Method and system of remote delivery of engine analysis data

• US 6,636,789 B2
• Filed: 04/27/2001
• Issued: 10/21/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: SPX Corporation
• Inventors: Bird, John A., Franz, Martin P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Marc-Coleman, Marthe Y.
• Application Number:
  US09/844,616
• Publication Number:
  US 20020161493A1
• Time in Patent Office: 907 Days
• Field of Search: 701/29, 701/33, 701/35, 701/36, 701/31, 701/102, 701/115, 702/108, 702/113, 702/121, 702/122, 324/379, 340/438, 731/16, 731/173, 731/181
• US Class Current: 701/29
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2223/06 Remote monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0264 Control of logging system, e.g. decision on which data to store; time-stamping measurements

Abstract

A vehicle analysis system includes a system analyzer, such as an engine analyzer, having probes that gather data from vehicle parameters such as engine components. The data is converted into digital signals, which are processed into display data and stored in a computer memory. A controller converts the display data into packets that may be transmitted across a communications network to a remote computer using transmission control protocol/Internet protocol.

Claims

1. A vehicle component analysis system comprising:

at least one probe for retrieving analog signals representative of an operation of a vehicle system;

an analog-to-digital converter system capable of receiving the analog signals and converting the analog signals to digital format signals;

a processor system for converting the digital format signals into display data;

a memory for storing the digital format signals, the memory having a direct memory access for directing the digital format signals into the memory; and

a controller for assembling the display data into packets for transmission through a communications network, wherein the at least one probe is for collecting direct digital signals indicative of at least one vehicle component parameter, wherein the analysis system is for directly storing and processing the direct digital signals without conversion of the direct digital signals using analog-to-digital conversion circuitry.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the packets conform to transmission control protocol/Internet protocol.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller includes at least one of a network card, an interface chip, and a protocol stack module.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the controller is integral with the system.

5. The system of claim 3 wherein the controller is an external controller.

6. The system of claim 1 further comprising at least one remote computer having a display and a communications card, the communications card for receiving the packets, and the computer further comprising a processor and a display controller for displaying information representative of the data in the packets on the display.

7. A method of gathering, displaying, or analyzing data representative of vehicle operation, comprising:

collecting, using at least one probe, analog signals indicative of at least one vehicle component parameter;

converting, using analog-to-digital conversion circuitry, the analog signals into digital signals;

storing, using a direct memory access, the digital signals in a computer memory;

processing, using a computer processor, the digital signals into display data; and

converting, using a controller, the display data into packets for transmission through a communications network, wherein the collecting step also includes collecting direct digital signals indicative of at least one vehicle component parameter, and further including the step of directly storing and processing the direct digital signals without conversion of the direct digital signals using analog-to-digital conversion circuitry.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising transmitting the packets to at least one remote computer via the communications network.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the converting step is performed in accordance with transmission control protocol/Internet protocol.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein the storing and the processing are performed in parallel.

11. A system for vehicle component analysis, comprising:

means for retrieving data signals corresponding to at least one vehicle component parameter;

means for converting the data signals into digital signals;

means for storing the digital signals in a computer memory;

means for processing the digital signals into display data; and

means for assembling the display data into pockets for communication through a communications network, wherein said means for retrieving is to retrieve direct digital signals indicative of at least one vehicle component parameter and said means for processing is to process, the direct digital signals without conversion of the direct digital signals using analog-to-digital conversion circuitry.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein at least one of the data signals is an analog signal, and further comprising a means for converting analog signals into digital signals.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said means for converting comprises an analog-to-digital converter.

14. The system of claim 11, further comprising a means for transmitting the packets to at least one remote computer via a communications network.

15. The system of claim 11, further comprising a means for retrieving the packets and presenting the packets to a user as a waveform.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the packets conform to transmission control protocol/Internet protocol.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the converting means is integral with the system.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the converting means is external to the system.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein said means for retrieving data signals comprises at least one probe.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein said means for storing comprises direct memory access.