Integrated system for verifying the performance and health of instruments and processes

• US 20030216879A1
• Filed: 05/14/2003
• Published: 11/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Analysis And Measurement Services Corporation
• Original Assignee: Analysis And Measurement Services Corporation
• Inventors: Hashemian, Hashem M.
• Granted Patent: US 6,915,237 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/95
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 3/08 with provision for safeguarding the apparatus, e.g. against abnormal operation, against breakdown

Abstract

A system and method for verifying the performance and health of instruments and processes. A computer runs software that collects data from sampled sensors, stores the data, screens the data for outliers, analyzes the data, performs in situ testing, and generates results of the analysis and testing. The system and method verifies not only the steady state performance of instruments, but also the dynamic performance of instruments and the transient behavior of the processes.

Claims

1. An integrated system for verifying the performance and health of a plurality of instruments and processes, said system comprising:

a plurality of digital signals, each representing an output from a sensor; and

a computer responsive to said plurality of digital signals, said computer having software programmed to perform the functions of

storing a plurality of sampled data in storage media;

screening said plurality of sampled data to remove outliers;

analyzing said sampled data and producing analysis results;

determining whether a corrective action is required by said analysis results; and

generating output of said analysis results.

2. The integrated system of claim 1 wherein said function of analyzing includes performing a drift analysis.

3. The integrated system of claim 1 wherein said function of analyzing includes performing a noise analysis.

4. The integrated system of claim 1 wherein said function of analyzing includes comparing a measured process value to a calculated process value.

5. The integrated system of claim 1 wherein said correction action is in situ testing.

6. The integrated system of claim 1 wherein said correction action is a loop current step response test.

7. The integrated system of claim 1 a cross calibration.

8. The integrated system of claim 1 wherein said correction action is an alarm.

9. The integrated system of claim 1 wherein said function of generating output includes producing at least one of a plot, a bar chart, a table, and a report.

10. At least one computer programmed to execute a process for verifying the performance and health of a plurality of instruments and processes, the process comprising:

storing a plurality of sampled data in storage media;

screening said plurality of sampled data to remove bad data;

analyzing said sampled data and producing analysis results;

determining whether a corrective action is required by said analysis results; and

generating output of said analysis results.

11. The process of claim 10 wherein said step of analyzing includes performing a drift analysis.

12. The process of claim 10 wherein said step of analyzing includes performing a noise analysis.

13. The process of claim 10 wherein said step of analyzing includes comparing a measured process value to a calculated process value.

14. The process of claim 10 wherein said step of performing the corrective action includes performing at least one of a loop current step response test, in situ testing, a cross calibration, and providing an alarm.

15. The integrated system of claim 10 wherein said step of generating output includes producing at least one of a plot, a bar chart, a table, and a report.

16. A method for verifying the performance and health of a plurality of instruments and processes, said method comprising:

sampling data from a plurality of sensors;

storing said sampled data;

screening said sampled data;

analyzing said sampled data;

performing a corrective action as determined during said step of analyzing; and

generating results of said analysis and said testing.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein said step of analyzing includes performing a drift analysis.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein said step of analyzing includes performing a noise analysis.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein said step of analyzing includes comparing a measured process value to a calculated process value.

20. The method of claim 16 wherein said step of performing the corrective action includes performing at least one of a loop current step response test, in situ testing, a cross calibration, and providing an alarm.

21. An integrated system for verifying the performance and health of a plurality of instruments and processes, said system comprising:

a means for acquiring a plurality of digital signals, each of said plurality of digital signals representing an output from a sensor;

a means for processing said plurality of digital signals.

a means for storing said plurality of digital signals;

a means for screening said plurality of digital signals;

a means for analyzing said plurality of digital signals;

a means for determining whether a corrective action is required; and

a means for generating results of said analysis.