Automated system including an equipment inspection carriage

Abstract

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

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to equipment inspection apparatus, automation systems, and methods for using equipment inspection carriages in control automation systems. Background Technology

[0002] In automated systems, such as some process control systems, there may be areas with remotely located automated equipment and / or environments unsuitable for human intervention. This environment could be harmful or hazardous, for example. Furthermore, these areas may need to be inspected for various reasons, such as alarms or warnings triggered by malfunctions detected on the automated equipment. Therefore, it is necessary to allow for the inspection of the automated equipment in such areas.

[0003] When a warning or alarm occurs in a remote area, it is traditionally done by sending personnel to observe and assess the area and the situation. This is possible for manned areas, although there may be areas with restricted access, making it somewhat difficult. For unmanned areas, this is generally not possible, and there may be a considerable interval before people are sent to the area, such as during subsequent scheduled maintenance cycles. In either case, such observation can be time-consuming, ineffective, and costly.

[0004] It is possible to inspect a portion of an automated system without sending personnel. Such an example is disclosed in KR 10-2019-0046129, in which a camera-mobile device running on a track is used to perform inspections of automated equipment in a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system, specifically for image illustration of gas-insulated switches (GIS) in a gas-insulated switchgear room.

[0005] However, it can be difficult to locate the point of interest (POI) of the automated equipment to be inspected, and therefore difficult to capture images of that POI. This can make it difficult to determine the cause or severity of the malfunction. Therefore, there is a need to improve the inspection of automated equipment using mobile inspection devices. Summary of the Invention

[0006] Therefore, one object of the present invention is to provide an inspection of the automated equipment environment of an automated system, which can be performed in a more convenient manner.

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

[0008] The sound registration device controls the recording of sounds emitted in the environment of automated equipment. These sounds are diagnostic data for the first piece of automated equipment and include sounds registered at the first track position of the equipment inspection carriage.

[0009] Sounds are received from the sound registration device, including sounds emanating from points of interest on the first piece of automated equipment.

[0010] Based on the received sound, the direction of interest from the image capture device to the first piece of automated equipment is determined, and

[0011] Based on the determined orientation, adjust the equipment to check the track position of the carriage and / or the orientation of the image capture device.

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

[0013] The sound registration device controls the recording of sounds emitted in the environment of automated equipment. These sounds are diagnostic data for the first piece of automated equipment and include sounds registered at the first track position of the equipment inspection carriage.

[0014] These sounds are received from the sound registration device, including sounds emanating from points of interest on the first piece of automated equipment.

[0015] Based on the received sound, the direction from the image capture device to the point of interest on the first piece of automated equipment is determined, and

[0016] Based on the determined orientation, adjust the equipment to check the track position of the carriage and / or the orientation of the image capture device.

[0017] According to a first variation of the first aspect, the carriage control unit can also be operated to determine the distance from the image capture device to the point of interest based on the received sound, and to adjust the distance based on the determined distance.

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

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

[0020] According to a third variation of the first aspect, the carriage control unit can also be operated to control the image capture device to capture and receive images from the first automated equipment, wherein the diagnostic data of the first automated equipment also includes the received images.

[0021] According to the second aspect of the strain version, the method further includes controlling the image capture device to capture an image of the first automated equipment and receiving the image from the image capture device, wherein the diagnostic data of the first automated equipment also includes the received image.

[0022] The equipment inspection carriage may also include sensor devices that are operable to sense the physical characteristics of the environment in which the automated equipment is located.

[0023] According to a fourth variation of the first aspect, in this case, the carriage control unit can also be operated to receive the sensed physical characteristics of the automated equipment environment, wherein the diagnostic data of the first automated equipment also includes the sensed physical characteristics of the automated equipment environment.

[0024] In the second aspect of the strain type, the method further includes receiving the physical characteristics of the sensed automated equipment environment, wherein the diagnostic data of the first automated equipment also includes the sensed physical characteristics of the automated equipment environment.

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

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

[0028] According to another variation of the third aspect, the alarm processing device is operable to obtain an alarm about the first piece of automated equipment, and the control equipment inspection carriage moves to the first track position based on the alarm.

[0029] According to a corresponding variant of the second aspect, the method further includes obtaining an alarm regarding the first piece of automated equipment, and wherein the control equipment checks the movement of the carriage to the first track position based on the alarm.

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

[0031] According to the second aspect of the strain-type approach, the method also includes collecting diagnostic data from the equipment inspection carriage, determining activities based on the diagnostic data, and performing the activities in the automated system.

