Apparatus and method for inspecting assets in a processing or other environment

• US 8,396,280 B2
• Filed: 11/29/2006
• Issued: 03/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Amidi, Soroush
• Primary Examiner(s): Fan, Chieh M
• Assistant Examiner(s): SPINKS, ANTOINETTE T
• Application Number:
  US11/606,814
• Publication Number:
  US 20080123934A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,295 Days
• Field of Search: 382/141, 348/340, 348/231
• US Class Current: 382/141
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0229 knowledge based, e.g. expert systems; genetic algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0283 Predictive maintenance, e.g. involving the monitoring of a system and, based on the monitoring results, taking decisions on the maintenance schedule of the monitored system; Estimating remaining useful life [RUL] preventive maintenance, i.e. planning maintenance according to the available resources without monitoring the system G06Q10/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/95 structured as a network, e.g. client-server architectures
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 2201/06 Recognition of objects for industrial automation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00318 with a multi-media apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00347 with another still picture apparatus, e.g. hybrid still picture apparatus circuits or arrangements for control or supervision between image input and image output device H04N1/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/002 Selecting or switching between an image communication channel and a non-image communication channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0022 Selecting or switching between an image communication mode and a non-image communication mode H04N2201/002 takes precedence

Abstract

A portable asset inspection device can be used during the inspection of one or more assets, such as assets in a processing or other environment. A camera in the portable asset inspection device can be used to take digital photographs of assets being inspected. A sound recorder in the portable asset inspection device can be used to record oral notes of a user or other sounds associated with the inspection of the assets. Other data could be collected from the user using the portable asset inspection device. The collected data can be transmitted in either real-time or non-real-time to an external system. The external system could associate photographs, sound recordings, and other data with specific assets, such as by automatically storing the data in records associated with the correct assets. The external system could also use the data in any suitable manner, such as to schedule asset maintenance.

Claims

1. A portable apparatus, comprising:

a camera operable to capture images associated with an inspection of each of multiple assets;

a sound recorder operable to, concurrent with the capture of the images, capture sounds associated with the inspection of each of the assets, the sounds related to the images and including one or more oral notes from a user inspecting each of the assets and one or more sounds associated with an operation of each of the assets;

a detector operable to automatically identify each of the assets at the portable apparatus;

a display operable to present a checklist relating to the inspection of at least one of the assets;

a controller configured to associate at the portable apparatus the images of the assets and the sounds associated with the inspection of the assets with information identifying the assets;

a memory configured to store the images of the assets, the sounds associated with the inspection of the assets, and the information identifying the assets; and

an interface operable to transmit the images of the assets, the sounds associated with the inspection of the assets, and the information identifying the assets;

wherein the apparatus is further configured to compare at least one of the images of the assets, the sounds associated with the inspection of the assets, and the information identifying the assets with data relating to at least one of the assets in order to perform an examination of the at least one of the assets; and

wherein the interface is operable to transmit the images, the sounds, and the information identifying the assets to a server that is configured to;

analyze the images and the sound recordings to determine characteristics of each of the assets including a health of each of the assets and any identified problems associated with the assets;

verify that required inspections of the assets have been performed; and

in response to detecting an ambiguity in the information identifying one of the assets, at least one of;

collect additional information regarding the specific asset from the user and request verification of the identity of the asset from the user.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the interface is operable to transmit the images, the sounds, and the information identifying the assets to the server over a frame relay network.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the display is operable to present forms to a user;

the apparatus further comprises one or more controls operable to receive input from the user, the input comprising data associated with the assets; and

the interface is further operable to transmit the data provided by the user.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is further operable to control operation of at least one of:

the camera, the sound recorder, and the interface.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the controller forms part of at least one of:

the camera and the sound recorder.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the interface comprises a wireless interface.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the detector comprises a radio frequency identification (REED) detector.

