Dytran CAN-MD digital smart accelerometer network

The CAN-MD (Controller Area Network – Machinery Diagnostics) accelerometer, from Dytran Instruments, is a bus-based, digital smart accelerometer network with configurable firmware for machinery health monitoring and diagnostics.

The sensor offers the ability to collect vibration data, process spectral data and calculate condition indicators (CIs) within the sensor itself without the need of an external data processor used with traditional analog IEPE type accelerometers. A CI is the result, or the processed data, that is provided as an output onto the CAN bus. CIs are sent over the CAN bus v2.0b interface using a Sage/Dytran developed network protocol.

The product offers a variety of benefits for test cell operators to help monitor the health of key assets. These include digital solutions that offer simpler wiring schemas by reducing cable runs to one primary bus cable, as opposed to the multitude of individual cable runs required by analog systems.

Data reduction from CAN-MD edge computing is said to minimise the need for high-speed network connections or large data repositories for IIoT integration. Powerful user-configurable acquisitions and data processing algorithms performed in the sensors remove the need for traditional data acquisition hardware.

Widespread adoption of CAN bus allows the sensors to interface with COTS CAN data logger, gateways, test cell hardware and digital bridge devices using the detailed interfaced control documents available for CAN-MD and expand the sensor channel count on existing data acquisition hardware equipped with a CAN bus — up to 32 sensors are available on a single CAN channel.