Patent ID: 7667827

Claim:
A system for monitoring the vibration of a plurality of machines located in a common facility, comprising: a plurality of retro-reflective patches, wherein one or more of the plurality of machines comprises one or more of the retro-reflective patches affixed thereon; and a vibration detection unit comprising: an optics module positioned in the facility, wherein the optics module is operable to determine the vibration of a selected one of the plurality of machines by transmitting an interrogator beam to a selected one of the plurality of retro-reflective patches affixed to the selected one of the plurality of machines, receiving a vibration modulated beam from the selected one of the plurality of retro-reflective patches, and demodulating the vibration modulated beam; and a control module operable to orient the optics module so that the optics module separately determines the vibration of some or all the plurality of machines in the facility, wherein the control module orients the optics module via rotation, translation, or a combination thereof.