Compressor remote monitoring system

• US 20030055534A1
• Filed: 09/17/2002
• Published: 03/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems Company Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Plant Technologies Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Hirose, Shinichi, Saito, Takashi, Yamazaki, Makoto, Tsuru, Seiji
• Granted Patent: US 7,136,781 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/276
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2223/06 Remote monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0283 Predictive maintenance, e.g. involving the monitoring of a system and, based on the monitoring results, taking decisions on the maintenance schedule of the monitored system; Estimating remaining useful life [RUL] preventive maintenance, i.e. planning maintenance according to the available resources without monitoring the system G06Q10/06

Abstract

In a system for monitoring each of compressors distant from each other through at least one of internet communication, optical communication line, electric communication line and wireless communication, a server computer obtains actual condition data of the each of the compressors through the at least one of internet communication, optical communication line, electric communication line and wireless communication, and stores therein the obtained actual condition data and predetermined database to be compared with the obtained actual condition data to find a remarkable technical point in the compressor, and a service center computer outputs the remarkable technical point to at least one of a service person and the compressor so that the at least one of the service person, the compressor and the user of the compressor can handle appropriately the remarkable technical point in the compressor.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring a compressor in each of user'"'"'s plants distant from each other through at least one of internet communication, optical communication line, electric communication line and wireless communication, comprising

a server computer for obtaining actual condition data of the each of the compressors through the at least one of internet communication, optical communication line, electric communication line and wireless communication, and storing therein the obtained actual condition data and predetermined database to be compared with the obtained actual condition data to find a remarkable technical point in the compressor, and

a service center computer for outputting the remarkable technical point to at least one of a service person, the compressor and a user of the compressor so that the at least one of the service person, the compressor and the user of the compressor can handle appropriately the remarkable technical point in the compressor.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the server computer is operable to obtain, together with the actual condition data, compressor reference data of the each of the compressors to identify the compressor from which the actual condition data is obtained, and the service center computer is operable to output to the at least one of the service person, the compressor and the user of the compressor, together with the remarkable technical point, the compressor reference data for identifying the compressor from which the remarkable technical point is found.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein the server computer is operable to obtain the actual condition data at predetermined time intervals.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein the server computer is operable to obtain and store the actual condition data at time intervals changeable in accordance with a value of a deviation of the previously obtained actual condition data in comparison with the predetermined database.

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein the server computer is operable to obtain and store the actual condition data instantly after the actual condition data is generated if the actual condition data is a kind of emergency.

6. A system according to claim 2, wherein the system comprises a plurality of the service center computers, and one of the service center computers is selected in accordance with the compressor reference data to output the remarkable technical point together with the compressor reference data to the at least one of the service person, the compressor and the user of the compressor so that the at least one of the service person suitable for the compressor identified by the compressor reference data and the compressor identified by the compressor reference data can handle the remarkable technical point in the compressor.

7. A system according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined database is compared with the obtained actual condition data to find the remarkable technical point by at least one of the service center computer and the server computer.

8. A system according to claim 1, wherein the service center computer is operable to output the remarkable technical point to the compressor so that the compressor can be controlled in accordance with the remarkable technical point.

9. A system according to claim 1, wherein the service center computer is operable to output the remarkable technical point to the service person so that at least one of an exchange of a part of the compressor and a repair of the part of the compressor can be brought about on the basis of the remarkable technical point by the service person.

10. A system according to claim 1, wherein the actual condition data stored in the server computer includes a changing manner of the actual condition along a time passage.

11. A system according to claim 1, wherein the server computer compares the stored actual condition data with the predetermined database to find the remarkable technical point and outputs the remarkable technical point to the service center computer at predetermined time intervals.

12. A system according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined database includes threshold data to be compared with the obtained actual condition data for determining whether or not at least one of an operation stop of the compressor, an exchange of a part of the compressor and a repair of the part of the compressor is necessary.

13. A system according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined database includes a typical changing manner of the condition of the compressor along a time passage, and at least one of the server computer and the service center computer calculates an estimated remaining life term of a part of the compressor by comparing the typical changing manner of the condition of the compressor with the obtained actual condition data.

14. A system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the server computer and the service center computer estimates a cost for at least one of an exchange of a part of the compressor and a repair of the part of the compressor and a timing suitable for the at least one of the exchange of the part of the compressor and the repair of the part of the compressor by comparing the predetermined database with the obtained actual condition data.

15. A system according to claim 1, wherein the server computer is operable to output directly without passing through the service center computer to the compressor an instruction signal for controlling the compressor by comparing the predetermined database with the obtained actual condition data.

16. A system according to claim 1, wherein the server computer is operable to output an information for instructing a compressor producing factory to produce a substitute compressor for the compressor by comparing the predetermined database with the obtained actual condition data.

17. A system according to claim 1, wherein, when one of the user'"'"'s plants includes a plurality of the compressors, the server computer is operable to output an instruction signal for controlling each of the compressors in the one of the user'"'"'s plants so that which of the compressors needs to be operated in the one of the user'"'"'s plants is determined by comparing the predetermined database with the obtained actual condition data.

18. A system according to claim 1, wherein the remarkable technical point includes an information regarding at least one of a trouble of the compressor, a trouble of a part of the compressor, a necessity of repair of the part of the compressor, a necessity of exchange of the part of the compressor for an alternative part of the compressor, and a necessity of exchange of the compressor for an alternative compressor.