Method and system for remote processing and analysis of industrial asset inspection data

• US 10,345,804 B2
• Filed: 10/04/2016
• Issued: 07/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Baker Hughes Holdings LLC (Baker Hughes Company)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Sharber, Dustin Michael, El-Messidi, Ashraf Osama, Alkadi, Nasr Eldine, Kazempoor, Pejman
• Primary Examiner(s): Goldman, Richard A
• Application Number:
  US15/285,412
• Publication Number:
  US 20180095458A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,008 Days
• Field of Search: 701 3, 701 4, 701 5, 701 6, 701 7, 701 8, 701 10, 701454, 701523, 244 1713, 244180, 356437, 356326, 356303, 382100, 25033912, 25033913, 25033906
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/10 autonomous, i.e. by navigating independently from ground or air stations, e.g. by using inertial navigation systems [INS]
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/20 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0027 involving a plurality of vehicles, e.g. fleet or convoy travelling fleet control of land vehicles from a control room G05D1/0297; traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/00; for marine craft G08G3/00; for aircraft G08G5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0007 Image acquisition
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/14 Multichannel or multilink protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/185 by embedding added-value information into content, e.g. geo-tagging
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/38 for collecting sensor information

Abstract

A remote processing device for processing inspection data collected by one or more inspection apparatuses includes a communication unit and an on-board computing device coupled to the communication device. The communication unit is configured to transmit data to and receive data from one or more inspection apparatuses. The on-board computing device includes at least one processor and a memory device coupled to the at least one processor. The at least one processor is configured to receive geotagged unprocessed image data from the inspection apparatuses over a first communication channel, receive geotagged fluid concentration data from the inspection apparatuses over a second communication channel, process the geotagged unprocessed image data into one or more image files, generate a fluid data map by overlaying the geotagged fluid concentration data over the one or more image files, and transmit the fluid data map to one or more remote computing devices.

Claims

1. A remote processing device for processing inspection data collected by one or more inspection apparatuses, said remote processing device configured to be remotely located from the one or more inspection apparatuses during collection of the inspection data, said remote processing device comprising:

a communication unit configured to transmit data to the one or more inspection apparatuses and to receive data from the one or more inspection apparatuses; and

an on-board computing device coupled to said communication unit, said on-board computing device comprising at least one processor and a memory device coupled to said at least one processor, said at least one processor configured to;

receive, from the one or more inspection apparatuses, geotagged unprocessed image data over a first communication channel;

receive, from the one or more inspection apparatuses, geotagged fluid concentration data over a second communication channel;

process the geotagged unprocessed image data into one or more image files;

retrieve historical fluid concentration data from a remote data source;

generate a fluid data map, including a plurality of layers displayed within a data visualization of a geographic region associated with the inspection data collected by the one or more inspection apparatuses, the fluid data map displaying the geotagged fluid concentration data in a first layer and the historical fluid concentration data in a second layer overlaid on the first layer, the first and second layers overlaid on a third layer including the one or more image files; and

transmit the fluid data map to one or more remote computing devices.

2. The remote processing device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said at least one processor is further configured to receive, from the one or more inspection apparatuses, geotagged infrared image data over the second communication channel, and generate the fluid data map by overlaying the geotagged infrared image data in a fourth layer over the third layer including the one or more image files.

3. The remote processing device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said at least one processor is further configured to:

determine that at least one of a portion of the received geotagged fluid concentration data exceeds a predetermined fluid concentration threshold and a leakage corresponding to the portion of the received geotagged fluid concentration data exceeds a predetermined leakage threshold;

generate a route plan including one or more route instructions executable by an inspection apparatus of the one or more inspection apparatuses, the route instructions configured to, when executed by the inspection apparatus of the one or more inspection apparatuses;

navigate the inspection apparatus to a location corresponding to the portion of the geotagged fluid concentration data;

capture, using the inspection apparatus, at least one of additional geotagged fluid concentration data and additional geotagged unprocessed image data; and

transmit, from the inspection apparatus, the at least one of the additional geotagged fluid concentration data and the additional geotagged unprocessed image data to said remote processing device; and

transmit the route plan to the inspection apparatus to facilitate execution of the route plan by the inspection apparatus.

