SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MANAGING INDUSTRIAL ASSETS

• US 20170192414A1
• Filed: 12/29/2016
• Published: 07/06/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Digital Holdings LLC (GE Aerospace)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Mukkamala, Himagiri, Winkler, Steve, Roy, Subrata, Kodesh, Harel, Schmidt, Marc-Thomas, Hart, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 10,234,853 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41885 characterised by modeling, simulation of the manufacturing system
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23005 Expert design system, uses modeling, simulation, to control design process
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/33139 Design of industrial communication system with expert system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/045 for graphical visualisation of monitoring data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0876 based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or device fingerprint
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/18 using different networks or channels, e.g. using out of band channels cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving distinctive intermediate devices or communication paths H04L9/0827; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for authentication using a plurality of channels H04L9/3215
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/80 Management or planning

Abstract

Systems and methods described herein are configured for managing industrial assets. In an example embodiment, information about industrial assets or their use conditions, such as gathered from sensors embedded at or near industrial machines or assets themselves, can be aggregated, analyzed, and processed in software residing locally or remotely from the assets. In an example embodiment, applications can be provided to optimize an industrial asset for operation in a business context. In an example embodiment, a cloud-based asset management platform can include development tools to facilitate development, by end-users, of applications for interfacing with and optimizing industrial assets, and for managing relationships between various industrial assets.

Claims

1. A system for managing a plurality of industrial assets, the system comprising:

a plurality of industrial assets, including at least first and second industrial assets;

a first sensor configured to sense information about an operating or environment characteristic of the first industrial asset;

a first machine module including a first processor circuit, the first machine module coupled to the first industrial asset and the first sensor;

a second machine module including a second processor circuit, the second machine module coupled to the second industrial asset; and

an asset cloud computing system coupled to the first and second machine modules, the asset cloud computing system comprising;

a software-implemented asset model corresponding to at least one of the first and second industrial assets;

a database configured to store the information from the first sensor about the first industrial asset; and

an analyzer circuit configured to use the asset model and the information from the first sensor to identify an operating parameter update for the second industrial asset.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a second sensor configured to sense information about an operating or environment characteristic of the second industrial asset;

wherein the second machine module is coupled to the second industrial asset and the second sensor; and

wherein the asset cloud computing system includes the data configured to store the information from the first and second sensors about the first and second industrial assets;

respectively; and

wherein the analyzer circuit is configured to apply the stored information from at least one of the first and second sensors to identify an operating parameter update for at least the second industrial asset.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the analyzer circuit is configured to identify different operating parameter updates for the first and second industrial assets.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the analyzer circuit is configured to communicate the operating parameter update for the second industrial asset to the second industrial asset using the asset cloud computing system and the second machine module.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the asset cloud computing system is configured to receive, from the first sensor via the first machine module, time series data about the operating or environment characteristic of the first industrial asset.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the first machine module is configured to receive the time series data from the first sensor, update the received time series data with header or tag information, and send the updated time series data t the asset cloud computing system.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the analyzer circuit is configured to apply machine learning, including historical and operational analytics, to generate the operating parameter update using the information from the first sensor and the asset model.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a user interface device coupled to the first industrial asset, the user interface configured to receive a user input and, in response to the user input, to communicate instructions to the first industrial asset to implement or disregard the operating parameter update.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a user interface device coupled to the asset cloud computing system, the user interface configured to receive a user input and, in response to the user input, to communicate instructions to the first industrial asset to implement or disregard the operating parameter update.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising a mobile device in data communication with the asset cloud computing system, the mobile device providing a user interface to receive one or more user inputs to influence the identification of the operating parameter update by the analyzer circuit.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of industrial assets includes:

an engine system for aircraft;

a power generation system;

a power distribution system;

a medical imaging system;

a medical treatment system;

a medical records management system;

a natural resource mining system;

a water processing system;

a transportation system;

a manufacturing system;

a marine system;

a datacenter system; and

a vessel for navigable waters.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the software-implemented asset model is configured for use in a processor-implemented simulation program to determine asset wear, asset failure modes, asset response to environmental conditions, asset fatigue, or asset component fatigue.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the asset cloud computing system includes multiple software-implemented asset models corresponding to the first industrial asset, and wherein the analyzer circuit is configured to select for analysis one of the multiple models based on the information from the first sensor.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second industrial assets include, respectively, first and second wind turbines that are geographically co-located at a wind farm.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second industrial assets include, respectively, first and second jet engines that are located on different aircraft.

16. A method for optimizing an operation of an industrial machine, the method comprising:

providing a virtual model that can be used by a processor circuit to generate, in response to at least one input condition, expected behavior information about a first industrial machine of a first type;

operating multiple different physical industrial machines, wherein each of the machines corresponds to the virtual model, the operating including in at least a first environment;

sensing information about a first operating characteristic for a first group of the multiple machines operating in the first environment;

identifying, based on the virtual model and the sensed information about the first operating characteristic for the first group of the multiple machines, a first parameter to change an operating characteristic of a first one of the multiple machines; and

receiving, at the first machine, instructions to update an operating parameter for the first machine using the first parameter to change the operating characteristic of the first machine.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the sensing information about the first operating characteristic includes sensing information using sensors implemented at the respective multiple machines, and wherein the identifying the first parameter includes using a processor circuit at a remote asset cloud computing system.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

communicating the sensed information from the sensors to the remote asset cloud computing system; and

communicating the instructions to update the operating parameter from the remote asset cloud computing system to a control circuit corresponding to the first machine, the control circuit defining a behavior of the first machine.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising updating the virtual model itself using the sensed information about the first operating characteristic for each of the multiple machines operating in the first environment.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

sensing information about the first operating characteristic for a second group of the multiple machines operating in a different second environment; and

identifying the first parameter to change the operating efficiency of the first machine, the identifying based on the virtual model and based on the sensed information about the first operating characteristic for the first and second groups of machines.

21. A system comprising:

a first industrial asset configured to operate in a first environment according to instructions from a first control circuit;

a first sensor configured to sense information about an operating characteristic of the first asset;

a second sensor configured to sense environment information about the first environment when the first asset is operational;

a cloud-based processor circuit;

a first communication circuit configured to send to the cloud-based processor circuit (1) the sensed information about the first asset from the first sensor and (2) the sensed environment information about the first environment from the second sensor; and

a second communication circuit configured to receive, at the first control circuit for the first asset, operating instructions for the first asset generated by the cloud-based processor circuit;

wherein the cloud-based processor circuit is configured to generate the operating instructions for the first asset using the sensed information about the first asset from the first sensor, the sensed environment information from the second sensor, a virtual asset model corresponding to the first industrial asset, and operating information about at least one other industrial asset.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the second sensor is configured to sense environment information about the first environment when the first asset performs a first operation, and wherein the cloud-based processor circuit is configured to generate the instructions for the first asset to change an operating characteristic of the first asset when the first asset performs a different second operation.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the cloud-based processor circuit is configured to generate the operating instructions for the first asset using the operating information about the at least one other industrial asset, the at least one other industrial asset being geographically co-located at the same industrial facility as the first asset.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the cloud-based processor circuit is configured to generate the operating instructions for the first asset using the operating information about the at least one other industrial asset, the at least one other industrial asset being located geographically remotely from the first asset.