Alarm Control Apparatus with Support Information Collection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current alarm control systems in plants face challenges in collecting and managing alarms from equipment that do not spontaneously generate alerts, lack information on the cause and handling of alarms, and have non-standardized formats, making it difficult to analyze and notify maintenance and operating staff effectively.
Innovation Solution
An alarm control apparatus that includes a support information collecting section to add diagnostic and status information, a normalizing section to convert alarms and support information into a common XML format, and a filtering section to facilitate conditional filtering and notification to staff.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If alarms are collected only from equipment that spontaneously generates alerts, then the alarm control system works with standardized formats, but equipment without alarm generation capability cannot be monitored
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism (alarm generation unit) that mediates between equipment without native alarm capability and the alarm control system. This unit collects status information from such equipment and generates standardized alarm messages, enabling monitoring expansion while maintaining system compatibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The alarm control system is designed with universal adaptability to handle multiple information sources: direct alarm signals from equipped devices, status information from equipment without alarm generation, and manually input alarm information. This multi-functional capability allows the system to monitor diverse equipment types through a unified interface.
2Loss of information
If alarm information is delivered in original equipment formats, then data collection is simple, but information on cause and handling is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by pre-defining standardized alarm message formats and information structures before actual alarm generation. This allows raw equipment data to be systematically transformed into comprehensive alarm messages containing cause, status, and handling information without requiring complex real-time processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies parameter changes by transforming alarm information from various equipment formats into a unified standardized format with consistent parameters for cause, status, and handling. This standardization enables comprehensive information delivery while simplifying downstream processing through uniform data structures.
3Ease of operation
If non-standardized alarm formats are used, then equipment-specific information is preserved, but filtering and notification become difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The alarm message format is segmented into distinct functional components: alarm cause, alarm status, and handling information. Each segment can be independently processed, filtered, and displayed, enabling efficient information management while accommodating diverse equipment sources through standardized segmentation.
Data Source
AI summary
An alarm control apparatus which collects alarms from an equipment of a plant and handles the alarms includes a support information collecting section which adds support information for managing the equipment to the alarms.