Abnormality determination system, abnormality determination method, and program

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide an abnormality determination system, an abnormality determination method, and a program capable of determining an abnormality in an ultrasonic transducer. [Solution] The system includes a plurality of ultrasonic transducers 11 provided in a first area A1, an external control device 12 provided in the first area A1 and connected to each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers 11, a receiving means provided in a second area A2 and receiving operating status information indicating the operating status of each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers 11 from the external control device 12, and a judgment means provided in the second area A2 and judging an abnormality in each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers 11 based on the operating status information received by the receiving means.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an abnormality determination system, an abnormality determination method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there are systems that determine whether an abnormality occurs in a device based on status information of the device. In Patent Document 1, an information determination unit of a notification management server present in a remote monitoring center analyzes processed data, which is data obtained by processing operation data of a washer-dryer, and determines whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the washer-dryer. This operation data includes instantaneous values ​​of sensor data related to the washer-dryer, control values, set values, operation modes, etc. Note that the sensor data, which is the operation data of the washer-dryer, may use measurement values ​​of multiple types of sensors. Patent Document 2 discloses an event analysis unit that collects and analyzes events from each of a plurality of control zones and detects anomalies in each of the plurality of control zones. Patent Document 2 also discloses that the events may be, for example, physical quantities (electric power, temperature, humidity, mass, volume, flow rate, etc.) detected by sensors provided in devices, etc., in the industrial control system. Patent document 3 discloses detecting vibrations caused by the drive of drive system components of a user device, reporting a vibration waveform indicating the detected vibration to a processing device, the processing device determining whether or not the user device is in an abnormal state based on the reported vibration waveform, and an expert terminal displaying the received vibration waveform. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-194436 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2012-226680 A [Patent Document 3] JP 2005-149060 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, Patent Documents 1 to 3 do not take into account ultrasonic transducers.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and aims to provide an abnormality determination system, an abnormality determination method, and a program capable of determining an abnormality in an ultrasonic transducer. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An abnormality determination system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is characterized in that it comprises a plurality of ultrasonic transducers provided in a first area, an external control device provided in the first area and connected to each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers, a receiving means provided in a second area and receiving operating status information indicating an operating status of each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers from the external control device, and a determination means provided in the second area and determining an abnormality in each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers based on the operating status information received by the receiving means. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide an abnormality determination system, an abnormality determination method, and a program capable of determining an abnormality in an ultrasonic transducer. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic block diagram showing a system configuration of an abnormality determination system according to an embodiment; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram showing a system configuration of a server according to an embodiment. [Diagram 3] 2 is a schematic block diagram showing a specific example of a functional configuration of a terminal device. FIG. [Figure 4] 13 is a history information table displayed on an output unit of a monitor terminal or a maintenance staff terminal. [Diagram 5] 13 is an example of a screen displayed on an output unit of a monitor terminal. [Figure 6] 13 is an example of a screen displayed on an output unit of a maintenance staff terminal. [Figure 7] 13 is an example of a screen displayed on an output unit of a customer terminal. [Figure 8] 1 is a flow chart showing a workflow for dealing with an abnormality that occurs in the ultrasound system according to the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, an abnormality determination system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The anomaly determination system is used, for example, to determine an anomaly in a device installed in a facility and to promptly deal with the anomaly. In this embodiment, the facility is, for example, a plant owned by a customer. The customer is, for example, a manufacturer of energy, petrochemicals, paper, food, beverages, or the like. In this embodiment, the device installed in the facility is, for example, an ultrasonic system attached to piping in the plant.

[0010] For example, an ultrasound system is provided in each of a plurality of customer plants. When an abnormality occurs in such an ultrasound system, a maintenance worker dispatched by the ultrasound system provider must visit the customer's plant and take action such as repairing the abnormality. It is difficult to assign a maintenance technician to each of the multiple plants in which the ultrasound system is installed due to resource limitations, so it is preferable that the maintenance technician be assigned so as to be able to move between the multiple plants, for example.

[0011] In order to determine an abnormality in an ultrasonic system, for example, a monitor who is an employee of the ultrasonic system provider needs to compare the operating status information of one of the ultrasonic transducers provided in the ultrasonic system with the operating status information of another ultrasonic transducer that is different from the one provided in the ultrasonic system. For this reason, the monitor who determines the abnormality is required to have a high level of skill. It is difficult to assign a skilled monitor to each of the multiple plants in which ultrasonic systems are provided due to resource limitations. For this reason, it is preferable that the monitor can simultaneously determine abnormalities in the ultrasonic systems in the multiple plants. Specifically, for example, a specialized person is provided as a monitor at one remote monitoring center. It is also preferable that the remote monitoring center can collectively manage the operating status information of the ultrasonic transducers at the multiple sites.

[0012] For the above reasons, in order to quickly respond to an abnormality that occurs in the ultrasonic systems installed in each of the multiple plants, for example, the following system is preferable. That is, a monitor determines an abnormality in the ultrasonic system at a remote monitoring center that can simultaneously monitor each of the ultrasonic systems installed in the multiple plants. When the monitor determines an abnormality, the monitor instructs a maintenance worker positioned near the plant in which the ultrasonic system in which the abnormality was determined is installed to deal with the abnormality. The maintenance worker who received the instruction then visits the plant and takes action such as repairs. In this embodiment, the maintenance personnel may be dispatched from, for example, a company located in the vicinity of a plurality of plants, which allows one maintenance personnel to move between the plurality of plants. The maintenance personnel may be an in-house company located in each plant. That is, the maintenance personnel may be, for example, a company having an office in the plant, or an employee of a customer who owns the plant. This may enable a quicker response and ensure confidentiality.

[0013] To enable the above system, it is preferable that various information regarding the status of the plant and the ultrasonic system be shared at least between the monitor and the maintenance personnel. The various information may also be shared with the customer, for example. Since the plant may contain confidential information, in order to quickly and smoothly accept maintenance personnel who are outside the company, it is more preferable that various information such as the status of the ultrasonic system and the location of the ultrasonic system in the plant be shared with the customer as well. The abnormality determination system according to this embodiment has, for example, the following configuration in order to enable the above system.

[0014] FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing a system configuration of an abnormality determination system 1 according to an embodiment. The abnormality determination system 1 includes an ultrasound system 10, a server 20, and a terminal device 30. As shown in Fig. 1, the ultrasound system 10 and the server 20 are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other via a network N. In addition, the server 20 and the terminal device 30 are connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other via the network N. The network N may be a network using wireless communication or a network using wired communication. The network N may be configured using, for example, the Internet or a local area network (LAN). The network N may be configured by combining a plurality of networks.

[0015] In the following description, the area where the customer's plant is located may be referred to as the first area A1, and the area where the inspector is stationed may be referred to as the second area A2, as shown in Fig. 1. Note that there may be multiple first areas A1, for example, when there are multiple customers (when there are multiple pieces of equipment). Specifically, there may be multiple first areas A1 and first areas A1' that are separated from each other, as shown in Fig. 1 as first areas A1 and A1'. The ultrasonic system 10 is attached to a pipe PL in a customer's plant. In other words, the ultrasonic system 10 is provided in a first area A1. As shown in FIG. 1, the ultrasonic system 10 includes an ultrasonic transducer 11 and an external control device 12. As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of ultrasonic transducers 11 are provided in the first area A1. More specifically, each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers 11 is attached, for example, to a first location P1 and a second location P2 of a predetermined facility in the first area A1. The ultrasonic transducer 11 may be provided at a third location, a fourth location, etc. (not shown). In this embodiment, the predetermined facility is the pipe PL. The first location P1 is an arbitrary location in the longitudinal direction of the pipe PL. The second location P2 is a location at a predetermined interval from the first location P1 in the longitudinal direction of the pipe PL. The same may be true for the third location and the fourth location. In other words, the ultrasonic transducer 11 may be provided at a plurality of locations at intervals in the longitudinal direction of the pipe PL. The first location P1 will be described in detail below. The second location P2 is similar to the first location P1, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted. The first location P1 includes both the inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface of the pipe PL. In this embodiment, the ultrasonic transducer 11 is provided such that a portion that outputs ultrasonic waves is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the pipe PL at the first location P1. At this time, as shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of ultrasonic transducers 11 are provided at intervals in the circumferential direction of the pipe PL. In the example shown in FIG. 1, four ultrasonic transducers 11 are provided around the circumferential direction at the first location P1 of the pipe PL. However, two or three ultrasonic transducers 11 may be provided at the first location P1 of the pipe PL, or five or more ultrasonic transducers 11 may be provided. In this embodiment, it is preferable that each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers 11 is detachable from the first location P1.

[0016] As described above, each of the ultrasonic transducers 11 provided in plurality generates ultrasonic waves at the first location P1 and the second location P2 by a known configuration. In this embodiment, the ultrasonic waves refer to, for example, sound waves of 20 kHz to 1 MHz. As a result, for example, the inner circumferential surface of the pipe PL from the outside and the fluid flowing inside the pipe PL are vibrated. For example, the ultrasonic transducer 11 can prevent dirt on the inner circumferential surface of the pipe PL at the first location P1 by vibrating the inner circumferential surface of the pipe PL by the ultrasonic waves emitted by the ultrasonic transducer 11. In addition, for example, by applying ultrasonic waves to the fluid flowing inside the pipe PL by the ultrasonic waves emitted by the ultrasonic transducer 11, dirt can also be prevented in equipment such as a heat exchanger (not shown) located downstream of the fluid from the first location P1 and the second location P2. Here, there may be cases where any of the multiple ultrasonic transducers 11 provided as described above cannot sufficiently vibrate the pipe PL due to a breakdown or other reasons. Therefore, in this embodiment, the multiple ultrasonic transducers 11 provided as described above may include an unused spare. In this way, for example, when any of the multiple ultrasonic transducers 11 cannot sufficiently vibrate the pipe PL, it may be possible to quickly respond by switching to use the spare.

[0017] 1, the external control device 12 is provided in the first area A1 and is connected to each of the ultrasonic transducers 11. The external control device 12 acquires operation status information indicating the operation status of each of the ultrasonic transducers 11 from a log or the like outputted by the ultrasonic transducers 11. The operation status information acquired by the external control device 12 in this manner is received by a receiving means 23a (described later) of the server 20. The external control device 12 may be provided with a communication function for transmitting the acquired operation status information to the receiving means 23a.

