Equipment inspection and evaluation system, equipment management system, and computer-readable record medium with equipment management program stored therein

• US 6,728,659 B1
• Filed: 07/14/1998
• Issued: 04/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: TLV Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: TLV Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Emoto, Hiroshi, Nguyen, John H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoff, Marc S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Barbee, Manuel L.
• Application Number:
  US09/115,354
• Time in Patent Office: 2,114 Days
• Field of Search: 702/31-36, 702/39, 702/42, 702/45, 702/48, 702/50, 702/51, 702/54-56, 702/81-84, 702/113, 702/114, 702/116, 702/119, 702/120, 702/122, 702/123, 702/130, 702/132, 702/136, 702/182-185, 702/188, 700/108, 700/195, 700/204, 700/205, 700/173, 700/174, 73/46, 73/48, 73/49
• US Class Current: 702/182
• CPC Class Codes: F16T 1/48 Monitoring arrangements for inspecting, e.g. flow of steam and steam condensate
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/042 using digital processors G05B19/05 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0421 Multiprocessor system
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/409 characterised by using manual data input [MDI] or by using control panel, e.g. controlling functions with the panel; characterised by control panel details or by setting parameters G05B19/408, G05B19/4093 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23136 Display all subsystems, select one and display screen corresponding to subsystem
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23178 Display status of currently selected controlled devices
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/24048 Remote test, monitoring, diagnostic
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/24056 Portable, detachable module to input test signals, read test results
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/24093 Display, show place of error, fault
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25294 Part, workpiece, code, tool identification
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2604 Test of external equipment
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0213 Modular or universal configuration of the monitoring system, e.g. monitoring system having modules that may be combined to build monitoring program; monitoring system that can be applied to legacy systems; adaptable monitoring system; using different communication protocols
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/20 Administration of product repair or maintenance

Abstract

An equipment inspecting and evaluating system can be used to inspect and evaluate steam traps by detecting a level of vibrations of each trap and the surface temperature of the housing of that trap. The detected vibration level and temperature are used to determine whether or not steam is leaking through that trap and to what extent steam leakage is. An equipment management system is connected to the inspection and evaluation system by a data transmission cable and receives inspection data of the traps from the inspection and evaluation system. The management system analyzes the received inspection data for computing the number of defective traps, the ratio of defective traps to the entire traps, the loss caused by steam leakage, etc.

Claims

1. An equipment inspection and evaluation system for inspecting and evaluating equipment including a plurality of individual devices, comprising:

a main memory section in which a plurality of inspection data processing sequences for processing data obtained by inspecting respective ones of the devices forming equipment are stored;

an auxiliary memory section;

a sequence storage control section receiving at least one externally applied sequence storage command, selecting one of the inspection data processing sequences stored in the main memory section corresponding to the received at least one sequence storage command, and storing the selected inspection data processing sequence in the auxiliary memory section;

a sequence calling section receiving an externally applied sequence calling command corresponding to one of the devices, and selecting the inspection data processing sequences stored in the auxiliary memory section corresponding to the received sequence calling command; and

an inspection data processing section receiving inspection data obtained by actual inspection of the one of the devices, processing the received inspection data to evaluate the inspected one of the devices in accordance with the inspection data processing sequence for the one device called by the sequence calling section, and outputting the results of the processing.

2. The equipment inspection and evaluation system according to claim 1 wherein:

the devices are of a plurality of different types;

the auxiliary memory section includes a plurality of storage regions for the different types of devices;

the sequence storage control section causes the inspection data processing sequence corresponding to the at least one sequence storage command to be stored in the storage region of the auxiliary memory section for the type of device to be inspected and evaluated in accordance with the inspection data processing sequence;

the sequence calling command includes a combination of a type selection command for selecting a desired one of the types of devices and a sequence selection command for selecting a desired one of the inspection data processing sequences; and

the sequence calling section selects one of the storage regions corresponding to the type selected in accordance with the type selection command, and calls one of the inspection data processing sequences stored in the selected storage region corresponding to the sequence selection command.

