IP based voice communication enabled inspection system

• US 20080157994A1
• Filed: 12/29/2006
• Published: 07/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Inspection Technologies LP (General Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Britton, Thomas D., Delmonico, James Jonathon, Morse, Bradford
• Granted Patent: US 8,625,434 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/825
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/00 Speech or audio signals analysis-synthesis techniques for redundancy reduction, e.g. in vocoders; Coding or decoding of speech or audio signals, using source filter models or psychoacoustic analysis in musical instruments G10H

Abstract

An inspection apparatus can be provided in a system with a workstation computer. In one embodiment, the inspection apparatus can include a user interface enabling the inspection apparatus to initiate, responsively to an action by an inspector, an IP based voice communication connection with an external computer of the system. In one embodiment, the inspection apparatus and the workstation computer can be in communication with a central server that can receive data collected by said the inspection apparatus and can receive data requests from the workstation computer.

Claims

1. An inspection system for inspecting industrial equipment articles, the inspection system comprising:

a visual inspection apparatus having an elongated inspection tube and a two dimensional image sensor, said visual inspection apparatus having a voice coder/decoder for converting analog voice signals into digital form and for converting digital voice signals into analog form, the visual inspection apparatus further having an acoustic input device generating analog voice signals coupled to said coder/decoder and an acoustic output device receiving analog voice signals coupled to said coder/decoder, said visual inspection apparatus being configured to enable an IP based voice communication between said visual inspection apparatus and computer in IP network communication with said visual inspection apparatus;

wherein said visual inspection apparatus is configured to include a user interface enabling said visual inspection apparatus to initiate, responsively to an action by an inspector, an IP based voice communication connection between said visual inspection apparatus and a computer of said system external to said visual inspection apparatus.

2. The inspection system of claim 1, wherein said system is configured to enable an inspector to designate information enabling said visual inspection apparatus to initiate said IP based voice communication connection with a specific computer of said system.

3. The inspection system of claim 1, wherein said visual inspection apparatus further has hardware and software enabling recording of an audio file corresponding to an IP based voice communication connection between said visual inspection apparatus and a computer in IP communication with said visual inspection apparatus.

4. The inspection system of claim 1, wherein said system is configured so that an external computer of said system communicates to said visual inspection apparatus information enabling said visual inspection apparatus to initiate said IP based voice communication connection to a specific one or more computers of said system.

5. The inspection system of claim 1, wherein said system is configured so that said inspector can set up said visual inspection apparatus so that an IP based voice communication connection initiated by said visual inspection apparatus is made to an external computer currently receiving streaming data being collected by said visual inspection apparatus.

6. The inspection system of claim 1, wherein said system is configured so that an external computer of said system communicates to said inspection apparatus information enabling said visual inspection apparatus to initiate said IP based voice communication connection to a specific one or more computers of said system that are determined by said system to be computers contemporaneously receiving data from said inspection apparatus.

7. The inspection system of claim 6, wherein said one or more computers contemporaneously receiving data from said inspection apparatus are computers to which said inspection apparatus is addressing data packets to or has addressed data packets to within a predetermined time window or in a present inspection procedure.

8. The inspection system of claim 6, wherein said specific one or more computers contemporaneously receiving data from said inspection apparatus are computers to which said inspection apparatus is not and has not addressed data packets to in a present inspection procedure or within a predetermined time window.

9. The inspection system of claim 1, wherein said system is configured so that said system can initiate IP based voice communication connections with more than one computer of said system concurrently.

10. The inspection system of claim 1, wherein said visual inspection system is configured so that a said visual inspection apparatus can concurrently initiate an IP based communication between said apparatus and a first computer in wireless communication with said apparatus and a second computer in cellular network wireless communication with said visual inspection apparatus.

11. The inspection system of claim 1, wherein a computer of said system is configured to record an audio file corresponding to an IP based voice communication initiated by said inspection apparatus.

12. The inspection system of claim 1, including a database retained in one or more computers external to said visual inspection apparatus, the system including at least one peer inspection apparatus, the database including data collected by said visual inspection apparatus and said peer inspection apparatus during previous inspection procedures, the system being configured so that said visual inspection apparatus, when initiating said IP based voice communication connection addresses a computer having an address determined responsively to a query of said database.

13. The inspection system of claim 1, wherein said user interface is a graphical user interface enabling an inspector to designate one of owners, experts, and peer inspectors for addressing of an IP based voice communication connection to be initiated by said visual inspection apparatus.

14. The inspection system of claim 1, wherein said system includes a mobile telephone of an enterprise personnel selected from the group consisting of at least an owner, expert, or peer, and wherein said user interface is configured to enable an inspector to designate said enterprise personnel as a recipient of an IP based voice communication to be initiated by said inspection apparatus, wherein said inspection apparatus is configured so that said inspection apparatus can initiate an IP based voice communication connection with said mobile telephone responsively to said designation of said enterprise personnel.

15. The inspection system of claim 1, wherein said user interface enables an inspector to designate contemporaneously receiving computers for receiving an IP based communication connection to be initiated by said inspection apparatus, the contemporaneously receiving computers being computers that have contemporaneously received data collected by said visual inspection apparatus.

16. The inspection system of claim 1, wherein said user interface enables an inspector to designate that said IP based voice communication connection that is to be initiated by said inspection apparatus, is to be addressed to one or more computers of inspectors inspecting a like equipment article, like the equipment article being inspected using said visual inspection apparatus.

