Cause Or Fault Identification Patents (Class 702/185)
  • Patent number: 8428910
    Abstract: The equipment comprises at least one computer and a material features acquisition system operable to detect a plurality of material features. The features are then evaluated according to rules that capture the multidiscipline knowledge of experts and are already inputted into the computer. The computer iterations are processed until an acceptable conclusion is made regarding the condition of the material under evaluation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2013
    Inventors: Wanda G. Papadimitriou, Stylianos Papadimitriou
  • Patent number: 8421471
    Abstract: Method for nondestructive and noncontact detection of faults in a test piece, with a transmitter coil arrangement with at least one transmitter coil that transmits periodic electromagnetical AC fields to a test piece, a receiver coil arrangement with at least one receiver coil for detecting a periodic electrical signal having a carrier oscillation whose amplitude and/or phase is modulated by a fault in the test piece. A signal processing unit produces a useful signal from the receiver coil signal, and an evaluation unit evaluates the useful signal to detect a fault in the test piece. A self-test unit undertakes systematic quantitative checking of signal processing functions of the signal processing unit and/or of the transmitter coil arrangement and/or of the receiver coil arrangement and/or upon external request undertakes calibration of the signal processing unit using a calibration standard which replaces the transmitter coil arrangement and/or of the receiver coil arrangement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignee: Prüftechnik Dieter Busch AG
    Inventor: Roland Hölzl
  • Patent number: 8417372
    Abstract: The present disclosure includes a method for optimizing value of current wood products dried in one or more current drying processes and associated computer software. The method comprises the steps of obtaining prior wood product data for prior wood products dried in one or more prior drying processes and generating a value function based on the prior wood product data. The method further includes identifying one or more sources of variability in the prior wood product data and quantifying a contribution to overall variability from each of the sources. The value function and the contributions to overall variability may be used to quantify one or more value opportunities associated with each the one or more sources, each value opportunity being associated with one or more executable steps for improving the one or more current drying processes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Weyerhaeuser NR Company
    Inventor: Mark A. Stanish
  • Patent number: 8417411
    Abstract: A control system may include a polarity determination module, a torque variation module, and a torque sensor diagnostic module. The polarity determination module determines a first polarity of a torque signal that indicates a transmission torque. The torque sensor diagnostic module diagnoses an error of a torque sensor when an detected polarity of the torque signal is opposite from the first polarity. A control system may include a torque variation module and a torque sensor diagnostic module. The torque variation module determines a maximum torque variation during a predetermined diagnostic period based on the torque signal. The torque sensor diagnostic module diagnoses an error of a torque sensor when the maximum torque variation is outside of a torque variation range. The torque variation range is defined by a minimum torque variation threshold and a maximum torque variation threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Inventor: Randall B. Dlugoss
  • Patent number: 8417432
    Abstract: A method and system is developed that provides a confidence measure of a prediction of a fault in a gas turbine engine. The confidence measure is developed based upon evaluating the results of a plurality of past predictions and comparing them to an actual fault.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventor: Steven Wayne Butler
  • Patent number: 8405339
    Abstract: A system and method for detecting a rotor fault condition in an AC induction machine is disclosed. The system includes a processor programmed to receive voltage and current data from an AC induction machine, generate a current frequency spectrum from the current data, and identify rotor-fault related harmonics in the current frequency spectrum. The processor is also programmed to calculate a fault severity indicator using the voltage and current data, identified rotor-fault related harmonics, and motor specifications, analyze the fault severity indicator to determine a possibility of rotor fault. The processor generates an alert based on the possibility of rotor fault.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: Eaton Corporation