3. The equipment inspection and evaluation system according to claim 1 wherein the equipment is a piping system, and the devices are traps of different types disposed in the piping system.

4. An equipment inspection and evaluation system for inspecting and evaluating equipment including a plurality of devices including at least one trap and at least one valve, the system comprising:

a sequence memory section having stored therein a trap inspection and evaluation sequence to be executed for inspecting and evaluating a trap in a piping system and a valve inspection and evaluation sequence to be used for inspecting and evaluating a valve in the piping system;

a sequence selecting section selecting one of the trap and valve inspection and evaluation sequences in response to an externally applied sequence selection command corresponding to a device to be inspected and evaluated; and

a device inspecting and evaluating section for inspecting and evaluating the device in accordance with the inspection and evaluation sequence selected by the sequence selecting section.

5. The equipment inspection and evaluation system according to claim 4 wherein:

the device inspecting and evaluating section includes a vibration detecting section for detecting vibrations occurring in the devices and providing vibration representative data representing the detected vibrations, and a detection data processing section receiving the vibration representative data from the vibration detecting section and processing the received vibration representative data in accordance with an inspection and evaluation sequence being currently executed;

the trap inspection and evaluation sequence causes the detection data processing section to process the vibration representative data in accordance with stored correlation between an amount of leakage of a fluid being regulated by the at least one trap and a magnitude of vibrations of the at least one trap caused by the fluid leakage, to thereby compute the amount of fluid leakage through the at least one trap; and

the valve inspection and evaluation sequence causes the detection data processing section to compute the magnitude of vibrations in the at least one valve from the vibration representative data.

6. The equipment inspection and evaluation system according to claim 4 wherein:

the device inspecting and evaluating section includes a vibration detecting section detecting vibrations generated in the devices and providing vibration representative data representing detected vibrations, a temperature detecting section detecting the temperature of the devices and providing temperature representative data representing detected temperatures, and a detection data processing section receiving the vibration representative data and the temperature representative data and processing the received data in accordance with one of the evaluation sequences that is being currently employed;

the trap inspection and evaluation sequence causes the detection data processing section to process the vibration and temperature representative data in accordance with stored correlation between an amount of leakage of a fluid being regulated by the at least one trap and a magnitude of vibrations of the at least one trap caused by the fluid leakage and a temperature of the at least one trap, to thereby compute the amount of fluid leakage through the at least one trap; and

the valve inspection and evaluation sequence causes the detection data processing section to compute the magnitude of vibrations in the at least one valve from at least the vibration representative data.

7. An equipment inspection and evaluation system for inspecting and evaluating equipment including a plurality of devices including at least one trap and at least one valve, the system comprising:

a sequence memory section having stored therein a trap inspection and evaluation sequence to be used for inspecting and evaluating the at least one trap in a piping system and a valve inspection and evaluation sequence to be executed for inspecting and evaluating the at least one valve in the piping system;

a sequence selecting section selecting either of the trap and valve inspection and evaluation sequences in response to an externally applied sequence selection command corresponding to devices to be inspected and evaluated; and

a device inspecting and evaluating section having first and second inspection and evaluation modes and making inspection and evaluation of devices in one of the first and second inspection and evaluation modes selected in response to an externally applied mode selection command, the device inspecting and evaluating section, in the first mode, inspecting and evaluating the device in accordance with the inspection and evaluation sequences selected by the sequence selecting section, the device inspecting and evaluating section, in the second mode, performing trap inspection and evaluation or valve inspection and evaluation a predetermined number of times in accordance with the selected one of the inspection and evaluation sequences selected by the sequence selecting section and, then, performing valve inspection and evaluation or trap inspection and evaluation the same predetermined number of times in accordance with the other inspection and evaluation sequence.

