REMOTE MONITORING APPARATUS

• US 20110057812A1
• Filed: 11/12/2010
• Published: 03/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Mitsubishi-Electric Industrial Systems Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Mitsubishi-Electric Industrial Systems Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: MATSUDA, Shigehiko, Maehata, Noriyuki
• Granted Patent: US 9,092,026 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/870.07
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/406 characterised by monitoring or safety G05B19/19 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/33284 Remote diagnostic
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/40 using a wireless architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/50 using a mobile data collecting device, e.g. walk by or drive by
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom

Abstract

Various sensors are provided inside control equipment, and it is determined whether environment inside the control equipment is abnormal or not, based on data obtained from the sensors.

Claims

1. A remote monitoring apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of environment sensors which measure placement environment of devices provided inside control equipment as an object to be monitored, a plurality of physical sensors which measure physical quantities including voltages of the devices provided inside the control equipment as the object to be monitored, and a wireless communication system which is capable of transmitting data measured by the environment sensors and the physical sensors to outside of the control equipment; and

a monitoring device comprising another wireless communication system which is provided in a position remote from the control equipment, and is capable of taking in the data measured by the sensors and obtained through the wireless communication system, wherein the monitoring device monitors normality of environment of the control equipment based on correlation between change in the measured data for the placement environment transmitted from the object to be monitored, change in the measured data for the physical quantities transmitted from the object to be monitored, and a pre-stored knowledge base concerning environment standard.

2. A remote monitoring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the environment sensors are a plurality of electromagnetic wave sensors provided in different positions inside the control equipment, the physical sensors are a plurality of voltage sensors which measure a voltage of a main power supply existing inside the control equipment, and

the monitoring device determines abnormality in the control equipment, when all data items measured by the electromagnetic wave sensors and all data items measured by the voltage sensors are abnormal, a time of abnormality of the electromagnetic sensors is close to a time of abnormality of the voltage sensors, current waveforms of the electromagnetic wave sensors are similar to one another, frequency components of the electromagnetic wave sensors are similar to one another, and abnormality of the voltage sensors of the control power supply is closely correlated with abnormality of the other voltage sensors.

14. A remote monitoring apparatus according to anyone of claims 1 to 13, wherein:

the remote monitoring apparatus has a function of displaying environment information obtained by the monitoring device and time-series data of a process in a mixed state, and checking whether change obtained by the environment information or change obtained from information of the monitoring device including internal information affects on abnormality, when abnormality of process control or malfunction occurs.

3. A remote monitoring apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of environment sensors which measure placement environment of devices provided inside control equipment as an object to be monitored, a plurality of physical sensors which measure physical quantities including voltages of the devices provided inside the control equipment as the object to be monitored, an internal malfunction detecting sensor which detects internal malfunction of an electronic device forming the control equipment, and a wireless communication system which is capable of transmitting data measured by the environment sensors and the physical sensors and internal information from the internal malfunction detecting sensor to outside of the control equipment; and

a monitoring device comprising another wireless communication system which is provided in a position remote from the control equipment, and is capable of taking in the data measured by the sensors and obtained through the wireless communication system, wherein the monitoring device monitors normality of environment of the control equipment based on correlation between change in the measured data for the placement environment transmitted from the object to be monitored, change in the measured data for the physical quantities transmitted from the object to be monitored, change in the internal information from the internal malfunction detecting sensor, and a pre-stored knowledge base concerning environment standard.

4. A remote monitoring apparatus according to claim 3, wherein:

the environment sensors are a plurality of electromagnetic wave sensors, the physical sensors are a plurality of voltage sensors which measure a voltage of a main power supply existing inside the control equipment, the internal malfunction detecting sensor is a sensor which detects internal malfunction of the electronic device forming control equipment, and

the monitoring device detects that a time of abnormality of the data measured by the voltage sensors and a time of abnormality of the data measured by the electromagnetic sensors are close to a time of abnormality of the internal information of the electronic device forming the control equipment detected by the internal malfunction detecting sensor, abnormality detection of the internal malfunction detecting sensor is closely correlated with abnormality detection of the electromagnetic wave sensors, and the other sensors provided inside the control equipment other than the electromagnetic wave sensors, the voltage sensors, and the internal malfunction detecting sensor change at a time close to the times of the abnormalities.