[0018] In this embodiment, the operating status information may include, for example, any of the driving frequency of each of the multiple ultrasonic transducers 11, the phase difference between a first voltage applied to each of the multiple ultrasonic transducers 11 and the current generated by the first voltage, the impedance waveform of a system including the multiple ultrasonic transducers 11 and the first location P1, and the ultrasonic energy of each of the multiple ultrasonic transducers 11. The driving frequency may be expressed, for example, in Hz. The voltage may be expressed, for example, in V. The current may be expressed, for example, in A. The phase difference may be expressed, for example, in °. The waveform may be expressed, for example, by a visible graphic. The ultrasonic energy is the output of the ultrasonic transducer 11 and may be expressed, for example, in W. The ultrasonic energy may be calculated, for example, using the frequency, current, and voltage.

[0019] In this embodiment, the ultrasonic system 10 having the above-mentioned configuration may be provided at intervals along the entire line of the piping PL as shown in Fig. 1. In other words, a plurality of first locations P1 may be located in the piping PL. In this case, for example, as shown in Fig. 1, the second first location P1 in the ultrasonic system 10 may be called the second location P2. Not limited to this, the ultrasonic system 10 may have a third location that is the third first location P1, a fourth location that is the fourth first location P1, or more first locations P1. In this embodiment, the ultrasonic system 10 including a plurality of ultrasonic transducers 11 may mean that a plurality of ultrasonic transducers 11 are provided at one first location P1 in the piping PL. Also, the ultrasonic system 10 including a plurality of ultrasonic transducers 11 may mean that a plurality of first locations P1 at which one ultrasonic transducer 11 is provided are located in the piping PL. Furthermore, the phrase "the ultrasonic transducers 11 include an unused spare" may mean, for example, that one of the ultrasonic transducers 11 provided at one first location P1 is a spare. Furthermore, the phrase "the ultrasonic transducers 11 include an unused spare" may mean, for example, that one of the ultrasonic systems 10 provided at each of the first locations P1 is a spare. In the customer's plant, each of the ultrasonic systems 10 thus provided is preferably identifiable by an individually assigned identification number. Also, the ultrasonic transducers 11 and the external control devices 12 included in the ultrasonic systems 10 are preferably identifiable by individually assigned identification numbers. The relationship between these identification numbers and the ultrasonic systems 10 may be stored, for example, in the storage unit 22 of the server 20 described below.

[0020] The server 20 processes or stores various information related to the ultrasound system 10. When an abnormality occurs in the ultrasound system 10, the server 20 transmits information required to promptly deal with the abnormality to the terminal device 30 via the network N as appropriate. In this embodiment, the server 20 is provided, for example, in a second area A2. The second area A2 is an area different from the first area A1. FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram showing a system configuration of the server 20 in the embodiment. The server 20 is configured using an information processing device such as a personal computer, etc. As shown in FIG.

[0021] The communication unit 21 is a communication device. The communication unit 21 may be configured as, for example, a network interface. The communication unit 21 performs data communication with the external control device 12 of the ultrasound system 10 and the terminal device 30 via the network N in response to control by the control unit 23. The communication unit 21 may be a device that performs wireless communication or a device that performs wired communication.

[0022] The storage unit 22 is configured using a storage device such as a magnetic hard disk device or a semiconductor storage device. The storage unit 22 may be configured using, for example, a cloud server. The storage unit 22 stores data used by the control unit 23. The storage unit 22 stores data required when the control unit 23 performs processing. The storage unit 22 stores, for example, information for displaying various user interfaces described later as a database. Details of the information thus stored in the storage unit 22 will be described later together with the description of the user interfaces in this embodiment.

[0023] The control unit 23 is configured using a processor such as a CPU and a memory. The control unit 23 functions as a receiving means 23a, a determining means 23b, a distinguishing means 23c, a notifying means 23d, and a storage control means 23e by the processor executing a program. In other words, the server 20 includes the receiving means 23a, the determining means 23b, the distinguishing means 23c, the notifying means 23d, and a storage control means 23e. As described above, in this embodiment, the server 20 is provided in the second region A2. In other words, the receiving means 23a, the determining means 23b, the distinguishing means 23c, the notifying means 23d, and the storage control means 23e are provided in the second region A2.

[0024] The receiving means 23a receives operating status information indicating the operating status of each of the multiple ultrasonic transducers 11 from the external control device 12. More specifically, the receiving means 23a processes the operating status information received by the communication unit 21 from the external control device 12. The operating status information received by the receiving means 23a may be transmitted to the terminal device 30, for example. The operating status information transmitted to the terminal device 30 may be visually displayed on the output unit 33 (described later). The operating status information received by the receiving means 23a may be stored in the storage unit 22, for example.

[0025] The determination means 23b determines whether or not there is an abnormality in each of the ultrasonic transducers 11 based on the operating state information received by the receiving means 23a. In this embodiment, the determination by the determination means 23b may be performed, for example, by an observer inputting to an observer terminal 30A (described later) that an abnormality has occurred in the ultrasonic transducer 11. At this time, the observer may determine whether or not there is an abnormality in the ultrasonic transducer 11 by, for example, checking the operating state information of each of the ultrasonic transducers 11 provided in the first area A1 using the observer terminal 30A. In other words, whether or not there is an abnormality in the ultrasonic transducer 11 may be determined by the observer. The determination by the determination means 23b of the abnormality in the ultrasonic transducer 11 may be performed by the server 20 accepting a determination result determined by the observer based on the operating state information received by the receiving means 23a.

[0026] In this embodiment, for example, when the ultrasonic energy generated by the multiple ultrasonic transducers 11 in the ultrasonic system 10 becomes insufficient, it is determined that an abnormality has occurred. In this embodiment, the ultrasonic energy may include, for example, the vibration level when the pipe PL vibrates and the ultrasonic output applied to the fluid flowing inside the pipe PL. Below, several examples of specific criteria for determining whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the ultrasonic transducer 11 will be described together with the countermeasures corresponding to the criteria.

[0027] For example, when one of the ultrasonic transducers 11 cannot generate ultrasonic waves, the determination means 23b may determine that one of the ultrasonic transducers 11 is abnormal. For example, the determination means 23b may determine that the receiving means 23a is unable to generate ultrasonic waves from the contents of the operating state information received from one of the ultrasonic transducers 11. For example, when the receiving means 23a is unable to receive the operating state information from one of the ultrasonic transducers 11, the determination means 23b may determine that the ultrasonic transducer 11 has broken down and is unable to generate ultrasonic waves. In such a case, the abnormality may be dealt with, for example, by replacing the ultrasonic transducer 11 that is no longer able to generate ultrasonic waves. Alternatively, the abnormality may be dealt with by increasing the ultrasonic energy of something other than the ultrasonic transducer 11 that is no longer able to generate ultrasonic waves.

[0028] The determination means 23b may determine that the ultrasonic transducers 11 are abnormal, for example, when the total output of the ultrasonic transducers 11 is less than a predetermined output. In this embodiment, the output of the ultrasonic transducer 11 may be managed, for example, by the execution output. The predetermined output is, for example, an output determined by agreement between a customer and a provider of the ultrasonic system 10. The predetermined output may be stored, for example, in the storage unit 22 of the server 20. The total output may be calculated appropriately based on the operating state information of the ultrasonic transducers 11. The determination means 23b may compare, for example, the predetermined output stored in the storage unit 22 of the server 20 with the total output calculated as described above, and determine that the ultrasonic transducers 11 are abnormal, when the total output is less than the predetermined output. In such a case, the abnormality may be dealt with, for example, by replacing all of the ultrasonic transducers 11 in the ultrasonic system 10. Alternatively, the abnormality may be dealt with by increasing the ultrasonic energy of the ultrasonic transducers 11 in the ultrasonic system 10. Alternatively, the abnormality may be dealt with by strengthening (re-tightening) the fixation of the ultrasonic transducers 11 to the pipe PL.

[0029] In addition, the judgment means 23b may judge that one of the multiple ultrasonic transducers 11 is abnormal when one of the multiple ultrasonic transducers 11 experiences any of the following: failure or deterioration, a decrease in the force pressed against the first location P1, and a shift in the attachment position at the first location P1. In this embodiment, the failure or deterioration of the ultrasonic transducer 11 includes, for example, a decrease in ultrasonic energy. Such failure or deterioration of the ultrasonic transducer 11 is determined, for example, when the applied frequency (optimum driving frequency) of the ultrasonic transducer 11 shifts to a higher frequency. Furthermore, the failure or deterioration of the ultrasonic transducer 11 may be determined, for example, when the ultrasonic transducer 11 is unable to oscillate at 100 W or more even after controlling parameters related to ultrasonic waves (for example, frequency and gain). The applied frequency of the ultrasonic transducer 11 may be confirmed, for example, based on the operating state information of the ultrasonic transducer 11. In this embodiment, a decrease in the force pressing the ultrasonic transducer 11 against the first location P1 or a shift in the mounting position of the ultrasonic transducer 11 against the first location P1 is appropriately determined, for example, by visually checking a waveform that indicates a relationship between frequency and impedance or phase difference, which is included in the operating state information of the ultrasonic transducer 11. Current and voltage waveform information may also be used for the determination. Such an abnormality may be determined, for example, by comparing the waveforms included in the operating state information of the ultrasonic transducer 11 before and after the occurrence of the abnormality. Such a comparison of waveforms may be performed, for example, by an observer visually checking the waveforms, or by the determination means 23b performing pattern recognition. In such a case, the abnormality may be dealt with, for example, by adjusting the position of the ultrasonic transducer 11 that has shifted (position adjustment) or by strengthening the fixing of the ultrasonic transducer 11 to the pipe PL (retightening). Alternatively, the abnormality may be dealt with by replacing the ultrasonic transducer 11 that has broken down, deteriorated, or whose pressing force against the first location P1 has decreased.