    Inventors: Pinjia Zhang, Bin Lu, Thomas G. Habetler
  • Patent number: 8401823
    Abstract: An arrangement and method for assessing and diagnosing the operating state of a device under test in the presence of a disturbing ambient noise and for detecting, localizing and classifying defects of the device which affect its operational reliability and quality. At least two sensors monitor signals at arbitrary locations which are affected by signals emitted by defects and by ambient noise sources. A source analyzer receives the monitored signals, identifies the number and location of the sources, separates defect and noise sources, and analyzes the deterministic and stochastic signal components emitted by each source. Defect and noise vectors at the outputs of the source analyzer are supplied to a defect classificator which detects invalid parts of the measurements corrupted by ambient noise, accumulates the valid parts, assesses the quality of the system under test and identifies the physical causes and location of the defects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2013
    Inventor: Wolfgang Klippel
  • Patent number: 8401822
    Abstract: A wellness circuit is for a rotating electrical apparatus having a rated current and being operatively associated with an electrical switching, control, protection or monitoring apparatus structured to provide a number of currents and a number of voltages of the rotating electrical apparatus. The wellness circuit includes a current sensor scaled to the rated current and structured to provide a notch current signal representative of one of the number of currents; an interface to the electrical switching, control, protection or monitoring apparatus, the interface providing the number of currents and the number of voltages; and a processor employing the number of currents and the number of voltages from the interface and the notch current signal to determine wellness of the rotating electrical apparatus. The wellness circuit is structured to be separate from or added to the electrical switching, control, protection or monitoring apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2013
    Assignee: Eaton Corporation
    Inventors: Steven A. Dimino, Ting Yan, Mark A. Verheyen, Thomas M. Ruchti
  • Patent number: 8401820
    Abstract: An in situ health monitoring apparatus may include an exciter circuit that applies a pulse to a piezoelectric transducer and a data processing system that determines the piezoelectric transducer's dynamic response to the first pulse. The dynamic response can be used to evaluate the operating range, health, and as-mounted resonance frequency of the transducer, as well as the strength of a coupling between the transducer and a structure and the health of the structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2013
    Assignee: United States of America as Represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
    Inventors: Scott L. Jensen, George J. Drouant
  • Publication number: 20130066593
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to diagnostic apparatus and method for home appliance which make it easy to diagnose a breakdown of a home appliance, using a signal including product information and outputted from the home appliance, in which a signal is converted in accordance with signal distortion generated in the process of transmitting the output signal or in a terminal, so that the product information of the home appliance is easily extracted, accuracy of a diagnosis result is improved, an after-sales service for a breakdown of the home appliance is easily provided, and reliability of the product is improved by the improvement of accuracy of the diagnosis result.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 17, 2012
    Publication date: March 14, 2013
    Inventors: Deoghyeon Kim, Keunhyung Lee, Hyunsang Kim, Moonhyun Kim
  • Patent number: 8396649
    Abstract: A method comprises steps for reconstructing in-cylinder pressure data from a vibration signal collected from a vibration sensor mounted on an engine component where it can generate a signal with a high signal-to-noise ratio, and correcting the vibration signal for errors introduced by vibration signal charge decay and sensor sensitivity. The correction factors are determined as a function of estimated motoring pressure and the measured vibration signal itself with each of these being associated with the same engine cycle. Accordingly, the method corrects for charge decay and changes in sensor sensitivity responsive to different engine conditions to allow greater accuracy in the reconstructed in-cylinder pressure data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2013
    Assignee: Westport Power Inc.
