REMOTE MONITORING DIAGNOSTIC SYSTEM

• US 20090019319A1
• Filed: 09/12/2008
• Published: 01/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Fujita, Yoshiaki, Kobauashi, Shuichiro, Sumi, Katsuhiro, Idemori, Kimito, Iino, Yutaka, Mitsumoto, Kenji, Shudo, Tadashi, Seki, Yoshiro, OOBA, Yoshikazu, Oohashi, Hiroyuki
• Granted Patent: US 8,255,187 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/47
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31457 Factory remote control, monitoring through internet
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2223/06 Remote monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/021 adopting a different treatment of each operating region or a different mode of the monitored system, e.g. transient modes; different operating configurations of monitored system
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0224 Process history based detection method, e.g. whereby history implies the availability of large amounts of data

Abstract

Disclosed is a remote monitoring diagnostic system in which a center and monitoring diagnostic units of a number of objects to be monitored are connected by a network. The center includes an algorithm forming unit for forming algorithms for monitoring, diagnosing, and operating each object to be monitored, a program group formation unit for forming monitoring, diagnostic, and operational programs from these algorithms, a transmitter for transmitting the programs in response to a request from the monitoring diagnostic unit, and a unit for forming information concerning prevention/maintenance form a diagnostic result and monitoring data from the monitoring diagnostic unit of each object to be monitored. The monitoring diagnostic unit of each object to be monitored includes a mobile program execution processor for executing the corresponding object to be monitored, and a transmitter for transmitting monitoring data to the center.

Claims

1. A remote monitoring diagnostic system in which a center and monitoring diagnostic units each installed in an object to be monitored are connected by a communication network, and which monitors and diagnoses each object to be monitored, wherein

the center comprises analysis/diagnostic algorithm forming means for forming an algorithm for performing diagnosis corresponding to a processing form or performance of each object to be monitored, on the basis of a result of analysis performed on data or specifications of the object beforehand, mobile program forming means for forming a mobile program for diagnosing each object to be monitored, on the basis of the algorithm formed by the analysis/diagnostic algorithm forming means, mobile program transmission means for transmitting the mobile program formed by the mobile program forming means to each monitoring diagnostic unit across the communication network, and diagnostic result reception means for receiving a diagnostic result or monitoring data transmitted from the monitoring diagnostic unit of each object to be monitored, and generating an alarm or abnormality notification if abnormality is found, and

each monitoring diagnostic unit comprises mobile program reception means for receiving the mobile program transmitted from the center, mobile program execution processing means for executing the received mobile program on a corresponding object to be monitored, and transmission means for transmitting monitoring data of the object to be monitored and a diagnostic result of the monitoring data to the center across the communication network.

2. A remote monitoring diagnostic system according to claim 1, wherein the center comprises, instead of the diagnostic result reception means, prevention/maintenance support information forming means for receiving monitoring data and a diagnostic result of a object to be monitored transmitted from the transmission means of each monitoring diagnostic unit, and forming maintenance support information of each object to be monitored on the basis of the monitoring data and the diagnostic result, and prevention/maintenance plan optimization processing means for making an optimum maintenance plan by using the prevention/maintenance support information formed.

3. A remote monitoring diagnostic system according to claim 1, wherein

the analysis/diagnostic algorithm forming means of the center individually forms mobile algorithms for monitoring and diagnosing each object to be monitored, on the basis of a result of analysis performed on data or specifications of the object beforehand,

the mobile program forming means of the center forms a monitoring mobile program and a diagnostic mobile program for monitoring and diagnosing each object to be monitored, on the basis of the algorithms for monitoring and diagnosis, and transmits not less than one of the monitoring mobile program and the diagnostic mobile program via the mobile program transmission means to the monitoring diagnostic unit of each object to be monitored via the mobile program transmission means and the communication network, in response to a request from the monitoring diagnostic unit, and

the mobile program execution processing means of each monitoring diagnostic unit acquires monitoring data of a corresponding object to be monitored, on the basis of execution of the monitoring mobile program received by the mobile program reception means, and acquires a diagnostic result of monitoring data of the object to be monitored, on the basis of execution of the diagnostic mobile program.

