AU2020100571A4 - A system and a method of inspecting a machine - Google Patents

A system and a method of inspecting a machine Download PDF

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AU2020100571A4
AU2020100571A4 AU2020100571A AU2020100571A AU2020100571A4 AU 2020100571 A4 AU2020100571 A4 AU 2020100571A4 AU 2020100571 A AU2020100571 A AU 2020100571A AU 2020100571 A AU2020100571 A AU 2020100571A AU 2020100571 A4 AU2020100571 A4 AU 2020100571A4
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machine
sensor
network
data
sensor data
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AU2020100571A
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Alexander Douglas Bertram
Kim Leigh Horton
Yaryn Chad-Trowbridge King
Andrew Gerald Wood
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BHP Innovation Pty Ltd
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BHP Innovation Pty Ltd
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Priority to PCT/AU2021/050338 priority patent/WO2021207795A1/en
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    • G—PHYSICS
    • G05—CONTROLLING; REGULATING
    • G05B—CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS
    • G05B19/00—Programme-control systems
    • G05B19/02—Programme-control systems electric
    • G05B19/04—Programme control other than numerical control, i.e. in sequence controllers or logic controllers
    • G05B19/042—Programme control other than numerical control, i.e. in sequence controllers or logic controllers using digital processors
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04L67/00—Network arrangements or protocols for supporting network services or applications
    • H04L67/50—Network services
    • H04L67/56—Provisioning of proxy services
    • H04L67/565—Conversion or adaptation of application format or content
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G05—CONTROLLING; REGULATING
    • G05B—CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS
    • G05B23/00—Testing or monitoring of control systems or parts thereof
    • G05B23/02—Electric testing or monitoring
    • G05B23/0205—Electric testing or monitoring by means of a monitoring system capable of detecting and responding to faults
    • G05B23/0259—Electric testing or monitoring by means of a monitoring system capable of detecting and responding to faults characterized by the response to fault detection
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04L67/00—Network arrangements or protocols for supporting network services or applications
    • H04L67/01—Protocols
    • H04L67/12—Protocols specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04L67/00—Network arrangements or protocols for supporting network services or applications
    • H04L67/50—Network services
    • H04L67/55—Push-based network services
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04Q—SELECTING
    • H04Q9/00—Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
    • H04W4/00—Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
    • H04W4/30—Services specially adapted for particular environments, situations or purposes
    • H04W4/38—Services specially adapted for particular environments, situations or purposes for collecting sensor information
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
    • H04W84/00—Network topologies
    • H04W84/18—Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
    • H04W88/00—Devices specially adapted for wireless communication networks, e.g. terminals, base stations or access point devices
    • H04W88/16—Gateway arrangements
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G05—CONTROLLING; REGULATING
    • G05B—CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS
    • G05B2219/00—Program-control systems
    • G05B2219/30—Nc systems
    • G05B2219/45—Nc applications
    • G05B2219/45004—Mining
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G05—CONTROLLING; REGULATING
    • G05B—CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS
    • G05B23/00—Testing or monitoring of control systems or parts thereof
    • G05B23/02—Electric testing or monitoring
    • G05B23/0205—Electric testing or monitoring by means of a monitoring system capable of detecting and responding to faults
    • G05B23/0218—Electric testing or monitoring by means of a monitoring system capable of detecting and responding to faults characterised by the fault detection method dealing with either existing or incipient faults
    • G05B23/0224—Process history based detection method, e.g. whereby history implies the availability of large amounts of data
    • G05B23/0227—Qualitative history assessment, whereby the type of data acted upon, e.g. waveforms, images or patterns, is not relevant, e.g. rule based assessment; if-then decisions
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G05—CONTROLLING; REGULATING
    • G05B—CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS
    • G05B23/00—Testing or monitoring of control systems or parts thereof
    • G05B23/02—Electric testing or monitoring
    • G05B23/0205—Electric testing or monitoring by means of a monitoring system capable of detecting and responding to faults
    • G05B23/0259—Electric testing or monitoring by means of a monitoring system capable of detecting and responding to faults characterized by the response to fault detection
    • G05B23/0267—Fault communication, e.g. human machine interface [HMI]
    • G05B23/0272—Presentation of monitored results, e.g. selection of status reports to be displayed; Filtering information to the user
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04L12/00—Data switching networks
    • H04L12/28—Data switching networks characterised by path configuration, e.g. LAN [Local Area Networks] or WAN [Wide Area Networks]
    • H04L12/40—Bus networks
    • H04L2012/40208—Bus networks characterized by the use of a particular bus standard
    • H04L2012/40215—Controller Area Network CAN
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04L12/00—Data switching networks
    • H04L12/28—Data switching networks characterised by path configuration, e.g. LAN [Local Area Networks] or WAN [Wide Area Networks]
    • H04L12/40—Bus networks
    • H04L2012/4026—Bus for use in automation systems
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04Q—SELECTING
    • H04Q2209/00—Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems
    • H04Q2209/40—Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems using a wireless architecture
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04Q—SELECTING
    • H04Q2209/00—Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems
    • H04Q2209/50—Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems using a mobile data collecting device, e.g. walk by or drive by
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
    • H04W88/00—Devices specially adapted for wireless communication networks, e.g. terminals, base stations or access point devices
    • H04W88/02—Terminal devices
    • H04W88/04—Terminal devices adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

A system and a method of inspecting a machine Abstract The present disclosure provides a method of inspecting a machine comprising: on a portable user device, receiving sensor data indicative of operational status of the machine from a machine sensor network, and displaying the sensor data on the portable user device, thereby allowing inspection of the operational status of the machine on the portable user device. Fig.1 Machine IoT machine sensor network Portable user Pre-existing sensor device ii network - 314 sensors 301rs3 Sensor data network 20 Edgecomputingdevice 303 Figure 1

Description

A system and a method of inspecting a machine
FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present disclosure relates to a system and a method of inspecting a machine. More specifically, the invention relates, but is not limited, to a system and method for inspecting a mining machine via a remotely located portable user device.
