Systems and methods for managing industrial assets

• US 10,234,853 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2016
• Issued: 03/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Digital Holdings LLC (GE Aerospace)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Mukkamala, Himagiri, Winkler, Steve, Roy, Subrata, Kodesh, Harel, Schmidt, Marc-Thomas, Hart, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ramesh B
• Application Number:
  US15/394,462
• Publication Number:
  US 20170192414A1
• Time in Patent Office: 810 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41885 characterised by modeling, simulation of the manufacturing system
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23005 Expert design system, uses modeling, simulation, to control design process
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/33139 Design of industrial communication system with expert system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/045 for graphical visualisation of monitoring data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0876 based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or device fingerprint
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/18 using different networks or channels, e.g. using out of band channels cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving distinctive intermediate devices or communication paths H04L9/0827; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for authentication using a plurality of channels H04L9/3215
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/80 Management or planning

Abstract

Systems and methods described herein are configured for managing industrial assets. In an example embodiment, information about industrial assets or their use conditions, such as gathered from sensors embedded at or near industrial machines or assets themselves, can be aggregated, analyzed, and processed in software residing locally or remotely from the assets. In an example embodiment, applications can be provided to optimize an industrial asset for operation in a business context. In an example embodiment, a cloud-based asset management platform can include development tools to facilitate development, by end-users, of applications for interfacing with and optimizing industrial assets, and for managing relationships between various industrial assets.

Claims

1. A system for managing a plurality of industrial assets, the system comprising:

a plurality of industrial assets, including at least first and second industrial assets;

a first sensor configured to sense information about an operating or environment characteristic of the first industrial asset;

a first machine module including a first processor circuit, the first machine module coupled to the first industrial asset and the first sensor;

a second machine module including a second processor circuit, the second machine module coupled to the second industrial asset; and

an asset cloud computing system coupled to the first and second machine modules, the asset cloud computing system comprising;

a virtual asset that is configured to be simulated to virtually represent a physical structure of at least one of the first and second industrial assets;

a database configured to store the information from the first sensor about the first industrial asset; and

an analyzer circuit configured to identify a modification to an operating parameter of a machine implemented control of the second industrial asset in response to a changing state of the physical structure of the first industrial asset detected from a simulation of the virtual asset based on the information from the first sensor; and

push the identified modification of the operating parameter of the machine implemented control to the second industrial asset, via a network.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a second sensor configured to sense information about an operating or environment characteristic of the second industrial asset;

wherein the second machine module is coupled to the second industrial asset and the second sensor; and

wherein the asset cloud computing system includes the data configured to store the information from the first and second sensors about the first and second industrial assets, respectively; and

wherein the analyzer circuit is configured to apply the stored information from at least one of the first and second sensors to identify an operating parameter update for at least the second industrial asset.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the analyzer circuit is configured to identify different operating parameter modifications for the first and second industrial assets.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the analyzer circuit is configured to communicate the operating parameter modification for the second industrial asset to the second industrial asset using the asset cloud computing system and the second machine module.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the asset cloud computing system is configured to receive, from the first sensor via the first machine module, time series data about the operating or environment characteristic of the first industrial asset.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the first machine module is configured to receive the time series data from the first sensor, update the received time series data with header or tag information, and send the updated time series data t the asset cloud computing system.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the analyzer circuit is configured to apply machine learning, including historical and operational analytics, to identify the operating parameter modification using the information from the first sensor and the asset model.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a user interface coupled to the first industrial asset, the user interface configured to receive a user input and, in response to the user input, to communicate instructions to the first industrial asset to implement or disregard an operating parameter modification.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a user interface coupled to the asset cloud computing system, the user interface configured to receive a user input and, in response to the user input, to communicate instructions to the first industrial asset to implement or disregard an operating parameter modification.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising a mobile device in data communication with the asset cloud computing system, the mobile device providing a user interface to receive one or more user inputs to influence the identification of the operating parameter modification by the analyzer circuit.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of industrial assets comprise at least one of:

an engine system for aircraft;

a power generation system;

a power distribution system;

a medical imaging system;

a medical treatment system;

a medical records management system;

a natural resource mining system;

a water processing system;

a transportation system;

a manufacturing system;

a marine system;

a datacenter system; and

a vessel for navigable waters.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the virtual model is configured for use in a processor-implemented simulation program to determine asset wear, asset failure modes, asset response to environmental conditions, asset fatigue, or asset component fatigue.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the asset cloud computing system includes multiple software-implemented virtual models corresponding to the first industrial asset, and wherein the analyzer circuit is configured to select for analysis one of the multiple virtual models based on the information from the first sensor.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second industrial assets include, respectively, first and second wind turbines that are geographically co-located at a wind farm.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second industrial assets include, respectively, first and second jet engines that are located on different aircraft.

16. A method for optimizing an operation of an industrial machine, the method comprising:

providing a virtual asset that can be used by a processor circuit to generate, in response to at least one input condition, expected behavior information about and industrial machine;

operating multiple industrial machines, wherein each of the machines corresponds to the virtual asset;

sensing information about a first operating characteristic for one or more of the machines during operation;

simulating the virtual asset based on the sensed information, wherein the simulated virtual asset virtually represents a dynamic changing state of a physical structure of an industrial machine among the multiple industrial machines;

identifying a modification to an operating parameter of a machine implemented control of the industrial machine in response to a changing state of the industrial machine detected from the simulation of the virtual asset based on the sensed information; and

pushing the identified modification of the operating parameter of the machine implemented control to the industrial machine, via a network.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the sensing information about the first operating characteristic includes sensing information using sensors implemented at the respective multiple machines, and wherein the identifying the modification to the operating parameter includes using a processor circuit at a remote asset cloud computing system.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

communicating the identified modification of the operating parameter to a control circuit corresponding to the industrial machine defining a behavior of the industrial machine.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising updating the virtual asset itself using the sensed information about the first operating characteristic for each of the multiple machines.

20. A computing system comprising:

a network interface configured to receive sensor data acquired by one or more sensors associated with an industrial machine; and

a processor configured to simulate a virtual twin that virtually mimics a physical structure of the industrial machine based on the received sensor data, identify a change in the physical structure of the industrial machine based on a change in a virtual structure of the simulated virtual twin, and determine to modify an operating parameter of a machine-implemented control of the industrial machine based on the identified change in the physical structure based on the change in the virtual structure of the simulated virtual twin,

wherein the processor is further configured to control the network interface to transmit the modification of the operating parameter of the machine-implemented control to a computing system associated with the industrial machine.