Automated system including equipment inspection carriage

Abstract

An equipment inspection apparatus comprising: an equipment inspection carriage (44) running on a track (42) at least into an automation equipment environment (31) of a first piece of automation equipment (20), the carriage (44) comprising an image capture device (46), a sound registration device (48) and a carriage control unit (52), the carriage control unit (52) is operable to: control the sound registration device (48) to register sounds emitted in the automation equipment environment (31), the sounds including sounds registered at a first track position (P1) of the carriage (44); receiving sounds from the sound registration device (48), the sounds including sounds emanating from a point of interest (POI) on the first piece of automation equipment (20); determining a direction from the image capture device (46) to a point of interest (POI) based on the received sound; and adjusting the orbital position of the carriage (44) and / or the orientation of the image capture device (46) on the basis of the determined direction.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an equipment inspection device, an automation system, and a method for controlling an equipment inspection carriage in the automation system. Background Art

[0002] In automated systems, such as some process control systems, there may be areas with automated equipment located remotely and / or in environments unsuitable for humans. This environment can be harmful or dangerous, for example. Furthermore, these areas may need to be inspected for various reasons, such as alarms or warnings caused by faults detected on the automated equipment. Therefore, there is a need to allow inspection of the automated equipment in such areas.

[0003] When a warning or alarm situation occurs in a remote area, personnel are traditionally dispatched to observe and assess the area and the situation. This is possible for manned areas, though there may be areas with restricted access, making it somewhat more difficult. For unmanned areas, this is often impossible, and there may be a significant gap before personnel are dispatched to the area, such as during a scheduled maintenance cycle. In either case, such an observation can be time-consuming, ineffective, and expensive.

[0004] Parts of an automation system can be inspected without sending a person. KR 10-2019-0046129 discloses an example of this, in which a camera mobile device running on rails is used to inspect automation equipment in a supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system, for the purpose of visually illustrating a gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) in a gas-insulated switch room.

[0005] However, it can be difficult to locate points of interest on the automated equipment being inspected, and therefore also difficult to capture images of them. This can make it difficult to determine the cause or severity of a fault. Therefore, there is a need to improve the inspection of automated equipment using mobile inspection devices. Summary of the Invention

[0006] It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an inspection of an automation equipment environment of an automation system which can be performed in an easier manner.

[0007] According to a first aspect, this is achieved by an equipment inspection apparatus for inspecting a first piece of automated equipment, the equipment inspection apparatus comprising an equipment inspection carriage adapted to run on a track, the track entering at least a first area of an automated system including the first piece of automated equipment, the first area being an automated equipment environment for the first piece of automated equipment, the equipment inspection carriage comprising an image capture device and a sound registration device, the equipment inspection apparatus further comprising a carriage control unit operable to

[0008] Controlling the sound registration device to register sounds emitted in the environment of the automated equipment, the sounds being a type of diagnostic data of the first piece of automated equipment and including sounds registered at a first track position of the equipment inspection carriage,

[0009] receiving sounds from a sound registration device, the sounds including sounds emitted from a point of interest on the first piece of automated equipment,

[0010] determining a direction from the image capture device to a point of interest on the first piece of automated equipment based on the received sound, and

[0011] The track position of the inspection carriage and / or the orientation of the image capture device are checked based on the determined direction adjustment equipment.

[0012] According to a second aspect, the object is achieved by a method of controlling an equipment inspection carriage in an automation system, the automation system comprising automation equipment, the automation equipment comprising a first piece of automation equipment in a first area of the automation system, the first area being an automation equipment environment for the first piece of automation equipment, and the equipment inspection carriage comprising an image capture device and a sound registration device, the method comprising:

[0013] Controlling the sound registration device to register sounds emitted in the environment of the automated equipment, the sounds being a type of diagnostic data of the first piece of automated equipment and including sounds registered at a first track position of the equipment inspection carriage,

[0014] receiving the sounds from the sound registration device, the sounds including sounds emitted from points of interest on the first piece of automated equipment,

[0015] determining a direction from the image capture device to a point of interest on the first piece of automated equipment based on the received sound, and

[0016] The track position of the inspection carriage and / or the orientation of the image capture device are checked based on the determined direction adjustment equipment.