4. The remote processing device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said at least one processor is further configured to:

transmit the fluid data map to a mobile computing device;

receive at least one point of interest from the mobile computing device;

generate a route plan including one or more route instructions executable by an inspection apparatus of the one or more inspection apparatuses, the route instructions configured to, when executed by the inspection apparatus of the one or more inspection apparatuses;

navigate the inspection apparatus to the at least one point of interest;

capture, using the inspection apparatus, at least one of additional geotagged fluid concentration data and additional geotagged unprocessed image data; and

transmit the at least one of the additional geotagged fluid concentration data and the additional geotagged unprocessed image data to said remote processing device; and

transmit the route instructions to the inspection apparatus to facilitate execution of the route plan by the inspection apparatus.

5. The remote processing device in accordance with claim 4, wherein said at least one processor is further configured to:

transmit a confirmation request to the mobile computing device; and

receive, from the mobile computing device, a confirmation message in response to the confirmation request, wherein said at least one processor is configured to generate the route plan in response to receiving the confirmation from the mobile computing device.

6. The remote processing device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said instructions further cause said at least one processor to:

transmit at least one of the geotagged fluid concentration data, the geotagged unprocessed image data, the one or more image files, and the fluid data map to an industrial cloud-based platform;

receive, from the industrial cloud-based platform, at least one point of interest from the mobile computing device;

generate a route plan including one or more route instructions executable by an inspection apparatus of the one or more inspection apparatuses, the route instructions configured to, when executed by the inspection apparatus of the one or more inspection apparatuses;

navigate the inspection apparatus to the at least one point of interest;

capture, using the inspection apparatus, at least one of additional geotagged fluid concentration data and additional geotagged unprocessed image data; and

transmit, from the inspection apparatus, the at least one of the additional geotagged fluid concentration data and the additional geotagged unprocessed image data to said remote processing device; and

transmit the route instructions to the inspection apparatus to facilitate execution of the route plan by the inspection apparatus.

7. The remote processing device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said at least one processor is further configured to retrieve supplemental data from a remote data source, wherein generating the fluid data map further includes overlaying the supplemental data in a new layer over the third layer including the one or more image files.

8. The remote processing device in accordance with claim 7, wherein the supplemental data includes one or more of meteorological data, geographic data, and historical image data.

9. The remote processing device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said at least one processor is further configured to:

receive, from the one or more inspection apparatuses, geotagged three-dimensional point data;

generate a three-dimensional model corresponding to the geotagged three-dimensional point data; and

generate the fluid data map by overlaying each of the geotagged fluid concentration data and the one or more image files over the three-dimensional model.

10. The remote processing device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said at least one processor is further configured to:

receive a video feed from an inspection apparatus of the one or more inspection apparatuses; and

forward the video feed to one or more mobile computing devices.

11. The remote processing device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said at least one processor is further configured to determine at least one of a leakage location, a leakage rate, and a total leakage based, at least in part, on the geotagged fluid concentration data.

12. The remote processing device of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor of the on-board computing device is further configured to receive a user input associated with selecting one or more of the plurality of layers for display, the user input causing the fluid data map to display the selected one or more layers in the data visualization as a time-based animation.

13. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon for use in processing inspection data, the instructions executable by a processor of a remote processing device for processing inspection data collected by one or more inspection apparatuses, the remote processing device configured to be remotely located from the one or more inspection apparatuses during collection of the inspection data, wherein when executed by the processor, the computer-executable instructions cause the processor to:

receive, from one or more inspection apparatuses, geotagged unprocessed image data over a first communication channel;

receive, from the one or more remote inspection apparatuses, geotagged fluid concentration data over a second communication channel;

process the geotagged unprocessed image data into one or more image files;

retrieve historical fluid concentration data from a remote data source;

generate a fluid data map, including a plurality of layers displayed within a data visualization of a geographic region associated with the inspection data collected by the one or more inspection apparatuses, the fluid data map displaying the geotagged fluid concentration data in a first layer and the historical fluid concentration data in a second layer overlaid on the first layer, the first and second layers overlaid on a third layer including the one or more image files; and

transmit the fluid data map to one or more remote computing devices.

14. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media in accordance with claim 13, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the processor to receive, from the one or more remote inspection apparatuses, geotagged infrared image data over the second communication channel, and generate the fluid data map by overlaying the geotagged infrared image data in a fourth layer over the third layer including the one or more image files.

15. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media in accordance with claim 13, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the processor to:

determine that at least one of a portion of the received geotagged fluid concentration data exceeds a predetermined fluid concentration threshold and a leakage corresponding to the portion of the received geotagged fluid concentration data exceeds a predetermined leakage threshold;

generate a route plan including one or more route instructions executable by an inspection apparatus of the one or more remote inspection apparatuses, the route instructions configured to, when executed by the inspection apparatus of the one or more remote inspection apparatuses;

navigate the inspection apparatus to the at least one point of interest;

capture, using the inspection apparatus, at least one of additional geotagged fluid concentration data and additional geotagged unprocessed image data; and

transmit the at least one of the additional geotagged fluid concentration data and the additional geotagged unprocessed image data to a remote processing device; and

transmit the route instructions to the inspection apparatus to facilitate execution of the route plan by the inspection apparatus.

16. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media in accordance with claim 13, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the processor to:

transmit the fluid data map to a mobile computing device;

receive at least one point of interest from the mobile computing device;

generate a route plan including one or more route instructions executable by an inspection apparatus of the one or more inspection apparatuses, the route instructions configured to, when executed by the inspection apparatus of the one or more inspection apparatuses;

navigate the inspection apparatus to the at least one point of interest;

capture, using the inspection apparatus, at least one of additional geotagged fluid concentration data and additional geotagged unprocessed image data; and

transmit the at least one of the additional geotagged fluid concentration data and the additional geotagged unprocessed image data to said remote processing device; and

transmit the route instructions to the inspection apparatus to facilitate execution of the route plan by the inspection apparatus.

17. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage

media in accordance with claim 13, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the processor to:

transmit at least one of the geotagged fluid concentration data, the geotagged unprocessed image data, the one or more image files, and the fluid data map to an industrial cloud-based platform;

receive, from the industrial cloud-based platform, at least one point of interest from the mobile computing device;

generate a route plan including one or more route instructions executable by an inspection apparatus of the one or more inspection apparatuses, the route instructions configured to, when executed by the inspection apparatus of the one or more inspection apparatuses;

navigate the inspection apparatus to the at least one point of interest;

capture, using the inspection apparatus, at least one of additional geotagged fluid concentration data and additional geotagged unprocessed image data; and

transmit the at least one of the additional geotagged fluid concentration data and the additional geotagged unprocessed image data to said remote processing device; and

transmit the route instructions to the inspection apparatus to facilitate execution of the route plan by the inspection apparatus.

18. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media in accordance with claim 13, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the processor to:

receive supplemental data from a remote data source, wherein the supplemental data includes one or more of meteorological data, geographic data, and historical image data; and

generate the fluid data map by overlaying the supplemental data in a new layer over the third layer including the one or more image files.

19. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media in accordance with claim 13, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the processor to:

receive, from the one or more inspection apparatuses, geotagged three-dimensional point data; and

generate a three-dimensional model corresponding to the geotagged three-dimensional point data; and

generate the fluid data map by overlaying each of the geotagged fluid concentration data and the one or more image files over the three-dimensional model.

20. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media in accordance with claim 13, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the processor to determine at least one of a leakage location, a leakage rate, and a total leakage based, at least in part, on the geotagged fluid concentration data.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 13, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the processor to receive a user input associated with selecting one or more of the plurality of layers for display, the user input causing the fluid data map to display the selected one or more layers in the data visualization as a time-based animation.