    Inventor: Jian Huang
  • Patent number: 8396678
    Abstract: An integrated Energy Management and/or Control System method and apparatus that continually monitors power consumption on each piece of equipment 24/7 and performs detailed analyses of energy consumption curves including derivatives and compares data to historical data on the same equipment as well as going online and acquiring manufacturers specs and comparing to that as well as the same model number equipment in the same or other locations, in order to detect anomalies, abnormal energy consumption or provide early warning of equipment failures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2013
    Inventor: Edward Davis
  • Publication number: 20130060524
    Abstract: A method for detecting an anomaly in a machine under test includes monitoring operational data from a control unit of the machine under test. An operational state of the machine under test is identified based on the monitored operational data. Sensor data is monitored from one or more sensors installed within or near to the machine under test. A model corresponding to the identified operational state of the machine under test is consulted to identify one or more key parameters and corresponding normal operating ranges for each determined key parameter. It is determined when a key parameter of the one or more key parameters is not within its corresponding normal operating range based on the monitored sensor data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 21, 2011
    Publication date: March 7, 2013
    Applicant: Siemens Corporation
    Inventor: Linxia Liao
  • Publication number: 20130054174
    Abstract: Exemplary systems and methods for monitoring a current state of a spatially extensive supply network having at least one control station that monitors and controls the supply network and a plurality of sensors that transmit measurement values relating to operating behavior to the at least one control station. Current measurement values are measured at positions on the supply network corresponding to each sensor. Each sensor analyzes measured signal variations and signal trends of the measured current values via an evaluating unit. The measurement values of each respective sensor are transmitted to the at least one control station in data packets at a defined time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 29, 2012
    Publication date: February 28, 2013
    Applicant: ABB TECHNOLOGY AG
    Inventor: ABB Technology AG
  • Patent number: 8386203
    Abstract: An evaluation method of a progressive-addition lens is provided. First, powers of the progressive-addition lens at a plurality of measurement points are measured to obtain an actually measured power distribution. Next, a comparison power distribution created based on the actually measured power distribution and a defective power distribution prepared in advance are compared with each other to perform similarity search between the both. Thereafter, whether or not the comparison power distribution and the defective power distribution are similar to each other is determined based on the result of the similarity search step, and if it is determined that the comparison power distribution and the defective power distribution are similar to each other, then the progressive-addition lens is evaluated as defective.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Assignee: Hoya Corporation
    Inventor: Kazuma Kozu
  • Publication number: 20130046507
    Abstract: A method and a system for analyzing turbomachinery are provided. In one embodiment, a system for analyzing turbomachinery is provided. The system includes an intelligent turbomachinery filter (ITF) system configured to analyze a historical sensor data for one or more components of a turbomachine to produce a filtered trend. The system further includes a detection and diagnostic system configured to determine a root cause of a turbomachine performance based on the filtered trend.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 19, 2011
    Publication date: February 21, 2013
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Jose Leon Vega Paez, Adriana Elizabeth Trejo Sanchez, Monica Lizbeth Perez Gamboa, Juan Paulo Chavez Valdovinos, Hugo Enrique Cruz Barco
  • Patent number: 8375920
    Abstract: An apparatus determines a cylinder deactivation state of an internal combustion engine capable of deactivating one or more cylinders among a plurality of cylinders in accordance with an instruction from a program-controlled electronic control unit (ECU). The apparatus includes detection means to output a signal corresponding to an intake air amount into the internal combustion engine. The ECU includes Fourier transformation means to perform Fourier transformation on the signal from the detection means at plural fundamental frequencies, and determines the cylinder deactivation state with spectrums obtained from the Fourier transformation means based on predetermined relationship between the spectrums of Fourier transformation at the plural fundamental frequencies and the cylinder deactivation state of the internal combustion engine. The ECU distinguishes a deactivated cylinder with a phase obtained from the Fourier transformation means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshinori Tsukamoto, Naoki Oie
  • Patent number: 8372663
    Abstract: In a disclosed good chip classifying method capable of classifying the good chips on a wafer, defective chips are divided into defective groups so that the defective chips contiguous to each other are placed into the same defective group based on the wafer test results; the defective group is judged as a defective chip concentrated distribution area when the number of the defective chips exceeds the prescribed value; a defective chip concentrated distribution nearby area including all the defective chips in the defective chip concentrated distribution area and nearby good chips is formed; and the good chips in the defective chip concentrated distribution nearby area are classified to have a chip index based on four directions (X and Y axis directions) on which the defective chips in the defective chip concentrated distribution area are disposed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2013
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Hirokazu Yanai
  • Patent number: 8370101