[0017] According to a first variation of the first aspect, the carriage control unit is further operable to determine a distance from the image capture device to the point of interest based on the received sound, and the adjustment is further based on the determined distance.

[0018] According to a respective variation of the second aspect, the method further comprises determining a distance from the image capture device to the point of interest based on the received sound, and the adjustment is further based on the determined distance.

[0019] According to a second variation of the first and second aspects, the sound registration device is movable between two different device locations, and the distance is determined based on sounds registered at the two device locations.

[0020] According to a third variation of the first aspect, the carriage control unit is further operable to control the image capture device to capture an image of the first piece of automation equipment and receive the image from the image capture device, wherein the diagnostic data of the first piece of automation equipment also includes the received image.

[0021] According to a corresponding variation of the second aspect, the method further includes controlling an image capture device to capture an image of the first piece of automation equipment and receiving the image from the image capture device, wherein the diagnostic data of the first piece of automation equipment also includes the received image.

[0022] The equipment inspection carriage may also include a sensor device operable to sense physical characteristics of the automated equipment environment.

[0023] According to a fourth variation of the first aspect, in this case the carriage control unit is further operable to receive sensed physical characteristics of the automation equipment environment, wherein the diagnostic data of the first piece of automation equipment also comprises the sensed physical characteristics of the automation equipment environment.

[0024] In a corresponding variation of the second aspect, the method further comprises receiving a sensed physical characteristic of an environment of the automation equipment, wherein the diagnostic data of the first piece of automation equipment further comprises the sensed physical characteristic of the environment of the automation equipment.

[0025] A third aspect of the present invention relates to an automation system comprising automation equipment, an alarm processing device, and the equipment inspection apparatus according to the first aspect, the automation equipment comprising a first piece of automation equipment in a first area of the automation system.

[0026] According to a variation on the third aspect, the alarm processing device is operable to control movement of the equipment inspection carriage on the track to a first track position in the automated equipment environment.

[0027] According to a corresponding variant of the second aspect, the method further comprises controlling the equipment to check that the carriage moves on the rail to a first rail position in the automated equipment environment.

[0028] According to yet another variation of the third aspect, the alarm processing device is operable to obtain an alarm regarding the first piece of automated equipment, and controlling the equipment to check movement of the carriage to the first track position is based on the alarm.

[0029] According to a corresponding variant of the second aspect, the method further comprises obtaining an alert regarding the first piece of automation equipment, and wherein controlling the equipment to check that the carriage is moved to the first rail position is based on the alert.

[0030] According to another variation of the third aspect, the alarm processing device is operable to collect diagnostic data from the equipment inspection carriage, determine an action based on the diagnostic data, and perform the action in the automated system.

[0031] According to a corresponding variation of the second aspect, the method further includes collecting diagnostic data from the equipment inspection carriage, determining an activity based on the diagnostic data, and executing the activity in the automated system.

[0032] The adjustment may involve moving the equipment inspection carriage to a track position where the distance between the image capture device and the point of interest is shortest and / or where a line of sight exists between the point of interest and the image capture device. The adjustment may additionally or alternatively include changing the orientation of the image capture device so that it points toward the point of interest.

[0033] Generally, all terms used in the claims are to be interpreted according to their ordinary meaning in the technical field, unless explicitly defined otherwise herein. All references to "an / an / the element, device, component, means, step, etc." are to be interpreted openly as referring to at least one instance of an element, device, component, means, step, etc., unless explicitly stated otherwise. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, the steps of any method disclosed herein do not have to be performed in the exact order disclosed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0034] Aspects and embodiments will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0035] Figure 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating an automation system including a user terminal, a process control device, a safety control device, a condition monitoring device, and automation equipment in an automation equipment environment;

[0036] Figure 2 Schematically shows the implementation of the safety control device,

[0037] Figure 3 Schematically shows an equipment inspection carriage running on rails and entering an automated equipment environment,