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION [0002] Reference to background art herein is not to be construed as an admission that such art constitutes common general knowledge in Australia or elsewhere.
[0003] Mining operation generally involves a variety of machinery that is used for exploration, transportation, and processing of metals, minerals and material extracted from the earth. On a mining site, technicians are required to inspect the machinery regularly to ensure the machinery is operating within specified operating parameters to avoid unscheduled downtime and hazardous working conditions for mining workers. If a mining machine malfunctions, technicians are also required to diagnose where the fault is or what may have caused the fault. In addition, there may be times where a technician is required to do routine checking of the machine, including determining whether any fault is likely to occur. A large mining operation may involve hundreds of pieces of machinery, including excavators, front end loaders, dozers, heavy trucks and mineral processing plants operating at geographically remote locations, which requires a substantial maintenance work force.
[0004] While many inspection and maintenance tasks are undertaken with an individual piece of machinery isolated, some machinery still needs to be powered to diagnose faults and undertake tests or inspections. For example, an excavator needs to be running in order to test its hydraulic system. The inspection of machinery while it is powered and operating is referred to as 'live work' by the mining industry. Live work contributes significantly to safety incidents that happen during mining operations.
[0005] There are several tools and techniques designed to mitigate or minimise risks associated with some of these tasks. For example, administrative measures may be put in place which control access to certain machinery and/or require technicians to strictly
-22020100571 15 Apr 2020 follow a set of work instructions. While these measures may be effective, if they fail, technicians are still exposed to significant personal safety risk.
[0006] There is a continuing effort to reduce or minimise the risks associated with these maintenance and inspection tasks for mining operations.
[0007] The present disclosure aims to mitigate or ameliorate one or more of the problems mentioned above, or to at least provide an alternative choice.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION [0008] In a first aspect, the present disclosure provides a method of inspecting a machine, comprising:
on a portable user device, receiving sensor data indicative of operational status of the machine from a machine sensor network, and displaying the sensor data on the portable user device, thereby allowing inspection of the operational status of the machine on the portable user device.
[0009] In one embodiment, the machine is a mining equipment or a construction machine. The machine may be a mobile equipment or may be permanently or semi permanently located in a physical location. If the machine is a mining equipment, it may be either above surface or underground.
[0010] In one embodiment, the machine sensor network includes:
one or more sensors which monitor the operational status of the machine and generate raw sensor data;
a sensor data network allowing the raw sensor data to be received from the one or more sensors and transmitted for further processing;
an edge computing device for processing the raw sensor data received from the sensor data network to thereby generate the sensor data to be transmitted to the portable user device.
[0011] In one embodiment, the method includes receiving data indicative operational status of the machine from a plurality of machine sensor networks.
[0012] In one embodiment, the method further includes:
on the machine,
-32020100571 15 Apr 2020 receiving raw sensor data from the one or more sensors which monitor the operational status of the machine;
processing received raw sensor data on the edge computing device, to thereby generate the sensor data indicative of the operational status of the machine; and transmitting the sensor data to the portable user device.
[0013] In one embodiment, the method further includes:
providing the one or more sensors on the machine; and establishing a sensor data network on the machine, wherein the sensor data network allows raw sensor data to be received from the one or more sensors and transmitted to the edge computing device for processing.
[0014] In one embodiment, the sensor data network comprises a sensor gateway device, wherein the sensor gateway device establishes data communication between the one or more sensors and the edge computing device.
[0015] In one embodiment, the sensor data network additionally includes a sensor interface, wherein the sensor interface enables data communication between one or more sensors and the sensor gateway device.
[0016] In one embodiment, the sensor interface is a CAN (controller area network) bus sensor interface.
[0017] In one embodiment, the CAN bus sensor interface includes one or more CAN nodes, wherein each CAN node is communicatively coupled to the one or more sensors.
[0018] In one embodiment, the sensor gateway device is configured to support at least one or more of the following data communication protocols:
standard Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Open Data Protocols, for example but not limited to J1939, CanOpen, J1708, J1587, or similar thereof;
OEM provided third party sensor interfaces; and
OEM proprietary data links, nd similar thereof.