8. The equipment inspection and evaluation system according to claim 7 wherein:

the device inspecting and evaluating section includes a vibration detecting section for detecting vibrations occurring in the devices and providing vibration representative data representing the detected vibrations, and a detection data processing section receiving the vibration representative data from the vibration detecting section and processing the received vibration representative data in accordance with an inspection and evaluation sequence being currently executed;

the trap inspection and evaluation sequence causes the detection data processing section to process the vibration representative data in accordance with stored correlation between an amount of leakage of a fluid being regulated by the at least one trap and a magnitude of vibrations of the at least one trap caused by the fluid leakage, to thereby compute the amount of fluid leakage through the at least one trap; and

the valve inspection and evaluation sequence causes the detection data processing section to compute the magnitude of vibrations in the at least one valve from the vibration representative data.

9. The equipment inspection and evaluation system according to claim 7 wherein:

the device inspecting and evaluating section includes a vibration detecting section detecting vibrations generated in the devices and providing vibration representative data representing detected vibrations, a temperature detecting section detecting the temperature of the devices and providing temperature representative data representing detected temperatures, and a detection data processing section receiving the vibration representative data and the temperature representative data and processing the received data in accordance with one of the evaluation sequences that is being currently employed;

the trap inspection and evaluation sequence causes the detection data processing section to process the vibration and temperature representative data in accordance with stored correlation between an amount of leakage of a fluid being regulated by the at least one trap and a magnitude of vibrations of the at least one trap caused by the fluid leakage and a temperature of the at least one trap, to thereby compute the amount of fluid leakage through the at least one trap; and

the valve inspection and evaluation sequence causes the detection data processing section to compute the magnitude of vibrations in the at least one valve from at least the vibration representative data.

10. An equipment inspection and evaluation system including a device inspecting and evaluating section for inspecting and evaluating a plurality of devices forming equipment in accordance with a predetermined inspection and evaluation sequence, the system comprising:

an index memory section having stored therein indexes for the respective devices, the indexes being arranged in a predetermined order;

an index calling section which first calls the foremost index and, then, calls succeeding indexes one by one in the predetermined order each time an external index output command is applied; and

an index output section outputting indexes called by the index calling section, wherein the equipment is a piping system, and the devices are traps of different types disposed in the piping system.

11. The equipment inspection and evaluation system of claim 10 further comprising an index output command generating section generating and applying the index output command to the index calling section each time the inspection and evaluation section finishes inspection and evaluation of a device.

12. The equipment and evaluation system according to claim 10, in which the device inspecting and evaluating section can make correct inspection and evaluation of devices when the device inspecting and evaluating section inspects and evaluates each device in accordance with the inspection and evaluation sequence for that device, wherein the system comprises:

a sequence memory section having stored therein a plurality of inspection and evaluation sequences for the respective devices;

a sequence calling section calling, when the index for a particular device is called by the index calling section, the inspection and evaluation sequence for the particular device from the sequence memory section; and

a sequence setting section for setting the called inspection and evaluation sequence in the inspection and evaluation section for use in inspection and evaluation of the particular device.

13. An equipment inspection and evaluation method for inspecting and evaluating equipment including a plurality of individual devices, comprising:

processing and storing data obtained by inspecting respective ones of the devices;

receiving at least one externally applied sequence storage command, selecting one of the inspection data, and storing the selected inspection data in auxiliary memory;

receiving an externally applied sequence calling command corresponding to one of the devices, and selecting the inspection data stored in the auxiliary memory section corresponding to the received sequence calling command; and

receiving inspection data obtained by actual inspection of the one device, processing the received inspection data to evaluate the inspected one device in accordance with the inspection data for the one device called by the sequence calling command, and outputting the results of the processing.