    Abstract: The invention generally relates to a circuit card assembly testing system for testing and troubleshooting new and failed circuit card assemblies. Specifically, circuit card assemblies that are part of a guided missile and launcher test set are tested using a board testing system (BTS), the preferred embodiment, to isolate faults or to verify final assembly. The BTS is used for testing and troubleshooting a wide variety of circuit card assemblies at the end of final assembly and upon their return as a failed item from the field. The BTS is designed to rapidly isolate faults in failed circuit card assemblies that have been returned to a maintenance facility by providing an improved means of fault isolation. The BTS is designed to aid in the production of circuit card assemblies by providing an improved means of rapidly verifying the proper operation of circuit boards after final assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2013
    Assignee: The United States of America as Represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventor: Michael Anthony Torres
  • Patent number: 8370109
    Abstract: Machine vibration baselines are synthesized without averaging historical vibration data. Instead machinery configuration information is used, including data about the machine train, the machine's rotating components, and the machine speeds. For each component being considered, a plurality of parameters is identified for deriving baseline portions. The parameters for one component are used to identify baseline vibration amplitude floor values, vibration amplitudes at frequencies corresponding to various harmonics of a rotational speed, and vibration amplitudes corresponding to forcing frequencies and their harmonics/sidebands. Parameters for other components also may be used to identify amplitudes at harmonic frequencies and forcing frequencies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2013
    Assignee: DLI Engineering Corporation
    Inventors: David J. Van Dyke, William A. Watts, Laurent H. LaPorte
  • Publication number: 20130030760
    Abstract: Integrated yield/equipment data processing system for collecting and analyzing integrated tool-related data (cause data) and material-related data (effect data) pertaining to at least one material processing tool and at least one material is disclosed. In an embodiment, the tool-related data is correlated with the material-related data, and the correlated tool-related data and material-related data is employed by logic to perform at least one of root-cause analysis, prediction model building and tool control/optimization. By integrating cause-and-effect data in a single platform, the data necessary for performing, for example, automated problem detection (e.g., automated root cause analysis) and prediction, is readily available and correlated, which for example shortens the cycle time to detection and facilitates efficient and timely automated tool management and control.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 27, 2011
    Publication date: January 31, 2013
    Inventors: Tom Thuy Ho, Weidong Wang, Woon-Kyu Choi, Ji-Hoon Keith Han, Gabriel Serge Villareal
  • Publication number: 20130024160
    Abstract: Methods, computer readable media, and apparatuses for evaluating models using forecast error attribution are presented. According to one or more aspects, one or more input values corresponding to one or more input variables may be forecast. One or more results of a modeling function may be calculated using the one or more forecasted input values. Thereafter, actual performance data corresponding to the modeling function may be received. One or more holdout values for the modeling function may be calculated using the actual performance data. Subsequently, a graph that includes the one or more results of the modeling function, the actual performance data, and the one or more holdout values for the modeling function may be plotted. In some arrangements, the one or more holdout values for the modeling function may be indicative of one or more assumption errors made with respect to the one or more forecasted input values.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 21, 2011
    Publication date: January 24, 2013
    Applicant: BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kaloyan Mihaylov, Timothy J. Breault, Harsh Singhal, Magali F. Van Belle, Wei Wei
  • Patent number: 8359135
    Abstract: An control apparatus for an automatic transmission includes: a failure shift stage setting section configured to set, to the target shift stage, a shift stage which can be attained in a state in which the one of the solenoids judged that the failure is generated is not energized; and a failure neutral state through section configured to control the solenoids at a predetermined vehicle speed or over so that the automatic transmission is brought to a neutral state, when the target shift stage is a shift stage at which the vehicle speed is suddenly decreased when the solenoids are controlled so that the automatic transmission attains the target shift stage, and to control the solenoids below the predetermined vehicle speed so that the automatic transmission attains the target shift stage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2013
    Assignee: Jatco Ltd
    Inventors: Shigeo Kariya, Yoshihide Shinso, Satoshi Takizawa
  • Patent number: 8358941
    Abstract: A management device for an image forming apparatus including a status data collection unit where multiple types of status data are received from the image forming apparatus and stored in a status database, a target data creation unit where multiple types of target data are created based upon the multiple types of status data, a first stage determination unit where the multiple types of target data are identified as being above or below reference values set for each type, and a second stage determination unit where a weight value set for each status data type is attached to the determination results of the multiple types of status data of the first stage determination unit and as a whole of the multiple types of status data determined with majority logic for abnormal occurrence prediction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2013
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasushi Nakazato, Kohji Ue, Jun Yamane, Osamu Satoh, Masahide Yamashita
  • Patent number: 8355892
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for diagnosing causes of a malfunction of an electronic whiteboard that includes a white-board surface, the method comprising the steps of linking a remote computer that includes a remote display to the electronic whiteboard from a remote location, interacting with the whiteboard surface to generate X and Y coordinates associated with surface activity, transmitting at least one of the X and Y coordinates associated with the surface activity to the remote computer, displaying at least a subset of the at least one of X and Y coordinates via the remote display and examining the at least a subset of the at least one of X and Y coordinates via the remote display to ascertain the cause of a board malfunction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2013
    Assignee: Steelcase Inc.