[0019] In one embodiment, the sensor gateway device is configured to receive raw or processed sensor data and messages from one or more pre-existing sensor networks. The pre-existing sensor networks may be installed by an OEM or other third parties.
[0020] In one embodiment, the sensor gateway device is configured to convert a format of the raw sensor data received from the one or more sensors, and/or processed
-42020100571 15 Apr 2020 sensor data and messages from one or more pre-existing sensor networks, whether directly or indirectly, to a data format which is compatible with the edge computing device.
[0021] In one embodiment, the edge computing device is a server located on the machine.
[0022] In one embodiment, the step of processing received raw sensor data on the edge computing device includes processing the data by a suite of software modules.
[0023] In one embodiment, the step of processing received raw sensor data on the edge computing device includes running one or more of the following software modules on the edge computing device:
a software module which acts as a reverse proxy for answering requests to micro service containers;
a software module which provides data routing and stream processing, produces visualizations of the sensor data and configuration of the one or more sensors;
a software module which provides data storage for a specified period, a software module which provides management of the other software modules and hardware, a software module which collects metrics about the edge computing device, for example but not limited to RAM, network, CPU, temperature, and machine metrics for a chosen period onboard the machine, a software module which is a visualisation tool for historical data on the reverse proxy software module, manages Alerts and push notifications to messaging services.
[0024] In an embodiment, the step of transmitting the sensor data to the portable user device includes:
generating a wireless network on the machine, allowing the portable user device to engage in data communication with the wireless network.
[0025] In an embodiment, the portable user device is remotely located from the machine. Preferably, the portable user device is located outside an exclusion zone of the machine, meaning that a technician is protected from any hazardous conditions which may be caused by the machine while reading the sensor data on the portable user device.
-52020100571 15 Apr 2020 ln one embodiment, the step of transmitting the sensor data includes transmitting the sensor data to a plurality of portable user devices.
[0026] The term 'exclusion zone' refers to an area on or near the machine which is generally considered hazardous and should be avoided by technicians. In one form, the exclusion zone is determined by specifications of the machine, regulations set by an industry, and/or by safety regulations mandated by a company, and as such, it varies in different machines. In one form, the exclusion zone may be a 'shadow zone' of the machine, that is, if a light source is placed directly above the machine, the machine forms a shadow, and the area of the shadow is considered as the 'shadow zone'.
[0027] In an embodiment, the method includes allowing the machine to be at least partly or fully operational when the sensor data is displayed on the portable user device.
[0028] In an embodiment, the sensor data includes one or more of data indicative of real-time operational parameters of the machine, historical operational parameters of the machine, and/or data indicative of environmental conditionals of where the machine is situated. In an embodiment, the sensor data also includes determination and/or prediction of faults and issues of the machine.
[0029] In an embodiment, the method further includes:
analysing the raw sensor data to diagnose faults or issues of the machine, and/or predict potential faults or issues of the machine, and displaying the faults or issues or potential faults or issues of the machine to the technician.
[0030] In one embodiment, the one or more sensors are part of an expandable sensor network. The expandable sensor network allows the sensors to be added, replaced, switched on or off as required. In one embodiment, the expandable senor network includes 1 to over 100 sensors. In addition, the one or more sensors may be grouped according to the types of raw sensor data they generate, and/or their physical location with respect to the machine. One or more sensors may be directly integrated into various mechanical, electrical or computer systems of the machine. One or more sensors may be standard off the shelf sensors. The raw sensor data generated by the one or more sensors may be in analogue and/or digital form.
[0031] In an embodiment, the sensor data includes measurements of pressure, temperature, vibration, speed, viscosity, distance, height, angle, particle count, and similar thereof.
-62020100571 15 Apr 2020 [0032] In an embodiment, the sensor data is displayed on the portable user device in real time.
[0033] In a second aspect, the present disclosure provides a machine sensor network on a machine, wherein the machine sensor network allows sensor data indicative of operational status of the machine to be transmitted to a remotely located portable user device and displayed on the portable user device for inspection by a technician.
[0034] In one embodiment, the machine is a mining machine or a construction machine.
[0035] In one embodiment, the machine sensor network includes:
one or more sensors which monitor the operational status of the machine and generate raw sensor data;
a sensor data network allowing the raw sensor data to be received from the one or more sensors and transmitted for further processing;
an edge computing device for processing the raw sensor data received from the sensor data network to thereby generate the sensor data to be transmitted to the portable user device.
[0036] In one form, the edge computing device is configured to transmit the sensor data to the portable user device via a network.
[0037] In one embodiment, the sensor data network comprises a sensor gateway device, wherein the sensor gateway device establishes data communication between one or more sensors and the edge computing device, preferably the sensor gateway device also establishes data communication between one or more sensors which are part of a pre-existing sensor network and the edge computing device.
[0038] In one embodiment, the sensor gateway device is configured to convert a format of the raw sensor data received from the one or more sensors, and/or processed or raw senor data and messages from one or more pre-existing sensor networks, whether directly or indirectly, to a data format which is compatible with the edge computing device.
[0039] In one embodiment, the sensor data network additionally includes a sensor interface, wherein the sensor interface enables data communication between one or more sensors and the sensor gateway device.