5. A remote monitoring apparatus according to claim 4, wherein:

it is output to the monitoring device that the electronic device may break down in the future, when it is detected that the time of abnormality of the data measured by the voltage sensors, the time of abnormality of the data measured by the electromagnetic wave sensors, and the time of malfunction detection of the internal malfunction detecting sensor continue for at least a predetermined period of time, a phenomenon which damages the normality of the control equipment is correlated with a malfunction phenomenon in the electronic device forming the control equipment, and an intensity of the electromagnetic waves is at a level causing malfunction of the electronic device.

6. A remote monitoring apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of environment sensors which measure placement environment of devices provided inside control equipment as an object to be monitored, a plurality of physical sensors which measure physical quantities including voltages and grounds currents of the devices provided inside the control equipment as the object to be monitored, and a wireless communication system which is capable of transmitting data measured by the environment sensors and the physical sensors to outside of the control equipment; and

a monitoring device comprising another wireless communication system which is provided in a position remote from the control equipment, and is capable of taking in the data measured by the sensors and obtained through the wireless communication system, wherein the monitoring device infers a part including a cause of abnormality of an electronic device forming the control equipment, from correlation between change in environment information and change in information of the electronic device including internal information of the electronic device, based on a knowledge base concerning mutual action between measured data items for the placement information from the object to be monitored.

7. A remote monitoring apparatus according to claim 6, wherein:

the environment sensors are electromagnetic wave sensors, the physical sensors are a plurality of voltage sensors which measure a voltage of a main power supply existing inside the control equipment, a ground current sensor which measures a current running through a ground bar disposed in the control equipment, and a ground current sensor which measures a current running through a noise filter mounted to the power supply, and

the monitoring device determines that electromagnetic waves are inverter noise when data measured by one of the voltage sensors is abnormal and data measured by the electromagnetic wave sensors are abnormal, the monitoring device supposes that the noise filter is abnormal when data measured by the other voltage sensors are abnormal and a value detected by the ground current sensor is 0, and the monitoring device infers that the noise filter malfunctions, and determines that the noise filter malfunctions or the ground of the noise filter is inferior, when current frequency characteristics of some of the electromagnetic wave sensors are similar to a current frequency component of one of the electromagnetic wave sensors, and a time of detections of the some of the electromagnetic wave sensors is the same as a time of abnormality detections of the voltage sensors, and the ground current sensor measures a significant current.

8. A remote monitoring apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of environment sensors which measure placement environment of devices provided inside control equipment as an object to be monitored, a plurality of physical sensors which measure physical quantities of grounds of the devices provided inside the control equipment as the object to be monitored, and measure a temperature inside the control equipment, an internal malfunction detecting sensor which detects internal malfunction of an electronic device forming the control equipment, and a wireless communication system which is capable of transmitting data measured by the environment sensors and the physical sensors and internal information from the internal malfunction detecting sensor to outside of the control equipment; and

a monitoring device comprising another wireless communication system which is provided in a position remote from the control equipment, and is capable of taking in the data measured by the sensors and obtained through the wireless communication system, wherein the monitoring device infers a part including a cause of abnormality of the electronic control device, from correlation between change in environment information and change in device information including the internal information, based on a knowledge base concerning mutual action of changes in environment.

9. A remote monitoring apparatus according to claim 8, wherein:

the environment sensors are electromagnetic wave sensors, the physical sensors are a ground current sensor which measures a ground current and a temperature sensor which measures a temperature in the control equipment, the internal malfunction detecting sensor is a sensor which detects internal malfunction of the electronic device forming the control equipment, and

the monitoring device outputs information and infers that the cause of malfunction detected by the internal malfunction detecting sensor is electromagnetic waves, when all the electromagnetic wave sensors detect abnormality and the internal malfunction detecting sensor detects malfunction and a time of abnormality detections of the electromagnetic sensors is close to a time of malfunction detection of the internal malfunction detecting sensor, the monitoring device infers that the cause is electromagnetic wave noise generated by electrostatic discharge through the air when all current waveforms and frequency components of the electromagnetic wave sensors are similar to one another and close to those of electrostatic discharge through the air and this phenomenon is not repeated, the monitoring device infers that the cause is “

static electricity directly discharged to the electronic device”

when there is no change in data measured by the ground current sensor, the monitoring device determines that the malfunction occurs in a state where a door of the control equipment is opened when data measured by the temperature sensor decreases in advance, and the monitoring device infers that the cause is “

artificial electrostatic discharge”

, and outputs a result of inference.

