Data processing: measuring – calibrating – or testing – Measurement system – Performance or efficiency evaluation
Reexamination Certificate
1998-07-14
2004-04-27
Hoff, Marc S. (Department: 2857)
Data processing: measuring, calibrating, or testing
Measurement system
Performance or efficiency evaluation
C702S035000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06728659
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an equipment inspection and evaluation system for inspecting and evaluating constituent devices of equipment, e.g. steam traps forming parts of a piping system of steam-utilizing equipment. This invention relates also to an equipment management system for managing such equipment on the basis of various information including evaluation of the equipment made by such equipment inspection and evaluation system, and, in particular, to such an equipment management system using a computer.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A steam trap is an automatic valve which automatically drains and removes condensate from steam lines of steam-utilizing equipment of a plant without permitting steam to escape from the lines. If any one of such steam traps fails to operate normally, for example, when steam leaks through the steam trap or the valve becomes inoperative, the efficiency of the plant decreases and, in some cases, the entire plant malfunctions. It is, therefore, important to periodically inspect and evaluate individual steam traps to maintain the steam-utilizing equipment.
In general, steam-utilizing equipment includes a large number of steam traps, and evaluation of them requires a great deal of work and time, and, hence, great cost. Furthermore, in order to make the inspection, evaluation and maintenance of steam traps reliable, information on the equipment, including the results of the evaluation of individual steam traps, should be centrally managed so that operating states of the individual steam traps as part of the entire equipment can be determined.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an equipment inspection and evaluation system which can efficiently inspect and evaluate individual devices forming parts of equipment, e.g. steam traps of steam-utilizing equipment.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an equipment management system which can reliably and efficiently manage information about individual devices, e.g. steam traps, including results of evaluation made by the equipment inspection and evaluation system.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a record medium with an equipment management program stored therein for use in realizing a computerized equipment management system.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention, an equipment inspection and evaluation system for inspecting and evaluating individual devices forming the equipment includes a main memory section in which a plurality of inspection data processing sequences for processing data obtained by inspecting respective ones of a plurality of devices forming the equipment are stored. The system includes also an auxiliary memory section. A sequence storage control section receives at least one externally applied sequence storage command, selects one of the inspection data processing sequences stored in the main memory section corresponding to the received at least one sequence storage command, and stores the selected inspection data processing sequence in the auxiliary memory section. The system includes further a sequence calling section which receives an externally applied sequence calling command corresponding to one of the devices, and selects the inspection data processing sequences stored in the auxiliary memory section corresponding to the received sequence calling command. An inspection data processing section receives inspection data obtained by actual inspection of the one device, processes the received inspection data to evaluate the inspected one device in accordance with the inspection data processing sequence for the one device called by the sequence calling section, and outputs the results of the processing.
The main memory section contains inspection data processing sequences for substantially all of commercially available devices, e.g. steam traps, which means that a large number of inspection data processing sequences are stored in the main memory section.
The inspection data processing section processes data obtained by inspecting a particular device to evaluate the operation of that particular device on the basis of the inspection data processing sequence for that particular device. In other words, different sequences are employed for different devices. Accordingly, reliable evaluation of devices can be made.
These inspection data processing sequences are stored in the main memory section. Since there are a number of such sequences, it is not easy to locate a desired one out of them.
The sequence storage control section selects only ones of the inspection data processing sequences in the main memory section for devices to be evaluated and stores the selected sequences in the auxiliary memory section. The selection and storage in the auxiliary memory section of inspection data processing sequences are done in response to the sequence storage commands applied to the sequence storage control section. When a particular device is to be evaluated, the sequence calling section calls a desired processing sequence corresponding to that particular device stored in the auxiliary memory section. Thus, a desired sequence can be selected from a smaller number of sequences, so that the selection is easier.
The devices forming the equipment may be of a plurality of different types, and the auxiliary memory section may include a plurality of storage regions for the respective types of the devices. The sequence storage control section causes the inspection data processing sequence corresponding to each sequence storage command to be stored in the storage region of the auxiliary memory section for the type of the device to be evaluated in accordance with that inspection data processing sequence. The sequence calling command comprises a combination of a type selection command for selecting a desired one of the types of the devices and a sequence selection command for selecting a desired one of the inspection data processing sequences. The sequence calling section selects one of the storage regions corresponding to the type selected in response to the type selection command, and calls a desired one of the inspection data processing sequences stored in the selected storage region corresponding to the sequence selection command.
The auxiliary memory section is divided into plural storage regions. Inspection data processing sequences to be stored in the auxiliary memory section are sorted in accordance with types of the devices corresponding to the respective inspection data processing sequences, and are stored in the storage regions for the respective types. The sequence calling section first selects the storage region for the type in accordance with a type selection command, e.g. the type of the device to be evaluated. The sequence calling section then calls the inspection data processing sequence corresponding to the sequence selection command, i.e. the sequence for the device to be evaluated, from the processing sequences stored in the selected storage regions. The region from which the inspection data processing sequences are selected is further subdivided.
According to an aspect of the present invention, an equipment inspection and evaluation system is provided for inspecting and evaluating a plurality of devices, including at least one trap and at least one valve, forming equipment, which includes a sequence memory section having stored therein a trap inspection and evaluation sequence to be executed for inspecting and evaluating a trap in a piping system. The sequence memory section has further stored therein a valve inspection and evaluation sequence to be executed for inspecting and evaluating a valve in the piping system. A sequence selecting section selects one of the trap and valve evaluation sequences in response to an externally applied sequence selection command corresponding to a device to be inspected and evaluated. The system further includes a device inspecting and evaluating section for inspecting and evaluating a device in accordance with the inspection and evaluation sequence
Emoto Hiroshi
Nguyen John H.
Barbee Manuel L.
Hoff Marc S.
TLV Company Limited
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