[0038] Figure 4 Schematically shows the realization of a carriage control unit for equipping an inspection carriage,

[0039] Figure 5 Schematically shows that the safety control device sends control commands to the carriage control unit and receives diagnostic data from the carriage control unit,

[0040] Figure 6 schematically illustrates an equipment inspection carriage for inspecting points of interest on a first piece of automated equipment at two locations in an automated equipment environment,

[0041] Figure 7 A flow chart showing a plurality of steps in a method of controlling equipment for inspecting a carriage, the method steps being performed by a carriage control unit, and

[0042] Figure 8 The flow chart shows a number of further steps in the method for controlling a device, which method steps are performed by the safety control device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] Aspects of the present disclosure will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which certain embodiments are shown.

[0044] However, these aspects can be implemented in many different forms and should not be interpreted as limiting; on the contrary, these embodiments are provided by way of example so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete and will fully convey the scope of all aspects of the invention to those skilled in the art. Throughout the specification, the same reference numerals represent the same elements.

[0045] Figure 1 1 is a diagram schematically showing an automation system AS10 .

[0046] The automation system 10 may be a process control system for controlling an industrial process or a portion thereof. Typical processes are power generation, transmission, distribution, and supply processes; water purification and distribution processes; oil and gas production and distribution processes; petrochemical, chemical, pharmaceutical, and food processes; and pulp and paper production processes. These are just some examples of processes to which the system may be applied. The process may be monitored via an operator terminal or workstation. Such a workstation or operator terminal is also a form of user terminal.

[0047] Therefore, in Figure 1In the example, the automation system 10 includes multiple user terminals connected to a first bus B1, exemplified here by a first user terminal UT1 12 and a second user terminal UT2 14. Furthermore, a second bus B2 exists, and between the first and second buses B1 and B2 are connected a process control device PCD 16, which performs control functions for controlling the process, a safety control device SCD 18, which performs safety control within the process, and a condition monitoring device CMD 19. Furthermore, multiple pieces of automation equipment are connected to the second bus B2. Here, a first piece of automation equipment AE1 20, a second piece of automation equipment AE2 22, a third piece of automation equipment AE3 24, a fourth piece of automation equipment AE4 26, a fifth piece of automation equipment AE5 28, and a sixth piece of automation equipment AE6 30 are connected to the second bus B2. The automation equipment may include one or more controllers with local software for controlling other automation equipment, such as field devices. Automation equipment may also include such field devices. Field devices may include devices that influence or measure various characteristics of a technical process. Field devices may be, for example, pumps, motors, valves, and the like. A process or portion of a process may be controlled via process control devices 16, which then typically communicate with a controller for providing local control using field devices. Safety control devices 18 may similarly control safety in the automation system 10, while condition monitoring devices 19 monitor the condition or health of the automation equipment.

[0048] Automation equipment 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30 is located in a first automation equipment environment (AEE) 31, which may be remote from the control room environment where user terminals 12, 14 are located. Automation equipment environment 31 may additionally or alternatively be a harsh or hazardous environment, such as a gaseous or aqueous environment or an environment otherwise unsuitable for humans. It may, for example, have high and / or low pressure or high or low temperatures.

[0049] Figure 2 One implementation of a safety control device (SCD) 18 is shown. It includes a first processor 32 connected to a first memory 34, which contains computer instructions 36 that implement alarm processing functionality. Computer instructions 36 may be computer program code, such as a computer program, which, when executed by first processor 32, implements the alarm processing functionality. Thus, safety control device 18 functions as an alarm processing device. Memory 34 can also be considered a data carrier containing computer program code or computer instructions 36 for implementing the alarm processing functionality. In this case, the data carrier containing computer program code that implements the alarm processing functionality can also be considered to form a computer program product.

[0050] Safety control device 18 also includes a first input / output interface I / O1 38 for communicating with other devices such as automation equipment 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, and 30. It also includes a second input / output interface I / O2 40 for communicating with the equipment inspection carriage. First I / O interface 38 can be an Ethernet interface or a fieldbus interface, while second I / O interface 40 can be a wireless interface.

