Equipment Diagnostics Using Robot Inspection to Cut False Alarms
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional diagnostics systems for target equipment often result in high human and operational costs due to unnecessary maintenance or repair visits caused by false positive alarms, especially in industries like railways and construction, where equipment is spatially distributed and potentially dangerous.
Innovation Solution
A computer-based diagnostics system that dispatches a mobile robot investigator, such as an unmanned aerial vehicle, to gather additional data like photographic or video images, allowing for a more accurate evaluation of equipment condition, reducing false positives and optimizing human resource use by determining when a human engineer is truly needed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the system calls out a maintenance engineer to avoid equipment breakdowns from inadequate sensor data, then equipment reliability is improved, but human resource costs and time consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a mobile robot investigator as an intermediary between the sensor data and the maintenance engineer. The robot autonomously navigates to the target equipment, collects additional sensor data and images, and transmits this information to the diagnostics system. This intermediary role allows the system to verify alarm conditions without requiring immediate human intervention, thereby maintaining equipment reliability while reducing unnecessary engineer dispatches
Solution Approach 2:
The mobile robot investigator performs self-service by autonomously navigating to the target equipment, collecting additional sensor data and images, and transmitting this information back to the diagnostics system without human intervention. This self-service capability allows the system to independently verify alarm conditions, reducing the need for human engineers to travel to locations that may not require maintenance
2Reliability
If the system sets up to call out maintenance engineers frequently to avoid false negatives, then equipment condition monitoring reliability is improved, but the number of false positive alarms increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the mobile robot investigator collects additional sensor data and images at the target equipment location, which are then fed back to the diagnostics system. The system uses this feedback information to re-evaluate the alarm condition and determine whether maintenance is truly necessary. This feedback loop reduces false positive alarms by providing additional verification data before triggering maintenance dispatch
Solution Approach 2:
The mobile robot investigator performs preliminary investigation actions by autonomously navigating to the target equipment and collecting additional sensor data and images before a maintenance engineer is dispatched. This preliminary action allows the system to pre-verify alarm conditions, reducing the likelihood of sending engineers to locations where maintenance is unnecessary
3Measurement precision
If human engineers visit spatially distributed equipment frequently, then maintenance needs are accurately assessed, but time consumption and operational costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical system of human engineers physically traveling to spatially distributed equipment with an autonomous mobile robot investigator. The robot navigates to target equipment locations, collects sensor data and images, and transmits this information to the diagnostics system. This substitution maintains measurement precision for maintenance assessment while dramatically reducing time consumption, as the robot can autonomously visit multiple locations without the time constraints and costs associated with human travel
4Object-affected harmful factors
If the system dispatches engineers to potentially dangerous locations to verify alarm conditions, then safety is improved, but unnecessary human exposure to danger increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mobile robot investigator serves as an intermediary that can safely access potentially dangerous locations where human engineers would be at risk. The robot autonomously navigates to these locations, collects additional sensor data and images, and transmits this information to the diagnostics system. This intermediary role improves safety by eliminating unnecessary human exposure to dangerous environments while still enabling verification of alarm conditions
Data Source
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AI summary
A computer-based diagnostics system for diagnosing the condition of target equipment (1) is provided. The diagnostics system includes a first diagnostics sub-system (2a) that is configured to: receive sensor data from sensors (3) of the target equipment, make a preliminary evaluation of the condition of the target equipment on the basis of the sensor data, and, when the preliminary evaluation of the condition is indicative of a need for maintenance or repair of the target equipment, issue a request to dispatch a mobile robot investigator (5) to the target equipment in order for the mobile robot investigator to make an investigation of the target equipment. The diagnostics system further includes a second diagnostics sub-system (2b) that is configured to: receive from the mobile robot investigator additional data obtained by the mobile robot investigator during its investigation of the target equipment, make a further evaluation of the condition of the target equipment on the basis of the additional data, and, when the further evaluation of the condition is still indicative of a need for maintenance or repair of the target equipment, issue a request to dispatch an engineer (2b) to the target equipment in order to perform the maintenance or repair.