Project 29: Motor Doctors

Unplanned maintenance and down-time due to motor failure can be costly, but existing condition monitoring solutions are too expensive to justify installation on low-cost motors. A low-cost motor health monitoring device is needed.

Problem Description/requirements (List of high-level functionality you expect to see in the end product):

The motor health monitoring solution should identify and report abnormalities in the operation of small direct-on-line induction motors, including both improper setup and ongoing prognosis including prediction of bearing failure. The solution may be integrated into the motor. It should target an additional production cost under $5. It must communicate the health of the motor to a local operator, e.g. by colored lights or wirelessly, however it must be assumed that a network or cloud connection is unavailable. It is expected that a test apparatus with examples of good and suboptimal motors will be required to define sensor ranges or train a machine model.

Required Skills / Desired Competencies (in order of importance):

Embedded hardware and programming
Programming experience
PCB design and layout
Wireless communications
Electromechanical knowledge
Power electronics and systems
Sensor interface
Analog circuit design
MATLAB and Simulink

How often and how would you be available to meet/chat with the team (Zoom, Hangout, Skype, Phone)?

1 hour once per week in person or by video conference as required by Covid-19

Will the students be required to sign any of the following before they start with the project? NDA / CDA / IP assignment / IP protection form

No.