[0051] It should be appreciated that the process control device 16 and the condition monitoring device 19 may be of the same or similar implementation type as the safety control device 18 .

[0052] Figure 3 An equipment inspection carriage EIC 44 is schematically shown, running on a track TR 42 that enters an automated equipment environment AEE 31. Thus, the equipment inspection carriage 44 is adapted to run on the track 42, which enters at least a first area of the automation system 10 including a first piece of automated equipment 20. This first area is the automated equipment environment 31 for the first piece of automated equipment 20. This first area also serves as the automated equipment environment 31 for the second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth pieces of automated equipment 22, 24, 26, 28, and 30. The track 42 may be, for example, a railroad track. The equipment inspection carriage 44 includes an image capture device ICD 46, a sound registration device SRA 48, and an optional sensor device SD 50 for sensing characteristics of the automated equipment environment 31. The equipment inspection carriage 44 also includes a carriage control unit CCU 52. The sound registration device 48 may include one or more sound registration devices, and more specifically, an array of sound registration devices, which may be microphones. These microphones may also be directional microphones. The image capture device 46 may be a camera, and advantageously, a video camera. The image capture device 46 may also have an adjustable orientation so that it can point in different directions. It may also have zoom capabilities.

[0053] The equipment inspection carriage 44 with the carriage control unit 52 is an equipment inspection device. It should be understood that although the carriage control unit 52 in this example is part of the equipment inspection carriage 44, in other variations it may be provided outside the equipment inspection carriage 44. For example, it may be part of the safety control device 18.

[0054] Figure 4A variant of a carriage control unit CCU 52 is schematically shown. It includes a second processor 54 connected to a second memory 56 containing computer instructions 58 implementing carriage control functionality. The memory 56 can also be considered a data carrier containing computer program code or computer instructions 58 for implementing carriage control functionality. In this case, the data carrier containing computer program code or computer instructions 58 implementing carriage control functionality can also be considered to form a computer program product. The carriage control unit 52 also includes a third input / output interface I / O3 60 for communicating with the image capture device 46, the sound registration device 48, and the sensor device 50, and a fourth input / output interface I / O4 62 for communicating with the safety control device. The third I / O interface 60 can be an interface to a communication bus on the equipment inspection carriage 44, to which the image capture device 46, the sound registration device 48, and the sensor device 50 are also connected, while the fourth I / O interface 62 can be a wireless interface.

[0055] Figure 5 Schematically shown is a safety control device SCD 18 which communicates with a carriage control unit CCU 52. The safety control device 18 can send control commands CC to the carriage control unit 52, and the carriage control unit 52 can send diagnostic data DD to the safety control device 18.

[0056] Figure 6 The diagram schematically illustrates an equipment inspection carriage 44 on a track TR 42 in an automated equipment environment AEE 31. Here, the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth pieces of automated equipment 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, and 30 are arranged on a rack in the automated equipment environment 31, and the track 42 passes through the rack. In this figure, the equipment inspection carriage 44, which includes an image capture device 46 and a sound registration device (here, including first and second sound registration devices SRD 48A and SRD 48B), is positioned at a first track position P1. At this first track position, the first and second sound registration devices 48A and 48B register sound from a point of interest (POI) on the first piece of automated equipment AE1 20. Subsequently, the equipment inspection carriage 44 can be moved to a second track position P2, where the sound registration devices 48A and 48B also register sound from the point of interest (POI). The equipment inspection carriage 44 is shielded at the second track position P2.

[0057] For example, because a fault has been detected by the safety control device 18, it may be interesting to inspect the first piece of automation equipment 20 in the automation equipment environment. For this reason, it may be desirable to move the equipment inspection carriage out to the automation equipment environment 31 in order to see the first piece of automation equipment 20. Furthermore, there may be a point of interest (POI) on this piece of automation equipment that needs to be inspected, for example, because it may be the cause of an alarm. However, the location of this point of interest may be unknown, for example, because an alarm (such as an alarm regarding a fault) is only linked to the piece of automation equipment itself.