[0030] The determination means 23b may determine that an abnormality has occurred, for example, when the driving frequencies of the ultrasonic transducers 11 in the ultrasonic system 10 are significantly different from each other. Specifically, for example, when a decrease in ultrasonic energy of one of the ultrasonic transducers 11 cannot be compensated for by an increase in ultrasonic energy of the transducers other than the one of the ultrasonic transducers 11, the determination means 23b may determine that one of the ultrasonic transducers 11 is abnormal. Such an abnormality may be determined, for example, by comparing the waveforms included in the operating state information of the ultrasonic transducer 11 with those before and after the abnormality has occurred. Such a comparison of the waveforms may be performed, for example, by an observer visually checking the waveforms, or by the determination means 23b performing pattern recognition. In such a case, the abnormality may be dealt with, for example, by replacing the ultrasonic transducer 11 whose ultrasonic energy has been reduced. Alternatively, the abnormality may be dealt with by increasing the ultrasonic energy of the transducer other than the ultrasonic transducer 11 whose ultrasonic energy has been reduced.

[0031] The discrimination means 23c discriminates an abnormality in the ultrasonic system 10 based on the operating state information received by the receiving means 23a. Specifically, the discrimination means 23c discriminates an abnormality in the ultrasonic system 10 including, for example, the multiple ultrasonic transducers 11 and the external control device 12. The discrimination by the discrimination means 23c may be performed automatically based on, for example, the operating state information. In other words, whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the ultrasonic system 10 including the multiple ultrasonic transducers 11 and the external control device 12 may be determined without the intervention of a monitor. Below, several examples of specific criteria for determining whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the ultrasound system 10 will be described together with the corresponding countermeasures.

[0032] For example, when the number of ultrasonic transducers 11 determined to be abnormal by the determination means 23b is equal to or greater than a predetermined number among the ultrasonic transducers 11, the determination means 23c may determine that the ultrasonic system 10 including the ultrasonic transducers 11 and the external control device 12 is abnormal. The predetermined number may be, for example, arbitrarily determined in advance. For example, the determination means 23c may determine the abnormality of the ultrasonic system 10 by counting the number of ultrasonic transducers 11 determined to be abnormal by the determination means 23b and comparing it with the predetermined number. For example, in the case where it is determined that an abnormality occurs simultaneously in multiple ultrasonic transducers 11 in the ultrasonic system 10, it is difficult to compensate for the abnormality by increasing the ultrasonic energy of the ultrasonic transducers 11 in which no abnormality occurs. In such a case, it may be determined that the entire ultrasonic system 10 is abnormal. In addition, in such a case, the abnormality may be dealt with by, for example, replacing the ultrasonic transducer 11. Furthermore, in the ultrasonic system 10, when it is determined that an abnormality has occurred in multiple ultrasonic transducers 11 at the same time, it is assumed that the external control devices 12 to which the multiple ultrasonic transducers 11 are connected are unable to accurately transmit and receive operating state information. Even in such a case, it may be determined that the entire ultrasonic system 10 is abnormal. In such a case, the abnormality may be dealt with, for example, by replacing the external control device 12 or by checking the connection state between the ultrasonic transducers 11 and the external control device 12.

[0033] For example, the determination means 23c may determine that the external control device 12 is abnormal when the receiving means 23a cannot receive the operating state information. For example, the determination means 23c may monitor whether the receiving means 23a is properly receiving the operating state information. In this way, the determination means 23c may determine whether the ultrasound system 10 is abnormal based on whether the receiving means 23a is receiving the operating state information. In such a case, it is assumed that the external control device 12 to which each of the multiple ultrasonic transducers 11 is connected is unable to accurately transmit and receive operating state information. Even in such a case, it may be determined that the entire ultrasonic system 10 is abnormal. In such a case, the abnormality may be dealt with, for example, by replacing the external control device 12 or by checking the connection state between the ultrasonic transducers 11 and the external control device 12.

[0034] The notification means 23d notifies a maintenance person or a customer of information related to the abnormality of the ultrasonic system 10. For example, the notification means 23d transmits information related to the abnormality of the ultrasonic system 10 as visually observable information to a maintenance person terminal 30B or a customer terminal 30C described later. In other words, notification by the notification means 23d in this embodiment means that information related to the abnormality of the ultrasonic system 10 is displayed on the maintenance person terminal 30B or the customer terminal 30C. The following provides examples of information notified to the maintenance personnel or the customer by the notification means 23d.

[0035] The following three examples are given of information notified to the maintenance personnel by the notification means 23d. The notification means 23d may, for example, associate abnormality information indicating that one of the multiple ultrasonic transducers 11 is abnormal with abnormality degree information indicating the degree of the abnormality indicated by the abnormality information, and notify the maintenance staff of the abnormality. The abnormality degree information is displayed, for example, as urgency information on the maintenance staff terminal 30B or the customer terminal 30C (details will be described later). The notification means 23d may, for example, associate abnormality information indicating that one of the multiple ultrasonic transducers 11 is abnormal with countermeasure information indicating countermeasures to the abnormality indicated by the abnormality information, and notify the maintenance personnel of the abnormality. The countermeasures to the abnormality are, for example, input by a supervisor as described above. The notification means 23d may, for example, notify a maintenance person of the operating status information. The details of the information notified to the maintenance personnel by the notification means 23d will be described later together with various information displayed on the maintenance personnel terminal 30B.

[0036] The following two examples are given as examples of information notified to the customer by the notification means 23d. The notification means 23d may notify the customer of abnormality information indicating that one of the multiple ultrasonic transducers 11 is abnormal, response time information indicating when a maintenance worker will respond to the abnormality indicated by the abnormality information, and recovery time information indicating when one of the multiple ultrasonic transducers 11 will recover from the abnormality indicated by the abnormality information. The notification means 23d may notify the customer of the abnormality determined by the determination means 23b when the degree of the abnormality determined by the determination means 23b exceeds a predetermined criterion. The predetermined criterion is, for example, the level of urgency. The details of the information notified to the customer by the notification means 23d will be described later together with various information displayed on the maintenance staff terminal 30B.

[0037] The storage control means 23e causes the storage unit 22 to store the above-mentioned various information. For example, when one of the multiple ultrasonic transducers 11 is newly determined to be abnormal by the judgment means 23b, the memory control means 23e may newly store first region information indicating the first region A1 in which one of the multiple ultrasonic transducers 11 is installed in the memory unit 22. The memory control means 23e may store in the memory unit 22, for example, information relating to the history of the operating state information of each of the multiple ultrasonic transducers 11, which is received by the receiving means 23a from the external control device 12. For example, when an abnormality occurs in the ultrasonic system 10, the ultrasonic transducer 11, or the external control device 12, the memory control means 23e may store in the memory unit 22 information regarding the date and time when the abnormality occurred, the location where the abnormality occurred (e.g., the prefecture) , the identification number of either the ultrasonic system 10, the ultrasonic transducer 11, or the external control device 12, the content of the abnormality, and the content of how to deal with the abnormality. The storage control means 23e may store, for example, information relating to the operation time, the target output, and the operation start time in the storage unit 22. The operation time, the target output, and the operation start time will be described in detail later.

[0038] All or part of the functions of the control unit 23 may be realized using hardware such as ASIC, PLD, or FPGA. The above program may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. Examples of computer-readable recording media include portable media such as flexible disks, magneto-optical disks, ROMs, CD-ROMs, and semiconductor storage devices (e.g., SSDs), and storage devices such as hard disks and semiconductor storage devices built into computer systems. The above program may be transmitted via an electric communication line.

[0039] The terminal device 30 provides various information related to the status of the ultrasound system 10 to the monitor, the maintenance staff, and the customer. This allows the various information described above to be shared among the monitor, the maintenance staff, and the customer. In this embodiment, the various information described above is provided as appropriate from the server 20. Hereinafter, the terminal device 30 for the monitor may be referred to as the monitor terminal 30A, the terminal device 30 for the maintenance staff may be referred to as the maintenance staff terminal 30B, and the terminal device 30 for the customer may be referred to as the customer terminal 30C. When there is no need to distinguish between these, they will be referred to as the terminal devices 30. The monitor terminal 30A, the maintenance staff terminal 30B, and the customer terminal 30C are all configured using the same terminal device 30. For example, the monitor terminal 30A, the maintenance staff terminal 30B, and the customer terminal 30C may be configured by appropriately switching the operation mode of the terminal device 30.

[0040] 3 is a schematic block diagram showing a specific example of a functional configuration of the terminal device 30. The terminal device 30 is configured using information devices such as a smartphone, a tablet, a personal computer, a dedicated device, etc. The terminal device 30 includes a communication unit 31, an input unit 32, an output unit 33, a storage unit 34, and a control unit 35.

[0041] The communication unit 31 is a communication device. The communication unit 31 may be configured as, for example, a network interface. The communication unit 31 performs data communication with other devices via the network N in response to the control of the control unit 35. The communication unit 31 may be a device that performs wireless communication or a device that performs wired communication.

[0042] The input unit 32 is configured using existing input devices such as a keyboard, a pointing device (mouse, tablet, etc.), a button, a touch panel, etc. The input unit 32 is operated by a user when inputting a user's instruction to the terminal device 30. The input unit 32 may be an interface for connecting the input device to the terminal device 30. In this case, the input unit 32 inputs an input signal generated in the input device in response to a user's input to the terminal device 30. The input unit 32 may be configured using a microphone and a voice recognition device. In this case, the input unit 32 acquires an acoustic signal generated by the user's speech, performs voice recognition on the words spoken by the user, and inputs character string information of the recognition result to the terminal device 30. The voice recognition process may be executed by the control unit 35. The input unit 32 may be configured in any way as long as it is configured to input a user's instruction to the terminal device 30.

[0043] The output unit 33 outputs information in a form that can be recognized by the user. The output unit 33 may be, for example, an image display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display. The output unit 33 may be an interface for connecting the image display device to the terminal device 30. In this case, the output unit 33 generates a video signal for displaying image data and outputs the video signal to the image display device connected to the output unit 33. The output unit 33 may be a device for outputting sound such as a speaker. The output unit 33 may be an interface for connecting an audio output device such as a speaker or a headphone to the terminal device 30. In this case, the output unit 33 generates an audio signal for reproducing audio data and outputs the audio signal to the audio output device connected to the output unit 33. The output unit 33 may be configured as a touch panel integrated with the input unit 32.

[0044] The storage unit 34 is configured using a storage device such as a magnetic hard disk device or a semiconductor storage device. The storage unit 34 stores data used by the control unit 35. The storage unit 34 stores data required when the control unit 35 performs processing.

