Industrial plant asset management system: apparatus and method

• US 20030023518A1
• Filed: 07/08/2002
• Published: 01/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/29/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bently Nevada Incorporated (General Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Bently Nevada Incorporated (General Electric Company)
• Inventors: Jensen, Mark, Anderson, Matt, Roby, Scott, Richetta, Paul, Bennington, Rich, Seymour, Diana, Hayashida, Bob, Peden, Mike, Frogget, Daryl, Spriggs, Bob, Ceglia, Ken
• Granted Patent: US 6,775,576 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/28
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/19 characterised by positioning or contouring control systems, e.g. to control position from one programmed point to another or to control movement along a programmed continuous path
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31396 Business management, production, document, asset, regulatory management, high level
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32235 Sharing of data between process control and maintenance management computers
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0272 Presentation of monitored results, e.g. selection of status reports to be displayed; Filtering information to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• 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 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

An industrial plant asset management system comprising of a synchronized multiple view graphical user interface combining simultaneous real time and database display capability, a database including a knowledge manager and having input and output interfaces, a normalizing data acquisition module with real time and database interfaces, and a variety of device dependent data collector modules with associated signal conditioning and processing devices for providing an environment for development and deployment of visual models for monitoring plant assets.

Claims

1. - A plant asset management system, comprising in combination:

a processing device,

a display device coupled to said processing device for providing a graphical user interface to a user in response to receipt of signals from said processing device,

a selection device coupled to said processing device for navigating about said graphical user interface and making selections,

said graphical user interface including a first view in a first window and a second view in a second window simultaneously displayed on said display device;

means for linking said first view in said first window with said second view in said second window so that a selection by said selection device of a first asset representation in said first view results in a synchronous navigation from one second asset representation in said second view to another second asset representation in said second view without said selection device interfacing with said second view in said second window so that said one second asset representation in said second view navigates to said another asset representation in said second view that is correlative to said selected first asset representation in said first view for managing plant assets.

2. - The plant asset management system of claim 1 wherein said selected first asset representation in said first view is one of a plurality of plant asset objects displayed in a hierarchical manner in said first view of said first window.

3. - The plant asset management system of claim 2 wherein said second asset representation in said second view is a two or three-dimensional graphical object view of said selected first asset representation in said first view of said first window.

4. - A plant asset management system, comprising in combination:

data acquisition means operatively coupled to a plurality of plant assets for receiving and processing asset data,

a memory means associated with said data acquisition means for storing said processed asset data;

a graphical user interface operatively coupled to said memory means and displayed on a display of a computer;

a selection device operatively coupled to said computer for navigating about said graphical user interface,

said graphical user interface including a first view having a plurality of plant asset representations hierarchically displayed therein and representative of said plant assets;

said graphical user interface further including a second view simultaneously displayed with said first view;

means for linking said first view with said second view so that a selection by said selection device of one of said plurality of plant asset representations in said first view results in a synchronous display of a two or three-dimensional graphical asset representation in said second view representative of said selected one of said plurality of plant asset representations in said first view for managing plant assets without said selection device interfacing with said second view.

5. - The plant asset management system of claim 4 wherein said linking means includes a first object that receives navigation commands from a second object and transmits navigation commands to a third object for synchronously linking said first view with said second view so that said selection by said selection device of said one of said plurality of plant asset representations in said first view results in a synchronous display of said graphical asset representation in said second view representative of said selected one of said plurality of plant asset representations in said first view.

6. - A plant asset management system, comprising in combination:

data acquisition means operatively coupled to a plurality of plant assets for receiving and processing asset data,

a database operatively coupled to said data acquisition means for storing said processed asset data;

a graphical user interface operatively coupled to said database and displayed on a display of a computer;

a plurality of plant asset objects hierarchically displayed in a first view of said graphical user interface for representing said plant assets;

means for interfacing with at least one of said plurality of plant asset objects for managing at least one of said plant assets by accessing said processed asset data from said database correlative to a status of said at least one of said plant assets.

