Systems and methods for assessing a quality of an industrial enterprise

• US 9,971,344 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2015
• Issued: 05/15/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Michalscheck, Kelly A., Michalscheck, Jimi R., Korpela, Jessica L., Reissner, Kyle K., Vasko, David A., Fordenwalt, Matthew W., Jauquet, John J., Ericsson, Matthew R., Wilber, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Lin, Jason
• Application Number:
  US14/752,350
• Publication Number:
  US 20160282858A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,054 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 31/00 Actuating devices; Operating means; Releasing devices regulating means G05D
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 35/00 Means to prevent accidental or unauthorised actuation
• CPC Class Codes: F16K 37/0025 Electrical or magnetic means F16K37/0075 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/042 using digital processors G05B19/05 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/406 characterised by monitoring or safety G05B19/19 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4183 characterised by data acquisition, e.g. workpiece identification
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4184 characterised by fault tolerance, reliability of production system
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4185 characterised by the network communication
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41875 characterised by quality surveillance of production
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/21147 Time critical I-O shut off by I-O module, otherwise by processor
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31229 Supervisor, master, workstation controller, automation, machine control
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32368 Quality control
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/39251 Autonomous distributed control, joint and link is a subsystem, communication intensive
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/50193 Safety in general
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/18 for evaluating statistical data , e.g. average values, frequency distributions, probability functions, regression analysis forecasting specially adapted for a specific administrative, business or logistic context G06Q10/04
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 3/00 Registering or indicating the condition or the working of machines or other apparatus, other than vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00309 operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00896 specially adapted for particular uses
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 4/00 Circuit arrangements for mains or distribution networks not specified as ac or dc
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 80/10 : Efficient use of energy, e.g. using compressed air or pressurized fluid as energy carrier
• 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

In one embodiment, a system includes an industrial automation device and a computing device. The computing device includes a display configured to display a set of procedures. The computing device also includes a processor configured to receive an input after each step of the set of procedures is performed by a user, analyze the input in view of one or more scoring factors associated with performance of the at least one step, determine a first score for the user, the industrial automation device, or both based on the scoring factors, and store the first score in a cloud-based computing system. The cloud-based computing system is configured to provide access to the first score.

Claims

1. A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising computer instructions configured to:

display on a device a set of procedures;

receive at the device an input after each step of the set of procedures is performed by a user;

convert the input into a first score for the user based on a first set of scoring factors associated at least with performance of each step by the user;

receive signals from sensors disposed on a machine;

convert the signals into a second score for the machine based on a second set of scoring factors associated with a performance of the machine;

determine a third score for a factory location that is associated with the user and the machine using the first and second scores;

determine a fourth score for an organization that is associated with the factory using the third score;

determine a fifth score for an industry that is associated with the organization using the fourth score;

store the first score and the second score in a storage device accessible to a plurality of computing devices; and

control an operation of the machine in response to the second score being below a threshold, wherein the operation comprises powering down the machine, operating the machine during non-peak hours, or a combination thereof.

2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the set of procedures are associated with placing the machine off-line.

3. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the set of procedures are associated with placing the machine on-line.

4. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the set of procedures are associated with the machine'"'"'s or an industrial automation device'"'"'s interactive operation.

5. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the set of procedures are associated with interactive maintenance of the machine or an industrial automation device.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the set of procedures are associated with preventative maintenance of the machine or an industrial automation device.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the computer instructions are configured to continuously update the first score when subsequently completing a step in the set of procedures or completing the entire set of procedures.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the computer instructions are configured to display the first score on a display screen, wherein the first score is represented by a graphical indicator comprising at least one star.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the input is provided by the user, one or more sensors proximate or attached to the machine, or some combination thereof.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the first set of scoring factors comprise whether the user followed the set of procedures, whether the user completed one or more training programs, whether the user completed one or more safety procedures, whether the user completed the set of procedures, and an amount of time it took the user to complete the set of procedures.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the first score is used to assess a degree of non-compliance with the user, a productivity of the user, an efficiency of the user, or some combination thereof.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the scoring factors are weighted.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the second set of scoring factors relate to one or more characteristics of the machine, wherein the one or more characteristics comprise maintenance, production, network quality, asset quality, workflow, predictive problem solving, environmental impact, sustainability, or any combination thereof.

14. A method for assessing industrial machine quality, comprising:

receiving, via a processor, data related to one or more machine scoring factors associated with a performance of a machine, wherein the data is received from one or more sensors associated with the machine and the one or more machine scoring factors relate to characteristics of the machine comprising maintenance, production, and workflow;

receiving, via the processor, user preferences associated with respective weights of the scoring factors;

converting, via the processor, the data into a first score for the machine based on the machine scoring factors and the respective weights of the scoring factors;

determining, via the processor, a second score for a user based on a performance of the user;

determining, via the processor, a third score for a factory location that is associated with the user and the machine;

determining, via the processor, a fourth score for an organization that is associated with the factory using the third score;

determining, via the processor a fifth score for an industry that is associated with the organization using the fourth score;

storing, via the processor, the first score in a storage device accessible to a plurality of computing devices; and

controlling, via the processor, an operation of the machine in response to the first score being below a threshold, wherein the operation comprises powering down the machine.

15. The method of claim 14, comprising continuously updating the first score when subsequently placing the machine offline.

16. The method of claim 14, comprising displaying the first score on the display screen, wherein the first score is represented by a graphical indicator comprising at least one star.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein determining the second score for the user comprises:

displaying, based on instructions from the processor, a set of procedures associated with placing a machine offline on a display screen;

receiving, via the processor, an input after at least one step of the set of procedures is performed by the user;

analyzing, via the processor, the input in view of scoring factors associated with performance of the at least one step;

determining, via the processor, a second score for the user based on the scoring factors; and

storing, via the processor, the second score in the storage device accessible to a plurality of computing devices.

18. The method of claim 17, comprising displaying the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth scores in a hierarchy, wherein the industry and the fifth score are depicted at a top level of the hierarchy, the organization and the fourth score are depicted at a sublevel to the industry, the factory location and the third score are depicted at a sublevel to the organization, and the machine and the first score, as well as the user and the second score, are depicted at a sublevel to the factory location.

19. A system, comprising:

an industrial automation device; and

a computing device comprising;

a display configured to display a set of procedures associated with the industrial automation device; and

a processor configured to;

receive an input after each step of the set of procedures is performed by a user;

analyze the input in view of one or more scoring factors associated with performance of the respective step;

determine a first score for the user, the industrial automation device, or both based on the scoring factors;

store the first score in a cloud-based computing system, wherein the cloud-based computing system is configured to provide access to the first score;

accumulate the first score over time to determine a trend of the first score; and

control at least one operation of at least one industrial automation device based on the trend of the first score to increase the first score over time.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the processor is configured to:

receive data related to one or more industrial automation device scoring factors associated with a performance of the industrial automation device, wherein the data is received from one or more sensors associated with the industrial automation device and the one or more industrial automation device scoring factors relate to characteristics of the industrial automation device comprising maintenance, production, network quality, asset quality, workflow, predictive problem solving, environmental impact, and sustainability;

determine one or more intermediate scores for the one or more industrial automation device scoring factors based on the data received; and

determine a second score for the industrial automation device based on the intermediate scores.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the processor is configured to store the second score on the cloud-based computing system, wherein the cloud-based computing system is configured to provide access to the second score to the plurality of computing devices.