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

• US 6,772,093 B2
• Filed: 01/24/2001
• Issued: 08/03/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: TLV Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: TLV Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Nguyen, John H., Emoto, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoff, Marc S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Barbee, Manuel L
• Application Number:
  US09/768,721
• Publication Number:
  US 20010005819A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,287 Days
• Field of Search: 702/33-36, 702/42, 702/51, 702/54, 702/56, 702/81-84, 702/113, 702/114, 702/138, 702/140, 702/182-185, 702/188, 731/65, 738/659
• 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 management system, comprising:

a classifying section for classifying three or more evaluation results obtained by inspecting and evaluating individual ones of plural devices forming equipment into a plurality of grades, said plurality of grades being smaller than the number of the obtained evaluation results, wherein the classifying section is capable of assigning different grades to evaluation results having the same magnitude; and

an analyzing section analyzing the classified evaluation results.

2. The equipment management 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.

3. A computer-readable medium in which an equipment management program is recorded, the equipment management program being executed for operating a computer to perform a classification sequence for classifying three or more evaluation results obtained by inspecting and evaluating individual ones of plural devices forming equipment into a plurality of grades, said plurality of grades being smaller than the number of the obtained evaluation results, and an analyzing sequence for analyzing the classified evaluation results as classified in accordance with the classification sequence, wherein the classification sequence is capable of assigning different grades to evaluation results having the same magnitude.

4. The computer-readable medium according to claim 3 wherein the equipment is a piping system, and the devices are traps of different types disposed in the piping system.

5. An equipment management system comprising:

a detailed data storage section in which detailed data of a plurality of devices forming equipment are stored, the data being sorted on the basis of at least one predetermined basic item common to all the devices;

an item adding section through which any desired additional item common to all the devices for managing the devices can be added to the detailed data storage section;

a data entry section for adding data relating to the added item of the devices, a content of the added data being provided by an external source; and

a management data processing section processing the detailed data and added data which are stored in the detailed data storage section.

6. The equipment management system according to claim 5 wherein the equipment is a piping system, and the devices are traps of different types disposed in the piping system.

7. An equipment management system for managing equipment including a plurality of devices forming equipment, comprising:

a terminal apparatus including a terminal memory section, a management item setting section setting, in the terminal memory section, desired management items, and a data transmitting section transmitting the data entered for the respective management items; and

a management apparatus including a main memory in which detailed data of the respective devices are stored, the detailed data being sorted on the basis of at least one basic management item common to all the devices, a data receiving section receiving data transmitted from the data transmitting section of the terminal apparatus, and adding section through which the data and corresponding management item received section by the receiving station are additionally stored in the main memory section, and a management data processing section processing the added data added by the adding section and the detailed data stored in the main memory section, a content of the added data being provided by an external source.

8. The equipment management system according to claim 7 wherein the equipment is a piping system, and the devices are traps of different types disposed in the piping system.

9. A computer-readable record medium having recorded therein an equipment management program which is executed by a computer to manage devices forming equipment, the equipment managing program causing the computer to execute:

a management item adding sequence for setting, in a detailed data memory section in which detailed data of the devices have been stored and sorted on the basis of at least one basic management item common to all the devices, an additional management item common to the devices;

a data entry sequence for entering additional data relating to the additionally set management item of the respective devices, a content of the additional data being provided by an external source; and

a management data processing sequence for processing the detailed and additional data stored in the detailed data memory section.

10. The computer-readable medium according to claim 9 wherein the equipment is a piping system, and the devices are traps of different types disposed in the piping system.

11. A computer-readable record medium having recorded therein an equipment management program which is executed by a computer to manage devices forming equipment, the equipment management program causing the computer to execute:

a receiving sequence for receiving data of management items common to the devices transmitted from a terminal apparatus;

an adding sequence for adding the data received in the receiving sequence together with the common management items to a main memory section in which detailed data of the respective device sorted on the basis of at least one basic management item common to the devices have been stored; and

a management data processing sequence for processing the data added in the adding sequence and the detailed data stored in the main memory section, a content of the added data being provided by an external source.

12. The computer-readable medium according to claim 11 wherein the equipment is a piping system, and the devices are traps of different types disposed in the piping system.

13. An equipment management method, comprising:

classifying three or more evaluation results obtained by inspecting and evaluating individual ones of plural devices forming equipment into a plurality of grades, said plurality of grades being smaller than the number of the obtained evaluation results, wherein the classifying is capable of assigning different grades to evaluation results having the same magnitude; and

analyzing the classified evaluation results.

14. An equipment management method, including:

performing a classification sequence for classifying three or more evaluation results obtained by inspecting and evaluating individual ones of plural devices forming equipment into a plurality of grades, said plurality of grades being smaller than the number of the obtained evaluation results, wherein the classification sequence is capable of assigning different grades to evaluation results having the same magnitude; and

performing an analyzing sequence for analyzing the classified evaluation results as classified in accordance with the classification sequence.

15. An equipment management method comprising:

storing detailed data of a plurality of devices forming equipment, sorting the data on the basis of at least one predetermined basic item common to all the devices;

adding any desired additional item common to all the devices for managing the devices to a detailed data storage section;

adding data relating to the added item of the devices, a content of the added data being provided by an external source; and

processing the detailed data and added data which are stored in the detailed data storage section.

16. An equipment management method for managing equipment including a plurality of devices forming equipment, comprising:

setting a desired management item common to the devices, entering data relating to the set management items, and transmitting the data entered for the respective management items; and

storing detailed data of the respective devices on the basis of at least one basic management item common to all the devices, receiving added data transmitted from a data transmitting section of a terminal memory section, storing the added data and corresponding management item received by a receiving section, and processing the added data and the detailed data, a content of the added data being provided by an external source.

17. An equipment management method used to manage devices forming equipment, comprising:

setting, in a detailed data memory section in which detailed data have been stored and sorted on the basis of at least one basic management item common to all the devices, an additional management item common to the devices;

entering additional data relating to the additionally set management item of the respective devices, a content of the additional data being provided by an external source; and

processing the detailed and additional data stored in the detailed data memory section.

18. An equipment management method used to manage devices forming equipment, comprising:

receiving data of management items common to the devices transmitted from a terminal apparatus;

adding the data received together with the common management items to a main memory section in which detailed data of the respective device sorted into at least one basic management item common to the devices have been stored; and

processing the data added in the adding sequence and the detailed data stored in the main memory section, a content of the added data being provided by an external source.