7. - The plant asset management system of claim 6 further including a second view of said graphical user interface that is synchronously linked with said first view for displaying a graphical view representation of said at least one of said plurality of plant asset objects that said interfacing means is interfacing with in said first view.

8. - The plant asset management system of claim 7 further including a third view of said graphical user interface that is synchronously linked with said first view for displaying a bargraph view graphically displaying a plurality of bargraphs wherein at least one of said bargraphs is representative of the status of said at least one of said plant assets that is represented by said at least one of said plurality of plant asset objects that said interfacing means is interfacing with in said first view.

9. - The plant asset management system of claim 7 further including a third view of said graphical user interface that is synchronously linked with said first view for displaying a trend plot view displaying a trend plot of said at least one of said plant assets that is represented by said at least one of said plurality of plant asset objects that said interfacing means is interfacing with in said first view.

10. - The plant asset management system of claim 6 wherein said graphical user interface is operatively coupled to said data acquisition means for displaying in real-time said processed asset data of at least one of said plurality of plant assets by interfacing with at least one of said plurality of plant asset objects representative of said at least one of said plurality of plant assets.

11. - The plant asset management system of claim 6 wherein said accessed processed data is in the form of one or more graphical plots displayed in a window view of said graphical user interface.

12. - A method of managing plant assets, the step including:

collecting and processing asset data from a plurality of measurement devices operatively coupled to plant assets including machinery;

storing said processed asset data on a storage medium;

interfacing with said storage medium via a computer means having a graphical user interface;

establishing a hierarchical object view including hierarchical objects representative of said plant assets and displaying said hierarchical object view on said graphical user interface;

interfacing with said hierarchical objects representative of said plant assets displayed by said graphical user interface for accessing said processed asset data stored on said storage medium for managing plant assets.

13. - The method of claim 12 further including the step of establishing a graphical object view including graphical objects representative of said plant assets and simultaneously displaying on said graphical user interface both said graphical object view and said hierarchical object view.

14. - The method of claim 13 further including the step of synchronizing said graphical object view with said hierarchical object view for displaying a graphical object in said graphical object view which is correlative to a hierarchical object being interfaced with in said hierarchical object view.

15. - The method of claim 14 further including the step of interfacing with said graphical objects representative of said plant assets displayed by said graphical user interface for accessing said processed asset data stored on said storage medium for managing plant assets.

16. - The method of claim 15 further including the step of establishing a bargraph view including a plurality of graphical bargraphs each representative of a status of at least one of said plant assets and simultaneously displaying on said graphical user interface both said bargraph view and said hierarchical object view.

17. - A plant asset management system, comprising in combination:

data acquisition means operatively coupled to plant assets for receiving and processing asset data from said plant assets;

a database operatively coupled to said data acquisition means for storing said processed asset data;

a graphical user interface operatively coupled to said database and displayed on a display of a computer;

a first window view of plant asset objects hierarchically displayed on said graphical user interface and representing said plant assets;

means for correlating said processed data to said plant asset objects;

means for configuring alarm parameters for said plant assets and storing said parameters in said database;

means for applying said alarm parameters for said plant assets to said processed data correlated to said plant assets for determining plant assets in alarm;

means for color highlighting each of said hierarchically displayed plant asset objects having anomalies determined in their correlated processed data for managing plant assets by providing visual feedback of said plant assets in alarm.

18. - The plant asset management system of claim 17 further including means for defining severity levels for said alarm parameters and associating different colors to different severity levels so that said color highlighting means highlights said hierarchically displayed plant asset objects based on said defined severity levels for said alarm parameters.

19. - A plant asset management system, comprising in combination:

data acquisition means for receiving and processing asset data transmitted by at least one plant asset;

means for defining at least one setpoint value;

means for defining a severity level to said at least one setpoint value;

storage means for storing said at least one setpoint value and said severity level;

means for applying said at least one setpoint value to said asset data for determining if any asset data exceeds said at least one setpoint value, and

a graphical user interface including means for providing visual feedback to a user correlative to said severity level for asset data exceeding said at least one setpoint value.

20. - The plant asset management system of claim 19 further including means for defining a plurality of different setpoint values and for defining severity levels for each of said plurality of different setpoint values.

