Life prediction and monitoring of components

• US 7,565,267 B2
• Filed: 12/27/2006
• Issued: 07/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Warizaya, Kanji
• Primary Examiner(s): Raymond; Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): Desta; Elias
• Application Number:
  US11/616,715
• Publication Number:
  US 20070150236A1
• Time in Patent Office: 937 Days
• Field of Search: 702/34, 702/35, 702 57- 59, 702/177, 702/182, 702/184, 340/635, 340/648, 340/679, 318/538, 361/23, 361/30, 361/31, 701/30
• US Class Current: 702/182
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/008 Reliability or availability analysis

Abstract

A counting unit counts a current supplying duration for a component which determines a life of a device. A prediction unit predicts the device life based on an integrated current supplying duration integrated by the counting unit and a lifetime of the component. A monitoring unit monitors an efficient operating condition of the device based on a prediction signal outputted from the life prediction unit. The counting unit and the life prediction unit is provided at a short-life fan and a long-life component respectively, and the life prediction unit predicts the life of the device based on information on the short-life fan and the long-life component.

Claims

1. A life prediction and monitoring apparatus which predicts a life of a component to determine a device life so as to monitor an efficient operating condition of the device, the apparatus comprising:

a counting unit for counting and integrating a current supplying duration for the component;

a life prediction unit for predicting the life of the component based on the integrated current supplying duration integrated by the counting unit and a lifetime of the component; and

a monitoring unit for monitoring the efficient operating condition of the device based on a prediction signal outputted from the life prediction unit

wherein

the counting unit and the life prediction unit is provided at a short-life fan and a long-life component having no movable parts, respectively.

2. The life prediction and monitoring apparatus, as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the counting unit provided at the fan corrects the integrated current supplying duration and the lifetime by adding a correction coefficient associated with increase of a fan rotation number due to temperature of the long-life component exceeding a threshold;

and

the counting unit provided in the long-life component corrects the integrated current supplying duration and the lifetime by adding a correction coefficient associated with temperature on measuring the current supplying duration exceeding the threshold.

3. The life prediction and monitoring apparatus, as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the counting unit provided at the fan calculates a deterioration rate of the fan by differentiating an equation indicating a life warning line of the fan shown as a current supplying duration function,

the counting unit provided at the long-life component calculates a deterioration rate of the long-life component by differentiating an equation indicating a life warning line of the component shown as a current supplying duration function, and

the monitoring unit inputs information on the calculated deterioration rates of the fan and the long-life component and controls the deterioration rate of the fan to be close to the deterioration rate of the long-life component by reducing a fan rotation number.

4. A life prediction and monitoring method for predicting a life of a component to determine a device life so as to monitor an efficient operating condition of the device, the method comprising:

a counting step of counting and integrating a current supplying duration for the component; and

a life prediction step of predicting the life of the component based on the integrated current supplying duration and a lifetime of the component;

wherein

the counting step and the life prediction step are performed with respect to a short-life fan and a long-life component having no movable parts, and

an efficient operating condition of the device is monitored based on a prediction signal predicted in the life prediction step.

5. The life prediction and monitoring method, as claimed in claim 4, wherein

the integrated current supplying duration and the lifetime of the fan are corrected by adding a correction coefficient associated with increase of a rotation number of the fan due to temperature of the long-life component exceeding a threshold;

the integrated current supplying duration and the lifetime of the long-life component are corrected by adding a correction coefficient associated with increase of the temperature on measuring the current supplying duration exceeding the threshold.

6. The life prediction and monitoring method, as claimed in claim 4, wherein

a deterioration rate of the fan is calculated by differentiating an equation which indicates a life warning line of the component shown as a current supplying duration function,

a deterioration rate of the long-life component is calculated by differentiating an equation which indicates a life warning line of the component shown as a current supplying duration function, and

the deterioration rate of the fan is controlled to be close to the deterioration rate of the long-life component by reducing a fan rotation number.

7. A life prediction and monitoring program encoded in a computer-readable medium causing a computer which configures a life prediction and monitoring apparatus predicting a life of a component to determine a device life so as to monitor an efficient operating condition of the device to execute the functions of:

counting and integrating a current supplying duration for the component with respect to a short-life fan and a long-life component;

predicting the life of the component based on an integrated current supplying duration and a lifetime of the component with respect to a short-life fan and a long-life component having no movable parts; and

monitoring an efficient operating condition of the device based on a prediction signal predicted in the life prediction step.

8. The life prediction and monitoring program, as claimed in claim 7, wherein the program causes the computer to execute the functions of

correcting the integrated current supplying duration and the lifetime of the fan by adding a correction coefficient associated with increase of a fan rotation number due to temperature of the long-life component exceeding a threshold;

and

correcting the integrated current duration and the lifetime of the long-life component by adding a corrective coefficient associated with the temperature on measuring the current supplying duration exceeding the threshold.

9. The life prediction and monitoring program, as claimed in claim 7, wherein the program causes the computer to execute the functions of;

calculating a deterioration rate of the fan by differentiating an equation which indicates a life warning line of the component shown as a current supplying duration function;

calculating a deterioration rate of the long-life component by differentiating an equation which indicates a life warning line of the component shown as a current supplying duration function; and

controlling the deterioration rate of the fan to be close to the deterioration rate of the long-life component by reducing a fan rotation number.