[0040] In one embodiment, the sensor interface is a CAN bus sensor interface.
-72020100571 15 Apr 2020 [0041] In another embodiment, the sensor interface may be an ΙΟ-Link, an ethernet interface, a wireless interface such as LoraWAN, Bluetooth and similar thereof.
[0042] In one embodiment, the CAN bus sensor interface includes one or more CAN nodes, wherein each CAN node is communicatively coupled to the one or more sensors. [0043] In one embodiment, the sensor gateway device enables data communication between the CAN bus sensor interface and the edge computing device.
[0044] In one embodiment, the sensor gateway device is configured to support at least one or more of the following data communication protocols:
standard Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Open Data Protocols, for example but not limited to J1939, CanOpen, J1708, J1587, or similar thereof;
OEM provided third party sensor interfaces; and
OEM proprietary data links, and similar thereon.
[0045] In one embodiment, the sensor gateway device is configured to receive raw or processed sensor data and messages from one or more pre-existing sensor networks. The pre-existing sensor networks may be installed by an OEM or other third parties.
[0046] In one form, the edge computing device is a server installed on the machine.
[0047] Preferably, the edge computing device is configured to generate a wireless network enabling data communication between the machine sensor network and the portable user device. Preferably, the wireless network is a Wi-Fi network.
[0048] Preferably, the wireless network is accessible to any portable user device.
[0049] In another form, the machine sensor network includes an antenna unit for generating a wireless network.
[0050] In one form, the edge computing device is configured to run a suite of software modules.
[0051] In one form, the edge computing device is configured to run one or more of the following software modules:
a software module which acts as a reverse proxy for answering requests to micro service containers;
a software module which provides data routing and stream processing, produces visualizations of sensor data and configuration of the one or more sensors;
a software module which provides short term high resolution data storage,
-82020100571 15 Apr 2020 a software module which provides management of the Influx DB instance, a software module which collects metrics about the edge computing device, for example but not limited to RAM, network, CPU, temperature, and machine metrics for a chosen period onboard the machine, a software module which is a visualisation tool for historical sensor data stored on the reverse proxy software module, manages Alerts and push notifications to messaging services.
[0052] In an embodiment, the portable user device is remotely located from the machine. Preferably, the portable user device is outside of the exclusion zone of the machine, meaning that technician is protected from any potential hazardous conditions which may be caused by the machine. In one embodiment, the step of transmitting the sensor data includes transmitting the sensor data to a plurality of portable user devices.
[0053] In an embodiment, the machine is partly or fully operational when the sensor data is displayed on the portable user device.
[0054] In an embodiment, the sensor data includes one or more of data indicative of real-time operational parameters of the machine, historical operational parameters of the machine, and/or data indicative of environmental conditions of where the machine is situated.
[0055] In an embodiment, the sensor data includes measurements of pressure, temperature, vibration, speed, viscosity, distance, height, angle, particle count, and similar thereof.
[0056] In an embodiment, the sensor data is displayed on the portable user device in real-time.
[0057] In an embodiment, the sensor data also includes determination and/or prediction of faults, issues of the machine.
[0058] In an embodiment, the sensors are standard off the shelf sensors.
[0059] In the present disclosure, terms such as equipment, machine, or machinery are used interchangeably as having the same meanings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0060] By way of example only, preferred embodiments of the invention will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying figures, wherein:
-92020100571 15 Apr 2020
Figure 1 is a schematic representation of an architecture of a machine sensor network and a portable user device;
Figure 2 illustrates a schematic overview of the machine sensor network of Figure 1;
Figure 2A illustrates how a number of sensors may be communicatively coupled to a sensor data network according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figure 2B shows an exemplary sensor gateway device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figure 2C shows architecture of an edge computing device and software modules which are configured to run on the edge computing device according to one embodiment;
Figure 3 is a representation of a user interface displayed on the portable user device, displaying sensor data received from the machine sensor network.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0061] Figure 1 is a schematic representation of an architecture of a machine sensor network 300 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0062] With reference to Figure 1, the machine senor network 300 is hosted on a machine 100, which may be a mining equipment or a construction machine. If deployed on a mining site, the machine 100 may be a manned, semi-autonomous, or autonomous excavator, front end loader, dozer, transport vehicles, or similar thereof. In accordance with the invention, the machine sensor network 300 allows sensor data indicative of operational status of the machine 100 to be transmitted to a remotely located portable user device 200 and displayed on the portable user device 200 for inspection by a technician 400. The portable user device 200 is preferably located outside of the exclusion zone of the machine 100, meaning the technician 400 using the device 200 is separated from any potential hazardous conditions which may be caused by the machine 100 or possibly other machines which are nearby or the general working environment which often involves a high level of dust, noise, or toxic gas. In one embodiment, the portable user device 200 is a smart device, for example but not limited to, a mobile phone, a tablet device, a laptop, or similar thereof.