8. A method, comprising:

capturing, at a portable device, images associated with an inspection of each of multiple assets;

concurrent with the capture of the images, recording sounds associated with the inspection of each of the assets at the portable device, the sounds related to the images and including one or more oral notes from a user inspecting each of the assets and one or more sounds associated with an operation of each of the assets;

automatically identifying the assets at the portable device;

presenting a checklist relating to the inspection of at least one of the assets on a display of the portable device;

associating at the portable device the images of the assets and the sounds associated with the inspection of the assets with information identifying the assets;

storing the images of the assets, the sounds associated with the inspection of the assets, and the information identifying the assets at the portable device;

communicating the images of the assets, the sounds associated with the inspection of the assets, and the information identifying the assets;

comparing at least one of the images of the assets, the sounds associated with the inspection of the assets, and the information identifying the assets with data relating to at least one of the assets in order to perform an examination of the at least one of the assets;

analyzing the images and the sound recordings to determine characteristics of each of the assets including a health of each of the assets and any identified problems associated with the assets;

verifying that required inspections of the assets have been performed; and

in response to detecting an ambiguity in the information identifying one of the assets, at least one of;

collecting additional information regarding the specific asset from the user and requesting verification of the identity of the asset from the user.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

transmitting the images and the sound recordings over a frame relay network.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

presenting forms to a user on the display of the portable device; and

receiving input from the user through one or more controls of the portable device, the input comprising data associated with the assets;

wherein communicating the image of the assets, the sounds associated with the inspection of the assets, and the information identifying the assets comprises communicating the data provided by the user along with the images, the sounds, and the information identifying the assets.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein communicating the image of the assets, the sounds associated with the inspection of the assets, and the information identifying the assets comprises communicating the images, the sounds, and the information identifying the assets after the portable device is inserted into a docking station.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein communicating the image of the assets, the sounds associated with the inspection of the assets, and the information identifying the assets comprises communicating the images, the sounds, and the information identifying the assets to a radio frequency receiver.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the assets comprise equipment in an industrial processing facility.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein automatically identifying the assets comprises receiving Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) signals identifying the assets at the portable device.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium embodying a computer program, the computer program comprising:

computer readable program code for receiving (i) an image associated with an inspection of a specific asset, (ii) sound recordings associated with the inspection of the specific asset, the sound recordings related to the images and including one or more oral notes from a user inspecting the specific asset and one or more sounds associated with an operation of the specific asset, the sound recordings received concurrent with the images, and (iii) information identifying the specific asset;

computer readable program code for presenting a checklist relating to the inspection of the specific asset on a display;

computer readable program code for performing speech-to-text conversion of the one or more oral notes to produce converted text;

computer readable program code for associating the received image, the sound recordings, and the converted text with the specific asset using the information identifying the specific asset; and

computer readable program code for analyzing the image and at least one of the sound recordings to determine characteristics of the specific asset, wherein the characteristics comprise a health of the specific asset and any identified problems associated with the specific asset by relating the identified characteristics of the specific asset with previous data associated with at least one characteristic of the specific asset;

computer readable program code for verifying that required inspections of the specific asset have been performed; and

computer readable program code for, in response to detecting an ambiguity in the information identifying the specific asset, at least one of;

collecting additional information regarding the specific asset from the user and requesting verification of the identity of the specific asset from the user.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the information identifying the specific asset comprises radio frequency identification (RFID) information.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the characteristics of the specific asset further comprise a maintenance schedule for the specific asset.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the computer readable program code for receiving the image, the sound recordings, and the information identifying the specific asset comprises computer readable program code for receiving the image, the sound recordings, and the information identifying the specific asset through at least one of:

a receiver operable to wirelessly receive the image, the sound recordings, and the information identifying the specific asset in real-time from a portable device; and

a host computer operable to receive the image, the sound recordings, and the information identifying the specific asset in non-real-time from the portable device.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein:

the computer readable program code for receiving the image, the sound recordings, and the information identifying the specific asset comprises computer readable program code for receiving multiple images of multiple assets and multiple sound recordings associated with multiple inspections of the assets; and

the computer readable program code for associating the received image, the sound recordings, and the converted text comprises computer readable program code for associating each of the received images and sound recordings with one of the assets.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 15, further comprising:

computer readable program code for transmitting the image and the sound recordings over a frame relay network.