[0058] Aspects of the present disclosure are directed to allowing exploration of such points of interest on a piece of automated equipment in a simple and efficient manner.

[0059] Now refer to Figure 7 To describe how to achieve this, Figure 7 A flow chart showing a number of method steps in a method of controlling equipment to inspect the carriage 44 and performed by the carriage control function of the carriage control unit 52 is shown.

[0060] When the carriage control unit 52 begins operation, the equipment inspection carriage 44 may already be at the first track position P1 on the track 42. It is also possible that the position of the first piece of automated equipment 20 relative to the first track position P1 is known, and that the image capture device 46 is pointing in the direction of the first piece of automated equipment 20. Additionally, sounds may be emitted from points of interest (POIs) on the first piece of automated equipment 20; these sounds may be the cause of an alarm or an indication of the cause of an alarm. The automated equipment environment 31 may be a generally "silent" environment, where any noise has a lower noise level than sounds emitted from points of interest (POIs).

[0061] When the equipment inspection carriage 44 is at the first track position P1 in the first piece of automated equipment environment 31, the carriage control function of the carriage control unit 52 controls the image capture device 46 to capture an image of the first piece of automated equipment 20 (S100). The carriage control function of the carriage control unit 52 also receives an image of the first piece of automated equipment 20 from the image capture device 46 (S110), where the image is a first type of diagnostic data DD. The image may be in the form of a video stream, for example. The carriage control function of the carriage control unit 52 optionally also controls the sensor device 50 to sense one or more physical characteristics of the automated equipment environment 31 (S120). The characteristics may be characteristics of a fluid in the automated equipment environment 31, such as a gas such as air or a liquid such as water. Characteristics may also include temperature and / or pressure. These characteristics may also include the degree of contamination of the fluid. In the case of air, the presence of smoke may be considered contamination. The carriage control function of the carriage control unit 52 receives the sensed physical characteristics from the sensor device 50 as a second type of diagnostic data DD (S130). The carriage control function of the carriage control unit 52 also controls the sound registration device 48 to register sounds emitted in the automated equipment environment (S140). The carriage control function of the carriage control unit 52 then receives sounds from the sound registration device 48 (S150). These sounds are the third type of diagnostic data for the first piece of automated equipment 20. Therefore, the received sounds are those registered at the first track position P1 of the equipment inspection carriage 44 and include sounds of the first piece of automated equipment 20 emitted from a point of interest (POI) on the first piece of automated equipment 20.

[0062] Furthermore, the carriage control function of the carriage control unit 52 determines the direction from the image capture device 46 to the point of interest POI on the first piece of automated equipment 20 based on the received sound, and optionally also determines the distance from the image capture device 46 to the point of interest POI, S160. If the emitted sound is distinguishable from the noise, the direction can be easily determined. If the sound registration device 48 includes an array of sound registration devices, such as Figure 6 Furthermore, where the sound registration arrangement 48 comprises an array of sound registration devices, the distance may be readily determined from the first track position P1 , for example by using triangulation.

[0063] If the sound registration device 48 includes only one sound registration device, distance can also be determined, for example, by moving the equipment inspection carriage 44 to the second track position P2 and registering the sound at this second track position P2. Thus, the sound registration device 48 is movable between two different device positions, corresponding to the first and second track positions P1 and P2, and the distance is determined based on the sounds registered at these two device positions. Alternatively, the sound registration device 48 is movable on the equipment inspection carriage 44 so that the sound is registered at two different positions of the sound registration device 48 on the equipment inspection carriage 44 while the equipment inspection carriage is in the first track position P1. It should be noted that even after the distance and direction have been determined, the equipment inspection carriage 44 can be moved to the second position P2. This is done to confirm the determined direction and distance.

