Automation system with equipment inspection cart

Abstract

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

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0001] The present disclosure relates to equipment inspection apparatus, automated systems, and methods for controlling equipment inspection carriages in automated systems. [Background technology]

[0002]

[0002] In automation systems, such as some process control systems, there may be areas with automated equipment that are either remotely located and / or where the environment is inhospitable to humans. The environment may be hostile or dangerous, for example. Additionally, it may be necessary to inspect such areas for various reasons, for example, because of alarms or warnings caused by faults detected on the automated equipment. Therefore, there is a need to be able to inspect the automated equipment in such areas.

[0003]

[0003] When an alarm or warning situation occurs in a remote area, traditionally, staff are dispatched to observe and assess the area and the situation. For manned areas, this may be possible, but there may be areas where access is limited and therefore somewhat difficult to access. For unmanned areas, this is usually not possible, and there may be a significant interval before personnel are dispatched to the area, such as for the next scheduled maintenance cycle. In either case, such observations can be time-consuming, inefficient, and expensive.

[0004] It is possible to inspect parts of an automation system without dispatching personnel. An example of this is disclosed in KR 10-2019-0046129, where inspection of automation equipment in a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system is performed using a camera moving device that travels on rails to capture images in gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) in a gas-insulated switchgear room.

[0005] Additionally, however, it can be difficult to locate a point of interest in a portion of automated equipment that needs to be inspected, and consequently capture an image of the point of interest. This can make it difficult to determine the cause or severity of a malfunction. Therefore, there is a need for improved inspection of automated equipment using mobile inspection tools. Summary of the Invention

[0006]

[0006] One object of the present invention is therefore to provide for inspection of the automated equipment environment of an automated system that can be performed in an easier manner.

[0007]

[0007] According to a first aspect, there is provided an equipment inspection apparatus for inspecting a first piece of automated equipment, the equipment inspection apparatus comprising an equipment inspection carriage adapted to travel on a track entering at least a first area of ​​an automation system comprising 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 comprising: controlling a sound registration device to register sounds emitted in the automated equipment environment, wherein the sounds are a type of diagnostic data for a first piece of automated equipment and comprise sounds registered at a first track position of the equipment inspection cart; receiving a sound from a sound registration device, wherein the sound comprises a sound emanating from a point of interest on a first piece of automated equipment; 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; adjusting the track position and / or the orientation of the image capture device of the equipment inspection carriage based on the determined direction; This is achieved through an equipment inspection apparatus further comprising a carriage control unit operable to:

[0008]

[0008] The object is a method for controlling an equipment inspection cart in an automation system comprising an automation equipment including 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, the equipment inspection cart comprising an image capture device and a sound registration device, the method comprising: controlling a sound registration device to register sounds emitted in the automated equipment environment, wherein the sounds are a type of diagnostic data for a first piece of automated equipment and comprise sounds registered at a first track position of the equipment inspection cart; receiving a sound from a sound registration device, wherein the sound comprises a sound emanating from a point of interest on a first piece of automated equipment; 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; adjusting the track position and / or the orientation of the image capture device of the equipment inspection carriage based on the determined direction; According to a second aspect, the present invention is achieved through a method comprising:

[0009]

[0009] According to a first variant of the first aspect, the trolley 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 also based on the determined distance.

[0010]

[0010] According to a corresponding 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 also based on the determined distance.

[0011]

[0011] According to a second variant of the first and second aspects, the sound registration device is movable between two different device positions and the distance is determined based on sounds registered at the two device positions.

[0012]

[0012] According to a third variant of the first aspect, the carriage control unit is further operable to control the image capture device to capture an image of a first portion of the automated equipment and to receive the image from the image capture device, and the diagnostic data of the first portion of the automated equipment also comprises the received image.

[0013]

[0013] According to a corresponding variation of the second aspect, the method further comprises controlling an image capture device to capture an image of a first portion of the automated equipment and receiving the image from the image capture device, and the diagnostic data of the first portion of the automated equipment also comprises the received image.

