A malfunction diagnosis apparatus for a gear motor includes a vibration sensor portion, and a diagnosis unit that determines whether or not an abnormality occurs in the gear motor based on vibration detected by the vibration sensor portion. The vibration sensor portion and the diagnosis unit are installed in the gear motor. The diagnosis unit has a control power source which supplies power to the vibration sensor portion. The vibration sensor portion outputs detected vibration data to the diagnosis unit in a digital format.

System including a sensor configured to be disposed within a reservoir of a machine having moving parts that are lubricated by a liquid in the reservoir. The sensor is configured to obtain a measurement of the liquid that is representative of at least one of a quantity or quality of the liquid in the reservoir. The system also includes a device body operably coupled to the sensor. The device body has a processing unit that is operably coupled to the sensor and configured to generate first data signals representative of the measurement of the liquid. The device body also includes a transmitter that is configured to wirelessly communicate the first data signals to a remote reader.

System including a sensor configured to be disposed within a reservoir of a machine having moving parts that are lubricated by a liquid in the reservoir. The sensor is configured to obtain a measurement of the liquid that is representative of at least one of a quantity or quality of the liquid in the reservoir. The system also includes a device body operably coupled to the sensor. The device body has a processing unit that is operably coupled to the sensor and configured to generate first data signals representative of the measurement of the liquid. The device body also includes a transmitter that is configured to wirelessly communicate the first data signals to a remote reader.

A method is provided for testing a reliability of a plurality of driven component variants (22, 24, 30), such as those to be used as power train elements in one or more wind turbines. The method includes conducting physical success run testing on a test bench (42) of a first subset of test specimens (50) provided for the component variants (22, 24, 30), and conducting virtual success run testing of a second subset of the test specimens (50). The virtual success run testing does not use test bench time or physical component samples, which reduces the costs typically needed to provide reliability results for specified operating time durations or other parameters at desired confidence levels for operators of driven components such as wind turbine operators, who want to avoid unscheduled downtime based on component failures.

A method is provided for testing a reliability of a plurality of driven component variants (22, 24, 30), such as those to be used as power train elements in one or more wind turbines. The method includes conducting physical success run testing on a test bench (42) of a first subset of test specimens (50) provided for the component variants (22, 24, 30), and conducting virtual success run testing of a second subset of the test specimens (50). The virtual success run testing does not use test bench time or physical component samples, which reduces the costs typically needed to provide reliability results for specified operating time durations or other parameters at desired confidence levels for operators of driven components such as wind turbine operators, who want to avoid unscheduled downtime based on component failures.

A disc brake vibration estimation method includes a step of obtaining input physical amounts that are physical amounts about the disc rotor and the pad, a step of estimating a vibration of the disc brake in an in-plane direction which is a circumferential direction of the disc rotor according to the obtained input physical amounts and a fluctuation in contact stiffness between the disc rotor and the pad, and a step of making a determination at least about squeal of the disc brake in the in-plane direction according to a displacement or a value derived from the displacement after a prescribed period from a start of estimation after the vibration of the disc brake is estimated.

Systems and methods to monitor a wind turbine azimuth drivetrain. Azimuth variation characteristics data are accumulated from wind turbines over a period of time. Clusters of values within the azimuth variation characteristics data are identified and a respective condition of the main drivetrain is associated with different clusters of values. After the associating, a measured set of azimuth variation characteristics data is received. A cluster corresponds to values in the measured set of azimuth variation characteristics data is determined and a condition associated with that cluster is determined to be a condition associated with the subject main drivetrain. That condition is then reported.

Systems and methods to monitor a wind turbine azimuth drivetrain. Azimuth variation characteristics data are accumulated from wind turbines over a period of time. Clusters of values within the azimuth variation characteristics data are identified and a respective condition of the main drivetrain is associated with different clusters of values. After the associating, a measured set of azimuth variation characteristics data is received. A cluster corresponds to values in the measured set of azimuth variation characteristics data is determined and a condition associated with that cluster is determined to be a condition associated with the subject main drivetrain. That condition is then reported.

A test rig of the closed loop type for testing power transmission units of any geometry, in particular helicopter transmissions, comprising drives with friction belts, flat belts in particular. The belt drives have pulleys with diameters that compensate for the creep in the belts. In some embodiments, the test rig comprises ‘slave’ transmissions. In some embodiments the slave transmission is positioned and oriented in such a manner that all its input and output shafts, regardless their different space angles, become parallel and rotating in the same direction as their corresponding shafts on the tested transmission. The shafts can thus be connected by the flat belt drives to close the loops. In other embodiments, sets of gearboxes are run with their slave units; their orientation is also set so as to enable the parallelism and identity of the rotational direction of the shafts the belt drives are connected to. Still, in other embodiments, the close loops are implemented by belt drives only, including belt drives with twisted belts. Torquing the loops is accomplished either by tensioning the belts during operation or by a torque generator device.

A torque transmission apparatus incorporates a differential gear system and a stationary sensor connected to the differential gear system for measuring output torque. The stationary sensor may be connected to a measurement output element of the differential gear system by a torsionally compliant measurement member, wherein the stationary sensor measures torsional deformation of the measurement member. The torsional deformation may be measured directly, or it may be measured following amplification by a gear train. A rotary position sensor may be used as the stationary sensor. Alternatively, the stationary sensor may be connected to the measurement output element of the differential gear system by way of a rigid measurement member, wherein the stationary sensor measures force applied by the measurement member. In this alternative, a force sensor may be used as the stationary sensor.