14. The equipment inspection and evaluation method according to claim 13 wherein:

the equipment forming devices are of a plurality of different types;

the auxiliary memory section includes a plurality of storage regions for the respective types of devices;

causing the at least one sequence storage command to be stored in the auxiliary memory section for the type of device to be inspected and evaluated in accordance with the inspection data;

selecting a desired one of the types of devices and selecting a desired inspection data processing sequence; and

selecting one of the storage regions corresponding to the type selected, and calling one of the inspection data stored in the selected storage region corresponding to the sequence selection command.

15. An equipment inspection and evaluation method for inspecting and evaluating equipment including a plurality of devices including a trap and a valve, comprising:

storing in a sequence memory section a trap inspection and evaluation sequence for inspecting and evaluating a trap in a piping system and a valve inspection and evaluation sequence for inspecting and evaluating a valve in the piping system;

selecting one of the trap and valve inspection and evaluation sequences in response to an externally applied sequence selection command corresponding to the device to be inspected and evaluated; and

inspecting and evaluating the device in accordance with the inspection and evaluation sequence selected by the sequence selecting section.

16. The equipment inspection and evaluation method according to claim 15 further comprising:

detecting vibrations occurring in the devices and providing vibration representative data representing the detected vibrations, and receiving the vibration representative data and processing the received vibration representative data;

processing the vibration representative data in accordance with stored correlation between the amount of leakage of a fluid being regulated by the at least one trap and the magnitude of vibrations of the at least one trap caused by the fluid leakage, thereby computing the amount of fluid leakage through the at least one trap; and

computing the magnitude of vibrations in the at least one valve from the vibration representative data.

17. The equipment inspection and evaluation method according to claim 15 further comprising:

detecting vibrations generated in the devices and providing vibration representative data representing detected vibrations, detecting the temperature of the devices and providing temperature representative data representing detected temperatures, receiving the vibration representative data and the temperature representative data and processing the received data;

processing the vibration and temperature representative data in accordance with a stored correlation between the amount of leakage of a fluid being regulated by the at least one trap and the magnitude of vibrations of the at least one trap caused by the fluid leakage and the temperature of the at least one trap, thereby computing the amount of fluid leakage through the at least one trap; and

computing the magnitude of vibrations in the at least one valve from at least the vibration representative data.

18. An equipment inspection and evaluation method for inspecting and evaluating equipment including a plurality of devices including at least one trap and at least one valve, comprising:

storing a trap inspection and evaluation sequence to be used for inspecting and evaluating the at least one trap in a piping system and a valve inspection and evaluation sequence to be used for inspecting and evaluating the at least one valve in the piping system;

selecting either of the trap and valve inspection and evaluation sequence in response to an externally applied sequence selection command corresponding to devices to be inspected and evaluated; and

making inspection and evaluation of devices in one of a first and second inspection and evaluation modes selected in response to an externally applied mode selection command, in the first mode, inspecting and evaluating the device in accordance with the inspection and evaluation sequences selected by the sequence selecting section, in the second mode, inspecting and evaluating a predetermined number of traps or valves in accordance with the selected one of the evaluation sequences selected by the sequence selecting section and, then, inspecting and evaluating the same predetermined number of valves or traps in accordance with the other evaluation sequence.

19. An equipment inspection and evaluation method for inspecting and evaluating a plurality of devices forming equipment, comprising:

storing indexes for the respective devices and arranging indexes in a predetermined order;

first calling the foremost index and, then, calling succeeding indexes one by one in the predetermined order each time an external index output command is applied; and

outputting the called indexes, wherein;

the equipment is a piping system, and the devices are traps of different types disposed in the piping system.

20. The equipment inspection and evaluation method of claim 19 further comprising generating and applying the output index each time the inspection and evaluation section finishes inspection and evaluation of a device.

21. The equipment inspection and evaluation method according to claim 19, further comprising:

storing a plurality of inspection and evaluation sequences for the respective devices;

calling, when the index for a particular device is called, the inspection and evaluation sequence for the particular device; and

setting the called inspection and evaluation sequence in the inspection and evaluation section for use in inspection and evaluation of the particular device.