning and convergence capabilities, while assuring a proper accuracy and generalization in the modeled output. First, the auxiliary signals in the database are analyzed in order to find correlations with the target signal. Second, the neo-fuzzy neuron is configured and trained accordingly by means of the auxiliary signal, past instants, and dynamics information of the target signal. The proposed method is validated by means of real data from a Spanish copper rod industrial plant, in which a critical signal regarding copper refrigeration process is modeled. The obtained results indicate the suitability of the neo-fuzzy neuron method for industrial process modeling.

This paper presents a condition-based monitoring methodology based on novelty detection applied to industrial machinery. The proposed approach includes both the classical classification of multiple a priori known scenarios, and the innovative detection capability of new operating modes not previously available. The development of condition-based monitoring methodologies considering the isolation capabilities of unexpected scenarios represents, nowadays, a trending topic able to answer the demanding requirements of the future industrial processes monitoring systems. First, the method is based on the temporal segmentation of the available physical magnitudes, and the estimation of a set of time-based statistical features. Then, a double feature reduction stage based on principal component analysis and linear discriminant analysis is applied in order to optimize the classification and novelty detection performances. The posterior combination of a feed-forward neural network and one-class support vector machine allows the proper interpretation of known and unknown operating conditions. The effectiveness of this novel condition monitoring scheme has been verified by experimental results obtained from an automotive industry machine.