[0063] As shown in Figure 1, the machine sensor network 300 includes: one or more sensors 301 which monitor the operational status of the machine 100 to generate raw sensor data, a sensor data network 302 which allows the raw sensor data to be received from the one or more sensors 301 and/or one or more pre-existing sensor networks 314
-102020100571 15 Apr 2020 and transmitted for further processing, and an edge computing device 303 for processing the raw sensor data received from the sensor data network 302 to thereby generate the sensor data to be transmitted to the portable user device 200.
[0064] The portable user device 200 and the machine sensor network 300 is in data communication via a wireless network 500. The wireless network 500 may be a conventional 3G, 4G, 5G cellular network, or, preferably, a private Wi-Fi network generated by the machine sensor network 300. It should be appreciated that some mining operations take place in remote or underground locations where a cellular network is not readily available or may face interruptions. In addition, there may be security concerns if information in relation to the operational status of the machine 100 is transmitted on a public cellular network. As such, in some cases it is advantageous to provide a private WiFi network onboard the machine 100 which allows the portable user device 200 to join. It should be appreciated that the machine sensor network 300 may allow a plurality of portable user devices 200 to join the network simultaneously if necessary.
[0065] More details of the machine sensor network 300 will be explained with reference to Figure 2, 2A, 2B and 2C.
[0066] As shown in Figure 2 and 2A, the operational status of the machine 100 is monitored by a number of sensors 301. These sensors 301 may be standard off the shelf sensors which are retrofitted to the machine 100 as desired, or they may be standard OEM sensors which are installed on different parts of the machine 100 by the OEMs during manufacturing of the machine. These sensors 301 provide important measurements of pressure, temperature, vibration, speed, viscosity, distance, height, angle, particle count, and similar thereof, and information in relation to the status of the machine 100 is derived from these measurements. It should be appreciated that the operational status of the machine 100 include both particular sensor readings as to how the machine 100 is operating in real-time, and also the level or degree of wear and/or compliance to the specifications (for example, whether the machine 100 is in a state of good repair).
[0067] In one embodiment, the one or more sensors 301 are part of an expandable sensor network. The expandable sensor network allows the sensors to be added, replaced, switched on or off as required. In one embodiment, the expandable senor network includes at least one and potentially up to hundreds of different sensors. In addition, the one or more sensors 301 may be grouped according to the frequency, format, of raw sensor data they generate, and/or their physical location with respect to the machine. It should be appreciated that some of these sensors 301 may be directly
- 11 2020100571 15 Apr 2020 integrated into various mechanical, electrical or computer systems of the machine 100, such as those sensors which are already coupled to the one or more pre-existing sensor networks 314, and some of these sensor 301 may be standard off the shelf sensors which are retrofitted as needed. In addition, the raw sensor data generated by the sensors may be in analogue and/or digital form.
[0068] The sensor data network 302 includes components and devices which support common data communication protocols used by different sensors. This is to enable the data communication between the sensors 301 and the edge computing device 303 such that raw sensor data generated by the sensors 301 is reliably received by the edge computing device 303 for processing. In a preferred embodiment, the sensor data network 302 comprises a sensor interface device 313 and a sensor gateway device 304. The sensor interface device 313 establishes a data communication channel between some of the sensors 301a and the sensor gateway device 304.
[0069] A range of different types of sensors are illustrated as examples in Figure 2A. Some of these sensors 301a may be coupled to one or more sensor interface devices 313 directly. In this embodiment, the sensor interface 313 includes a plurality of CAN Open nodes. Each CAN Open nodes allows data connection to a plurality of sensors 301. The CAN Open nodes are advantageous because they establish an expandable and highly flexible sensor network, meaning additional sensors can be added to the machine sensor network 300 at any stage easily. In addition, more CAN Open nodes can also be added to the sensor network 300 if required. The CAN Open nodes 313 may be distributed to different parts of the machine 100 to aid data collection from the sensors 301a and to reduce data wiring required to couple sensors to the sensor data network 302. Some sensors 301b illustrated in Figure 2A are standard off the shelf CAN Open sensors, which include a CAN Open interface in themselves already. These sensors 301b may be directly coupled to the sensor gateway device 304 without directing the raw sensor data to the sensor interface 313 first.
[0070] Figure 2B illustrates a more detailed view of the sensor gateway device 304. Due to the different types of sensors that may be included in the machine sensor network, and the need to also receive raw or processed sensor data and messages from preexisting sensor networks 314, the sensor gateway device 304 is configured to support at least one or more of the following data communication protocols: standard Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Open Data Protocols, for example but not limited to J1939, CAN Open, J1708, J1587, or similar thereof; OEM provided third party sensor interfaces, and OEM proprietary data links, for example but not limited to CDL, RPC, and
- 122020100571 15 Apr 2020 similar thereon. In essence, the sensor gateway device 304 is configured to convert a format of the raw sensor data received from the one or more sensors 301, and/or raw sensor data or processed sensor data and messages received from one or more preexisting sensor networks 314, whether directly or indirectly, to a data format which is compatible with the edge computing device 303. As illustrated, the sensor gateway device 304 includes a range of different data ports 307 for receiving data from different sensors 301 and from pre-existing sensor networks 314 which support different data communication protocols. Preferably the sensor gateway device 304 is also expandable in the sense that it can be configured to support more data communication protocols if required. The sensor gateway device 304 also includes an antenna 305 for transmitting and receiving wireless data and additionally a location tracking unit 306 for generating locational information of the machine 100. It also includes an Ethernet port 308 for establishing a data link with an Ethernet port 309 on the edge computing device 303.