[0032] This 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 there is a line of sight between the point of interest and the image capture device at the track position. This adjustment may additionally or alternatively include changing the orientation of the image capture device so that it is pointed towards the point of interest.

[0033] Generally, all terms used in the claims will be interpreted according to their ordinary meaning in the art, unless otherwise expressly defined herein. All references to “an / a / the element, device, component, apparatus, step, etc.” will be openly interpreted as relating to at least one instance of an element, device, component, apparatus, step, etc., unless otherwise expressly stated. Unless expressly stated otherwise, the steps of any method disclosed herein need not be performed in the exact order disclosed. Attached Figure Description

[0034] The aspects and embodiments will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0035] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an automated system that includes user terminals, process control equipment, safety control equipment, condition monitoring equipment, and automated equipment within an automated equipment environment.

[0036] Figure 2 The implementation of the safety control device is illustrated schematically.

[0037] Figure 3 The illustration schematically depicts an equipment inspection carriage running on a track and entering an automated equipment environment.

[0038] Figure 4 The implementation of the carriage control unit for equipping the inspection carriage is schematically shown.

[0039] Figure 5 This schematically illustrates the safety control device sending control commands to the carriage control unit and receiving diagnostic data from the carriage control unit.

[0040] Figure 6 The diagram schematically illustrates equipment inspection carriages at two locations within an automated equipment environment, used for inspecting points of interest on the first piece of automated equipment.

[0041] Figure 7 A flowchart illustrating several steps in a method for controlling equipment to inspect a carriage is shown. These steps are performed by the carriage control unit.

[0042] Figure 8 A flowchart is shown of several additional steps in the method of controlling the device, which are performed by the safety control device. Detailed Implementation

[0043] The aspects of this disclosure will now be described more fully below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which certain embodiments are illustrated.

[0044] However, these aspects may be implemented in many different forms and should not be construed as limiting; rather, 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 denote the same elements.

[0045] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the AS10 automation system.

[0046] Automation system 10 can be a process control system used to control industrial processes or may be part of industrial processes. Typical processes include electricity 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 this system can be applied. The process can be monitored via operator terminals or workstations. Such workstations or operator terminals are also a form of user terminals.

[0047] Therefore, in Figure 1In this system, automation system 10 includes multiple user terminals connected to a first bus B1, exemplified here by first user terminal UT1 12 and 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 with control functions for controlling the process, a safety control device SCD 18 performing safety control during the process, and a condition monitoring device CMD 19. Additionally, multiple pieces of automated equipment are connected to the second bus B2. These include first automated equipment AE1 20, second automated equipment AE2 22, third automated equipment AE3 24, fourth automated equipment AE4 26, fifth automated equipment AE5 28, and sixth automated equipment AE6 30 connected to the second bus B2. The automated equipment may include one or more controllers having local software for controlling other automated equipment such as field devices. The automated equipment may also include such field devices. Field devices may include devices that influence or measure different characteristics of a technical process. Field devices may be, for example, pumps, motors, valves, etc. A process or part of a process can be controlled via process control device 16, which then typically communicates with a controller to provide local control using field devices. Safety control device 18 can control safety in the automation system 10 in a similar manner, while condition monitoring device 19 monitors the condition or health of the automated equipment.

[0048] Automated equipment 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, and 30 are located in the first automated equipment environment AEE 31, which may be located away from the control room environment where user terminals 12 and 14 are located. Automated equipment environment 31 may additionally or alternatively be a harsh or hazardous environment, such as a gaseous or aqueous environment, or other environment unsuitable for humans. It may, for example, have high and / or low pressure, or high or low temperature.

[0049] Figure 2 An implementation of a security control device SCD 18 is shown. It includes a first processor 32 connected to a first memory 34, which has computer instructions 36 for implementing alarm processing functions. The computer instructions 36 may be computer program code of a computer program, wherein the computer program code implements the alarm processing function when executed by the first processor 32. Therefore, the security control device 18 acts as an alarm processing device. The memory 34 can also be considered as a data carrier containing computer program code or computer instructions 36 for implementing alarm processing functions. In this case, the data carrier containing computer program code for implementing alarm processing functions can also be considered as forming a computer program product.

[0050] The safety control device 18 also includes a first input / output interface I / O 1 38 for communicating with other devices such as automated equipment 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30. It also includes a second input / output interface I / O 2 40 for communicating with the equipment inspection carriage. The first I / O interface 38 may be an Ethernet interface or a fieldbus interface, while the second I / O interface 40 may be a wireless interface.

