Patent Application
20070255749
This invention relates to the field of test data extraction and viewing. More particularly, this invention relates to a system for extracting selected transient test data for display and archiving.
In manufacturing and other industrial environments, machines are often monitored to detect faults and verify proper operation. For example, a machine's vibration may be continuously monitored and alarms generated if the vibration exceeds a predetermined threshold at some frequency of interest. In some machines temperature and fluid pressures may be monitored. These monitoring systems typically incorporate various types of sensors attached to the monitored machine. These sensors generate signals that are transferred to a computer where they are analyzed and in some cases stored for future reference.
During transient machine events, such as planned startups or unexpected shutdowns due to equipment failure, data from multiple sensors is sampled at high frequency and retained as a continuous, unbroken stream. This data is referred to as transient data. Depending on the machine being monitored and the type of data collected, transient data sets may be quite large. These large data sets are often stored on central server computers and are accessed for viewing and analysis on client computers via a network connection.
In some cases, transient data is stored that allows display of continuous waveforms collected over periods longer than 24 hours. For example, at a sample rate of 5120 Hz, a 24-hour waveform may consist of over 442 million measurements originating from a large number of sensors. Although a data analyst may want to “see” data from all the sensors at one time, it is much more common for a data analyst to want to analyze a particular portion of the overall transient data set. More specifically, it is very common for a data analyst to want to see a specific portion of data from a sensor of interest (or a very limited number of sensor signals) for a specific time period associated with a machine event. Obviously, it would be quite inefficient to transmit and archive 442 million values when only a small fraction of such data is desired for analysis.
What is needed, therefore, is a technique for extracting desired portions of large transient data sets and archiving the extracted data for contemporaneous or later analysis.
The above and other needs are met by a method for extracting selected transient data using a server computer, a client computer and a display device associated with the client computer. The transient data includes data associated with a plurality of variables that indicate characteristics of a monitored system, such as a machine or other mechanical system under test. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the method includes steps of:
In a preferred embodiment, the method is performed by cooperative data extraction software applications running on the client computer and the server computer. On the client, a software application forwards a request for a summary of data available for extraction. Based on the forwarded request, a software application on the server computer returns the summary to the display device. In one preferred embodiment, the summary includes a channel list and a tachometer list provided in the form of a data selection dialog box. Using the dialog box, a user may select a start time, an end time, one or more channels for data extraction and one or more tachometers for data extraction. The selections are transferred to the server which extracts the selected data for viewing and archiving. The archived data is preferably stored in separate files—one file for each tachometer and one file for each channel.
Further advantages of the invention are apparent by reference to the detailed description in conjunction with the figures, wherein elements are not to scale so as to more clearly show the details, wherein like reference numbers indicate like elements throughout the several views, and wherein:
A server computer 18 accesses transient data from the data collection device 16 or directly from the local mass storage device 17. In preferred embodiments, the server 18 extracts portions of the data and copies the extracted portions to a mass storage device 19 associated with the server 18 for archival. The server 18 preferably includes cache memory 20 for temporary data storage.
In the preferred embodiment shown in
Connections between components of the network (e.g., client computer 22, server computer 18, and data collection device 16) may be made via a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN) or both. These connections may be made by network or interface cables, fiber optic cables, wireless connections (such as RF or infrared connections), or any other data connection means known to those skilled in the art. Although the preferred embodiment of the invention is implemented using a separate client computer 22 and server computer 18 connected by a network, other embodiments of the invention are implemented using only one computer.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the method of transient data extraction, display, and archiving is performed using cooperative software applications or routines running on the data collection device 16, the server computer 18 and the client computer 22. Using these software applications, the server computer 18 can extract desired transient data from one or more large transient data files, and can archive the extracted transient data on the mass storage device 19. When reference is made herein to the client computer 22, the server computer 18 or the data collection device 16 performing some action, it should be appreciated that the action is preferably performed based on execution of the software applications.