17. An inspection system for inspecting industrial equipment articles, the inspection system comprising:

a visual inspection apparatus having an elongated inspection apparatus and a two dimensional image sensor, said visual inspection apparatus having software and hardware enabling IP based voice communication with a computer in IP network communication with said visual inspection apparatus; and

a workstation computer having a user interface in communication with said visual inspection apparatus, the system having at least one external computer receiving a media file collected by said visual inspection apparatus and metadata associated with said media file, the system being configured to process at least one of said media file and said associated metadata received from said visual inspection apparatus, the system being configured to read an address of a data packet comprising data of said media file and further being configured to establish an IP based voice communication connection between said workstation computer and said visual inspection apparatus responsively to said processing of at least one of said media file and said associated metadata utilizing said address read from said data packet.

18. The inspection system of claim 17, wherein said workstation computer is disposed in a common local facility with said visual inspection apparatus.

19. The inspection system of claim 17, wherein said workstation computer is a remote host computer not disposed in a common local facility with said visual inspection apparatus.

20. The inspection system of claim 17, wherein said workstation computer processes said media file.

21. The inspection system of claim 17, wherein said processing of said at least one of said media file and associated metadata includes processing of said media file.

22. The inspection system of claim 17, wherein said processing of said at least one of said media file and associated metadata includes processing of said metadata.

23. The inspection system of claim 17, wherein said processing of said at least one of said media file and associated metadata includes processing of said metadata and said media file.

24. The inspection system of claim 17, wherein said system includes a server external to said workstation computer processing said media file.

25. The inspection system of claim 17, wherein said metadata includes temperature data.

26. An inspection system for inspecting industrial equipment articles, the inspection apparatus comprising:

a visual inspection apparatus having an elongated inspection tube and a two dimensional image sensor, said visual inspection apparatus having software and hardware enabling IP based voice communication with a computer in IP network communication with said visual inspection apparatus, the visual inspection apparatus further having hardware and software enabling recording of an audio file corresponding to an IP based voice communication connection between said visual inspection apparatus;

wherein said inspection apparatus is configured to collect certain data in response to control signals initiated responsively to action by an inspector during the course of an inspection of said equipment article, the certain data including at least one media file corresponding to said equipment article,

wherein said inspection apparatus is further configured so that said inspection apparatus associates certain metadata to said at least one media file collected by said apparatus;

wherein said inspection apparatus is configured to record an audio file corresponding to an IP based voice communication connection of said apparatus during performance of said inspection; and

wherein said inspection apparatus is further configured so that said inspection apparatus associates said certain metadata to said audio file collected by said inspection apparatus.

27. The system of claim 26 wherein said certain metadata is an equipment number.

28. The system of claim 26 wherein said certain metadata is a job identifier.

29. The system of claim 26 wherein said certain metadata is an inspection procedure identifier.

30. An inspection system comprising:

a plurality of inspection apparatuses each having an elongated inspection module and a two dimensional image sensor generating image signals,

a central server in communication with each of said plurality of inspection apparatuses;

a plurality of workstation computers in communication with said central server;

wherein the central server is configured to receive data collected from a certain one of said inspection apparatuses, the central server reading an address of said certain inspection apparatus when receiving said data collected from said certain one of said inspection apparatuses;

wherein said central server is configured to receive a data request for said data collected from said certain one of said inspection apparatuses from a certain one of said workstation computers, the central server reading an address of said certain one of said workstation computers when receiving said data request; and

wherein said system is configured to utilize said address of said certain inspection apparatus and said certain workstation computer in establishing an IP based voice communication connection between said certain inspection apparatus and said certain workstation computer.

31. The inspection system of claim 30, wherein said system discriminates whether said a workstation computer is a contemporaneously receiving workstation computer.

32. The inspection system of claim 30, wherein said central server is configured to examine said received data collected from said certain one of said inspection apparatuses for determining whether an alarm condition is present.

33. The inspection system of claim 30, wherein said certain one of said inspection apparatuses has a user interface enabling an inspector to cause said certain inspection apparatus to initiate an IP based voice communication with a workstation computer contemporaneously receiving data from said certain inspection apparatus.

34. The inspection system of claim 30, wherein said central server is configured to send said certain inspection apparatus said address of said certain workstation computer receiving data collected by said certain inspection apparatus and received by said central server for use by said certain inspection apparatus in initiating an IP based voice communication connection to said certain workstation computer.

35. The inspection system of claim 30, wherein said central server is configured to send a command to said certain workstation computer which command when executed by said certain workstation computer results in said certain workstation computer initiating an IP based voice communication connection to said certain inspection apparatus.

36. The inspection system of claim 35, wherein said system is configured so that said central server can send said command to said workstation computer responsively to an examination of said data collected by said certain inspection apparatus and received by said central server.

37. The inspection system of claim 30, wherein said central server is configured to send a command to said certain inspection apparatus which command when executed by said certain inspection apparatus results in said certain inspection apparatus initiating an IP based voice communication connection to said certain workstation computer.

38. The inspection system of claim 37, wherein said system is configured so that said central server can send said command to said inspection apparatus responsively to an examination of said data collected by said certain inspection apparatus and received by said central server.