Patent ID: 7627441

Claim:
An apparatus for use in an industrial process control or monitoring system, comprising: a process device for coupling to an industrial process which includes a process transmitter or controller to monitor or control the industrial process and communicate; a process coupling configured to couple the process device to a process which includes piping carrying a process fluid, the process coupling configured to receive vibrations from the process; a vibration sensor configured to receive vibrations from the process which are transferred from the process through the process coupling and to sense vibrations and provide a sensed vibration signal; and diagnostic circuitry located in the process device configured to receive the sensed vibration signal and responsively provide a diagnostic output related to a process disturbance or operation of a process component; wherein the process device includes a process variable sensor separate from the vibration sensor configured to sense a process variable; and wherein the diagnostic output is based upon a comparison of an accumulation of the sensed vibrations over at least a partial lifetime of use of the vibration sensor to a threshold.