21. - The plant asset management system of claim 20 wherein said storage means stores said plurality of different setpoint values and said plurality of different severity levels.

22. - The plant asset management system of claim 21 further including means for defining a particular color to each of said plurality of different severity levels.

23. - The plant asset management system of claim 22 further including means for applying said plurality of different setpoint values to said asset data for determining if any asset data exceeds said plurality of different setpoint values and further including means for providing visual feedback to said user via said graphical user interface that is correlative to each of said severity levels colors for asset data exceeding each of said plurality of setpoint values.

24. - A plant asset management system, comprising in combination:

a data acquisition computer operatively coupled to a plurality of plant assets for receiving and processing asset data,

a database operatively coupled to said data acquisition computer for storing said processed asset data;

a graphical user interface operatively coupled to said database and displayed on a display of a computer;

said graphical user interface displaying a plurality of plant asset objects in a first widow view representative of said plurality of plant assets;

means for interfacing with said plurality of plant asset objects for accessing said processed asset data from said database;

means for displaying a plurality of data sets of said accessed data on said graphical user interface, each data set including a cursor displayed there with;

means for synchronizing one cursor in one of said plurality of data sets with another cursor in another of said plurality of data sets so that movement of said one cursor to a first parameter in said one of said plurality of data sets automatically results in synchronously driving said another cursor to a second parameter in said another of said plurality of data sets which is correlative to said first parameter.

25. - The plant asset management system of claim 24 wherein said plurality of data sets are graphical plots of said accessed data.

26. - The plant asset management system of claim 24 wherein said first parameter and said second parameter are sample parameters.

27. - The plant asset management system of claim 24 wherein said first parameter and said second parameter are time parameters.

28. - The plant asset management system of claim 24 wherein said first parameter and said second parameter are RPM parameters.

29. - A plant asset management system, comprising in combination:

a data acquisition computer operatively coupled to a plurality of plant assets for receiving and processing asset data,

a database operatively coupled to said data acquisition computer for storing said processed asset data;

a graphical user interface operatively coupled to said database and displayed on a display of a computer;

said graphical user interface displaying a plurality of plant asset objects in a first widow view representative of said plurality of plant assets;

means for interfacing with said plurality of plant asset objects for accessing said processed asset data from said database;

means for displaying a first graphical plot of said accessed data on said graphical user interface and storing said plot in said database;

means for displaying subsequent graphical plots of said accessed data on said graphical user interface and storing said subsequent graphical plots in said database for defining a plot session viewable at a later time.

30. - The plant asset management system of claim 29 further including means for displaying a graphical map of said plot sessions and plots therein in a second window view on said graphical user interface simultaneously with displaying said plurality of plant asset objects in said first widow view.

31. - The plant asset management system of claim 29 wherein said first graphical plot includes a plurality of individual plots defining a plot group.

32. - The plant asset management system of claim 29 wherein at least one of said subsequent graphical plots include a plurality of individual plots for defining a plot group.

33. - The plant asset management system of claim 29 wherein said first graphical plot and at least one of said subsequent graphical plots include a plurality of individual plots for defining a plurality of plot groups.

34. - A method of managing plant assets, the step including:

obtaining visual colored feedback from at least one object in a hierarchy of objects displayed on a graphical user interface, said visual colored feedback being correlative to an anomalous asset status;

iteratively expanding objects in said hierarchy of objects that provide said visual colored feedback for determining causation of the anomalous asset status.

35. - A plant asset management system, comprising in combination:

a plurality of transducers operatively coupled to plant assets for sensing plant asset data;

a plurality of different data acquisition devices including both online and offline data acquisition devices, each said different data acquisition device operatively coupled to at least one of said transducers for processing said sensed plant asset data;

a plurality of data collector modules each operatively coupled to at least one of said different data acquisition devices for collecting plant asset data from said different data acquisition devices;

a database operatively coupled to said data collector modules for storing said collected plant asset data;

a unified graphical user interface operatively coupled to said database for receiving and displaying said stored data including both online and offline stored data.