    Inventors: Brand C. Kvavle, James D. Watson, Neal A. Hofmann, David W. Behner, Louis A. Ashford
  • Patent number: 8355882
    Abstract: A method for detecting high impedance faults, including: receiving an input waveform from a circuit; computing a root mean square of the input waveform; fitting a regression line to the root mean squares; computing a deviation between the regression line and the root mean squares; determining whether the deviations are above a threshold; and outputting a value indicating that a fault has occurred in the circuit when the deviation is above the threshold and outputting a value indicating that a fault did not occur in the circuit when the deviation is below the threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2013
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Tomasz J. Nowicki, Grzegorz M. Swirszcz
  • Patent number: 8352216
    Abstract: A method for advanced condition monitoring of an asset system includes sensing actual values of an operating condition for an operating regime of the asset system using at least one sensor; estimating sensed values of the operating condition by using an auto-associative neural network; determining a residual vector between the estimated sensed values and the actual values; and performing a fault diagnostic on the residual vector. In another method, an operating space of the asset system is segmented into operating regimes; the auto-associative neural network determines estimates of actual measured values; a residual vector is determined from the auto-associative neural network; a fault diagnostic is performed on the residual vector; and a change of the operation of the asset system is determined by analysis of the residual vector. An alert is provided if necessary. A smart sensor system includes an on-board processing unit for performing the method of the invention.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Rajesh Venkat Subbu, John Erik Hershey, Xiao Hu, Robert James Mitchell, Jr., Avinash Vinayak Taware, Piero Patrone Bonissone
  • Publication number: 20130006581
    Abstract: A system and method each utilize combustion dynamics data to monitor and assess gas turbine combustor health and performance. The system and method each employ a physics-based model to differentiate changes in the spectral features attributable to variations in the operating conditions from differences caused from changes in the hardware.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2011
    Publication date: January 3, 2013
    Applicant: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Kapil Kumar Singh, Fei Han, Deepali Nitin Bhate, Shivakumar Srinivasan, Preetham Balasubramanyam, Qingguo Zhang, KrishnaKumar Venkatesan, Christian Lee Vandervort
  • Patent number: 8346505
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for determining which one or more time series parameters of a plurality of time series parameters relating to operation of a system are correlated with a first operation state of the system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2013
    Assignee: European Space Agency
    Inventors: José Antonio Martinez-Heras, Alessandro Donati, Kar Lam Yeung
  • Patent number: 8346508
    Abstract: A system and method for diagnosing a home appliance are disclosed. The home appliance outputs product information as a predetermined sound signal, and transmits the sound signal to a service center of a remote site over a communication network, such that a service technician of the service center can easily check a current status of the home appliance. When a diagnostic server of the service center analyzes the sound signal of the home appliance, it selects a plurality of preamble candidates and can effectively and correctly detect data using weights, so that it can quickly diagnose a faulty operation of the home appliance. An erroneous data analysis and its associated erroneous diagnosis are prevented, so that the diagnostic system provides a service for more correctly diagnosing a faulty operation of the home appliance and also increases user satisfaction and reliability of the home appliance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2013
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Hyun Sang Kim, Eui Hyeok Kwon, Hae Yong Kang, Yong Tae Kim, Koon Seok Lee
  • Publication number: 20120330614
    Abstract: A method includes obtaining information associated with a machine having one or more components, where the information includes multiple rules associated with the one or more components. The method also includes receiving measurements of a vibration level of the machine and generating, based on the measurements, one or more feature values for one or more features associated with the one or more components. The method further includes determining a component-related condition for the one or more components based on the one or more feature values and the rules. In addition, the method includes providing an indicator identifying the component-related condition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 22, 2011
    Publication date: December 27, 2012
    Applicant: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventor: Chinmaya Kar
  • Publication number: 20120330615
    Abstract: Following an explosion, fire, flood, water damage, or other event, consumption data of utility resources such as gas and water may be used to determine a cause of the event. For example, an interrogation may be used to read data logging data from a data collection device. The data logging data may include a record of consumption data for a resource spanning a time of an event. The data logging data may be analyzed to determine whether a utility providing the resource was responsible for the event.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2011
    Publication date: December 27, 2012
    Applicant: Itron Inc.