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

[0052] Figure 3 An equipment inspection carriage EIC 44 is schematically shown, running on a track TR 42 leading into an automated equipment environment AEE 31. Thus, the equipment inspection carriage 44 is adapted to run on track 42, which enters at least a first area of ​​the automation system 10 including the first piece of automated equipment 20, which is the automated equipment environment 31 for the first piece of automated equipment 20. It is also the automated equipment environment 31 for the second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth pieces of automated equipment 22, 24, 26, 28, 30. Track 42 may be, for example, a railway 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 may include 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 can also have an adjustable orientation, allowing it to point in different directions. It can also have scaling capabilities.

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

[0054] Figure 4A variant of the carriage control unit (CCU) 52 is schematically shown. It includes a second processor 54 connected to a second memory 56 containing computer instructions 58 for implementing carriage control functions. The memory 56 can also be considered a data carrier containing computer program code or computer instructions 58 for implementing carriage control functions. In this case, the data carrier containing computer program code or computer instructions 58 for implementing carriage control functions can also be considered to form a computer program product. The carriage control unit 52 also includes a third input / output interface (I / O) 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 / O) 62 for communicating with safety control devices. The third I / O interface 60 may 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 may be a wireless interface.

[0055] Figure 5 A safety control device SCD 18 communicating with the carriage control unit CCU 52 is schematically shown. 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 track TR 42 within an automated equipment environment AEE 31. First, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth automated equipment units 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, and 30 are mounted on a rack within the automated equipment environment 31, with track 42 passing through this rack. In this figure, the equipment inspection carriage 44, including an image capture device 46 and sound registration devices (here including first and second sound registration devices SRD 48A and SRD 48B), is positioned at a first track position P1, where the first and second sound registration devices 48A and 48B register sounds from points of interest (POIs) on the first automated equipment unit AE1 20. Subsequently, the equipment inspection carriage 44 can move to a second track position P2, where the sound registration devices 48A and 48B also register sounds from the POIs. The equipment inspection carriage 44 is obscured at the second track position P2.

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

[0058] The aspects of this disclosure are intended to allow for the exploration of such points of interest on an automated piece of equipment in a simple and effective manner.

[0059] Now refer to Figure 7 To describe how to achieve this, Figure 7 A flowchart is shown of several method steps in a method for controlling equipment to inspect carriage 44 and for carriage control functions of carriage control unit 52 to perform.

[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 automated equipment 20 relative to the first track position P1 is known, and the image capture device 46 has a direction pointing towards the first automated equipment 20. Additionally, sounds may be emitted from points of interest (POIs) on the first 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 noise level lower than the sound level emitted from the POI.

[0061] When the equipment inspection carriage 44 is at the first track position P1 in the first 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 automated equipment 20, S100. The carriage control function of the carriage control unit 52 also receives an image of the first automated equipment 20 from the image capture device 46, S110, where the image is first type of diagnostic data DD. The image may be, for example, in the form of a video stream. Optionally, the carriage control function of the carriage control unit 52 also controls the sensor device 50 to sense one or more physical characteristics of the automated equipment environment 31, S120, which may be characteristics of a fluid in the automated equipment environment 31, which may be 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 fumes can be considered contamination. The carriage control function of the carriage control unit 52 receives the sensed physical characteristics from the sensor device 50 as second type of diagnostic data DD, S130. The carriage control unit 52's carriage control function also controls the sound registration device 48 to register sounds emitted in the automated equipment environment, S140. Then, the carriage control unit 52's carriage control function receives sounds from the sound registration device 48, S150, these sounds being the third type of diagnostic data of 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 emitted by the first piece of automated equipment 20 from the point of interest (POI) on the first piece of automated equipment 20.

[0062] Furthermore, the carriage control unit 52 determines the direction from the image capture device 46 to the point of interest (POI) on the first automated equipment 20 based on the received sound, and optionally also determines the distance from the image capture device 46 to the POI, S160. The direction can be easily determined when the emitted sound is discernible from noise. If the sound registration device 48 includes an array of sound registration devices, for example... Figure 6 The array of the two sound registration devices 48A and 48B shown can be even simpler. Moreover, when the sound registration device 48 includes an array of sound registration devices, the distance can be easily 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, the 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 the second track position P2. Therefore, 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 sound registered at these two device positions. Alternatively, the sound registration device 48 is movable on the equipment inspection carriage 44 such that the sound is registered at two different positions on the equipment inspection carriage 44 while the equipment inspection carriage is at the first track position P1. It should be noted that even if 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] Then, the carriage control function of the carriage control unit 52 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 where the distance between the image capture device 46 and the point of interest (POI) is shortest. Alternatively, it may be a track position where there is a line of sight between the POI and the image capture device 46. Furthermore, it may be the shortest distance of line of sight between the 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 towards the POI.