[0071] Figure 2C illustrates an exemplary embodiment of an edge computing device software architecture. The edge computing device 303 is physically located on the machine 100. In one embodiment, the edge computing device 303 is a server which is configured to execute a number of software modules 310 onboard the machine 100. The edge computing device 303 ensures that processing of the raw sensor data is done at or near the source of the data, rather than requiring the raw sensor data to be transmitted to a remotely located computing device or to a cloud. Providing the edge computing device 303 onboard the machine 100 reduces data latency.
[0072] In one embodiment, the software modules 310 include:
a software module which acts as a reverse proxy for answering requests to micro service containers;
a software module which provides data routing and stream processing, produces visualizations of sensor data and configuration of the one or more sensors;
a software module which provides short term high resolution data storage, a software module which provides management of the reverse proxy software module, a software module which collects metrics about the edge computing device, for example but not limited to RAM, network, CPU, temperature, and machine metrics for a chosen period onboard the machine,
- 132020100571 15 Apr 2020 a software module which is a visualisation tool for historical data on the reverse proxy software module instances, manages Alerts and push notifications to messaging services.
[0073] In one embodiment, the edge computing device 303 generates a Wi-Fi hotspot, which allows a portable user device 200 located anywhere within a certain radius to join. The radius is preferably greater than an exclusion zone of the equipment, in some cases it may be up to 50 to 200 meters from the machine 100.
[0074] Figure 3 shows a screen shot of a user device 200 displaying sensor data on a screen. Preferably, sensor data includes one or more of data indicative of real-time operational parameters of the machine 100, historical operational parameters of the machine 100, and/or data indicative of environmental conditions of where the machine 100 is situated. In the embodiment shown, a current reading of slew ring deflection is displayed on the device 200. The allowed operating range of the slew ring deflection is also displayed, to inform the technician 400 how the current reading fits into the allowable range. This avoids the need to double check machine specifications to decide whether any sensor readings is within a normal operating range or not.
[0075] It should be appreciated that the sensor data may include measurements of pressure, temperature, vibration, speed, viscosity, distance, height, angle, particle count, and similar thereof, depending on the type of the machine 100 and nature of the inspection tasks required for the machine 100.
[0076] In one embodiment, the sensor data is displayed on the portable user device 200 in real-time, when the machine 100 is at least partly operational or fully operational. This means the machine 100 can continue with its normal operation, or at least still powered, while inspection of its operational status is carried out on the portable user device 200, thereby greatly reducing downtime of the machine 100.
[0077] The present disclosure provides a method of inspecting a machine and a machine sensor network which greatly improve safety of mining and construction operations. It reduce risks for technicians by allowing sensor data indicative of operational status of the machine to be directly displayed on a portable user device such as a mobile phone, a tablet device, a laptop or a desktop computer. This means technicians are no longer required to be physically onboard the machine or enter an exclusion zone of the machine while carrying out certain diagnostic or routine inspection tasks, especially when the machine is still powered and operating.
- 142020100571 15 Apr 2020 [0078] The method and the machine sensor network also improve efficiency for technicians as it no longer requires a technician to move from one part of a machine to the next in order to obtain all relevant sensor readings. Machine downtime due to maintenance is also greatly reduced. It should be appreciated that the machines used in mining or construction industry are generally large scale heavy weight machines, which means there could be a large number of sensors located in different parts of the machines, and would generally require a lot of time and effort to collect sensor readings. With the present invention, the raw sensor data is digitized, visualised and readily available on the user device.
[0079] The present disclosure also offers flexibility in terms of when certain inspection and diagnostic task can be carried out, or who are allowed to carry out such tasks. As mentioned, administrative measures are often adopted by businesses in order to limit access to machines. The present disclosure would introduce a more inclusive culture for workers as some of these administrative measures become redundant.
[0080] Finally, it should be appreciated that real-time and historic sensor data contains valuable insights as to efficiency of the machine, efficiency of the mining or construction operation [0081] In this specification, adjectives such as left and right, top and bottom, hot and cold, first and second, and the like may be used to distinguish one element or action from another element or action without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order. Where context permits, reference to a component, an integer or step (or the alike) is not to be construed as being limited to only one of that component, integer, or step, but rather could be one or more of that component, integer or step.
[0082] The above description relating to embodiments of the present invention is provided for purposes of description to one of ordinary skill in the related art. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to a single disclosed embodiment. As mentioned above, numerous alternatives and variations to the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the above teaching. Accordingly, while some alternative embodiments have been discussed specifically, other embodiments will be apparent or relatively easily developed by those of ordinary skill in the art. The invention is intended to embrace all modifications, alternatives, and variations of the present invention that have been discussed herein, and other embodiments that fall within the spirit and scope of the above described invention.