    Inventors: Mark K. Cornwall, Matthew Johnson
  • Publication number: 20120323531
    Abstract: A system and method are provided for determining the health of an engine. The method includes a plurality of standard noise spectra collected from engines with known defects. A noise spectrum of the engine being monitored is sensed and compared to the plurality of standard noise spectra from the engines with known defects. From the comparison, a type and a degree of defect is identified based upon the comparison.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 14, 2011
    Publication date: December 20, 2012
    Applicant: HAMILTON SUNDSTRAND CORPORATION
    Inventors: Victor Pascu, Jay M. Francisco
  • Patent number: 8332258
    Abstract: Methods and systems are disclosed for analyzing products. An embodiment provides a method. In one implementation, a method includes but is not limited to identifying a weak attribute of a component in the product; and generating a recommendation related to the weak attribute of the component. In addition to the foregoing, other aspects are described in the description, claims, and drawings that form the present disclosure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC
    Inventor: Venson M. Shaw
  • Patent number: 8332130
    Abstract: An injection system includes an injector, first valve, second valve, and pressure sensing device. In an embodiment, first valve is in communication with an injector outlet and includes a closed position for at least partially stopping fluid flow from injector outlet. The second valve is in communication with an injector inlet and includes a closed position for at least partially stopping fluid flow to injector inlet. The pressure sensing device is configured for sensing an injector inlet pressure drop of the injector. The injection system may be configured to stop or impede fluid flow to injector inlet when the rate of pressure drop measured by the pressure sensing device is at least equal to a predetermined pressure value that represents a rate of pressure drop measured between injector inlet and second valve when the first valve and second valve are in the closed position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Inventor: Dale Arden Stretch
  • Publication number: 20120310597
    Abstract: Conditional base maintenance has been gaining widespread acceptance, with numerous sensors attached to equipment for constant monitoring of its operational state, the resulting sensor data being compared with those about the equipment in the normal state for a diagnosis to determine whether the equipment is currently operating normally, the result of the diagnosis being used to conduct maintenance. Conditional base maintenance can rapidly detect aging deterioration of the equipment, so that abnormal sates that were not detected before in time base maintenance can now be detected. However, although conventional diagnosis technology can distinguish between the normal state and anomaly, it has been difficult with such technology to identify causes including abnormal phenomena and parts. If it is determined that the target equipment to be diagnosed deviates from the normal state, the degree of deviation of each parameter from the normal state as the reference is calculated as an abnormal contribution ratio.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2010
    Publication date: December 6, 2012
    Inventors: Hiroki Uchiyama, Shinya Yuda, Hideaki Suzuki, Kozo Nakamura
  • Patent number: 8326578
    Abstract: An equipment monitoring device for monitoring equipment and transmitting an operational status of the equipment to a remote monitoring device that is provided in a remote location relative to the equipment includes an anomaly detection unit, an anomaly identifying unit and an anomaly reporting unit. The anomaly detecting unit is configured to detect an anomaly that occurs in the equipment. The anomaly identifying unit is configured to identify the anomaly based on at least one of an anomaly category and an anomaly level. The an anomaly reporting unit is configured to issue an anomaly report of the anomaly to the remote monitoring based on identification of the anomaly by the anomaly identifying unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2012
    Assignee: Daikin Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Seiji Kawai, Satoru Tamba
  • Publication number: 20120303324
    Abstract: A control device includes a diagnostic pulse signal generating section having an internal circuit that generates control data and generates diagnostic pulse data for diagnosing the operating terminal and diagnoses the function of the signal line and the operating terminal from the waveform of a feedback signal of the diagnostic pulse signal; a variable amplification circuit that multiplexes the diagnostic pulse signal on the control signal and sends the result to the operating terminal with a preset signal level; and a receiving circuit that receives the feedback signal and sends it to the internal circuit. The internal circuit comprises a correction pulse data generating section that corrects the diagnostic pulse data by correcting the rise time of the diagnostic pulse signal. Even if the length of the signal line is long, the diagnostic pulse signal reception can be achieved without expanding the pulse width of the diagnostic pulse signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 22, 2012