[0014]

[0014] The equipment inspection cart may further comprise a sensor device operable to sense physical characteristics of the automated equipment environment.

[0015]

[0015] According to a fourth variant of the first aspect, the carriage control unit is in this case further operable to receive sensed physical characteristics of the automated equipment environment, and the diagnostic data of the first part of the automated equipment also comprises the sensed physical characteristics of the automated equipment environment.

[0016]

[0016] In a corresponding variation of the second aspect, the method further comprises receiving sensed physical characteristics of the automated equipment environment, and the diagnostic data for the first portion of the automated equipment also comprises sensed physical characteristics of the automated equipment environment.

[0017]

[0017] A third aspect of the present invention relates to an automation system comprising an automation device including a first portion of the automation device in a first area of ​​the automation system, an alarm processing device, and an equipment inspection apparatus according to the first aspect.

[0018]

[0018] According to one variation of the third aspect, the alert processing device is operable to control an equipment inspection cart to move on a track to a first track position in the automated equipment environment.

[0019]

[0019] According to a corresponding variation of the second aspect, the method further comprises controlling the equipment inspection cart to move on the track to a first track position in the automated equipment environment.

[0020]

[0020] According to a further variant of the third aspect, the warning processing device is operable to obtain a warning regarding a first piece of automated equipment, and control of the equipment inspection cart to move to the first track position is based on the warning.

[0021]

[0021] According to a corresponding variation of the second aspect, the method further comprises obtaining an alert relating to a first piece of automated equipment, and control of the equipment inspection cart to move to the first track position is based on the alert.

[0022]

[0022] According to a further variation of the third aspect, the alert processing device is operable to collect diagnostic data from the equipment inspection cart, determine an activity based on the diagnostic data, and perform the activity in the automated system.

[0023]

[0023] According to a corresponding variation of the second aspect, the method further comprises collecting diagnostic data from the equipment inspection cart, determining an activity based on the diagnostic data, and performing the activity in the automated system.

[0024] 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 there is a line of sight between the point of interest and the image capture device. The adjustment may additionally or alternatively comprise changing the orientation of the image capture device so that it points towards the point of interest.

[0025] In general, all terms used in the claims should be interpreted according to their ordinary meaning in the art, unless expressly defined otherwise herein. All references to "a / an / the element, apparatus, component, means, step, etc." should be openly interpreted as referring to at least one instance of the element, apparatus, component, means, step, etc., unless expressly stated otherwise. The steps of any method disclosed herein do not have to be performed in the exact order disclosed, unless expressly stated otherwise.

[0026] Aspects and embodiments will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0027] [Figure 1]

[0027] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic diagram of an automation system including a user terminal, a process control device, a safety control device, a condition monitoring device, and an automation device in an automation device environment. [Figure 2]

[0028] 1 shows a schematic representation of an implementation of a safety control device; [Figure 3]

[0029] 1 shows a schematic representation of an equipment inspection carriage traveling on a track and entering an automated equipment environment. [Figure 4]

[0030] 1 shows a schematic representation of an implementation of a carriage control unit of an equipment inspection carriage. [Figure 5]

[0031] 10 shows a schematic diagram of a safety control device sending control commands to a bogie control unit and receiving diagnostic data from the bogie control unit. [Figure 6]

[0032] 1A and 1B illustrate diagrammatically an equipment inspection carriage in two positions in an automated equipment environment for inspecting a point of interest on a first portion of the automated equipment. [Figure 7]

[0033] 1 shows a flow chart of some steps in a method for controlling an equipment inspection carriage, the method steps being performed by a carriage control unit. [Figure 8]

[0034] 1 shows a flow chart of some further steps in a method for controlling an appliance, the method steps being carried out by a safety control device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0028]

[0035] Aspects of the present disclosure will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which certain embodiments are shown.