- 152020100571 15 Apr 2020 [0083] In this specification, the terms ‘comprises’, ‘comprising’, ‘includes’, ‘including’, or similar terms are intended to mean a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a method, system or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include those elements solely, but may well include other elements not listed.

Claims (45)

  1. Claims
    1. A method of inspecting a machine, comprising:
    on a portable user device, receiving sensor data indicative of operational status of the machine from a machine sensor network, and displaying the sensor data on the portable user device, thereby allowing inspection of the operational status of the machine on the portable user device.
  2. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the machine is a mining equipment or a construction machine.
  3. 3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the machine sensor network includes:
    one or more sensors which monitor the operational status of the machine and generate raw sensor data;
    a sensor data network allowing the raw sensor data to be received from the one or more sensors and transmitted for further processing; and an edge computing device for processing the raw sensor data received from the sensor data network to thereby generate the sensor data to be transmitted to the portable user device.
  4. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the method further includes:
    on the machine, receiving raw sensor data from the one or more sensors which monitor the operational status of the machine;
    processing received raw sensor data on the edge computing device, to thereby generate the sensor data indicative of the operational status of the machine; and transmitting the sensor data to the portable user device.
  5. 5. The method of claim 3 or 4, wherein the method further includes:
    providing the one or more sensors on the machine; and establishing a sensor data network on the machine, wherein the sensor data network allows raw sensor data to be received from the one or more sensors, and/or allows raw or processed sensor data and messages to be received from one or more preexisting sensor network and transmitted to the edge computing device for processing.
    - 172020100571 15 Apr 2020
  6. 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the sensor data network comprises a sensor gateway device, wherein the sensor gateway device establishes data communication between one or more sensors and the edge computing device, preferably the sensor gateway device also establishes data communication between one or more sensors which are part of a pre-existing sensor network and the edge computing device.
  7. 7. The method of claim 5 or 6, wherein the sensor data network additionally includes a sensor interface, wherein the sensor interface enables data communication between one or more sensors and the sensor gateway device.
  8. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the sensor interface is a CAN (controller area network) bus sensor interface.
  9. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the CAN bus sensor interface includes one or more CAN nodes, wherein each CAN node is communicatively coupled to the one or more sensors.
  10. 10. The method of any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein the sensor gateway device is configured to support at least one or more of the following data communication protocols:
    standard Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Open Data Protocols, for example but not limited to J1939, CanOpen, J1708, J1587, or similar thereof;
    OEM provided third party sensor interfaces; and
    OEM proprietary data links.
  11. 11. The method of any one of claims 3 to 10, wherein the edge computing device is a server located on the machine.
  12. 12. The method of any one of claims 3 to 11, wherein the step of processing received raw sensor data on the edge computing device includes processing the data by software modules.
  13. 13. The method of any one of claims 3 to 12, wherein the step of processing received raw sensor data on the edge computing device includes running one or more of the following software modules on the edge computing device:
    a software module which acts as a reverse proxy for answering requests to the micro service containers;
    a software module which provides data routing and stream processing, produces visualizations of the sensor data and configuration of the one or more sensors;
    a software module which provides short term high resolution data storage,
    - 182020100571 15 Apr 2020 a software module which provides management of the reverse proxy software module, a software module which collects metrics about the edge computing device, for example but not limited to RAM, network, CPU, temperature, and machine metrics for a chosen period onboard the machine, a software module which is a visualisation tool for historical data on the reverse proxy software module, manages Alerts and push notifications to messaging services.
  14. 14. The method of any one of claims 4 to 13, wherein the step of transmitting the sensor data to the portable user device includes:
    generating a wireless network on the machine, allowing the portable user device to engage in data communication with the wireless network.
  15. 15. The method of any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the portable user device is remotely located from the machine, and preferably, the portable user device is located outside an exclusion zone of the machine, meaning that a technician is protected from any hazardous conditions which may be caused by the machine while reading the sensor data on the portable user device.
  16. 16. The method of any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the sensor data is displayed on a plurality of portable user devices.
  17. 17. The method of any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the method includes allowing the machine to be at least partly or fully operational when the sensor data is displayed on the portable user device.
  18. 18. The method of any one of claims 1 to 17, where the sensor data includes one or more of data indicative of real-time operational parameters of the machine, historical operational parameters of the machine, and/or data indicative of environmental conditions of where the machine is situated.
  19. 19. The method of any one of claims 1 to 18, wherein the sensor data includes determination and/or prediction of faults and issues of the machine.
  20. 20. The method of any one of claims 4 to 19, wherein the method further includes:
    analysing the raw sensor data to diagnose faults or issues of the machine, and/or predict potential faults or issues of the machine, and
    - 192020100571 15 Apr 2020 displaying the faults or issues or potential faults or issues of the machine to the technician.
  21. 21. The method of any one of claims 4 to 20, wherein the one or more sensors are part of an expandable sensor network, which allows the sensors to be added, replaced, switched on or off as required.
  22. 22. The method of any one of preceding claims, wherein the sensor data includes measurements of pressure, temperature, vibration, speed, viscosity, distance, height, angle, particle count, and similar thereof.
  23. 23. The method of any one of preceding claims, wherein the sensor data is displayed on the portable user device in real time.
