Mobile Field Data Acquisition for Safer Plant Maintenance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for maintaining field devices in industrial plants are inefficient due to the need for manual, close-range data acquisition, which is time-consuming and risky, especially when devices are located in hard-to-reach areas, and existing wireless technologies face challenges with power consumption and complexity.
Innovation Solution
A mobile device with wireless communication capabilities manages and acquires data from field devices using low-power communication protocols like BLE, allowing for image-based or list-based selection and acquisition, reducing the need for operators to be physically close to the devices and enabling efficient data collection from multiple devices simultaneously.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual data acquisition using dedicated tools is used, then data can be acquired from field devices, but maintenance time increases and safety risks arise when devices are in hard-to-reach areas
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical data acquisition (operators physically approaching devices with dedicated tools) with wireless automated data acquisition. The mobile device establishes wireless connections to field devices and automatically retrieves data, eliminating the need for operators to physically approach devices in hard-to-reach areas, thereby improving safety while reducing maintenance time.
2Productivity
If operators physically approach field devices for data acquisition, then data can be collected, but work efficiency decreases and labor costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service data acquisition where the mobile device automatically connects to field devices, retrieves data, and processes information without requiring operators to manually approach each device. The system performs data collection autonomously based on stored device information, significantly improving work efficiency while maintaining operational simplicity through automated processes.
3Ease of operation
If wireless communication is implemented for data acquisition, then remote data collection is enabled, but power consumption and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs universal wireless communication protocols (Bluetooth, Wi-Fi) that enable the mobile device to communicate with multiple types of field devices through a single interface. This multi-functional approach allows remote data collection from various devices without increasing system complexity, as the mobile device handles protocol adaptation and manages connections to different device types uniformly.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution significantly reduces maintenance time, enhances safety by allowing remote data acquisition, and simplifies the process, while being compatible with existing field devices and future technologies, thereby improving work efficiency and reducing labor costs.
Implementation Method 1
acquire data using wireless communication from, out of the field devices managed by the data management unit, the field device provided in the plant area selected by user operation
Data Source
AI summary
An information processing system includes a number of field devices provided in a plant and a mobile device that acquires data from the field devices. The mobile device includes a data management unit that manages the field devices that are grouped for each plant area and a processing unit that acquires data using wireless communication from, out of the field devices managed by the data management unit, the field devices provided in the plant area selected by user operation.