[0029]

[0036] These aspects may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limiting; rather, these embodiments are provided as examples 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. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout the description.

[0030]

[0037] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic diagram of an automation system AS10.

[0031]

[0038] The automation system 10 may be a process control system for controlling an industrial process or perhaps a portion of an industrial process. 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 a few examples of processes to which the system may be applied. The process may be monitored through an operator terminal or workstation. Such a workstation or operator terminal may also be a form of a user terminal.

[0032]

[0039] In FIG. 1 , the automation system 10 thus includes several user terminals, here exemplified by a first user terminal UT1 12 and a second user terminal UT2 14, connected to a first bus B1. Furthermore, a second bus B2 exists, between which are connected a process control device PCD 16 having a control function for controlling a process, a safety control device SCD 18 for performing safety control in the process, and a condition monitoring device CMD 19. Further, several pieces of automation equipment are connected to the second bus B2. Here, a first automation equipment portion AE1 20, a second automation equipment portion AE2 22, a third automation equipment portion AE3 24, a fourth automation equipment portion AE4 26, a fifth automation equipment portion AE5 28, and a sixth automation equipment portion AE6 30. The automation equipment may include one or more controllers with local software for controlling other automation equipment, such as field devices. The automation equipment may also include such field devices. Field devices may comprise devices that affect or measure different characteristics of a technological process. Field devices may be, for example, pumps, motors, valves, etc. A process or part of a process may be controlled via process control devices 16, which in turn typically communicate with a controller for providing local control using the field devices. Safety control devices 18 may control safety in the automation system 10 in a similar manner, while condition monitoring devices 19 monitor the condition or health of automation devices.

[0033]

[0040] The automated equipment 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30 are located in a first automated equipment environment AEE 31, which may be located remotely from the control room environment in which the user terminals 12, 14 are located. The automated equipment environment 31 may additionally or alternatively be a harsh or hostile environment, such as a gaseous or aqueous environment, or an environment that is otherwise inhospitable to humans. For example, it may have high and / or low pressure, or high or low temperatures.

[0034]

[0041] 2 shows one implementation of the safety control device SCD 18. It comprises a first processor 32 connected to a first memory 34 having computer instructions 36 for implementing an alert processing function. The computer instructions 36 may be computer program code of a computer program, which, when executed by the first processor 32, implements the alert processing function. The safety control device 18 thus functions as an alert processing device. The memory 34 may also be considered to be a data carrier having computer program code or computer instructions 36 used to implement the alert processing function. In this case, the data carrier having computer program code for implementing the alert processing function may also be considered to form a computer program product.

[0035]

[0042] The safety control device 18 also comprises a first input / output interface I / O1 38 for communicating with other devices such as the automation equipment 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30. It also comprises a second input / output interface I / O2 40 used to communicate with the equipment inspection cart. The first I / O interface 38 may be an Ethernet interface or a Fieldbus interface, and the second I / O interface 40 may be a wireless interface.

[0036]

[0043] It should be appreciated that the process control device 16 and the condition monitoring device 19 may have the same or similar type of implementation as the safety control device 18 .

[0037]

[0044] FIG. 3 schematically illustrates an equipment inspection cart EIC 44 traveling on a track TR 42 entering an automated equipment environment AEE 31. The equipment inspection cart 44 is adapted to travel on the track 42 thereby entering at least a first area of ​​the automation system 10 including a 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. The track 42 may be a rail, for example. The equipment inspection cart 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 cart 44 also includes a cart control unit CCU 52. The sound registration device 48 may include one or more sound registration devices, more specifically, an array of sound registration devices, which may be microphones. These microphones may additionally be directional microphones. Image capture device 46 may be a camera, and advantageously a video camera. Image capture device 46 may additionally have an adjustable orientation so that it can be pointed in different directions. It may also have zoom capabilities.