[0045] The control unit 35 is configured using a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a memory (main storage device). The control unit 35 functions by the processor executing a program. All or part of the functions of the control unit 35 may be realized using hardware such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a PLD (Programmable Logic Device), or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). The above program may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. The computer-readable recording medium is, for example, a portable medium such as a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk, a ROM, a CD-ROM, or a semiconductor storage device (e.g., an SSD: Solid State Drive), or a storage device such as a hard disk or a semiconductor storage device built into a computer system. The above program may be transmitted via an electric communication line.

[0046] The control unit 35 may execute, for example, an application installed in its own device (terminal device 30). A specific example of such an application is an application provided to the terminal device 30 as a dedicated application for the abnormality determination system 1. Another specific example of such an application is a WEB browser application. Such an application may be installed in the terminal device 30 in advance, or may be downloaded each time a determination process is executed. For example, when implemented as a WEB browser application, the terminal device 30 may download and execute the application from a device (for example, the WEB server itself or another server) designated by the WEB server in response to the terminal device 30 connecting to the specific WEB server. The control unit 35 operates according to the program of the application being executed. Such an application may operate, for example, by utilizing SaaS (Software as a Service).

[0047] The control unit 35 controls the terminal device 30 in response to a user's operation or information received from the server 20. For example, the control unit 35 transmits information input by the user operating the input unit 32 to the server 20 by using the communication unit 31. For example, when the communication unit 31 receives information transmitted from the server 20 via the network N, the control unit 35 generates screen data based on the received information and causes the output unit 33 to display the screen data. Such screen data includes images and characters indicating the information transmitted from the server 20. For example, when the communication unit 31 receives information transmitted from the server 20 via the network N, the control unit 35 generates voice data based on the received information and causes the output unit 33 to output the voice data.

[0048] The information output to each of the monitor terminal 30A, the maintenance staff terminal 30B, and the customer terminal 30C will be described below. FIG. 4 shows a history information table TL displayed on the output unit 33 of the monitor terminal 30A or the maintenance staff terminal 30B. 4 is a user interface for displaying, as a history, information about work that has been performed or is currently being performed in response to an abnormality in the ultrasound system 10. The history information table TL may be displayed on the monitor terminal 30A in a manner switchable with a monitor information table TE, which will be described later. The history information table TL may be displayed on the maintenance staff terminal 30B in a manner switchable with a maintenance staff information table TS, which will be described later.

[0049] In the history information table TL shown in Fig. 4, the top row indicates the contents of the information shown in the second row from the top onwards. In the history information table TL shown in Fig. 4, detailed information regarding an abnormality that has occurred in the ultrasound system 10 is recorded in each row from the second row from the top onwards.

[0050] As shown in FIG. 4, in the history information table TL, for each abnormality that occurs, date and time information TL1, area information TL2, first area information TL3, installation location information TL4, external control device identification number TL5, transducer identification number TL6, abnormality content information TL7, countermeasure content information TL8, information source information TL9, information destination information TL10, and recovery status information TL11 are recorded.

[0051] The date and time information TL1 is information related to the date and time when an abnormality occurred. The date and time information TL1 indicates, for example, the date and time when it was determined that an abnormality occurred in the ultrasound system 10. The date and time information TL1 is stored in the memory unit 22 by the memory control means 23e, for example, at the time when it is determined that an abnormality occurred in the ultrasound system 10, and can be displayed in the history information table TL. The determination of an abnormality in the ultrasound system 10 will be described later.

[0052] The area information TL2 is information on the area where the ultrasound system 10 in which the abnormality occurred is located. The area information TL2 is indicated by, for example, prefectures. The area information TL2 is stored in the memory unit 22 by the memory control means 23e based on, for example, the identification number of the external control device 12 in which it is determined that the abnormality has occurred in the ultrasound system 10, and can be displayed in the history information table TL.

[0053] The first area information TL3 is information indicating the location of the first area A1 in which the ultrasonic system 10 including one of the ultrasonic transducers 11 or the external control device 12 in which an abnormality has occurred is installed when an abnormality has occurred in one of the ultrasonic transducers 11 or the external control device 12 provided as described above. In other words, the first area information TL3 is information indicating the location in which the ultrasonic system 10 including the ultrasonic transducer 11 or the external control device 12 in which an abnormality has occurred is installed. As described above, the first area A1 refers to the area in which the customer's plant is located. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 4, the first area information TL3 may be written as the plant name. In this embodiment, the first area information TL3 is indicated by the name of the plant in the first area A1. In other words, the first area information TL3 is the name of the customer in the first area A1. The first area information TL3 is stored in the memory unit 22 by the memory control means 23e based on, for example, the identification number of the ultrasonic system 10 in which it is determined that an abnormality has occurred, and can be displayed in the history information table TL.

[0054] The mounting position information TL4 is information indicating details of the piping PL installed in the first area A1. The mounting position information TL4 is information indicating the piping PL in which the ultrasonic transducer 11 or ultrasonic system 10 in which an abnormality has occurred is installed when a plurality of piping PL is installed in the first area A1. The individual piping PL related to the mounting position information TL4 may be specified based on, for example, the identification number of the external control device 12 in which the abnormality has been determined to have occurred in the ultrasonic system 10. The mounting position information TL4 is stored in the memory unit 22 by the memory control means 23e and can be displayed in the history information table TL.

[0055] The external control device identification number TL5 is information indicating an identification number individually assigned in the external control device 12 of the ultrasound system 10. In this embodiment, the external control device identification number TL5 makes it possible to identify the individual external control device 12 in which an abnormality has occurred. The external control device identification number TL5 is automatically registered based on, for example, the identification number of the ultrasound system 10 in which it has been determined that an abnormality has occurred.

[0056] The transducer identification number TL6 is information indicating an identification number individually assigned to the ultrasonic transducers 11 provided in the pipe PL related to the installation position information TL4. In this embodiment, the transducer identification number TL6 can identify the individual ultrasonic transducer 11 in which an abnormality has occurred. This makes it possible to identify the first location P1 in which the ultrasonic transducer 11 in which an abnormality has been determined to have occurred is provided by the transducer identification number TL6. The transducer identification number TL6 is stored in the memory unit 22 by the memory control means 23e based on, for example, the identification number of the ultrasonic transducer 11 in which an abnormality has been determined to have occurred, and can be displayed in the history information table TL. In this way, by displaying the external control device identification number TL5 and the transducer identification number TL6 together, it is possible to identify the individual ultrasonic transducer 11 connected to the individual external control device 12 after identifying the individual external control device 12. Therefore, it is possible to easily identify the ultrasonic transducer 11 in which an abnormality has occurred among the multiple ultrasonic transducers 11 provided in the ultrasonic system 10.

[0057] The abnormality content information TL7 is information indicating the specific content of an abnormality that has occurred in the ultrasonic system 10. Examples of abnormality content include positional deviation, inability to output ultrasonic waves, and insufficient output. Positional deviation indicates that the position of the ultrasonic transducer 11 has shifted. Inability to output ultrasonic waves indicates that the ultrasonic transducer 11 is no longer able to output ultrasonic waves. Insufficient output indicates that the ultrasonic transducer 11 is no longer outputting sufficient ultrasonic waves. The abnormality content information TL7 is registered by an observer, for example, based on the result of the observer's judgment.

[0058] The countermeasure content information TL8 is information indicating a countermeasure method for the abnormality indicated by the abnormality content information TL7. For example, in the example shown in Fig. 4, from the top, it indicates that the fixation of the ultrasonic transducer 11 should be strengthened (re-tightening), the output of ultrasonic transducers 11 other than the ultrasonic transducer 11 in which the abnormality occurred should be increased (increasing the output of other transducers), the position of the ultrasonic transducer 11 that has shifted (position adjustment), and the ultrasonic transducer 11 in which the abnormality occurred should be replaced (replacement). The countermeasure content information TL8 is registered by the monitor, for example, based on the monitor's judgment.

[0059] The information source information TL9 is information indicating the source of various information recorded in the history information table TL. The information destination information TL10 is information indicating the destination of various information recorded in the history information table TL. For example, when the information source information TL9 is a supervisor and the information destination information TL10 is a maintenance worker, it indicates that the information input by the supervisor has been sent to the maintenance worker. Specifically, it indicates that the abnormality content information TL7 (anomaly candidates described later) and the countermeasure content information TL8 (countermeasure candidates described later) input by the supervisor have been transmitted to the maintenance worker. For example, when the information source information TL9 is a maintenance worker and the information destination information TL10 is a supervisor, it indicates that the maintenance worker has completed the response to the abnormality. Specifically, it indicates that the abnormality information TL7 actually confirmed by the maintenance worker on-site and the response information TL8 actually performed on-site have been transmitted to the supervisor.

[0060] The recovery status information TL11 is information indicating whether or not the abnormality has been recovered. In the example shown in Fig. 4, only the second row from the top in the history information table TL indicates that the abnormality has not been recovered (NG), and the third row from the top onwards indicates that the abnormality has been recovered (OK). When the recovery status information TL11 indicates that the abnormality has not been recovered (NG), this may mean that security personnel are currently dealing with the abnormality. The restoration status information TL11 is registered by a supervisor based on the result of the supervisor's judgment after, for example, the maintenance personnel has completed dealing with the abnormality.

[0061] FIG. 5 is an example of a screen displayed on the output unit 33 of the monitor terminal 30A. As shown in FIG. 5, for example, an observer information table TE and operating status information OC are simultaneously displayed on the output unit 33 of the observer terminal 30A. The monitor information table TE is a user interface that displays information necessary for the monitor to deal with an abnormality in the ultrasound system 10. In the monitor information table TE shown in FIG. 5, the top row indicates the content of the information displayed in the second row from the top onwards. In the monitor information table TE shown in FIG. 5, the second row from the top onwards records detailed information about an abnormality that has occurred in the ultrasound system 10, with each row recorded separately. In addition, information about normal ultrasound transducers 11 may be displayed in the monitor information table TE.

[0062] As shown in FIG. 5, the monitor information table TE displays, for each abnormality that has occurred, first region information TE1, urgency information TE2, date and time information TE3, external control device identification number TE4, transducer identification number TE5, installation position information TE6, candidate abnormality information TE7, candidate response information TE8, operating time information TE9, target output information TE10, operation start time information TE11, and a send button TE12.