4. A remote monitoring diagnostic system according to claim 3, wherein

the analysis/diagnostic algorithm forming means of the center further forms an algorithm for operating each object to be monitored, on the basis of a result of analysis performed on data or specifications of the object beforehand,

the mobile program forming means of the center forms a monitoring mobile program, a diagnostic mobile program, and an operational mobile program for monitoring, diagnosing, and operating each object to be monitored, on the basis of the algorithms for monitoring, diagnosis, and operation, and transmits not less than one of the monitoring mobile program, the diagnostic mobile program, and the operational mobile program to the monitoring diagnostic unit of each object to be monitored via the mobile program transmission means and the communication network, in response to a request from the monitoring diagnostic unit, and

the mobile program execution processing means of each monitoring diagnostic unit acquires monitoring data of a corresponding object to be monitored on the basis of execution of the monitoring mobile program received by the mobile program reception means, acquires a diagnostic result of monitoring data of the object to be monitored on the basis of execution of the diagnostic mobile program, and operates the object to be monitored on the basis of execution of the operational mobile program.

5. A remote monitoring diagnostic system according to claim 3, wherein monitoring data transmission command output means for outputting a monitoring data transmission command for acquiring necessary monitoring data from each monitoring diagnostic unit is added to the center, and each monitoring diagnostic unit comprises

monitoring data transmission command reception means for receiving the monitoring data transmission command transmitted from the monitoring data transmission command output means across the communication network, sets the monitoring data transmission command received by the monitoring data transmission command reception means in the mobile program execution processing means, and transmits necessary monitoring data to the center.

6. A remote monitoring diagnostic system according to claim 3, wherein the center forms the monitoring mobile program, the diagnostic mobile program, and the operational mobile program as a monitoring mobile agent, a diagnostic mobile agent, and a operational mobile agent.

7. A remote monitoring diagnostic system according to claim 1, wherein

the center comprises a program/data transmitter-receiver obtained by collecting, into one package, at least transmission means for transmitting the mobile program and reception means for receiving the diagnostic result and the monitoring data, and

each monitoring diagnostic unit comprises a program/data transmitter-receiver obtained by collecting, into one package, at least reception means for receiving the mobile program and transmission means for transmitting the diagnostic result and the monitoring data.

8. A remote monitoring diagnostic system according to claim 7, wherein each of the program/data transmitter-receiver of the center and the program/data transmitter-receiver of each monitoring diagnostic unit is a security-sensitive program/data transmitter-receiver including an authenticating function and an encrypting function and sensitive to transmission security.

9. A remote monitoring diagnostic system according to claim 1, wherein

the analysis/diagnostic algorithm forming means, the mobile program forming means, and the mobile program transmission means are deleted from the center, and

one of the monitoring diagnostic units of a plurality of objects to be monitored comprises a master function including the analysis/diagnostic algorithm forming means, the mobile program forming means, and the mobile program transmission means.

10. A remote monitoring diagnostic system according to claim 1, wherein

the center comprises algorithm transmission means for transmitting the mobile algorithm formed by the analysis/diagnostic algorithm forming means, instead of the mobile program forming means and the mobile program transmission means, and

each monitoring diagnostic unit comprises algorithm reception means for receiving the mobile algorithm transmitted across the communication network, and mobile program forming means for forming a mobile program on the basis of the received mobile algorithm, and providing the mobile program to the mobile program execution processing means.

11. A remote monitoring diagnostic system according to claim 1, wherein the center comprises diagnostic result analysis processing means for receiving the diagnostic mobile program and a diagnostic result as a result of execution of the diagnostic mobile program and the monitoring data transmitted from each monitoring diagnostic unit, analyzing the diagnostic result from an object to be monitored of the monitoring diagnostic unit, and reflecting the diagnostic result on the maintenance support information formed by the prevention/maintenance support information forming means.

12. A remote monitoring diagnostic system according to claim 1, wherein the center comprises optimum mobile program forming means for forming an optimum mobile program matching the number of memories installed in each monitoring diagnostic unit, instead of the mobile program forming means.