Train Device Deterioration Diagnosis via Measurement Condition Standardization

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing deterioration diagnosis methods for train devices struggle to acquire data under the same measurement conditions due to variations in operational conditions such as season, weather, and driver differences, making it difficult to diagnose device deterioration accurately.

Innovation Solution

A deterioration diagnosis apparatus that includes a measurement condition storage unit, a determination unit to assess consistency between stored and operational measurement conditions, a unit to extract differences, a control command generation unit, and a transmission unit to adjust measurement conditions on the train, ensuring data is collected under consistent conditions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If periodic inspection is performed to diagnose device deterioration, then diagnosis accuracy is improved, but inspection time increases significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedeterioration diagnosis accuracyVSAvoidinspection time

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary monitoring of device operation data during normal train operation, collecting information about device states under various conditions. This preliminary data collection enables later deterioration diagnosis without requiring dedicated inspection time, as the data is already captured during regular operation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system creates a virtual model of device deterioration by comparing current operation data with historical data and simulated deterioration patterns. Instead of physically inspecting the device, the system uses data copying and comparison to diagnose deterioration, eliminating the need for time-consuming physical inspections.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

2Productivity

If device monitoring is performed during train operation to reduce inspection time, then inspection efficiency is improved, but measurement condition consistency deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinspection efficiencyVSAvoidmeasurement condition consistency

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies different processing methods to different types of operation data based on their characteristics. For data collected under similar conditions, direct comparison is used. For data with varying conditions, the system adjusts and normalizes the data to a common reference frame, ensuring consistent measurement conditions while maintaining high inspection efficiency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The system transforms operation data by changing parameters such as temperature, humidity, and load conditions to standardized reference values. This parameter transformation allows comparison of device states under different operating conditions as if they were measured under identical conditions, maintaining measurement consistency while utilizing diverse operational data.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Reliability

If data from operations under same conditions is extracted for deterioration diagnosis, then diagnosis reliability is improved, but data acquisition difficulty increases due to varying operational conditions

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedeterioration diagnosis reliabilityVSAvoiddata acquisition difficulty

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The system creates a universal data processing framework that can handle multiple types of operation data regardless of the specific operating conditions. By establishing common evaluation criteria and transformation methods, the system makes data from diverse conditions comparable, eliminating the need to find rare identical operational scenarios while maintaining diagnosis reliability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The system introduces an intermediary processing layer that mediates between raw operation data and deterioration diagnosis. This intermediary layer standardizes and normalizes data from varying conditions, transforming them into a common format that enables reliable comparison and diagnosis without requiring the original data to be collected under identical conditions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS12233924B2Deterioration diagnosis apparatus, deterioration diagnosis system, and deterioration diagnosis method

Publication Date: 2025.02.25 MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORP

AI summary

A deterioration diagnosis apparatus includes: a measurement condition storage unit in which first measurement conditions under which measurement is performed for diagnosing a state of a device installed on a train are stored; a measurement condition determination unit determining whether or not the first measurement conditions meet second measurement conditions in operation data that has been acquired from the train and includes a measurement result indicating the state of the device, the second measurement conditions being conditions under which the measurement result has been obtained; a difference condition extraction unit extracting a difference between the first measurement conditions and the second measurement conditions when it is determined that there is inconsistency between the first measurement conditions and the second measurement conditions; a control command generation unit generating a control command for eliminating the difference; and a control command transmission unit transmitting the control command to the train.