[0063] The first region information TE1 is the same information as the first region information TL3 in the history information table TL. The urgency information TE2 is information indicating the degree of abnormality in the ultrasound system 10. In the example shown in Fig. 5, the rows from the second top of the monitor information table TE are A, B, and A, in that order. In this case, the abnormality indicated by A has a higher urgency. In other words, this indicates that the priority of the response by security personnel is high. The urgency level is higher, for example, when there is a high possibility that the operating time or the output of the ultrasound system 10 cannot be guaranteed as agreed between the customer and the provider of the ultrasound system 10. The urgency level is determined, for example, by a supervisor.

[0064] The date and time information TE3 is the same information as the date and time information TL1 in the history information table TL. The external control device identification number TE4 is the same information as the external control device identification number TL5 in the history information table TL. The transducer identification number TE5 is the same information as the transducer identification number TL6 in the history information table TL. The mounting position information TE6 is the same information as the mounting position information TL4 in the history information table TL.

[0065] The abnormality candidate information TE7 is information indicating the specific contents of an abnormality that has occurred in the ultrasound system 10, and is estimated by an observer. The abnormality candidate information TE7 is registered by the observer, for example, based on the result of the observer's determination. The countermeasure candidate information TE8 is information indicating a countermeasure method for an abnormality that has occurred in the ultrasound system 10, and is proposed by an observer. The countermeasure candidate information TE8 is registered by the observer, for example, based on the observer's judgment.

[0066] The uptime information TE9 is information about the uptime that should be guaranteed in the ultrasound system 10, which is determined by agreement between the customer and the provider of the ultrasound system 10. The target output information TE10 is information regarding the output of the ultrasonic transducer 11 that should be guaranteed in the ultrasonic system 10, which is determined between the customer and the provider of the ultrasonic system 10. In the ultrasonic system 10, a monitor and a security guard manage the time related to the operating time information TE9 and the output related to the target output information TE10 so as not to fall below the set value. When there is a possibility that these values ​​may fall below the set value, it may be possible to deal with the situation as if an abnormality has occurred in the ultrasonic system 10.

[0067] The operation start time information TE11 is information indicating the time when the operation of the ultrasonic system 10 was started. In this embodiment, the time when the operation of the ultrasonic system 10 was started refers to, for example, the operation start date of the ultrasonic transducer 11. Specifically, in this embodiment, the operation start time information TE11 is indicated, for example, by a date including the Gregorian calendar year. This makes it preferable to be able to deal with cases where, for example, the ultrasonic transducer 11 has a short lifespan. The operation start time information TE11 may also be indicated, for example, by a month including the Gregorian calendar year. The send button TE12 is used when the monitor sends information written in the monitor information table TE to the maintenance staff. For example, the monitor appropriately selects the send button TE12 by clicking or tapping via the input unit 32 to send the information. The information sent in this manner is appropriately reflected in, for example, the maintenance staff information table TS described next. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the second and third rows from the top in the history information table TL indicate that the information has not been sent (yet), and the fourth row indicates that the information has been sent (yet). A graphic to be selected when sending information may be displayed on the send button TE12 next to the characters indicating these pieces of information. The graphic may be, for example, a rectangle as shown in FIG. 5. For example, when a supervisor selects the graphic of the send button TE12 to send information to a maintenance worker, it is preferable that the display of the send button TE12 is switched from not sent (yet) to sent (yet). When information is sent using the send button TE12, the color of the graphic provided on the send button TE12 may change.

[0068] The operating status information OC appropriately displays the above-mentioned operating status information. For example, the operating status information OC may display all of the above-mentioned operating status information, or may appropriately display information selected by an observer. The operating status information OC may display, for example, the most recent detailed information on an abnormality of the ultrasonic system 10 displayed in the monitor information table TE. Specifically, for example, the operating status information OC may automatically display information on the ultrasonic transducer 11 that may be abnormal. The ultrasonic transducer 11 that may be abnormal may be automatically detected by, for example, the server 20. The monitor may visually check the information displayed in this manner to determine whether or not there is an abnormality in the ultrasonic transducer 11 related to the displayed information. The information on the most recent abnormality displayed in this manner may be hidden after the monitor's determination is completed or after recovery from the abnormality. Furthermore, the operating state information OC may display, for example, various waveforms for indicating the above-mentioned states of each of the multiple ultrasonic transducers 11.

[0069] FIG. 6 is an example of a screen displayed on the output unit 33 of the maintenance staff terminal 30B. As shown in FIG. 6, for example, a maintenance personnel information table TS and operational status information OC are displayed on the output unit 33 of the maintenance personnel terminal 30B. The maintenance staff information table TS is a user interface that displays information necessary for a maintenance staff to deal with an abnormality in the ultrasound system 10. Regarding the maintenance staff information table TS, only the differences from the monitor staff information table TE shown in Fig. 5 will be explained, and the other contents are the same as those of the monitor staff information table TE, so explanations will be omitted. In the maintenance staff information table TS shown in Fig. 6, TS1 to TS6, TS9 to TS11, and OC are the same information as TE1 to TE6, TE9 to TE11, and OC in the monitor information table TE shown in Fig. 5. In the maintenance staff information table TS, information used by the monitor to judge anomalies that does not need to be referred to by the maintenance staff may be hidden. Specifically, for example, in the maintenance staff information table TS, operating time information TS9 and target output information TS10 may be hidden. Here, for example, the abnormality candidate information TE7 registered in the monitor information table TE by the monitor may differ from the actual content of the abnormality. In such a case, the abnormality content information TS7 in the maintenance staff information table TS may be updated based on the results of on-site confirmation by the security personnel. The abnormality content information TS7 in the maintenance staff information table TS may be stored as abnormality content information TL7 in the history information table TL after the abnormality has been dealt with. Alternatively, in order to prevent the occurrence of exceptional responses on-site, the abnormality content information TL7 may be hidden in the maintenance staff information table TS in order to centralize judgment regarding abnormalities. In the maintenance personnel information table TS shown in Fig. 6, instead of the candidate action information TE8 in the monitor information table TE, action content information TS8 is displayed. While the candidate action information TE8 is a candidate action method proposed by the monitor, the action content information TS8 indicates the content of the action actually taken by the maintenance personnel. The action content information TS8 is input by the maintenance personnel. Further, the send button TS12 in the maintenance staff information table TS differs from the send button TE12 in the monitor staff information table TE only in that the send button TS12 is used when the maintenance staff sends information to the monitor staff.

[0070] FIG. 7 is an example of a screen displayed on the output unit 33 of the customer terminal 30C. As shown in FIG. 7, for example, a customer information table TC is displayed on the output section 33 of the customer terminal 30C. The customer information table TC is a user interface for displaying information necessary for a customer to deal with an abnormality in the ultrasound system 10. In the customer information table TC shown in Fig. 7, the top row indicates the content of the information shown in the second row from the top onwards. In the customer information table TC shown in Fig. 7, the second row from the top onwards records detailed information about an abnormality that has occurred in the ultrasound system 10, separated for each row. As shown in FIG. 7, the customer information table TC displays, for each abnormality that occurs, status information TC1, urgency information TC2, date and time information TC3, transducer identification number TC4, response timing information TC5, necessity of entry TC6, recovery schedule TC7, and response status TC8.

[0071] The status information TC1 indicates that an abnormality has occurred in the ultrasonic system 10 installed in the piping PL owned by the client. The urgency information TC2 is the same as the urgency information TE2 in the monitor information table TE. In the customer information table TC, for example, only abnormalities whose urgency exceeds a predetermined standard may be displayed. For example, as shown in Fig. 7, in the customer information table TC, only abnormalities whose urgency is A or B may be displayed, and abnormalities whose urgency is C or lower may not be displayed. The date and time information TC3 is the same information as the date and time information TL1 in the history information table TL. The transducer identification number TC4 is the same information as the transducer identification number TL6 in the history information table TL.

[0072] The response time information TC5 is information indicating the date and time when the maintenance personnel is expected to start responding to the abnormality. For example, the response time information TC5 is displayed based on information input by a security guard after the maintenance personnel and the customer have completed arrangements for the maintenance personnel to visit the first area A1. The entry necessity TC6 indicates whether or not a maintenance person needs to enter the first area A1 to deal with the abnormality. For example, the customer coordinates with the maintenance person regarding the entry into the first area A1 based on the entry necessity TC6. This preferably enables the maintenance person to more smoothly deal with the abnormality. The recovery schedule TC7 is information indicating the date and time when the maintenance personnel is expected to finish dealing with the abnormality. The recovery schedule TC7 is registered by the maintenance personnel, for example, based on the maintenance personnel's judgment. The response status TC8 is information indicating whether or not the maintenance staff has completed the response to the abnormality. In the example shown in Fig. 7, the second row from the top of the customer information table TC indicates "not yet responded to," "responded to," and "responded to." The response status TC8 is registered by, for example, a maintenance staff member.

[0073] (Procedure for responding to abnormalities) The procedure for dealing with an abnormality that occurs in the ultrasound system 10 using the abnormality determination system 1 according to this embodiment will be described. FIG. 8 shows a workflow for dealing with an abnormality that occurs in the ultrasound system 10 according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 8, the workflow according to this embodiment includes a first step S1, a second step S2, and a third step S3.

[0074] (First Step) In the first step S1, for example, an observer judges an abnormality in the ultrasonic system 10 (judging step). When judging an abnormality in the ultrasonic system 10, the receiving means 23a first receives the operating state information (receiving step). The operating state information received by the receiving means 23a is displayed on the output unit 33 as the operating state information OC as described above. In this embodiment, the abnormality is judged, for example, by the observer visually checking the operating state information OC displayed on the output unit 33 of the observer terminal 30A. At this time, the information displayed on the operating state information OC may be, for example, information about the ultrasonic transducer 11 that may be abnormal, which is automatically detected by the server 20 or the like. When the observer judges that an abnormality has occurred in the ultrasonic system 10 (S1: YES), the observer inputs information about the abnormality using the observer terminal 30A. Specifically, the observer inputs, for example, the specific content of the abnormality that has occurred and a method of dealing with the abnormality that has occurred from the terminal to the system (step S1a), and proceeds to the second step S2. If the monitor does not determine that an abnormality has occurred in the ultrasonic system 10 (S1: NO), the monitor attempts to improve the situation by controlling operation and then continues to determine (monitor) the abnormality in the ultrasonic system 10. In other words, the monitor continues the first step S1. The first step S1 by the monitor is performed as needed until the transition to the second step S2 occurs. The above-mentioned various information input by the monitor is stored in the storage unit of the server 20. The server 20 transmits the various information to the maintenance staff terminal 30B and the customer terminal 30C. Hereinafter, the above-mentioned various information input by the monitor will be simply referred to as various information.

