External status asset monitor

• US 20070035398A1
• Filed: 08/15/2005
• Published: 02/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ABB Incorporated (ABB Limited)
• Original Assignee: ABB Incorporated (ABB Limited)
• Inventors: Vesel, Richard
• Granted Patent: US 7,457,675 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/572.100
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0216 Human interface functionality, e.g. monitoring system providing help to the user in the selection of tests or in its configuration
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0267 Fault communication, e.g. human machine interface [HMI]

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a system and method of monitoring assets of an enterprise using a stand-alone software system and a process automation software system. The stand-alone software system is operable to generate a web page about a condition of the asset and to transmit data items for the condition in a single data string. The data items include a status of the condition and a URL of the web page. The process automation software system includes a human system interface (HSI) and a generic asset monitor having a changeable condition table. The generic asset monitor may be modified to create a custom asset monitor specific to the asset. The custom asset monitor is operable to monitor the status of the condition and the HSI is operable to display the data items and the web page from the stand-alone software system.

Claims

1. In an enterprise having an asset, a method of monitoring the asset comprising:

providing at least one computer with a viewing monitor;

providing a stand-alone software system for monitoring the asset, said stand-alone software system being runnable on said at least one computer and being operable to transmit data items for a condition of said asset, said data items including a description of said condition and a status of said condition;

providing a process automation software system runnable on said at least one computer and including a human system interface (HSI) and a generic asset monitor having a changeable condition table with a generic condition entry;

modifying said generic asset monitor to create a custom asset monitor specific to said asset, said modifying including changing said generic condition entry in said condition table to correspond to said condition of said asset;

receiving said data items from said stand-alone software system in said process automation software system;

monitoring said status of said condition in said custom asset monitor; and

displaying said data items in said HSI.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said stand-alone software system is operable to transmit data items for a plurality of conditions of said asset, wherein said generic condition entry is changed to correspond to a first one of said plurality of conditions, and wherein said modifying step further comprises adding a second condition entry to said condition table, said second condition entry corresponding to a second one of said plurality of conditions.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said status of said condition is a normal subcondition indicating a normal operating condition of said asset or an abnormal subcondition indicating an abnormal operating condition of said asset.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein when said status is said abnormal subcondition, said data items further comprise a possible cause of said abnormal operating condition of said asset and a suggested action to take to remedy said abnormal operating condition.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said data items further comprise a URL for a web page of the stand-alone software system.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said data items are transmitted in a single string.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

when said status is said abnormal subcondition, transmitting an asset condition document from said custom asset monitor to said HSI, said asset condition document containing said abnormal subcondition, said possible cause and said suggested action.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the asset condition document is an XML document.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

transmitting said asset condition document to a maintenance management system.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

representing said asset as an object in the HSI; and

integrating said custom asset monitor into said object as an aspect of said object.

11. In an enterprise having an asset, a method comprising:

gathering data about at least one condition of said asset;

determining a status of said at least one condition from said gathered data; and

for each said condition;

generating a web page containing information about said condition;

transmitting data items in a single data string, said data items including said status of said condition and a URL for said web page;

receiving said single data string;

parsing said data string; and

displaying said status.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

displaying an icon representative of said URL;

clicking on said icon; and

displaying said web page in response to clicking on said icon.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the monitoring of said at least one condition is performed in a stand-alone software system for monitoring said asset, and wherein said receiving of said single data string for each said condition is performed in a process automation software system.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein said parsing is performed in an asset monitor software application in the process automation software system.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein said at least one condition comprises a plurality of conditions, and wherein said icons for said URLs of said conditions are displayed in a single view.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the icons are color coded to indicate severities of said associated conditions.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein for each said condition, said status is a normal subcondition indicating a normal operating condition of said asset or an abnormal subcondition indicating an abnormal operating condition of said asset, and wherein for each said condition, when said status is said abnormal subcondition, said data items for said condition further comprise a possible cause of said abnormal operating condition of said asset and a suggested action to take to remedy said abnormal operating condition.

18. A system for monitoring an asset of an enterprise, said system comprising:

at least one computer with a viewing monitor;

a stand-alone software system for monitoring the asset, said stand-alone software system being runnable on said at least one computer and being operable to transmit data items for a condition of said asset, said data items including a description of said condition and a status of said condition;

a process automation software system runnable on said at least one computer and including a human system interface (HSI) and a generic asset monitor having a changeable condition table with a generic condition entry;

a software development tool operable to make modifications to said generic asset monitor to create a custom asset monitor specific to said asset, said modifications including changing said generic condition entry in said condition table to correspond to said condition of said asset; and

a communication network connecting said process automation system to said stand-alone software system so that said process automation system can receive said data items from said stand-alone software system; and

wherein said custom asset monitor is operable to monitor said status of said condition and wherein said HSI is operable to display said data items on said viewing monitor of said at least one computer.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein said data items further comprise a URL for a web page of the stand-alone software system.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein said status of said condition is a normal subcondition indicating a normal operating condition of said asset or an abnormal subcondition indicating an abnormal operating condition of said asset;

wherein when said status is said abnormal subcondition, said data items further comprise a possible cause of said abnormal operating condition of said asset and a suggested action to take to remedy said abnormal operating condition; and

wherein said data items are transmitted in a single string.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein said custom asset monitor is operable to generate and transmit an asset condition document when said status is said abnormal subcondition, said asset condition document being an XML document and containing said abnormal subcondition, said possible cause and said suggested action.