Instruments management system and method and monitoring apparatus, database apparatus and data base client apparatuses and recording medium

• US 6,604,061 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2002
• Issued: 08/05/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Keiyo Engineering Company Limited, Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Keiyo Engineering Company Limited, Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Asano, Tatsuhiko, Kurokawa, Seigo, Takahashi, Ichiro, Kaneko, Hiromitsu
• Primary Examiner(s): ASSOUAD, PATRICK J
• Application Number:
  US10/084,207
• Publication Number:
  US 20020082810A1
• Time in Patent Office: 523 Days
• Field of Search: 702/33-36, 702/56, 702/182-185, 702/188
• US Class Current: 702/188
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0283 Predictive maintenance, e.g. involving the monitoring of a system and, based on the monitoring results, taking decisions on the maintenance schedule of the monitored system; Estimating remaining useful life [RUL] preventive maintenance, i.e. planning maintenance according to the available resources without monitoring the system G06Q10/06

Abstract

An equipment management system structured by a monitoring apparatus to monitor equipment of a facility being monitored and retrieve operation data, a database apparatus in which the operation data retrieved by the monitoring apparatus is recorded, and a database client apparatus to send and receive information to and from the database apparatus via a network, display the data recorded in the database apparatus, and enter data. The database apparatus records maintenance reference values for the equipment of the facility being monitored and the monitoring apparatus or database client apparatus outputs a display or printout prompting an execution of maintenance work when the operation data is in excess of or close to the maintenance reference values.

Claims

1. An equipment management method comprising the steps of:

monitoring equipment of a facility including at least one pump being monitored;

receiving operation data from said equipment via a network;

comparing said operation data with maintenance reference values for said equipment of said facility including at least one pump being monitored,

wherein said maintenance reference values being recorded in at least one database apparatus being operated by a facility manager or at least one database client apparatus being operated by a maintenance service contractor, and

wherein said maintenance service contractor is located at a location other than a location of said facility manager; and

outputting a display or printout prompting an execution of maintenance work by said maintenance service contractor when said operation data is in excess of or close to said maintenance reference values.

2. An equipment management method according claim 1, wherein said operation data is at least one of a daily operation time, a number of times said at least one pump was operated, a current value supplied to said at least one pump, and a water flow delivered by said at least one pump,

wherein said maintenance reference values are at least one of a period for maintaining a power source of said at least one pump, a period for maintaining an operation switch of said at least one pump, a period for maintaining bearings, a maximum operation before maintenance, and an efficiency of water flow delivered by said at least one pump, and

wherein maintenance information is displayed or printed according to a comparison between said operation data and said maintenance reference values.

3. An equipment management method according to claim 2, wherein said maintenance reference values can be changed by said at least one database apparatus or said at least one database client apparatus being operated by a maintenance service contractor, and

wherein maintenance information is displayed or printed according to a comparison between changed maintenance reference values and said operation data.

4. An equipment management method according to claim 2, wherein said maintenance reference values is rewritten by said at least one database client apparatus when maintenance operation is completed, and next maintenance information is displayed or printed according to a comparison between rewritten maintenance reference values and said operation data.