[0075] (Second step) In the second step S2, first, the maintenance staff checks various information using the maintenance staff terminal 30B, and the customer checks various information using the customer terminal 30C (step S2a). After confirming the various information, the maintenance worker and the customer make arrangements to visit the first area A1 (step S2b). Specifically, for example, the time when the maintenance worker will arrive at the first area A1 is confirmed, and various procedures for entering the first area A1 are carried out. When making arrangements for the visit to the first area A1, the maintenance worker inputs into the maintenance worker terminal 30B the expected date and time when the maintenance worker will arrive at the first area A1 and be able to start dealing with the problem, and the expected date and time when the maintenance worker will complete the dealing with the problem and restore the ultrasound system 10. The information thus input is stored in the storage unit 22 of the server 20, and can be displayed as the dealing time information TC5 and the restoration schedule TC7 in the customer information table TC. A maintenance worker visits the first area A1 and deals with the abnormality of the ultrasound system 10 based on various information (step S2c). At this time, the maintenance worker may take action based on the instructions from the monitor that are displayed on the maintenance worker terminal 30B. That is, the maintenance worker may take action based on the action content information TS8 displayed on the maintenance worker information table TS. After that, the maintenance worker inputs information related to the action using the maintenance worker terminal 30B (step S2d). Specifically, the maintenance worker inputs, for example, the action content that was actually taken in response to the abnormality and the fact that the action against the abnormality has been completed based on the action content. The information input by the maintenance personnel is transmitted by the server 20 to the monitor terminal 30A.

[0076] (Third Step) In the third step S3, the monitor uses the monitor terminal 30A to understand that the maintenance personnel have completed their response, and then again judges whether there is an abnormality in the corresponding ultrasound system 10. If the abnormality has been resolved (S3: YES), the monitor inputs to the monitor terminal 30A that the corresponding ultrasound system 10 has been restored (step S3a), and returns to the first step S1 to resume monitoring. If the abnormality has not been resolved (S3: NO), the monitor returns to step S2c and instructs the maintenance personnel to take action again. The content of the response in this case may be determined, for example, by the monitor or the maintenance personnel. In this embodiment, the monitoring of the ultrasonic system 10 by the monitor is performed continuously as long as the plant continues to operate (S4: YES). For example, when the plant operation is temporarily stopped for cleaning or inspection of the plant (S4: NO), the monitoring of the ultrasonic system 10 by the monitor may be interrupted.

[0077] Through the above-mentioned work procedure, an abnormality is dealt with in the ultrasound system 10. Details of the work carried out for the abnormality through the above-mentioned procedure may be appropriately stored as a work content history in the storage unit 22 of the server 20. A history information table TL may be created based on such a work content history. The work content history recorded in this manner may be displayed on the monitor terminal 30A or the maintenance worker terminal 30B, and may be accumulated as data on the frequency, time, and content of responses in a plurality of first areas A1, and may be used to estimate the timing of the next abnormality response, evaluate the work quality, etc. This may contribute to the consideration of the number of man-hours and personnel allocation of security personnel, and the consideration of improving the work quality. This evaluation may be performed, for example, by the provider of the ultrasound system 10.

[0078] As described above, according to the abnormality determination system 1 of this embodiment, the operating state information indicating the operating state of each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers 11 provided in the first area A1 is received by the receiving means 23a provided in the second area A2 from the external control device 12 connected to each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers 11. Then, based on the operating state information received by the receiving means 23a, the abnormality of each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers 11 is determined by the determining means 23b provided in the second area A2. As a result, the abnormality of each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers 11 provided in the first area A1 can be determined in the second area A2. Therefore, for example, even if the first area A1 in which the ultrasonic transducers 11 are provided are located in a plurality of separate locations, the abnormality of the ultrasonic transducers 11 in each of the plurality of first areas A1 can be determined in the second area A2.

[0079] Further, each of the ultrasonic transducers 11 is attached to a first location P1 of a predetermined facility in the first area A1. Each of the ultrasonic transducers 11 is detachable from the first location P1 and can prevent dirt from the first location P1. Thus, each of the ultrasonic transducers 11 has the same purpose of preventing dirt from the first location P1 of the predetermined facility and is provided at the same location, the first location P1. In this way, by providing a plurality of ultrasonic transducers 11 for the same purpose at the same location, the ultrasonic energy required at the first location P1 can be sufficiently guaranteed. Therefore, dirt can be more reliably prevented from the first location P1.

[0080] The total output value of the ultrasonic transducers 11 installed in the first area A1 may be determined by agreement with the client who owns the first location P1 to the first area A1. In this case, it is required that the total output value of the ultrasonic transducers 11 does not fall below the determined value. Therefore, the determination means 23b determines that one of the ultrasonic transducers 11 is abnormal when the decrease in ultrasonic energy of one of the ultrasonic transducers 11 cannot be compensated for by an increase in ultrasonic energy of the transducers other than the one of the ultrasonic transducers 11. This makes it easier to quickly deal with the abnormality of the ultrasonic transducer 11. Therefore, for example, it is easier to prevent the value of the total output of the ultrasonic transducers 11 from falling below a set value.

[0081] The operating hours of the ultrasonic transducers 11 installed in the first area A1 may be determined by agreement with a client who is the owner of the first location P1 to the first area A1. In this case, it is required that the operating hours of the ultrasonic transducers 11 do not fall below the determined time. Therefore, when one of the ultrasonic transducers 11 cannot generate ultrasonic waves, the determination means 23b determines that one of the ultrasonic transducers 11 is abnormal. This makes it easier to quickly deal with the abnormality of the ultrasonic transducer 11. Therefore, for example, it is easier to prevent the operating time of the ultrasonic transducers 11 from falling below a set time.

[0082] Furthermore, the determination means 23b determines that the ultrasonic transducers 11 are abnormal when the total output of the ultrasonic transducers 11 is less than a predetermined output. This makes it easier to quickly deal with the abnormality of the ultrasonic transducer 11. Therefore, for example, it is easier to prevent the total output value of the ultrasonic transducers 11 from falling below a set value.

[0083] Furthermore, the determination means 23b determines that one of the ultrasonic transducers 11 is abnormal when any of the following occurs in one of the ultrasonic transducers 11: failure or deterioration, a decrease in the force pressed against the first location P1, or a shift in the attachment position to the first location P1. This makes it easier to quickly deal with the abnormality in the ultrasonic transducer 11.

[0084] Furthermore, when the number of the ultrasonic transducers 11 determined to be abnormal by the determination means 23b is equal to or greater than a predetermined number, the determination means 23c determines that the ultrasonic system 10 including the ultrasonic transducers 11 and the external control device 12 is abnormal. This makes it easier to quickly deal with the abnormality of the ultrasonic transducers 11. Furthermore, by determining that the external control device 12 is also abnormal in the above-mentioned cases, it makes it easier to appropriately deal with the abnormality of the ultrasonic system 10 including the ultrasonic transducers 11 and the external control device 12.

[0085] Furthermore, the determining means 23c determines that the external control device 12 is abnormal when the receiving means 23a cannot receive the operating state information from the external control device 12. This makes it easier to quickly deal with the abnormality of the external control device 12.

[0086] Furthermore, the operating state information received by the receiving means 23a from the external control device 12 includes any one of the drive frequency of each of the multiple ultrasonic transducers 11, the phase difference between the first voltage applied to each of the multiple ultrasonic transducers 11 and the current generated by the first voltage, the impedance waveform of the system including the multiple ultrasonic transducers 11 and the first location P1, and the ultrasonic energy of each of the multiple ultrasonic transducers 11. This makes it possible to more reliably determine an abnormality in the ultrasonic transducer 11, for example, without attaching a vibration meter to the piping PL.

[0087] Furthermore, the notification means 23d notifies the customer of the abnormality information indicating that one of the ultrasonic transducers 11 is abnormal, the action time information indicating the time when a maintenance person will take action on the abnormality indicated by the abnormality information, and the recovery time information indicating the time when one of the ultrasonic transducers 11 will recover from the abnormality indicated by the abnormality information, in association with each other. This makes it possible to appropriately convey the information desired by the customer, who is the owner of the first location P1 to the first area A1, to the customer.

[0088] For example, when the degree of the abnormality determined by the determination means 23b exceeds a predetermined standard, a more immediate response may be required. Therefore, when the degree of the abnormality determined by the determination means 23b exceeds the predetermined standard, the notification means 23d notifies the customer of the abnormality determined by the determination means 23b. This allows the customer to quickly understand that the degree of the abnormality determined by the determination means 23b has exceeded the predetermined standard. Therefore, for example, it becomes easier to quickly make adjustments to respond to the abnormality.

[0089] Furthermore, the notification means 23d notifies the maintenance personnel of the abnormality information indicating that one of the ultrasonic transducers 11 is abnormal and the abnormality degree information indicating the degree of the abnormality indicated by the abnormality information in association with each other. This allows the maintenance personnel to, for example, take appropriate measures against the abnormal ultrasonic transducer 11 according to the degree of the abnormality.

[0090] Furthermore, the notification means 23d notifies the maintenance personnel of the abnormality information indicating that one of the ultrasonic transducers 11 is abnormal, in association with the countermeasure information indicating the countermeasure for the abnormality indicated by the abnormality information. This allows the maintenance personnel to easily grasp, for example, the countermeasure for the abnormal ultrasonic transducer 11.

[0091] Furthermore, the notification means 23d notifies the maintenance personnel of the operation status information indicating the operation status of each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers 11. This allows the maintenance personnel to easily grasp, for example, whether the abnormality has been resolved by dealing with the abnormal ultrasonic transducer 11.

[0092] Furthermore, when one of the ultrasonic transducers 11 is newly determined to be abnormal by the determination means 23b, the memory control means 23e newly stores in the memory unit 22 first area information indicating the first area A1 in which the one of the ultrasonic transducers 11 is provided. This makes it possible to identify, for example, an area in which the first area information has been stored multiple times as an area in which there are many abnormal ultrasonic transducers 11. This makes it possible, for example, to more appropriately allocate maintenance personnel.