[0064] The carriage control function of the carriage control unit 52 then adjusts the track position of the equipment inspection carriage 44 and / or the orientation of the image capture device 46 based on the determined direction and, optionally, also based on the determined distance, S170. This adjustment may involve moving the equipment inspection carriage 44 to a track position at which the distance between the image capture device 46 and the point of interest (POI) is shortest. Alternatively, it may be a track position at which there is a line of sight between the point of interest (POI) and the image capture device 46. Furthermore, it may be the shortest distance at which there is a line of sight between the point of interest (POI) and the image capture device. The adjustment may additionally or alternatively include changing the orientation of the image capture device 46 so that it points toward the point of interest (POI).

[0065] When the adjustment is complete, the carriage control function of the carriage control unit 52 continues to receive diagnostic data DD, S180. It thus continues to receive sounds from the sound registration device 48, images from the image capture device 46 and possibly also physical characteristics of the automation equipment environment 31 from the sensor device 50.

[0066] This allows for better visual information of the points of interest (POI) on the first piece of automated equipment 20 , especially if the location is zoomed in on, which can help diagnose the cause of the alarm. The quality of other types of diagnostic data can also be improved.

[0067] Thus, the carriage control unit can utilize automatic tracking of the image capture device 46 based on the integration of audio / acoustic sounds. The carriage control unit 52 is capable of processing and analyzing audio data. Thus, the sound is used to determine the direction and, optionally, the distance of the source of a particular sound. This can then be integrated with the image capture device, causing it to automatically look toward the point where the sound originated.

[0068] In the example given above, images are captured and automated equipment environment characteristics are sensed at the first track position P1 before the track position is adjusted. It should be appreciated that capturing images and sensing automated equipment environment characteristics can only begin after adjustments are made.

[0069] As mentioned above, the diagnostic data DD can be used to assist the safety control device 18, which is done when the safety control device is used as an alarm processing device. Figure 8 To describe one way this can be accomplished, Figure 8 The flow chart shows a number of further steps in the method of controlling a carriage, which method steps are performed by the alarm processing function of the safety control device 18 .

[0070] The alarm processing function of the safety control device 18, acting as an alarm processing device, may receive an alarm regarding the first piece of automated equipment 20 (S200). This alarm may be received from a sensor in or at the first piece of automated equipment 20. Alternatively, the alarm processing device may determine the alarm based on received sensor measurements of the first piece of automated equipment. The alarm may be displayed to an alarm operator at a user terminal in the control room environment, such as the first user terminal 12. Based on the alarm, the operator or the alarm processing function of the safety control device 18 may control the equipment inspection carriage 44 to move to a first rail position P1 in the automated equipment environment 31 (S210). This may be accomplished by advantageously wirelessly sending a control command CC to the carriage control unit 52. This control command CC may be an instruction to move the equipment inspection carriage 44 to the first rail position P1 and collect diagnostic data DD. In this case, the first rail position P1 may be the nominal data collection position associated with the first piece of automated equipment 20. The carriage control function of the carriage control unit 52 can receive this control command CC and can then control the equipment inspection carriage 44 to move on the rail 42 to the first rail position P1 in the automated equipment environment 31, for example, by controlling the motor of the equipment inspection carriage 44. Thus, the equipment inspection carriage 44 can be moved from outside the automated equipment environment 31 to inside the automated equipment environment 31. The carriage control function of the carriage control unit 52 can then receive different types of diagnostic data DD in the manner described above.

[0071] The alarm processing function of the safety control device 18 collects diagnostic data DD from the equipment inspection carriage, S220, which can be completed as soon as the carriage control unit 52 receives the diagnostic data. The collection can be performed by, for example, the carriage control function of the carriage control unit 52 wirelessly transmitting the diagnostic data DD to the alarm processing function of the safety control device 18. The diagnostic data DD can then be displayed to an alarm operator at the first user terminal 12, who can then perform an activity, such as a safety activity. Alternatively, the alarm processing function of the safety control device 18 can determine the activity itself based on the collected diagnostic data, S230. After the activity has been determined, the alarm processing function of the safety control device 18 can then perform the activity, S240. The activity can involve multiple actions, such as stopping or pausing the operation of one or more pieces of automated equipment in a first piece of automated equipment environment that includes the first piece of automated equipment.