  24. 24. A machine sensor network on a machine, wherein the machine sensor network allows sensor data indicative of operational status of the machine to be transmitted to a remotely located portable user device and displayed on the portable user device for inspection by a technician.
  25. 25. The machine sensor network of claim 24, wherein the machine is a mining equipment or a construction machine.
  26. 26. The machine sensor network of claim 24 or 25, further including:
    one or more sensors which monitor the operational status of the machine and generate raw sensor data;
    a sensor data network allowing the raw sensor data to be received from the one or more sensors and transmitted for further processing, and/or allowing raw or processed sensor data and messages to be received from one or more preexisting sensor networks;
    an edge computing device for processing the raw sensor data received from the sensor data network to thereby generate the sensor data to be transmitted to the portable user device.
  27. 27. The machine sensor network of claim 26, wherein the edge computing device is configured to transmit the sensor data to the portable user device via a network.
  28. 28. The machine sensor network of claim 26 or 27, wherein the sensor data network comprises a sensor gateway device, wherein the sensor gateway device establishes data communication between one or more sensors and the edge computing device, preferably
    -202020100571 15 Apr 2020 the sensor gateway device also establishes data communication between the one or more pre-existing sensor networks and the edge computing device.
  29. 29. The machine sensor network of claims 26 to 28, wherein the sensor data network additionally includes a sensor interface, wherein the sensor interface enables data communication between one or more sensors and the sensor gateway device.
  30. 30. The machine sensor network of claim 29, wherein the sensor interface is a CAN bus sensor interface.
  31. 31. The machine sensor network of claim 30, wherein the CAN bus sensor interface includes one or more CAN nodes, wherein each CAN node is communicatively coupled to the one or more sensors.
  32. 32. The machine sensor network of any one of claims 28 to 31, wherein the sensor gateway device enables data communication between the CAN bus sensor interface and the edge computing device.
  33. 33. The machine sensor network of claim 32 wherein the sensor gateway device is configured to support at least one or more of the following data communication protocols:
    standard Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Open Data Protocols, for example but not limited to J1939, CanOpen, J1708, J1587, or similar thereof;
    OEM provided third party sensor interfaces; and
    OEM proprietary data links.
  34. 34. The machine sensor network of any one of claims 26 to 33 wherein the edge computing device is a server located on the machine.
  35. 35. The machine sensor network of any one of claims 26 to 34, wherein the edge computing device is configured to generate a wireless network enabling data communication between the machine sensor network and the portable user device.
  36. 36. The machine sensor network of any one of claims 24 to 35, further including an antenna unit for generating a wireless network.
  37. 37. The machine sensor network of any one of claims 26 to 36, wherein the edge computing device is configured to run a suite of software modules.
  38. 38. The machine sensor network of claim 37 wherein the edge computing device is configured to run one or more of the following software modules:
    a software module which acts as a reverse proxy for answering requests to micro service containers;
    -21 2020100571 15 Apr 2020 a software module which provides data routing and stream processing, produces visualizations of sensor data and configuration of the one or more sensors;
    a software module which provides short term high resolution data storage, a software module which provides management of the reverse proxy software module, a software module which collects metrics about the edge computing device, for example but not limited to RAM, network, CPU, temperature, and machine metrics for a chosen period onboard the machine, a software module which is a visualisation tool for historical sensor data stored on the reverse proxy software module, manages Alerts and push notifications to messaging services.
  39. 39. The machine sensor network of any one of claims 24 to 38 where the portable user device is remotely located from the machine, and preferably, the portable user device is outside of the exclusion zone of the machine, meaning that technician is protected from any potential hazardous conditions which may be caused by the machine.
  40. 40. The machine sensor network of any one of claims 24 to 39 wherein the step of transmitting the sensor data includes transmitting the sensor data to a plurality of portable user devices.
  41. 41. The machine sensor network of any one of claims 24 to 40, wherein the machine is partly or fully operational when the sensor data is displayed on the portable user device.
  42. 42. The machine sensor network of any one of claims 24 to 41, wherein the sensor data includes one or more of data indicative of real-time operational parameters of the machine, historical operational parameters of the machine, and/or data indicative of environmental conditions of where the machine is situated.
  43. 43. The machine sensor network of any one of claims 24 to 42, wherein the sensor data includes measurements of pressure, temperature, vibration, speed, viscosity, distance, height, angle, particle count, and similar thereof.
  44. 44. The machine sensor network of any one of claims 24 to 43, wherein the sensor data is displayed on the portable user device in real-time.
  45. 45. The machine sensor network of any one of claims 24 to 44, wherein the sensor data also includes determination and/or prediction of faults, issues of the machine.
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US7689394B2 (en) * 2003-08-26 2010-03-30 Siemens Industry, Inc. System and method for remotely analyzing machine performance
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AU2016310529B2 (en) * 2015-08-27 2020-12-17 Johnson Controls Tyco IP Holdings LLP Edge intelligence platform, and internet of things sensor streams system
US10417839B2 (en) * 2016-05-25 2019-09-17 Navigation Research Company System and method for vehicle assessment and uses thereof
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