[0038]

[0045] The equipment inspection cart 44 with the cart control unit 52 is an equipment inspection device. It should be appreciated that while the cart control unit 52 in this example is part of the equipment inspection cart 44, in other variations it may be provided outside the equipment inspection cart 44. It may be part of the safety control device 18, for example.

[0039]

[0046] 4 shows a schematic representation of a variant of the dolly control unit CCU 52. It comprises a second processor 54 connected to a second memory 56 having computer instructions 58 for implementing the dolly control functions. The memory 56 may also be considered a data carrier having computer program code or computer instructions 58 used to implement the dolly control functions. In this case, the data carrier having computer program code or computer instructions 58 for implementing the dolly control functions may also be considered to form a computer program product. The dolly control unit 52 also comprises 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 may be an interface to a communication bus on the equipment inspection dolly 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.

[0040]

[0047] 5 shows schematically the safety control device SCD 18 in communication with the bogie control unit CCU 52. The safety control device 18 may send control commands CC to the bogie control unit 52, and the bogie control unit 52 may send diagnostic data DD to the safety control device 18.

[0041]

[0048] 6 schematically illustrates an equipment inspection cart 44 on a track TR42 in an automated equipment environment AEE 31. The first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth pieces of automated equipment 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, and 30 are here mounted on racks in the automated equipment environment 31, and the track 42 passes by the racks. In the illustration, the equipment inspection cart 44, which includes an image capture device 46 and sound registration equipment, here including first and second sound registration devices SRD48A and SRD48B, 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 POI on the first piece of automated equipment AE1 20. The equipment inspection cart 44 can then be moved to a second track position P2, where the sound registration devices 48A and 48B also register sounds from points of interest POI. At the second track position P2, the equipment inspection cart 44 is shaded.

[0042]

[0049] For example, it may be of interest to inspect a first piece of automated equipment 20 in the automated equipment environment because a fault has been detected by the safety control device 18. For this reason, it may be desirable to move an equipment inspection trolley to the automated equipment environment 31 in order to view the first piece of automated equipment 20. Furthermore, there may be a point of interest POI on a piece of automated equipment that needs to be inspected because it may be the cause of, for example, an alarm. However, the location of this point of interest may not be known because an alert, such as a warning about a fault, is linked only to such a piece of automated equipment.

[0043]

[0050] Aspects of the present disclosure are directed to enabling such points of interest on a piece of automated equipment to be surveyed in a simple and efficient manner.

[0044]

[0051] How this can be done will now be explained with reference also to Figure 7, which shows a flowchart of some method steps in a method for controlling the equipment inspection cart 44 and performed by the cart control function of the cart control unit 52.

[0045]

[0052] When the cart control unit 52 begins operation, the equipment inspection cart 44 may already be at the first track position P1 on the track 42. The location of the first piece of automated equipment 20 relative to the first track position P1 is known, and the image capture device 46 may have an orientation directed toward the first piece of automated equipment 20. Additionally, a sound may be emanating from a point of interest POI on the first piece of automated equipment 20, which may be a cause of an alarm or an indication of the cause of an alarm. The automated equipment environment 31 may typically be a "quiet" environment, in which any noise has a noise level lower than the sound level of sounds emanating from the point of interest POI.

[0046]

[0053] When the equipment inspection cart 44 is at a first track position P1 in the first automated equipment environment 31, the cart control function of the cart control unit 52 controls the image capture device 46 to capture an image of the first piece of automated equipment 20 (S100). The cart control function of the cart control unit 52 also receives an image of the first piece of automated equipment 20 from the image capture device 46 (S110), the image being a first type of diagnostic data DD. The image may be in the form of a video stream, for example. The cart control function of the cart control unit 52 also optionally controls the sensor device 50 to sense one or more physical properties of the automated equipment environment 31 (S120), which may be properties of a fluid in the automated equipment environment 31, which may be a gas such as air or a liquid such as water. The properties may also include temperature and / or pressure. The properties 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 second type 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), which sounds are third type diagnostic data of the first piece of automated equipment 20. The received sounds are therefore sounds registered at the first track position P1 of the equipment inspection carriage 44 and comprise sounds of the first piece of automated equipment 20 that emanated from a point of interest POI on the first piece of automated equipment 20.