[0072] Therefore, it is proposed to use mobile equipment on rails to inspect the carriage. Thus, by using the image capture device, the verification of the status of the automated equipment environment can be performed remotely, especially if an alarm has already occurred. The image capture device can be controlled by a remote operator and can also be automatically guided to the correct position based on the sensor that activated the alarm. Therefore, for selected and critical parts of the automated equipment environment, a non-intrusive track-based mobile equipment integrated with the automation system is used to explore the carriage. This extends the working volume of the image capture device so that it can observe a wide area and can be manipulated to change the focus. By being linked to the automation system, the automatic prompting of the image capture device based on signals from the alarm and possibly signals from the condition monitoring system will provide a flexible, automatic and scalable solution. This provides real-time decision support for the operator.

[0073] Thus, the sound registration device can pick up sounds from faulty or inoperative equipment. The carriage control unit can filter and process the sounds and remove background ambient noise. It can also estimate the relative position of the sounds, which can be confirmed by moving the equipment inspection carriage to a new position, namely the second track position P2.

[0074] Live sound is also available to control room operators and can be recorded and tagged for historical analysis.

[0075] In addition, the equipment inspection carriage can also be used for condition monitoring in condition monitoring equipment.

[0076] In this case, regular sound profiles can be registered and artificial intelligence (AI) analysis used to say something about condition monitoring over time.

[0077] In this case, reference sound profiles from the automation equipment environment can be registered from several locations and over a representative period of time when the automation equipment is running in normal operation when commissioning the automation equipment (healthy state).If there are several operating modes, each such mode can be recorded.

[0078] These recordings can then be repeated regularly over the life of the automated equipment, and acoustic analysis (AI, machine learning, trend analysis, etc.) can be used to assess degradation over time and identify anomalies and potential machine failures from the audio signals. These indications can also be used as seeds to assess the location of the faulty automated equipment. With a sufficiently large dataset and learning pool, anomalies and machine failures can be identified at an early stage.

[0079] Anomaly and machine fault identification can be combined with automatic prompting of image recording equipment so that anomalies indicated by audio can be visually confirmed by the camera / video system.

[0080] The device can also be used to explore the carriage in exploration mode, where audio is available to the operator along with the camera / video feed. The operator can manipulate the camera and microphone and use them to "explore" the sounds and sights from the control room environment. This is most beneficial for experienced operators, as their analysis and expertise can be used as a seed for the acoustic analysis learning algorithm.

[0081] Although the alarm processing functionality is described as being provided in a safety control device, it should be appreciated that it may also be provided as part of a process control device or a condition monitoring device. Thus, these devices may also function as alarm processing devices.

[0082] Aspects of the present disclosure have mainly been described above with reference to a few embodiments and examples thereof. However, as is readily appreciated by a person skilled in the art, other embodiments than the ones disclosed above are equally possible within the scope of the invention, as defined by the appended patent claims.

Claims

1. An equipment inspection device for inspecting a first piece of automated equipment (20), the equipment inspection device comprising an equipment inspection carriage (44) adapted to run on a track (42), the track (42) at least entering a first area of an automated system (10) including the first piece of automated equipment (20), the first area being an automated equipment environment (31) for the first piece of automated equipment (20), the equipment inspection carriage (44) comprising an image capture device (46) and a sound registration device (48), the equipment inspection device further comprising a carriage control unit (52), the carriage control unit (52) being operable to controlling the sound registration device (48) to register a sound emitted in the automated equipment environment (31), the sound being a type of diagnostic data (DD) of the first piece of automated equipment (20) and including a sound registered at a first track position (P1) of the equipment inspection carriage (44), receiving the sound from the sound registration device (48), the sound including a sound emitted from a point of interest (POI) on the first piece of automated equipment (20), determining a direction from the image capture device (46) to the point of interest (POI) on the first piece of automated equipment (20) based on the received sound, and The track position of the equipment inspection carriage (44) and / or the orientation of the image capture device (46) are adjusted based on the determined direction.

2. The equipment inspection apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the carriage control unit ( 52 ) is further operable to determine a distance from the image capture device ( 46 ) to the point of interest (POI) based on the received sound, and the adjustment is further based on the determined distance.