[0093] Furthermore, the ultrasonic transducers 11 include unused spares. As a result, for example, when an abnormality occurs in one of the ultrasonic transducers 11, the unused spare ultrasonic transducer 11 can be operated to deal with the abnormality. Also, such a response can be performed by a worker of the client who is the owner of the first location P1 to the first area A1, for example, before a maintenance worker arrives at the installation location of the ultrasonic transducer 11 where the abnormality occurred. Therefore, it is possible to more quickly and easily respond to the abnormality.

[0094] The technical scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. For example, although the device provided in the facility has been described as the ultrasonic system 10 attached to the piping PL in the plant, the device is not limited to this. The device provided in the facility may be any device, such as a heat exchanger or a concentrator in a papermaking plant or a food plant. In other words, the ultrasonic system 10 in the above-mentioned anomaly determination system 1 may be replaced with any other device. In that case, the operating state information of the above-mentioned ultrasonic transducer 11 and the method of dealing with anomalies may be replaced with appropriate corresponding ones. Also, although it has been explained that whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the ultrasonic transducer 11 may be determined by an observer, an artificial intelligence may make the determination instead of the observer. Furthermore, each of the above-mentioned tasks performed by the observer may be performed by an artificial intelligence instead of the observer. Furthermore, the contents of the observer's determination regarding an abnormality may be learned by machine learning. In this way, the artificial intelligence may determine whether or not an abnormality has occurred in the ultrasonic transducer 11 based on the results of the machine learning. Furthermore, the operating status information may include any information other than those described above. In addition, if the multiple ultrasonic transducers 11 include an unused spare, emergency measures such as switching the connection between the external control device 12 and the ultrasonic transducer 11 in which the abnormality has occurred to the unused spare ultrasonic transducer 11 may be performed by the customer's worker before a maintenance worker arrives at the site where the abnormality has occurred.

[0095] In addition, within the scope of the present disclosure, the components in the above-described embodiments may be replaced with well-known components as appropriate, and the above-described modified examples may be combined as appropriate.

[0096] (Additional Note) The abnormality determination system according to the embodiment can be understood, for example, as follows.

[0097] <1> An abnormality determination system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is characterized in that it comprises a plurality of ultrasonic transducers provided in a first area, an external control device provided in the first area and connected to each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers, a receiving means provided in a second area and receiving operating status information indicating an operating status of each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers from the external control device, and a determination means provided in the second area and determining an abnormality in each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers based on the operating status information received by the receiving means.

[0098] According to the above-mentioned anomaly determination system, the operating state information indicating the operating state of each of the ultrasonic transducers provided in the first region is received by the receiving means provided in the second region from an external control device connected to each of the ultrasonic transducers. Then, based on the operating state information received by the receiving means, the abnormality of each of the ultrasonic transducers is determined by the determining means provided in the second region. This makes it possible to determine the abnormality of each of the ultrasonic transducers provided in the first region in the second region. Therefore, for example, even if the first regions in which ultrasonic transducers are provided are located at separate locations, it is possible to determine the abnormality of the ultrasonic transducers in each of the first regions in the second region.

[0099] <2> the above <1> In the abnormality determination system according to the present invention, each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers may be attached to a first location of a predetermined facility located in the first area, and each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers may be detachable from the first location and capable of preventing contamination of the first location.

[0100] Further, each of the multiple ultrasonic transducers is attached to a first location of a predetermined facility located in a first region. Each of the multiple ultrasonic transducers is detachable from the first location, and can prevent dirt from the first location. In this manner, each of the multiple ultrasonic transducers has the same purpose of preventing dirt from the first location of the predetermined facility, and is provided in the same location, the first location. In this manner, by providing multiple ultrasonic transducers for the same purpose in the same location, it is possible to sufficiently ensure the ultrasonic energy required in the first location. Therefore, it is possible to more reliably prevent dirt from the first location.

[0101] <3> the above <1> or <2> In the abnormality determination system according to the present invention, the determination means may be configured to determine that one of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers is abnormal when a decrease in ultrasonic energy of one of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers cannot be compensated for by an increase in ultrasonic energy of the transducers other than the one of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers.

[0102] The value of the total output of the multiple ultrasonic transducers installed in the first region may be determined by agreement with the customer who is the owner of the first location or the first region. In this case, it is required that the value of the total output of the multiple ultrasonic transducers does not fall below the determined value. Therefore, the determining means determines that one of the ultrasonic transducers is abnormal when the decrease in ultrasonic energy of one of the ultrasonic transducers cannot be compensated for by the increase in ultrasonic energy of the other ultrasonic transducers. This makes it easier to quickly deal with the abnormality of the ultrasonic transducer. Therefore, for example, it is easier to prevent the total output value of the ultrasonic transducers from falling below a predetermined value.

[0103] <4> the above <1> from <3> In the abnormality determination system according to any one of the above aspects, the determination means may be configured to determine that one of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers is abnormal when the one of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers is unable to generate ultrasonic waves.

[0104] The operating hours of the ultrasonic transducers installed in the first region may be determined by agreement with the customer who is the owner of the first location or the first region. In this case, it is required that the operating hours of the ultrasonic transducers are not shorter than the determined time. Therefore, when one of the ultrasonic transducers cannot generate ultrasonic waves, the determining means determines that one of the ultrasonic transducers is abnormal. This makes it easier to quickly deal with the abnormality of the ultrasonic transducer. Therefore, for example, it is easier to prevent the operating time of the ultrasonic transducers from falling below a predetermined time.

[0105] <5> the above <1> from <4> In the abnormality determination system according to any one of the above aspects, the determination means may be configured to determine that the plurality of ultrasonic transducers are abnormal when the total output of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers is less than a predetermined output.

[0106] In addition, the determination means determines that the ultrasonic transducers are abnormal when the total output of the ultrasonic transducers is less than a predetermined output. This makes it easier to quickly deal with the abnormality of the ultrasonic transducers. Therefore, for example, it is easier to prevent the total output of the ultrasonic transducers from falling below a predetermined value.

[0107] <6> the above <1> from <5> In the abnormality determination system according to any one of the above embodiments, the determination means may be configured to determine that one of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers is abnormal when one of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers experiences any of the following: failure or deterioration, a decrease in the force pressed against the first location, and a shift in its mounting position relative to the first location.

[0108] In addition, the determination means determines that one of the ultrasonic transducers is abnormal when one of the ultrasonic transducers has a breakdown or deterioration, a decrease in the force pressed against the first location, or a shift in the attachment position to the first location. This makes it easier to quickly deal with the abnormality in the ultrasonic transducer.

[0109] <7> the above <1> from <6> In the abnormality determination system according to any one of the above aspects, a configuration may be adopted which further includes a discrimination means for discriminating that an ultrasonic system including the plurality of ultrasonic transducers and the external control device is abnormal when a predetermined number or more of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers are judged to be abnormal by the judgment means.

[0110] Furthermore, when the number of ultrasonic transducers that are determined to be abnormal by the determination means is equal to or greater than a predetermined number, the determination means determines that the ultrasonic system including the ultrasonic transducers and the external control device is abnormal. This makes it easier to quickly deal with the abnormality of the ultrasonic transducers. In addition, by determining that the external control device is also abnormal in the above-mentioned case, it makes it easier to appropriately deal with the abnormality of the ultrasonic system including the ultrasonic transducers and the external control device.

[0111] <8> the above <1> from <7> In the abnormality determination system according to any one of the above aspects, a configuration may be adopted that further includes a determination means for determining that the external control device is abnormal when the receiving means is unable to receive the operating status information.

[0112] Furthermore, the determining means determines that the external control device is abnormal when the receiving means cannot receive the operating status information from the external control device, which makes it easier to quickly deal with the abnormality in the external control device.

[0113] <9> the above <1> from <8> In the abnormality determination system according to any one of the above aspects, the operating status information may include any one of a driving frequency of each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers, a phase difference between a first voltage applied to each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers and a current generated by the first voltage, an impedance waveform of a system including the plurality of ultrasonic transducers and a first location of a specified facility in the first area, and ultrasonic energy of each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers.

[0114] Moreover, the operating state information received by the receiving means from the external control device includes any one of the drive frequency of each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers, the phase difference between the first voltage applied to each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers and the current generated by the first voltage, the impedance waveform of the system including the plurality of ultrasonic transducers and the first location, and the ultrasonic energy of each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers. This makes it possible to more reliably determine an abnormality in the ultrasonic transducers, for example, without attaching a vibration meter to the piping.

[0115] <10> the above <1> from <9> In any one of the above embodiments of the abnormality determination system, a configuration may be adopted that further includes a notification means for associating abnormality information indicating that one of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers is abnormal, response time information indicating when a maintenance worker will respond to the abnormality indicated by the abnormality information, and recovery time information indicating when one of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers will recover from the abnormality indicated by the abnormality information, and notifying a customer of the association.

[0116] The notification means notifies the customer of the abnormality information indicating that one of the ultrasonic transducers is abnormal, the action time information indicating the time when a maintenance person will take action on the abnormality indicated by the abnormality information, and the recovery time information indicating the time when one of the ultrasonic transducers will recover from the abnormality indicated by the abnormality information, in association with each other. This makes it possible to appropriately convey the information desired by the customer, who is the owner of the first location or the first region, to the customer.

[0117] <11> the above <1> from <10> In any one of the above embodiments of the abnormality determination system, a configuration may be adopted that further includes a notification means for notifying a customer of the abnormality determined by the determination means when the degree of the abnormality determined by the determination means exceeds a predetermined standard.

[0118] For example, when the degree of abnormality determined by the determination means exceeds a predetermined standard, a more immediate response may be required. Therefore, when the degree of abnormality determined by the determination means exceeds the predetermined standard, the notification means notifies the customer of the abnormality determined by the determination means. This allows the customer to quickly understand that the degree of abnormality determined by the determination means has exceeded the predetermined standard. Therefore, for example, it becomes easier to quickly make adjustments to respond to the abnormality.

[0119] <12> the above <1> from <11> In the abnormality determination system according to any one of the above embodiments, a configuration may be adopted that further includes a notification means for associating abnormality information indicating that one of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers is abnormal with abnormality degree information indicating the degree of abnormality indicated by the abnormality information, and notifying a maintenance worker of the association.

