Wireless equipment diagnosis system

• US 5,745,049 A
• Filed: 07/15/1996
• Issued: 04/28/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Yokogawa Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yokogawa Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Sekiguchi, Toshio, Shimizu, Hiroshi, Akiyama, Koji, Takeuchi, Minoru, Nagata, Kazuo, Yoshitake, Satoshi, Takai, Kiyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery
• Assistant Examiner(s): WONG, ALBERT KANG
• Application Number:
  US08/680,888
• Time in Patent Office: 652 Days
• Field of Search: 340/870.17, 340/825.34, 340/825.54, 340/825.72, 340/573, 342/51, 342/42, 342/44, 364/557
• US Class Current: 340/870.17
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4183 characterised by data acquisition, e.g. workpiece identification
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/80 Management or planning

Abstract

A wireless equipment diagnosis system which can perform inspection and maintenance precisely and accurately, and which comprises sensors which measure information on each equipment being diagnosed, a transponder which transmits measured data from the sensors after modulating the measured data; a portable interrogator which acquires the measured data by receiving transmitted signals from the transponder; and a host computer which diagnoses each equipment by implementing predetermined signal processing using information stored in advance and data transferred from the acquired data.

Claims

1. A wireless equipment diagnosis system comprising:

interrogation means for transmitting interrogation waves and for receiving back as response waves the same interrogation waves after modulation in measurement acquisition means to contain diagnosis information of said equipment being diagnosed; and

said measurement acquisition means physically separated from said interrogation means and comprising means for obtaining diagnosis information of said equipment, means for receiving said interrogation waves from said interrogation means, means for modulating said interrogation waves based on said diagnosis information, and means for outputting the modulated interrogation waves as response waves for wireless transmission to said interrogation means;

whereby

said interrogation waves from said interrogation means are used to interrogate the measurement acquisition means and to serve as medium for obtaining diagnosis information from the measurement acquisition means thereby to improve reliability of diagnosis information retrieval.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said interrogation means comprises means for generating interrogation waves, antenna means for transmitting said interrogation waves and for receiving said response waves, means for storing diagnosis standards, means for comparing diagnosis information received in said response waves to said diagnosis standards, and means for outputting diagnosis information based on said comparison.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said interrogation means comprises oscillator means for generating said interrogation waves, modulation means for modulating said interrogation waves, antenna means for transmitting the modulated interrogation waves and for receiving the response waves from said measurement acquisition means, demodulator means for demodulating the response waves received by said antenna means, and means for displaying the diagnosis information from the demodulated response waves.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said measurement acquisition means comprises:

means for receiving said interrogation waves and for transmitting back said interrogation waves after modulation with data from sensor means;

said sensor means for obtaining data of the condition of said equipment; and

trigger means responsive to a trigger component of said interrogation waves for connecting said sensor means to said means for receiving and transmitting.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said measurement acquisition means comprises:

antenna means for receiving said interrogation waves and for transmitting back said interrogation waves after modulation;

detector means for detecting said interrogation waves;

sensor means for obtaining data of equipment condition;

signal processing means for processing said interrogation waves to determine identity of a particular measurement acquisition means being accessed and for controlling application of data to a modulation means; and

said modulation means for modulating said interrogation waves based on said data and for applying the modulated interrogation waves to said antenna means.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said measurement acquisition means comprises:

antenna means for receiving said interrogation waves and for transmitting back said interrogation waves after modulation as response waves;

detector means for detecting said interrogation waves;

sensor means for sensing condition of said equipment;

memory means for storing timing signals and for storing data from said sensor means;

modulation means; and

control means for taking said data from said memory means in response to signals contained in said interrogation waves and at a predetermined timing to cause said modulation means to modulate said interrogation waves based on said data from said sensor means, and then to transmit the modulated interrogation waves back to said interrogation means as response waves through said antenna means.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said measurement acquisition means comprises:

antenna means for receiving said interrogation waves and for transmitting back said interrogation waves after modulation as response waves;

sensor means for sensing condition of said equipment and for outputting data thereof;

detection means for detecting said interrogation waves;

control means responsive to information contained in said interrogation waves for operating said sensor means;

modulation means; and

signal processing means for taking data from said sensor means under control of said control means to provide processed signals to said modulation means to modulate said interrogation waves based on data from said sensor means and to cause said modulation means to output the modulated signals to the antenna means for wireless transmission to the interrogation means.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said measurement acquisition means comprises:

antenna means for receiving said interrogation waves and for transmitting back said interrogation waves after modulation as response waves;

sensor means for sensing condition of said equipment;

detector means for detecting said interrogation waves;

modulation means; and

processing means for receiving data from said sensor means and said interrogation waves from said detector means and then for providing data to said modulation means to cause modulation of said interrogation waves based on data from said sensor means indicating condition of said equipment thereby to provide response waves for transmission by said antenna means;

wherein said processing means comprises;

a control circuit for receiving signals from said detector means, a reference memory means for storing reference signals;

a trigger circuit for providing trigger signals; and

signal processing circuit means for receiving reference signals, trigger signals, and output from said sensor means, and then providing signals for operating said modulation means.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein said measurement acquisition means comprises:

antenna means for receiving said interrogation waves and for transmitting back said interrogation waves after modulation as response waves;

sensor means for sensing condition of said equipment;

detector means for detecting said interrogation waves;

modulation means; and

processing means for receiving data from said sensor, means and said interrogation waves from said detector means and then for providing data to said modulation means to cause modulation of said interrogation waves based on data from said sensor means indicating condition of said equipment thereby to provide response waves for transmission by said antenna means;

wherein said processing means comprises;

a control circuit for receiving output from said detector means;

memory means for receiving data from said sensor means, timer means, and signal processing means for receiving data from said memory means and timing signal from said timer means, and for providing signals to said modulation means.

10. The system of claim 3, wherein said measurement acquisition means comprises:

antenna means for receiving said interrogation waves and for transmitting back said interrogation waves after modulation as response waves;

detector means for detecting said interrogation waves;

sensor means for sensing condition of said equipment;

modulation means for receiving signals from said sensor means under control of a control circuit for modulating aid interrogation waves and for outputting to said antenna means; and

wherein

said interrogation means comprises two antennas one connected to said modulation means and the other connected to said detector means, wherein said detector means also comprises said control circuit; and

switching means for switching between the two antennas and said demodulator means and modulation means.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein said measurement acquisition system comprises:

antenna means for receiving said interrogation waves and for transmitting back said response waves;

sensor means ;

means for transmitting and receiving the interrogation waves;

memory means for storing data from said sensor means and data for diagnosis of said equipment; and

battery means for providing timing signal.

12. A wireless data acquisition equipment comprising:

interrogator means; and

one or more transponder means for receiving interrogatory signals from said interrogatory means and then transmitting to the interrogatory means the interrogatory signals after modulating the interrogatory signals using a modulator means with data measured by the one or more transponder means, said one or more transponder means comprising;

an antenna means for receiving said interrogatory signals and for transmitting the modulated interrogatory signals to said interrogatory means;

said modulator means for modulating said interrogatory signals;

detector means for detecting said interrogatory signals and for outputting a detected signal represending said interrogatory signals;

a control circuit means for receiving said output signals from said detector means and for generating control signals; and

an interface section for transferring said detected control signals to a host computer, said interface section comprising

line driver means for receiving data from said host computer;

an interface circuit means for outputting said received signal from said host computer; and

wherein said modulator means modulates said interrogatory signals based on output from said control circuit means.