10. A remote monitoring apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of environment sensors which measure placement environment of devices provided inside control equipment as an object to be monitored, a plurality of physical sensors which measure physical quantities including voltages and grounds of the devices provided inside the control equipment as the object to be monitored, and a wireless communication system which is capable of transmitting data measured by the environment sensors and the physical sensors to outside of the control equipment; and

a monitoring device comprising another wireless communication system which is provided in a position remote from the control equipment, and is capable of taking in the data measured by the sensors and obtained through the wireless communication system, wherein the monitoring device infers a part of a cause of abnormality of an electronic device forming the control equipment, from correlation between change in environment information and change in information of the electronic device including internal information of the electronic device, based on a knowledge base concerning mutual action of measured data items for the placement environment obtained from the object to be monitored, and supports measure against the abnormality.

11. A remote monitoring apparatus according to claim 10, wherein:

the environment sensors are electromagnetic wave sensors, the physical sensors are a plurality of voltage sensors which measure a voltage of a main power supply existing inside the control equipment, a ground current sensor which measures a current running through a ground bar provided in the control equipment, and a ground sensor which measures a current running through a noise filter provided on the power supply, and

the monitoring device determines that electromagnetic waves are inverter noise when data measured by one of the voltage sensors is abnormal and data measured by the electromagnetic wave sensors are abnormal, the monitoring device supposes that the noise filter is abnormal when data measured by the other voltage sensors are abnormal and a value detected by the ground current sensor is 0, the monitoring device infers that the noise filter malfunctions, and determines that the noise filter malfunctions or the ground of the noise filter is inferior, when current frequency characteristics of some of the electromagnetic wave sensors are similar to a current frequency component of one of the electromagnetic wave sensors, and a time of detections of the some of the electromagnetic wave sensors is the same as a time of abnormality detections of the voltage sensors, and the ground current sensor measures a significant current, and then the monitoring device outputs “

change the noise filter or check the ground line of the noise filter”

as support content.

12. A remote monitoring apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of environment sensors which measure placement environment of devices provided inside control equipment as an object to be monitored, a plurality of physical sensors which measure physical quantities of grounds of the devices provided inside the control equipment as the object to be monitored, and a temperature inside the control equipment, an internal malfunction detecting sensor which detects internal malfunction of an electronic device forming the control equipment, and a wireless communication system which is capable of transmitting data measured by the environment sensors and the physical sensors and internal information from the internal malfunction detecting sensor to outside of the control equipment; and

a monitoring device comprising another wireless communication system which is provided in a position remote from the control equipment, and is capable of taking in the data measured by the sensors and obtained through the wireless communication system, wherein monitoring device infers a part of a cause of abnormality of an electronic device forming the control equipment, from correlation between change in environment information and change in device information including the internal information, based on a knowledge base concerning mutual action of changes in environment, and supports measure against the abnormality.

13. A remote monitoring apparatus according to claim 12, wherein:

the environment sensors are electromagnetic wave sensors, the physical sensors are a ground current sensor which measures a ground current, and temperature and humidity sensors which measure a temperature and a humidity in the control equipment, the internal malfunction detecting sensor is a sensor which detects internal malfunction of the electronic device forming the control equipment, and

the monitoring device outputs information and infers that the cause of malfunction detected by the internal malfunction detecting sensor is electromagnetic waves, when all the electromagnetic wave sensors detect abnormality and the internal malfunction detecting sensor detects malfunction and a time of abnormality detections of the electromagnetic sensors is close to a time of malfunction detection of the internal malfunction detecting sensor, the monitoring device infers that the cause is electromagnetic wave noise generated by electrostatic discharge through the air when all current waveforms and frequency components of the electromagnetic wave sensors are similar to one another and close to those of electrostatic discharge through the air and this phenomenon is not repeated, the monitoring device infers that the cause is “

static electricity directly discharged to the electronic device”

, when there is no change in data measured by the ground current sensor, the monitoring device determines that the malfunction occurs in a state where a door of the control equipment is opened and infers that the cause is “

artificial electrostatic discharge”

, when data measured by the temperature sensor decreases in advance, and the monitoring device outputs “

control the humidity to proper humidity when a value measured by the humidity sensor is low, and attach a human-body ground removal device to the control equipment regardless of the value of the humidity”

as support content.