22. A method of consolidating and visualizing inspection data collected by one or more inspection apparatuses, said method executable by a remote processing device, the remote processing device configured to be remotely located from the one or more inspection apparatuses during collection of the inspection data, and the remote processing device including an on-board computing device including at least one processor coupled to a memory device, said method comprising:

receiving, from the one or more inspection apparatuses, geotagged unprocessed image data over a first communication channel;

receiving, from the one or more inspection apparatuses, geotagged fluid concentration data over a second communication channel;

processing, using the on-board computing device, the geotagged unprocessed image data into one or more image files;

retrieving historical fluid concentration data from a remote data source;

generating, using the on-board computing device, a fluid data map, including a plurality of layers displayed within a data visualization of a geographic region associated with the inspection data collected by the one or more inspection apparatuses, the fluid data map displaying the geotagged fluid concentration data in a first layer and the historical fluid concentration data in a second layer overlaid on the first layer, the first and second layers overlaid on a third layer including the one or more image files; and

transmitting the fluid data map to one or more remote computing devices.

23. The method in accordance with claim 22 further comprising:

determining, using the on-board computing device, that at least one of a portion of the received geotagged fluid concentration data exceeds a predetermined fluid concentration threshold and a leakage corresponding to the portion of the received geotagged fluid concentration data exceeds a predetermined leakage threshold;

generating, using the on-board computing device, a route plan including one or more route instructions executable by an inspection apparatus of the one or more inspection apparatuses, the route instructions configured to, when executed by the inspection apparatus of the one or more inspection apparatuses;

navigate the inspection apparatus to the at least one point of interest;

capture, using the inspection apparatus, at least one of additional fluid concentration data and additional unprocessed image data; and

transmit the at least one of the additional fluid concentration data and the additional unprocessed image data to a remote processing device; and

transmitting the route instructions to the inspection apparatus to facilitate execution of the route plan by the inspection apparatus.

24. The method in accordance with claim 22 further comprising receiving, from each of the one or more inspection apparatuses, geotagged infrared image data over the second communication channel, wherein generating the fluid data map further comprises overlaying the geotagged infrared image data in a fourth layer over the third layer including the one or more image files.

25. The method in accordance with claim 22 further comprising:

transmitting the fluid data map to a mobile computing device;

receiving at least one point of interest from the mobile computing device;

generating, using the on-board computing device, a route plan including one or more route instructions executable by an inspection apparatus of the one or more inspection apparatuses, the route instructions configured to, when executed by the inspection apparatus of the one or more inspection apparatuses;

navigate the inspection apparatus to the at least one point of interest;

capture, using the inspection apparatus, at least one of additional fluid concentration data and additional unprocessed image data; and

transmit the at least one of the additional fluid concentration data and the additional unprocessed image data to a remote processing device; and

transmitting the route instructions to the inspection apparatus to facilitate execution of the route plan by the inspection apparatus.

26. The method in accordance with claim 22 further comprising:

transmitting at least one of the fluid concentration data, the unprocessed image data, the one or more image files, and the fluid data map to an industrial cloud-based platform;

receiving, from the industrial cloud-based platform, at least one point of interest from the mobile computing device;

generating, using the on-board computing device, a route plan including one or more route instructions executable by an inspection apparatus of the one or more inspection apparatuses, the route instructions configured to, when executed by the inspection apparatus of the one or more inspection apparatuses;

navigate the inspection apparatus to the at least one point of interest;

capture, using the inspection apparatus, at least one of additional fluid concentration data and additional unprocessed image data; and

transmit the at least one of the additional fluid concentration data and the additional unprocessed image data to a remote processing device; and

transmitting the route instructions to the inspection apparatus to facilitate execution of the route plan by the inspection apparatus.

27. The method in accordance with claim 22 further comprising receiving supplemental data from a remote data source, wherein the supplemental data includes one or more of meteorological data, geographic data, and historical image data, and wherein generating the fluid data map further includes overlaying the supplemental data in a new layer over the third layer including the one or more image files.

28. The method in accordance with claim 22 further comprising:

receiving, from the one or more inspection apparatuses, geotagged three-dimensional point data and

generating, using the on-board computing device, a three-dimensional model corresponding to the geotagged three-dimensional point data, wherein the fluid data map is a three-dimensional fluid data map and generating the fluid data map further includes overlaying each of the geotagged fluid concentration data and the one or more image files over the three-dimensional model.

29. The method of claim 22, wherein the one or more remote computing devices are further configured to receive a user input associated with selecting one or more of the plurality of layers for display, the user input causing the fluid data map to display the selected one or more layers in the data visualization as a time-based animation.