AUTOMATED DATA DOCUMENTATION FOR TURBINE MAINTENANCE PROCEDURES

• US 20040128146A1
• Filed: 12/27/2002
• Published: 07/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: McCarthy, John P., Williams, George E.
• Application Number:
  US10/248,213
• Publication Number:
  US 20040128146A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2322 using timestamps
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2477 Temporal data queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/20 Administration of product repair or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/50 Systems or methods supporting the power network operation or management, involving a certain degree of interaction with the load-side end user applications

Abstract

A programmable computer device is set up to electronically receive data values sent from remote monitoring devices and sensors located at the site of a turbine power generator. The data is transmitted from the site to the receiving computer via the Internet using TCP/IP or UDP protocol. Received data values are incorporated into a database and/or an electronic spreadsheet program running on the computer device. At predetermined stages during the turbine maintenance procedure, data values are transmitted from the site and upon receipt a computer operator at the receiving computer activates a predetermined key or button to automatically enter and time-stamp the received data values into appropriate cells of the electronic spreadsheet or database.

Claims

1. A method for automated documentation of a plurality of digital data values received by a computer from a remote data source, said computer running an Excel™

workbook program arranged to accept and store numerical data values into predetermined worksheet cells, comprising the steps performed by said computer of;

a) extracting one or more data values from received data packets;

b) inserting said extracted data values into appropriate cells of one or more Excel™

worksheets; and

c) updating time-stamp information associated with each received data value inserted into a worksheet cell in said Excel™

workbook.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the computer is connected to the remote data source via a digital communications link that uses TCP/IP or UDP protocol.

3. The method of claim 2, further including the steps of:

extracting a source IP (Internet Protocol) address from one or more received data packets;

comparing an extracted IP address against a list of predetermined IP addresses; and

producing an error notification if the extracted IP address is not identical to an IP address in said list.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the extracted data values are all of an identical fixed-length and format.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the extracted data values are of variable length.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the extracted data values are of variable format.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the computer includes an input selection device and a plurality of received data values are inserted into cells of one or more Excel™

worksheets in response to a single computer operator input selection activity.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein worksheet cells are color-coded based on predetermined data format designations for predetermined received data values.

9. The method of claim 1 further including the step of entering and/or updating error message information concerning received data in an Excel™

workbook.

10. A computer program product embodied on a computer-readable medium for distribution and/or storage on a computer system for execution to automatically record and time-stamp a plurality of received data values into a database associated with said computer system, comprising:

program instruction means for extracting data values from data packets received from a remote source, said data packets comprising a plurality of data values of fixed-length or variable length format; and

program instruction means for automatically time-stamping and inserting said data values into appropriate storage cells of said database in response to a single operator input selection action.

11. The method of claim 10 further including program instruction means for extracting a source IP (Internet Protocol) address from one or more received data packets, comparing an extracted IP address against a list of predetermined IP addresses and producing an error notification if the extracted IP address is not identical to an IP address in said list.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the database is implemented on the computer system using an Excel™

workbook program and data values are entered into predetermined worksheet cells.

13. The method of claim 12 including program instruction means for entering and/or updating error message information concerning received data in an Excel™

workbook.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein worksheet cells are color-coded based on predetermined data format designations for predetermined received data values.

15. A method for automating the documentation and time-stamping of turbine state information and/or sensor data acquired during the various stages of a turbine maintenance procedure, comprising the steps, executed by a computer, of:

receiving a stream of data values via a digital communications link;

extracting individual data values from said stream of data values received at said remote computer device, said steam of data values comprising a plurality of data values of fixed-length or variable length format; and

automatically entering a plurality of extracted data values into appropriate storage locations of a database in response to a single operator input selection action.

16. The method of claim 15 further including a step executed by a computer of time-stamping the entry of said extracted data values into the database.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the database is managed by an Excel™

workbook program running on said computer and extracted data values are entered into appropriate cells of an Excel™

worksheet.