    Publication date: November 29, 2012
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Hiroshi NAKATANI, Yoshito SAMEDA, Atsushi INOUE, Naoya OHNISHI, Makoto TOKO
  • Patent number: 8321039
    Abstract: Apparatus for managing a residential wastewater treatment system includes an in situ control unit that monitors an individual system. The control unit provides local control and alarms, and also sends status reports and/or alarms to a remote monitoring center via a telemetry device. The remote monitoring center makes information concerning the individual system available through a website.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Inventor: Gregory D. Graves
  • Publication number: 20120296605
    Abstract: Provided is a method applied to a system including a plurality of sensors, a proxy, and a server. The method includes: measuring objects by the plurality of sensors to obtain first measurement values; computing a correlation among the first measurement values by the server based on the first measurement values; computing an actual measurement value of a second measurement value by the proxy based on the first measurement values and a given function; verifying the plurality of sensors by setting one or more sensors as verification target sensors in turn by the server at predetermined timing; computing a predicted value of the second measurement value by the server based on the correlation and the first measurement values obtained from the other sensors; and outputting the predicted value of the second measurement value instead of the actual measurement value thereof at least during the verification of the verification target sensors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 17, 2012
    Publication date: November 22, 2012
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Karim Hamzaoui, Shohei Hido, Shoko Suzuki
  • Publication number: 20120296606
    Abstract: Provided is a system including sensors to measure objects to obtain first measurement values, respectively. A first server computes a correlation among the first measurement values based on the first measurement values. A proxy computes an actual measurement value of a second measurement value based on the first measurement values and a given function. A second server verifies the sensors by setting one or more sensors as verification target sensors in turn at predetermined timing. The second server computes a predicted value of the second measurement value based on the correlation and the first measurement values obtained from the other sensors except the verification target sensors among the plurality of sensors. The first or second servers and the proxy outputs the predicted value of the second measurement value instead of the actual measurement value thereof during the verification of the verification target sensors if an anomalous sensor is identified.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2012
    Publication date: November 22, 2012
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Karim Hamzaoui, Shohei Hido, Shoko Suzuki
  • Publication number: 20120296607
    Abstract: A system for communication network management of a utility grid includes a database configured to store a grid information data set, where the grid information data set includes network device information for the utility grid and a network management system executable by a processor to: receive an event message from one or more network devices indicative of one or more failures in a communication network of the utility grid; retrieve the grid information data set; identify one or more network device associated with the one or more failures based on the grid information data set; transmit a request for a response to the identified one or more network devices; determine a response pattern based on responses from the identified one or more network devices in order to identify a cause of the failure based on the response pattern.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 19, 2011
    Publication date: November 22, 2012
    Inventors: Rahul Jain, Leslie T. Turkson, Vaibhav J. Parmar, Shahid Ahmed
  • Patent number: 8315826
    Abstract: In a diagnostic method for at least one ball bearing, in particular for an angular-contact ball bearing for bearing a rapidly rotating spindle, mechanical vibration caused by the respective angular-contact ball bearing is acquired by at least one vibration sensor and outputted as a corresponding vibration signal. At least one bearing characteristic, fundamental kinematic frequency dependent on a current bearing rotational frequency is determined by computation. A corresponding bearing frequency in a measurement frequency spectrum of the respective vibration signal is determined by measurement. A first diagnostic message is output when at least one of the determined bearing frequencies deviates by a respective prescribed frequency deviation from the corresponding computational fundamental kinematic frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2012