The term “component” as used herein refers to a particular component of interest that may be a sub-part of a larger data source, such as a large complex machine or mechanical system. For example, a “component” may be defined as a particular position along an axis “z” (substantially normal to two-dimensional x-y axes) of a rotating shaft, wherein the particular position of the shaft is monitored at position “Z1” along the shaft based on data related to sensor outputs along axes “x” and “y.” Component “Z1” may, therefore, contain three channels of data including two channels corresponding to two separate position sensors (i.e., a sensor for monitoring movement in the “x” direction and a sensor for monitoring movement in the “y” direction) and one channel corresponding to a tachometer associated with the rotating shaft. The term “component” as defined herein should be interpreted broadly, including the designation of any portion of a monitored source of data wherein at least one channel of data may be extracted and archived. Thus, the definition of “component” includes any number of data channels depending on the complexity of the source of data and the nature of the “component” of interest. Moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the specific examples of “components” given herein are meant to be illustrative only and are not meant to be limiting in any way.
Depending on the manner the information request was entered to the client computer 22, the start time 202 and/or the end time 204 may be filled in prior to the server computer 18 returning the summary of available transient data. For example, in one embodiment of the invention, a user may input an information request by dragging a display screen position indicator, or cursor, across a graphical representation of displayed transient data. More specifically (for example), a pointer on a computer display screen that is responsive to a mouse or other input device may be moved to a portion of a graph of transient data. A user may hold down the left button on the mouse, and drag the mouse (thereby dragging the pointer) across a specific portion of the graphed data. By this action, the highlighted (or “boxed in”) data may be automatically interpreted by one or more software applications as the input information request (step 100) which designates the type of data to be included in the summary of available transient data (e.g., a channel list like list 206 and a tachometer list like list 208) as well as the start time 202 and end time 204.
With reference again to
After a user enters an extraction request, including a start time, an end time and at least one variable, the client computer 22 transfers the extraction request to the server computer 18 (step 110). In the example data selection dialog box shown in
In the case of one preferred embodiment shown in
One of the benefits of the various embodiments of the invention described herein is the ability to extract, transfer, and/or archive only a particular portion of a large transient data set that is desired for analysis. Many transient data sets are very large and cumbersome to transfer through a network to or from a mass storage device. Moreover, the transfer of such large data sets tends to slow down the performance of the associated computers and/or networks. By selectively extracting portions of a large transient data set, the present invention offers many benefits including, but not limited to, (1) increased conservation of memory storage space, (2) sustained or increased performance speed of associated computers and/or networks, and (3) increased ease of actively analyzing extracted data (e.g., manipulating into statistical graphs or other figures).
In the preferred embodiment of the invention, transient data is stored on the data collection device 16 prior to extraction. However, in other embodiments, transient data may be stored on the mass storage device 17 or other mass storage means separate from the data collection device 16. For example, mass storage devices may be utilized that are physically distant from the data extraction device 16. For example, mass storage means may be located hundreds of miles away and connected via a virtual private network (VPN) connection or other network connection known to those skilled in the art.
In the preferred embodiment, data requested by a user via an extraction request is selectively extracted from the data collection device 16 and made available on the server 18. The extracted data is then made available to the client computer 22 for a user to display on the display device 24. The extracted data may be temporarily stored in the server cache 20 on the server computer 18. However, any means of data storage known to those skilled in the art may be used. In the preferred embodiment, extracted data is archived on a mass storage device 19 associated with the server 18. However, extracted data may be archived on any storage device associated with the system 10, such as on the client computer 22 or on a storage device operatively connected to the system 10 via a network.
In one embodiment of the invention, the data collection device 16 is programmable to automatically extract test data from the transient data storage device 17 when a specific condition or event occurs during operation of a machine under test 14 which may indicate a problem with the machine 14. An example of a specific condition or event would be an accelerometer or tachometer reading going over a predetermined threshold for a predetermined time period. Preferably, the time range of the automatically extracted data starts at a fixed time before the event and continues through a specific time after the event. During an automatic data extraction, all sensor data associated with the machine under test 14 are extracted, since an analyst would typically not have pre-existing knowledge of what caused the problem.
The foregoing description of preferred embodiments for this invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Obvious modifications or variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The embodiments are chosen and described in an effort to provide the best illustrations of the principles of the invention and its practical application. and to thereby enable one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. All such modifications and variations are within the scope of the invention as determined by the appended claims when interpreted in accordance with the breadth to which they are fairly, legally, and equitably entitled.