3. The equipment inspection device according to claim 2, wherein the sound registration device (48) is movable between two different device positions, and the distance is determined based on the sounds registered at the two device positions.

4. According to the equipment inspection device according to any one of the preceding claims, the carriage control unit (52) is further operable to control the image capture device (46) to capture an image of the first piece of automated equipment (20) and receive the image from the image capture device (46), the diagnostic data (DD) of the first piece of automated equipment (20) also including the received image.

5. An equipment inspection device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the equipment inspection carriage (44) further comprises a sensor device (50), the sensor device (50) being operable to sense the physical characteristics of the automated equipment environment (31), and the carriage control unit (52) being further operable to receive the sensed physical characteristics of the automated equipment environment (31), the diagnostic data (DD) of the first piece of automated equipment (20) further comprising the sensed physical characteristics of the automated equipment environment (31).

6. An automation system (10) comprising automation equipment (20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30), an alarm processing device (16; 18; 19) and an equipment inspection apparatus according to any preceding claim, the automation equipment (20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30) comprising the first piece of automation equipment (20) in the first area of the automation system (10).

7. The automation system (10) of claim 6, wherein the alarm processing device (16; 18; 19) is operable to control the equipment inspection carriage (44) to move on the track (42) to the first track position (P1) in the automated equipment environment (31).

8. The automation system (10) of claim 7, wherein the alarm processing device (16; 18; 19) is operable to obtain an alarm regarding the first piece of automated equipment (20), and controlling the equipment inspection carriage (44) to move to the first track position (P1) is based on the alarm.

9. The automation system (10) according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the alarm processing device (16; 18; 19) is operable to collect the diagnostic data (DD) from the equipment inspection carriage (44), determine an activity based on the diagnostic data (DD), and perform the activity in the automation system (10).

10. A method of controlling an equipment inspection carriage (44) in an automation system (10), the automation system (10) comprising automation equipment (20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30), the automation equipment (20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30) comprising a first piece of automation equipment (20) in a first area of the automation system (10), the first area being an automation equipment environment (31) for the first piece of automation equipment (20), and the equipment inspection carriage (44) comprising an image capture device (46) and a sound registration device (48), the method comprising: controlling (S140) the sound registration device (48) to register a sound emitted in the automated equipment environment (31), the sound being a type of diagnostic data (DD) of the first piece of automated equipment (20) and including a sound registered at a first track position (P1) of the equipment inspection carriage (44), receiving (150) the sound from the sound registration device (48), the sound including a sound emitted from a point of interest (POI) on the first piece of automated equipment (20), determining (S160) a direction from the image capture device (46) to the point of interest (POI) on the first piece of automated equipment (20) based on the received sound, and The equipment checks the track position of the carriage (44) and / or the orientation of the image capture device (46) based on the determined direction adjustment (S170).

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising: The image capture device (46) is controlled (S100) to capture an image of the first piece of automation equipment (20), and the image is received (S110) from the image capture device (46), the diagnostic data (DD) of the first piece of automation equipment (20) also including the received image.

12. A method according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the equipment inspection slide (44) further comprises a sensor device (50) operable to sense physical characteristics of the automated equipment environment (31), and the method further comprises receiving (S130) the sensed physical characteristics of the automated equipment environment (31), the diagnostic data (DD) of the first piece of automated equipment (20) further comprising the sensed physical characteristics of the automated equipment environment (31).

13. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, further comprising: The equipment inspection carriage (44) is controlled (S210) to move on the track (42) to the first track position (P1) in the automated equipment environment (31).

14. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 13, further comprising: An alert regarding the first piece of automated equipment (20) is obtained (S200), and wherein controlling (S210) moving the equipment inspection carriage (44) to the first track position (P1) is based on the alert.

15. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 14, further comprising: The diagnostic data (DD) is collected (S220) from the equipment inspection carriage (44), an activity is determined (S230) based on the diagnostic data (DD), and the activity is performed (S240) in the automation system (10).

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