[0047]

[0054] Furthermore, the dolly control function of the dolly control unit 52 determines a direction from the image capture device 46 to a point of interest POI on the first piece of automated equipment 20 based on the received sound, and optionally also determines a distance from the image capture device 46 to the point of interest POI (S160). The direction may be easier to determine if the emitted sound is distinguishable from noise. This may be even simpler if the sound registration apparatus 48 comprises an array of sound registration devices, as illustrated by the array of two sound registration devices 48A, 48B shown in FIG. 6. Also, if the sound registration apparatus 48 comprises an array of sound registration devices, the distance from the first truck position P1 may be easily determined, for example, through the use of triangulation.

[0048]

[0055] If the sound registration device 48 only includes one sound registration device, it is also possible to determine the distance by, for example, moving the equipment inspection cart 44 to the second track position P2 and registering sound at this second track position P2 as well. The sound registration device 48 may therefore be movable between two different equipment positions, corresponding here to the first and second track positions P1 and P2, and the distance is determined based on the sounds registered at these two equipment positions. Alternatively, the sound registration device 48 may be movable on the equipment inspection cart 44, so that while the equipment inspection cart is at the first track position P1, sounds are registered at two different positions of the sound registration device 48 on the equipment inspection cart 44. It should be noted here that even if the distance and direction are determined, the equipment inspection cart 44 may be moved to the second position P2. This may be done to confirm the determined direction and distance.

[0049]

[0056] The dolly control function of the dolly control unit 52 then adjusts the track position of the equipment inspection dolly 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). The adjustment may involve moving the equipment inspection dolly 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 point of interest POI and the image capture device 46. Furthermore, it may be the shortest distance where there is a line of sight between the point of interest POI and the image capture device. The adjustment may additionally or alternatively comprise changing the orientation of the image capture device 46 so that it faces the point of interest POI.

[0050]

[0057] Once the adjustment is complete, the truck control function of the truck control unit 52 continues to receive (S180) the diagnostic data DD, and hence sounds from the sound registration device 48, images from the image capture device 46, and possibly physical characteristics of the automated equipment environment 31 from the sensor device 50.

[0051]

[0058] Thereby, it is possible to obtain a better visual information of the points of interest POI on the first part 20 of the automated equipment, especially when the location is zoomed in, which may help to diagnose the cause of the alarm. Also, the quality of other types of diagnostic data may be improved.

[0052]

[0059] The dolly control unit can thereby use automatic tracking of the image capture device 46 based on audio / acoustic sound integration. The dolly control unit 52 may be able to process and analyze audio data, which is used to determine the direction and optionally also the distance of the source of a particular sound. This may then be integrated with the image capture device so that the image capture device automatically points towards the point where the sound is emanating.

[0053]

[0060] In the example given above, images were captured and automated equipment environmental characteristics were sensed at the first truck position P1 before the truck position was adjusted. It should be appreciated that image capture and sensing of automated equipment environmental characteristics can begin only after the adjustments have been made.

[0054]

[0061] As mentioned above, the diagnostic data DD may be used to assist the safety control device 18 when it functions as an alarm processing device. One way in which this may be done is now described with reference to Figure 8, which shows a flow chart of some further steps in a method of controlling an equipment inspection trolley, the method steps being carried out by the alarm processing function of the safety control device 18.