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

[0066] This allows for better visual information about the points of interest (POIs) on the first piece of automated equipment 20, especially if the location is magnified, which can help diagnose the cause of alarms. It can also improve the quality of other types of diagnostic data.

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

[0068] In the example given above, an image was captured and the environmental characteristics of the automated equipment were sensed at the first track position P1 before the track position was adjusted. It should be understood that image capture and sensing of the automated equipment's environmental characteristics can only begin after the adjustment has been made.

[0069] As previously mentioned, diagnostic data DD can be used to assist safety control device 18, which is done when the safety control device is used as an alarm processing device. Reference will now be made to... Figure 8 To describe one way to achieve this, Figure 8 A flowchart is shown of several additional steps in the method of controlling the equipment to inspect the carriage, which 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 unit, can receive an alarm regarding the first piece of automated equipment 20, S200. An alarm received from a sensor in or at the first piece of automated equipment 20 can be an alarm. Alternatively, the alarm processing device can determine the alarm based on received sensor measurements from the first piece of automated equipment. The alarm can be displayed to the alarm operator at a user terminal in the control room environment, such as at the first user terminal 12. Based on this alarm, the operator or the alarm processing function of the safety control device 18 can control the equipment inspection carriage 44 to move to a first track position P1 in the automated equipment environment 31, S210. This can be advantageously accomplished by wirelessly sending a control command CC to the carriage control unit 52, which can be an instruction to move the equipment inspection carriage 44 to the first track position P1 and collect diagnostic data DD. In this case, the first track position P1 can be a nominal data collection position associated with the first piece of automated equipment 20. The carriage control unit 52's carriage control function can receive this control command CC and then, for example, control the equipment inspection carriage 44 to move on the track 42 to the first track position P1 in the automated equipment environment 31 by controlling the motor of the equipment inspection carriage 44. Therefore, the equipment inspection carriage 44 can move from outside the automated equipment environment 31 to inside the automated equipment environment 31. Then, the carriage control unit 52's carriage control function can receive different types of diagnostic data DD in the aforementioned manner.

[0071] The alarm processing function of 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 the carriage control function of the carriage control unit 52, for example, wirelessly transmitting the diagnostic data DD. The diagnostic data DD can then be displayed to the alarm operator at the first user terminal 12, who can then perform activities such as safety activities. Alternatively, the alarm processing function of 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 safety control device 18 can then execute the activity, S240. This activity can involve multiple actions, such as stopping or pausing the operation of one or more automated pieces of equipment in an environment including the first automated piece of equipment.

[0072] Therefore, a method for inspecting carriages using movable equipment on a track is proposed. This allows for remote verification of the status of the automated equipment environment, particularly if an alarm is present, through the use of this image capture device. The image capture device can be controlled by a remote operator and can also be automatically guided to the correct location based on sensors that have activated alarms. Thus, for selected and critical components of the automated equipment environment, a non-invasive, track-based movable equipment integrated with the automation system is used to inspect the carriage. This expands the working volume of the image capture device, allowing it to observe a wide area and 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 alarms and, possibly, from the condition monitoring system, provides a flexible, automated, and scalable solution. This provides real-time decision support for the operator.

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

[0074] Live audio can also be used by control room operators and can be recorded and tagged for historical analysis.

[0075] Alternatively, equipment inspection carriages can be used for condition monitoring in condition monitoring equipment.

[0076] In this scenario, a rule's audio profile can be registered and analyzed using artificial intelligence (AI) to provide information about the situation over time.

[0077] In this scenario, during the trial run of the automated equipment (in a healthy state), reference sound profiles from the automated equipment environment can be recorded from several locations within a representative time period during which the equipment operates normally. If several operating modes exist, each such mode can be recorded.

[0078] Subsequently, these recordings can be repeated regularly throughout the lifespan 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 faulty automated equipment. With a sufficiently large dataset and learning pool, anomalies and machine failures can be identified at an early stage.

[0079] Anomalies and machine malfunction indicators can be combined with automatic prompts from image recording devices, allowing the anomalies indicated by the audio signals to be visually confirmed by the camera / video system.

