Machinery condition assessment module

• US 7,593,784 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2006
• Issued: 09/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Bibelhausen, David, Alford, Thomas, Carle, Patrick F.
• Primary Examiner(s): DeCady; Albert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rapp; Chad
• Application Number:
  US11/537,312
• Publication Number:
  US 20070073521A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,089 Days
• Field of Search: 700/108, 700/110, 700/111, 700/175, 700/280
• US Class Current: 700/175
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31356 Automatic fault detection and isolation
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31467 Display of operating conditions of machines, workcells, selected programs
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31471 Operator can select a graphical screen at his will as help diagnostic
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0229 knowledge based, e.g. expert systems; genetic algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0278 Qualitative, e.g. if-then rules; Fuzzy logic; Lookup tables; Symptomatic search; FMEA
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

A machine condition assessment module may be integrated with standard industrial control and communications networks to receive dynamic operating data from signal processing engines and optionally process data from controlled machinery and to operate on that data according to standard and user customized rule sets to produce an assessment of the presence and severity of specific electrical and/or mechanical faults. The output of the assessment module will be, for each of the one or more machines monitored, and for each of the one or more faults assessed, a single parameter that indicates the presence and severity of the fault. This data, in turn, may be readily communicated to an industrial controller on the network for use in effecting the control process itself.

Claims

1. A machine condition assessment system comprising:

(a) a standard industrial communications network;

(b) a plurality of signal processing engines on the network, the signal processing engine coupled to a sensor to receive at least one raw dynamic operating condition signal and to produce at least one processed dynamic operating condition signals representative of a dynamic operating condition of a monitored machine;

(c) a machine condition assessment module having a processor;

at least one network interface connecting the processor to the standard industrial communications network; and

a memory communicating with the processor and holding a stored operating program; and

a stored template program;

the operating program executing on the processor to;

(i) identify at least one type, location, and access method for dynamic operating condition data from the plurality of processing engines required to evaluate a specific condition for which the template is designed;

(ii) identify at least one network address for an output signal indicating an alarm condition;

(iii) execute combinatorial logic from the template accepting as arguments the dynamic operating condition data and producing as a value the output signal transmitted on the network;

whereby the condition of the machine is monitored.

2. The machine condition assessment system of claim 1 wherein the output of the machine condition assessment module provides for each machines monitored, and for each of the alarm conditions assessed, a single parameter that indicates the presence and severity of the alarm condition selected from a group consisting of misalignment, imbalance, and eccentric air gap.

3. The machine condition assessment system of claim 1 wherein the operating program further executes to:

identify at least one network addresses for at least one I/O module receiving a process signal related to the control of the machine;

wherein the combinatorial logic from the template further accepts as arguments the process signal.

4. The machine condition assessment system of claim 1 wherein the raw dynamic operating condition signal is vibration data.

5. The machine condition assessment system of claim 3 wherein the template specifies the type, location and access method for vibration amplitudes at prescribed frequencies or multiples of running speed.

6. The machine condition assessment system of claim 1 further including a user interface program prompting a user to provide needed network addresses for the signal processing engines of the identified type.

7. The machine condition assessment system of claim 6 further including multiple templates associated with different machines and wherein the user interface further executes to identify at least one template for use.

8. The machine condition assessment system of claim 1 wherein each template is identified to a particular machine type.

9. The machine condition assessment system of claim 3 wherein the machine type is selected from a group consisting of a turbine device, motor device, gearbox device, pump, fan, coupling, a bearing device.

10. The machine condition assessment system of claim 1 further including input I/O circuits communicating with the processor and receiving a process signal related to the operation of the machine;

wherein the combinatorial logic from the template further accepts as arguments the process signal.

11. The machine condition assessment system of claim 1 wherein:

the industrial network is selected from an open standard network from a group consisting of DeviceNet, ControlNet Ethernet/IP and OPC, via Ethernet.

12. The machine condition assessment system of claim 1 wherein the memory further holds multiple data spaces assigned to different machines;

each data space associated with different network addresses to allow concurrent execution of different instances of the combinatorial logic for different signal processing engines for concurrent monitoring of multiple machines.

13. A monitoring system for a machine, the monitoring system comprising:

a programmable logic controller including at least one I/O module for the control of a machine;

a plurality of sensors disposed at a location with respect to the machine to sense a dynamic operating parameter of the machine during operation;

a plurality of signal processing engines coupled to the sensors to receive at least one raw dynamic operating condition data and process the dynamic operating data to determine at least one processed dynamic operating conditions of a monitored machine;

a machine condition assessment module communicating with the signal processing engines and the programmable logic controller over at least one standard industrial network, the machine condition assessment unit executing a stored program to execute combinatorial logic accepting as arguments the dynamic operating conditions and producing as an alarm value communicated over the standard industrial control network to the programmable logic controller.

14. The monitoring system of claim 13 wherein the combinatorial logic further accepts as arguments process data from the programmable logic controller.

15. The monitoring system of claim 13 wherein the raw dynamic operating condition data is vibration data.

16. The monitoring system of claim 13 wherein the monitoring system further includes a user interface program prompting a user to provide needed network addresses for the signal processing engines and the programmable logic controller.

17. The monitoring system of claim 13 wherein:

control network is selected from a group consisting of DeviceNet, ControlNet Ethernet/IP and OPC, via Ethernet.

18. The monitoring system of claim 13 wherein the machine condition assessment module holds multiple data spaces assigned to different machines;

each data space associated with different network addresses to allow concurrent execution of different instances of the combinatorial logic for different signal processing engines for concurrent monitoring of multiple machines.