[0055]

[0062] The warning processing function of the safety control device 18, functioning as a warning processing device, may obtain a warning regarding the first piece of automated equipment 20 (S200). The warning, which may be an alarm, may be received from a sensor in or at the first piece of automated equipment 20. Alternatively, the warning processing device may determine the warning based on received sensor measurements of the first piece of automated equipment. The warning may be displayed to an operator at a user terminal in the control room environment, such as at the first user terminal 12. Based on the warning, the operator or the warning processing function of the safety control device 18 may control the equipment inspection cart 44 to move to a first track position P1 in the automated equipment environment 31 (S210). This may be done through sending a control command CC, advantageously wirelessly, to the cart control unit 52, which may be an instruction to move the equipment inspection cart 44 to the first track position P1 and collect diagnostic data DD. The first track position P1, in this case, may be a nominal data collection position associated with the first piece of automated equipment 20. The carriage control function of the carriage control unit 52 may receive this control command CC and then control the equipment inspection carriage 44, for example through controlling the motor of the equipment inspection carriage 44, to move on the track 42 to a first track position P1 in the automated equipment environment 31. The equipment inspection carriage 44 may thus move from outside to its interior in the automated equipment environment 31. The carriage control function of the carriage control unit 52 may then receive different types of diagnostic data DD in the manner previously described.

[0056]

[0063] The alarm processing function of the safety control device 18 collects diagnostic data DD from the equipment inspection cart (S220), which may occur as soon as the cart control unit 52 receives the diagnostic data. The collection may be performed by the cart control function of the cart control unit 52 sending the diagnostic data DD to the alarm processing function of the safety control device 18, for example, wirelessly. The diagnostic data DD may then be displayed to an alarm operator at the first user terminal 12, who may then perform an activity, such as a safety activity. Alternatively, the alarm processing function of the safety control device 18 may determine an activity itself based on the collected diagnostic data (S230). After the activity is determined, the alarm processing function of the safety control device 18 may then perform the activity (S240). The activity may involve some action, such as stopping or halting operation of one or more portions of automated equipment in the first automated equipment environment, including the first portion of automated equipment.

[0057]

[0064] For this reason, the use of a mobile equipment inspection cart on a track has been proposed, whereby verification of the status of the automated equipment environment, especially in the event of an alarm, can be performed remotely by using an image capture device. The image capture device can be controlled by a remote operator and automatically guided to the correct location based on the sensor that activated the alarm. For this reason, a non-intrusive, track-based mobile equipment inspection cart integrated with the automation system is used for selected critical parts of the automated equipment environment. This expands the working volume of the image capture device, so that it can view a wide area and can be manipulated to change focus. By linking to the automation system, automatic queuing of the image capture device based on signals from alarms, and possibly the condition monitoring system, would provide a flexible, automatic, and scalable solution, providing real-time decision support to the operator.

[0058]

[0065] The sound registration device can thus pick up sounds from a faulty or failing piece of equipment. The truck control unit can filter and process the sounds to remove background ambient noise. It can also estimate the relative location of the sounds, which can be confirmed by moving the equipment inspection truck to a new position, i.e., the second track position P2.

[0059]

[0066] The live sound may also be available to the control room operator and may be recorded and tagged for historical analysis.

[0060]

[0067] Furthermore, the equipment inspection carriage can also be used for condition monitoring in condition monitoring devices.

[0061]

[0068] In this case, it is possible to register regular sound profiles and use artificial intelligence (AI) analysis to say something about condition monitoring over time.

[0062]

[0069] In this case, during commissioning (healthy state) of the automated equipment, it is possible to register reference sound profiles from the automated equipment environment from several locations over a representative period of time while the equipment is operating in normal operation. If several operating modes exist, each such mode can be recorded.

[0063]

[0070] These recordings can then be repeated periodically throughout the life of the automation equipment, and acoustic analysis (AI, machine learning, trend analysis, etc.) can be used to assess degradation over time and identify anomalies and potential machine malfunctions from the audio signals. These indications can also be used as seeds from which the location of faulty automation equipment can be estimated. With a sufficiently large dataset and learning pool, anomalies and machine failures can be identified at an early stage.