[0080] The device can also be used to probe the carriage in probe mode, where audio and camera / video feeds are available to the operator. The operator can manipulate the camera and microphone and use them to "probe" sound and line of sight from the control room environment. This is most beneficial for experienced operators and can link their analysis and expertise as seeds for learning algorithms for acoustic analysis.

[0081] Although alarm processing functionality is described as being integrated into safety control equipment, it should be recognized that it can also be integrated into process control equipment or condition monitoring equipment. Therefore, these devices can also be used as alarm processing devices.

[0082] The foregoing has primarily described aspects of this disclosure with reference to some embodiments and examples thereof. However, as will be readily understood by those skilled in the art, other embodiments besides those disclosed above are also possible within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An equipment inspection apparatus for inspecting a first piece of automated equipment (20), the equipment inspection apparatus comprising an equipment inspection carriage (44) adapted to run on a track (42) entering at least 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 apparatus further comprising a carriage control unit (52) operable to The sound registration device (48) is controlled to register sounds emitted in the automated equipment environment (31), the sounds being diagnostic data (DD) of the first piece of automated equipment (20) and including the sounds registered at the first track position (P1) of the equipment inspection carriage (44). The sound is received from the sound registration device (48), the sound including sounds emitted from points of interest (POIs) on the first automated equipment (20). Based on the received sound, the direction from the image capture device (46) to the point of interest (POI) on the first automated equipment (20) is determined, 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 according to claim 1, wherein the carriage control unit (52) is also operable to determine the distance from the image capture device (46) to the point of interest (POI) based on the received sound, and the adjustment is also 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. The equipment inspection apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the carriage control unit (52) is also operable to control the image capture device (46) to capture an image of the first automated equipment (20) and to receive the image from the image capture device (46), wherein the diagnostic data (DD) of the first automated equipment (20) further includes the received image.

5. The equipment inspection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the equipment inspection carriage (44) further comprises a sensor device (50) operable to sense physical characteristics of the automated equipment environment (31), and the carriage control unit (52) operable to receive the sensed physical characteristics of the automated equipment environment (31), wherein the diagnostic data (DD) of the first automated equipment (20) further comprises the sensed physical characteristics of the automated equipment environment (31).

6. An automation system (10) comprising automated equipment (20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30), alarm processing equipment, and equipment inspection device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the automated equipment (20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30) comprises the first piece of automated equipment (20) in the first region of the automation system (10).

7. The automation system (10) according to claim 6, wherein the alarm processing device 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) according to claim 7, wherein the alarm processing device is operable to receive an alarm about the first piece of automated equipment (20), and the control of 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 is operable to collect the diagnostic data (DD) from the equipment inspection carriage (44), determine the activity based on the diagnostic data (DD), and perform the activity in the automation system (10).

10. A method for controlling an equipment inspection carriage (44) in an automated system (10), the automated system (10) including automated equipment (20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30), the automated equipment (20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30) including a first piece of automated equipment (20) in a first region of the automated system (10), the first region being an automated equipment environment (31) for the first piece of automated equipment (20), and the equipment inspection carriage (44) including an image capture device (46) and a sound registration device (48), the method comprising: The sound registration device (48) is controlled to register sounds emitted in the automated equipment environment (31), the sounds being diagnostic data (DD) of the first piece of automated equipment (20) and including the sounds registered at the first track position (P1) of the equipment inspection carriage (44). The sound is received from the sound registration device (48), the sound including sounds emitted from points of interest (POIs) on the first automated equipment (20). Based on the received sound, the direction from the image capture device (46) to the point of interest (POI) on the first automated equipment (20) is determined, 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.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising: The image capture device (46) is controlled to capture an image of the first automated equipment (20), and the image is received from the image capture device (46), wherein the diagnostic data (DD) of the first automated equipment (20) also includes the received image.

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

13. The method according to claim 10 or 11, further comprising: The equipment inspection carriage (44) is controlled to move on the track (42) to the first track position (P1) in the automated equipment environment (31).

14. The method according to claim 10 or 11, further comprising: An alarm is received regarding the first piece of automated equipment (20), and the control of the equipment inspection carriage (44) to move to the first track position (P1) is based on the alarm.

15. The method according to claim 10 or 11, further comprising: The diagnostic data (DD) is collected from the equipment inspection carriage (44), activities are determined based on the diagnostic data (DD), and the activities are performed in the automation system (10).

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