[0120] In addition, the notification means notifies the maintenance personnel of the abnormality information indicating that one of the ultrasonic transducers is abnormal and the abnormality degree information indicating the degree of the abnormality indicated by the abnormality information in association with each other. This allows the maintenance personnel to, for example, take appropriate action against the abnormal ultrasonic transducer depending on the degree of the abnormality.

[0121] <13> the above <1> from <12> In the abnormality determination system according to any one of the above embodiments, a configuration may be adopted that further includes a notification means for associating abnormality information indicating that one of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers is abnormal with response content information indicating the content of the response to the abnormality indicated by the abnormality information, and notifying a maintenance worker of the association.

[0122] In addition, the notification means notifies the maintenance personnel of the abnormality information indicating that one of the ultrasonic transducers is abnormal and the countermeasure information indicating the countermeasure for the abnormality indicated by the abnormality information in association with each other. This allows the maintenance personnel to easily grasp the countermeasure for the abnormal ultrasonic transducer, for example.

[0123] <14> the above <1> from <13> In the abnormality determination system according to any one of the above aspects, a configuration may be adopted in which the abnormality determination system further comprises a notification means for notifying a maintenance person of the operating state information.

[0124] In addition, the notification means notifies the maintenance personnel of the operation status information indicating the operation status of each of the ultrasonic transducers, so that the maintenance personnel can easily grasp, for example, whether the abnormality has been resolved by dealing with the abnormal ultrasonic transducer.

[0125] <15> the above <1> from <14> In the abnormality judgment system according to any one of the above embodiments, a configuration may be adopted which further includes a memory control means for causing, when one of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers is newly judged to be abnormal by the judgment means, a memory unit to newly store first regional information indicating the first region in which one of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers is installed.

[0126] Furthermore, when one of the ultrasonic transducers is newly determined to be abnormal by the determination means, the storage control means newly stores in the storage unit first area information indicating a first area in which the one of the ultrasonic transducers is installed. This makes it possible, for example, to identify an area in which the first area information has been stored multiple times as an area in which there are many abnormal ultrasonic transducers. This makes it easier to more appropriately allocate maintenance personnel, for example.

[0127] <16> the above <1> from <15> In the abnormality determination system according to any one of the above aspects, a configuration may be adopted in which the plurality of ultrasonic transducers includes an unused spare.

[0128] The ultrasonic transducers also include unused spares. This allows, for example, when an abnormality occurs in one of the ultrasonic transducers, to respond to the abnormality by operating the unused spare ultrasonic transducer. This response can also be performed by a worker of the customer who is the owner of the first location or the first region, for example, before a maintenance worker arrives at the installation location of the ultrasonic transducer where the abnormality occurred. This makes it easier to respond to the abnormality more quickly.

[0129] <17> An abnormality determination method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is a method for determining abnormalities in multiple ultrasonic transducers installed in a first region, and is characterized in that it includes a receiving step of receiving, in a second region, operating status information indicating the operating status of each of the multiple ultrasonic transducers, and a determination step of determining abnormalities in each of the multiple ultrasonic transducers in the second region based on the operating status information received by the receiving step.

[0130] <18> A program according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes: <1> from <16> The present invention is characterized in that the system functions as an abnormality determination system according to any one of the above aspects. [Explanation of symbols]

[0131] 1. Anomaly Judgment System 10 Ultrasound Systems 11 Ultrasonic transducer 12 External control device 20 Servers 21 Communications Department 22 Memory section 23 Control Unit 23a Receiving means 23b Judgment means 23c Discrimination means 23d Means of Notification 23e Storage control means 30 Terminal Equipment 30A Monitor terminal 30B Maintenance personnel terminal 30C Customer terminal 31 Communications Department 32 Input section 33 Output section 34 Storage section 35 Control section A1 Region 1 A2 Region 2 N Network P1 1st Place PL piping S1 First Step S2 2nd step S3 Third step

Claims

1. A plurality of ultrasonic transducers provided in a first region; an external control device provided in the first area and connected to each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers; a receiving means provided in a second region and configured to receive operation status information indicating an operation status of each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers from the external control device; a determination means that is provided in the second region and determines an abnormality in each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers based on the operation status information received by the receiving means, Each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers is attached to a first location of a predetermined facility located in the first region, Each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers is detachable from the first location and can prevent contamination of the first location; The determination means determines that one of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers is abnormal when a decrease in ultrasonic energy of one of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers cannot be compensated for by an increase in ultrasonic energy of the transducers other than the one of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers. The abnormality determination system according to the present invention is characterized in that

2. A plurality of ultrasonic transducers provided in a first region; an external control device provided in the first area and connected to each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers; a receiving means provided in a second region and configured to receive operation status information indicating an operation status of each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers from the external control device; a determination means that is provided in the second region and determines an abnormality in each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers based on the operation status information received by the receiving means, Each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers is attached to a first location of a predetermined facility located in the first region, Each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers is detachable from the first location and can prevent contamination of the first location; The determination means determines that one of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers is abnormal when the one of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers cannot generate ultrasonic waves. The abnormality determination system according to the present invention is characterized in that

3. A plurality of ultrasonic transducers provided in a first region; an external control device provided in the first area and connected to each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers; a receiving means provided in a second region and configured to receive operation status information indicating an operation status of each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers from the external control device; a determination means that is provided in the second region and determines an abnormality in each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers based on the operation status information received by the receiving means, Each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers is attached to a first location of a predetermined facility located in the first region, Each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers is detachable from the first location and can prevent contamination of the first location; The determination means determines that the ultrasonic transducers are abnormal when a total output of the ultrasonic transducers is less than a predetermined output. The abnormality determination system according to the present invention is characterized in that

4. A plurality of ultrasonic transducers provided in a first region; an external control device provided in the first area and connected to each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers; a receiving means provided in a second region and configured to receive operation status information indicating an operation status of each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers from the external control device; a determination means that is provided in the second region and determines an abnormality in each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers based on the operation status information received by the receiving means, Each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers is attached to a first location of a predetermined facility located in the first region, Each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers is detachable from the first location and can prevent contamination of the first location; The determination means determines that one of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers is abnormal when any of the following occurs in one of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers: failure or deterioration, a decrease in the force pressed against the first location, and a shift in the attachment position to the first location. The abnormality determination system according to the present invention is characterized in that

5. A plurality of ultrasonic transducers provided in a first region; an external control device provided in the first area and connected to each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers; a receiving means provided in a second region and configured to receive operation status information indicating an operation status of each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers from the external control device; a determination means that is provided in the second region and determines an abnormality in each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers based on the operation status information received by the receiving means, Each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers is attached to a first location of a predetermined facility located in the first region, Each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers is detachable from the first location and can prevent contamination of the first location; a determination means for determining that an ultrasound system including the plurality of ultrasound transducers and the external control device is abnormal when a predetermined number or more of the plurality of ultrasound transducers are determined to be abnormal by the determination means; The abnormality determination system further comprises:

6. A plurality of ultrasonic transducers provided in a first region; an external control device provided in the first area and connected to each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers; a receiving means provided in a second region and configured to receive operation status information indicating an operation status of each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers from the external control device; a determination means that is provided in the second region and determines an abnormality in each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers based on the operation status information received by the receiving means, Each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers is attached to a first location of a predetermined facility located in the first region, Each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers is detachable from the first location and can prevent contamination of the first location; a determination means for determining that the external control device is abnormal when the receiving means cannot receive the operating state information; The abnormality determination system further comprises:

7. A plurality of ultrasonic transducers provided in a first region; an external control device provided in the first area and connected to each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers; a receiving means provided in a second region and configured to receive operation status information indicating an operation status of each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers from the external control device; a determination means that is provided in the second region and determines an abnormality in each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers based on the operation status information received by the receiving means, The operating state information includes any one of a driving frequency of each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers, a phase difference between a first voltage applied to each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers and a current generated by the first voltage, an impedance waveform of a system including the plurality of ultrasonic transducers and a first location of a predetermined facility in the first area, and an ultrasonic energy of each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers. The abnormality determination system according to the present invention is characterized in that

8. A plurality of ultrasonic transducers provided in a first region; an external control device provided in the first area and connected to each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers; a receiving means provided in a second region and configured to receive operation status information indicating an operation status of each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers from the external control device; a determination means for determining an abnormality in each of the ultrasonic transducers based on the operation status information received by the receiving means, the determination means being provided in the second region; a notification means for notifying a customer of anomaly information indicating that one of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers is abnormal, action time information indicating when a maintenance person will take action on the abnormality indicated by the anomaly information, and recovery time information indicating when one of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers will recover from the abnormality indicated by the anomaly information, in association with each other; An abnormality determination system comprising:

9. a notification means for notifying a customer of the abnormality determined by the determination means when the degree of the abnormality determined by the determination means exceeds a predetermined standard; The abnormality determination system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising:

10. a notification means for associating abnormality information indicating that one of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers is abnormal with abnormality degree information indicating the degree of the abnormality indicated by the abnormality information, and notifying a maintenance worker of the abnormality information; The abnormality determination system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising:

11. a notification means for associating abnormality information indicating that one of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers is abnormal with countermeasure information indicating countermeasures for the abnormality indicated by the abnormality information, and notifying a maintenance worker of the associated abnormality information; The abnormality determination system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising:

12. a notification means for notifying a maintenance person of the operation status information; The abnormality determination system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising:

13. a storage control means for causing a storage unit to newly store first area information indicating the first area in which one of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers is provided when the one of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers is newly determined to be abnormal by the determination means; 9. The abnormality determination system according to claim 1, further comprising:

14. The plurality of ultrasonic transducers includes an unused spare.

9. The abnormality determination system according to claim 1,

15. A method for determining an abnormality in a plurality of ultrasonic transducers provided in a first region, comprising: A receiving step of receiving, in a second region, operation status information indicating an operation status of each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers; and a determination step of determining an abnormality in each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers in the second region based on the operation status information received by the receiving step, The operating state information includes any one of a driving frequency of each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers, a phase difference between a first voltage applied to each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers and a current generated by the first voltage, an impedance waveform of a system including the plurality of ultrasonic transducers and a first location of a predetermined facility in the first area, and an ultrasonic energy of each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers. The abnormality determination method according to the present invention is characterized in that

16. A program causing a computer to function as the abnormality determination system according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

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