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Felix Butz, Karl Gebert
  • Patent number: 8315779
    Abstract: Over a diesel engine's lifetime, engine efficiency may be reduced and some of this may be attributable to sulfur deposit accumulation in the engine. A method for controlling operation of a diesel engine operating on a fuel is provided. The method may include adjusting an injection of fuel to the engine in response to a sulfur content of the fuel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2012
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Keli Alark, Richard Kellogg Morton
  • Patent number: 8315729
    Abstract: A system, method and/or computer program product for analyzing a functionality of at least two manufactured products obtain a first characteristic of a first manufactured product. The system acquires a second characteristic of a second manufactured product. The system identifies a common feature between the first characteristic and the second characteristic. The system identifies a distinguishable feature between the first characteristic and the second characteristic. The system determines a cause of a deviation of a functionality in the first manufactured product or the second manufactured product or both manufactured products based on the identified common feature or the identified distinguishable feature or both features.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Robert J. Baseman, Tomasz J. Nowicki, Fateh A. Tipu
  • Patent number: 8310196
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus for the failsafe monitoring of an electromotive drive without additional sensors, including a drive having a three-phase control of an electric motor, detection of the current and voltage profiles of each of the three phases, as they are forwarded to the motor by drive electronics, determination of the load speed while using the detected current and voltage values, where the determination of the load speed takes place by calculating an observer model with reference to the detected current, to the detected voltage, to the frequency preset by the control and to the characteristic data of the motor and generation of a failsafe switch signal for the motor when the calculated load speed does not correspond to a preset desired speed within the framework of preset tolerances. The load torque can also be determined and monitored with reference to the observer model.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2012
    Assignee: Sick AG
    Inventor: Mathias Ams
  • Publication number: 20120283990
    Abstract: A commercial refrigeration system receives data from a plurality of compressors in a compressor rack, and uses the data to model a steady state amp draw for each of the compressors in the compressor rack. The system receives additional data from the plurality of compressors, and determines a steady state amp draw for each of the compressors from the additional data. The system then compares the amp draw from the additional data with the steady state amp draw model, and identifies a compressor fault based on the comparison of the steady state amp draw from the additional data with the steady state amp draw model.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 5, 2011
    Publication date: November 8, 2012
    Applicant: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventors: Martin Hrncar, Radek Fisera
  • Patent number: 8306783
    Abstract: In a method for determining faulty components in a system having a plurality of interacting components, lists of potentially faulty components are prepared as a function of different diagnosis algorithms implemented independently of each other, and an error value is assigned to each potentially faulty component. The error values for at least one selection of components of the system are linked to form an error score value for a particular potentially faulty component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Nghia Dang Duc, Peter Engel
  • Patent number: 8306782
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a monitoring/diagnostic apparatus is provided, which is designed for use in a system for monitoring and diagnosing a plurality of object devices. The monitoring/diagnostic apparatus has an agent management module and a diagnostic module. The agent management module is configured to manage agents for collecting operation data of an object device. The diagnostic module uses the operation data collected, thereby to diagnose a problem in the objective device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Kimito Idemori, Yoshikazu Ooba, Katsuhiro Sumi
  • Patent number: 8306943
    Abstract: In one embodiment, we describe a method that generates seasonality rules for anomaly detection for a hierarchical/tree based data structure. A new algorithm for processing nodes in hierarchy, as well as business rules for nodes, is described. Variations and examples are given to describe different scopes and embodiments of the invention. Exclusion criteria and children nodes are used as some examples for the implementations, with flow charts to describe the methods of application, as examples.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: NTelx, Inc.
    Inventors: Lusine Yepremyan, Amrinder Arora, Christopher Kakovitch