Patent attributes
A system and method is provided for predicting an imbalance condition in a rotating device. The rotational imbalance prediction system (100) includes an accelerometer assembly (104), including at least one accelerometer (304), and a processor (306). The at least one accelerometer (304) provides acceleration measurements to the processor (306), the measurements describing the current acceleration of an orbit of the rotational device (102). The processor (306) receives the acceleration measurements and calculates an average radius of the orbit (202) to determine if the average radius is increasing, predictive of an imbalance condition. The processor (306) generates a signal in response to the prediction of an imbalance condition and transmits the signal to a motor control (308) or a remote alarm module (302). The system and method provides for countermeasures to be taken in response to the prediction of an imbalance condition, thereby eliminating the imbalance condition.