[0064]

[0071] Identification of anomalies and machine failures can be combined with automatic cueing of image recording devices so that suggested audio-indicated anomalies can be visually confirmed by a camera / video system.

[0065]

[0072] The equipment inspection trolley can also be used in exploration mode, where audio is available to the operator along with the camera / video feed. The operator can operate the camera and microphone and use this to "explore" the sounds and views from the control room environment. This may be most beneficial to experienced operators, who can link their analysis with their expertise to seed the acoustic analysis learning algorithms.

[0066]

[0073] Although the alert processing functionality has been 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 condition monitoring device, which may also thereby function as an alert processing device.

[0067]

[0074] Aspects of the present disclosure have been described above primarily with reference to certain embodiments and examples thereof. However, as will be readily recognized by those skilled in the art, embodiments other than those disclosed above are equally possible within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. 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 travel on a track (42) that enters at least a first area of ​​an automation system (10) comprising 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 comprising: controlling the sound registration device (48) to register sounds emitted in the automated equipment environment (31), wherein the sounds are types of diagnostic data (DD) of the first piece of automated equipment (20), including sounds registered at a first track position (P1) of the equipment inspection cart (44); receiving the sounds from the sound registration device (48), wherein the sounds include sounds emanating from points of interest (POIs) 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; adjusting the track position of the equipment inspection cart (44) and / or the orientation of the image capture device (46) based on the determined direction; and a carriage control unit (52) operable to:

2. 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 also based on the determined distance.

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

4. 4. The equipment inspection apparatus of claim 1, wherein 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 to receive the image from the image capture device (46), and the diagnostic data (DD) of the first piece of automated equipment (20) also includes the received image.

5. The equipment inspection apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the equipment inspection cart (44) further comprises a sensor device (50) operable to sense physical characteristics of the automated equipment environment (31), the cart control unit (52) is further operable to receive the sensed physical characteristics of the automated equipment environment (31), and the diagnostic data (DD) of the first part (20) of the automated equipment also includes the sensed physical characteristics of the automated equipment environment (31).

6. An automation system (10) comprising an automation device (20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30) including a first portion (20) of the automation device in the first area of ​​the automation system (10), an alarm processing device (16; 18; 19), and the equipment inspection device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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

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

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

10. 1. A method of controlling an equipment inspection cart (44) in an automation system (10) comprising automated equipment (20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30) including a first piece of automated equipment (20) in a first area of ​​the automation system (10), the first area being an automated equipment environment (31) for the first piece of automated equipment (20), the equipment inspection cart (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 sounds emitted in the automated equipment environment (31), wherein the sounds are types of diagnostic data (DD) of the first piece of automated equipment (20), including sounds registered at a first track position (P1) of the equipment inspection cart (44); receiving (S150) the sound from the sound registration device (48), wherein the sound includes sound emanating 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; adjusting (S170) the track position of the equipment inspection cart (44) and / or the orientation of the image capture device (46) based on the determined direction; A method comprising:

11. 11. The method of claim 10, further comprising controlling (S100) the image capture device (46) to capture an image of the first portion (20) of the automated equipment and receiving (S110) the image from the image capture device (46), wherein the diagnostic data (DD) of the first portion (20) of the automated equipment also includes the received image.

12. The method of claim 10 or 11, wherein the equipment inspection cart (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), and the diagnostic data (DD) of the first portion (20) of the automated equipment also includes the sensed physical characteristics of the automated equipment environment (31).

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

14. The method of any one of claims 10 to 13, further comprising obtaining (S200) a warning regarding the first piece of automated equipment (20), and wherein the controlling (S210) of the equipment inspection cart (44) to move to the first track position (P1) is based on the warning.

15. The method of any one of claims 10 to 14, further comprising collecting (S220) the diagnostic data (DD) from the equipment inspection cart (44), determining (S230) an activity based on the diagnostic data (DD), and executing (S240) the activity in the automation system (10).

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