Predictive maintenance system

• US 5,963,884 A
• Filed: 09/30/1996
• Issued: 10/05/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Machinexpert LLC
• Original Assignee: Machinexpert LLC
• Inventors: Billington, Ralph D., Martin, Daren L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Smithers, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US08/724,528
• Time in Patent Office: 1,100 Days
• Field of Search: 364/508, 364/506, 364/551.01, 702/56, 702/34, 702/184, 73/584, 73/593, 73/577
• US Class Current: 702/56
• CPC Class Codes: G21C 17/00 Monitoring; Testing measuring in general G01; Maintaining
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 30/30 Nuclear fission reactors

Abstract

A predictive maintenance system for a plurality of machines is disclosed. The system includes vibration sensors connected to the machines and a plurality of data acquisition nodes, each node connected to one or more of the vibration sensors. Each node acquires vibration data from the sensors connected thereto during a respective data acquisition interval. A system control computer collects vibration data acquired by the nodes during a polling cycle which is based on the longest of the respective data acquisition cycles of the nodes.

Claims

1. A predictive maintenance system for a plurality of machines, the predictive maintenance system comprising:

vibration sensors connected to said machines;

a plurality of data acquisition nodes, each node connected to one or more of said vibration sensors and each node acquiring vibration data from the sensors connected thereto during a respective data acquisition interval; and

a system control computer for collecting vibration data acquired by said nodes during a polling cycle which is based on the longest of the respective data acquisition intervals of said nodes.

2. The predictive maintenance system according to claim 1, wherein the data acquisition interval of each node is dependent on the number of vibration sensors connected thereto.

3. The predictive maintenance system according to claim 2, wherein the data acquisition interval of each node is dependent on data acquisition parameters associated with the vibration sensors connected thereto.

4. The predictive maintenance system according to claim 3, wherein the data acquisition parameters include one or more of a frequency range for the data acquisition and a resolution of the data acquisition.

5. The predictive maintenance system according to claim 1, wherein said data acquisition nodes and said system control computer are arranged in a local area network (LAN).

6. The predictive maintenance system according to claim 1, wherein said data acquisition nodes and said system control computer are arranged in a wide area network (WAN).

7. The predictive maintenance system according to claim 1, wherein the length of the polling cycle is equal to the length of the longest of the respective data acquisition intervals of said nodes.

8. The predictive maintenance system according to claim 1, wherein the data acquisition for each node is continuous and independent of the other nodes.

9. The predictive maintenance system according to claim 1, wherein said system control computer polls each of said data acquisition nodes in series during the polling cycle.

10. The predictive maintenance system according to claim 9, wherein data acquisition nodes which are not polled continue to collect data from said vibration sensors.

11. The predictive maintenance system according to claim 1, wherein a time for analysis of data collected during the polling cycle is included in the polling cycle.

12. An interface for a predictive maintenance system for a plurality of machines connected in a network with a system control computer, said interface comprising a processor configured to process a plurality of graphical images arranged in a hierarchy including a first graphical image and a second graphical image, the second graphical image being linked to the first graphical image via a zoom box in the first graphical image.

13. The interface of claim 12, wherein at least one of the first and second graphical images comprises an image of at least a portion of at least one of the plurality of machines obtained from at least one of a digital camera and a photographic scanner.

14. The interface of claim 12, wherein the zoom box is selectable using at least one of a pointing device and a touch screen.

15. The interface of claim 12, wherein the interface is configured such that the second graphical image is presented responsive to the zoom box being selected.

16. The interface of claim 12, wherein the plurality of machines are located within a predetermined area, and wherein the first graphical image comprises a layout view of the area including locations of the plurality of machines.

17. The interface of claim 16, wherein the area is substantially an entire state or district of the United States.

18. The interface of claim 16, wherein a location of the zoom box within the first graphical image corresponds to a location of at least one of the plurality of machines within the area.

19. The interface of claim 16, wherein the second graphical image comprises a zoomed-in version of the first graphical image.

20. The interface of claim 12, wherein the second graphical image comprises a zoomed-in version of the first graphical image.

21. The interface of claim 12, wherein the plurality of machines includes a first machine, the first graphical image comprising a view of the first machine, a location of the zoom box in the first graphical image corresponding to a portion of the first machine.

22. The interface of claim 21, wherein the second graphical image comprises a zoomed-in view of the portion of the first machine.

23. The interface of claim 22, wherein the second graphical image further comprises a measurement point icon representing a measurement point, a location of the measurement point icon corresponding to a location of a data acquisition node in the first machine.

24. The interface of claim 23, further comprising a representation of data associated with the data acquisition node, the data being presented over a background, the background having a color associated with a severity of any problem with the first machine indicated by the data.

25. The interface of claim 12 wherein the zoom box comprises a rectangle having boundaries, the boundaries of the rectangle defining an approximate area of the first graphical image to be zoomed.

26. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing steps comprising:

assisting a user to create an interface for a predictive maintenance system for a plurality of machines connected in a network with a system control computer, said interface comprising a plurality of graphical images arranged in a hierarchy including a first graphical image and a second graphical image; and

assisting the user to link the second graphical image to the first graphical image via a zoom box in the first graphical image.

27. A predictive maintenance system for a plurality of machines, each of the plurality of machines having a vibration sensor attached thereto for sensing a vibration of the respective machine and for generating vibration data associated with the vibration, the predictive maintenance system comprising:

a plurality of data acquisition nodes, each node connected to one or more of the vibration sensors and each node acquiring the vibration data from the sensors during a respective data acquisition interval; and

a system control computer for collecting data associated with the vibration data acquired by each of the plurality of nodes during a polling cycle, the polling cycle being based on the longest of the respective data acquisition intervals of the nodes.

28. The predictive main system of claim 27, wherein the data is the vibration data.

29. The predictive maintenance system of claim 27, wherein the length of the polling cycle is equal to the length of the longest of the respective data acquisition intervals of the nodes.

30. A method of operating a predictive maintenance system for a plurality of machines each connected to at least one of a plurality of vibration sensors for sensing a vibration of a respective machine, wherein each of a plurality of data acquisition nodes are connected to one or more of the vibration sensors, the method comprising the steps of:

acquiring vibration data by the nodes from the vibration sensors during a respective data acquisition interval; and

collecting data associated with at least a portion of the vibration data during a polling cycle, the polling cycle being based on the longest of the respective data acquisition intervals of the nodes.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the data is the vibration data.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein the length of the polling cycle is equal to the length of the longest of the respective data acquisition intervals of the nodes.