Patent US4668490A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
Patent EP0927933A2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP0927933A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method and apparatus for remote diagnostics
Assignee: General Electric Co
•
Filing: 1998-11-27
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2018-11-27
Abstract
Abstract The present invention provides for satellite-based remote monitoring of equipment under test (62) to perform predictive assessment from a central diagnostic site which houses a central diagnostic station (51). The satellite-based remote diagnostic system (50) monitors several machines at various geographically remote locations. Information gathered enables the user to assess the health of the equipment under test (62). The user may also utilize the present invention to conduct specialized tests on the equipment under test (62) to aid in predictive maintenance.
Inventors
- 👤 John Erik Hershey
- 👤 Aiman Albert Abdel-Malek
- 👤 Charles Mcdonald Puckette
- 👤 John Anderson Fergus Ross
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 12:44
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04B; H04B7/00; H04B7/14; H04B7/15; H04B7/185; H04B7/18576; G; G06; G06F; G06F11/00; G06F11/22; G06F11/2294
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 26
Claim 1
Independent Claim
88 words
A satellite-based remote diagnostic system (50) for
conducting predictive type maintenance assessment on at least one
remotely located apparatus under test (62), comprising: a central diagnostic station (51); and at least one remote diagnostic unit (53) coupled to said
at least one apparatus under test (62), wherein said at least one
respective remote diagnostic unit (53) is adapted to communicate with
said central diagnostic station (51) so as to provide diagnostic data
from said respective at least one apparatus under test (62) for
predictive maintenance analysis and reports.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
52 words
The remote diagnostic system as recited in claim 1,
wherein a communication service (55) is coupled to said central
diagnostic station (51) and coupled to said at least one remote
diagnostic unit (53) to provide communication means between said
central diagnostic station (51) and said at least one remote diagnostic
unit (53).
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
41 words
The remote diagnostic system (50) as recited in claim
2, wherein said communication service (55) is selected from the group
comprising a "geo-synchronous" based satellite communication
system, a "little LEO" based satellite communications system, and a
two-way pager based communications system.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
81 words
The remote diagnostic system (50) as recited in claim
3 further comprising a diagnostic interface (110) coupled to said
central diagnostic station (51) and coupled to said at least one remote
diagnostic unit (53), wherein said diagnostic interface (110) is adapted
to control diagnostic commands and diagnostic data communicated
between said central diagnostic station (51) and said at least one
remote diagnostic unit (53), and wherein said diagnostic interface(110)
is adapted to control components electrically coupled to said
diagnostic interface (110).
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
137 words
The remote diagnostic system (50) as recited in claim
4, wherein said diagnostic interface (110) further comprises: a data frame handler (210), wherein said data frame
handler (210) controls the protocol and frame function of diagnostic
data in said diagnostic interface (110); a programmable clock (216) coupled to said data frame
handle (210), wherein said programmable clock (216) provides timing
sequences to control said remote diagnostic interface (110); a cryptographic module (218) coupled to said data frame
handler (210) for encrypting data messages generated within said
remote diagnostic (53); a counter (220) coupled to said data frame handler (210)
and coupled to said cryptographic module (218) for tagging data
messages generated within said diagnostic interface (110); and a modem (212) coupled to said data frame handler (210)
for formatting data flowing to said data frame handler (210).
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
25 words
The remote diagnostic system as recited in claim 5,
wherein said diagnostic interface further comprises a diagnostic
command link coupled to said data frame handler.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
25 words
The remote diagnostic system as recited in claim 5,
wherein said diagnostic interface further comprises a diagnostic data
link coupled to said data frame handler.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
52 words
The remote diagnostic system as recited in claim 7,
wherein said diagnostic interface comprises a central diagnostic
interface coupled to said central diagnostic station and a remote
diagnostic interface coupled to said remote diagnostic station, said
remote diagnostic interface having a remote diagnostic command link
and having a remote diagnostic data link.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
66 words
The remote diagnostic system as recited in claim 8,
wherein said central diagnostic station further comprises: a central radio frequency front-end coupled to said
central diagnostic interface, wherein said central radio frequency front-end
is adapted to transmit and receive diagnostic information; and peripheral devices coupled to said central diagnostic
interface, wherein said peripheral devices are adapted to store
information and communicate diagnostic information to the user.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
99 words
The remote diagnostic system as recited in claim 9,
wherein said peripheral devices further comprise: a user interface coupled to said central diagnostic
interface, wherein said user interface enables the user to assess
diagnostic information generated by said remote diagnostic system
and enables the user to input information into said remote diagnostic
system; a display coupled to said central diagnostic interface for
displaying diagnostic information generated by said remote diagnostic
system; a printer coupled to said central diagnostic interface for
printing diagnostic information; and a storage device coupled to said central diagnostic
interface for providing storage of diagnostic information.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
110 words
The remote diagnostic system as recited in claim 8,
wherein said at least one remote diagnostic unit comprises: a remote radio frequency front-end coupled to said
remote diagnostic interface, wherein said remote radio frequency front-end
is adapted to transmit and receive diagnostic information; a diagnostic command module coupled to said remote
diagnostic command link wherein said diagnostic command link is
adapted to monitor said respective apparatus under test so as to
generate diagnostic data for predictive maintenance analysis; and a diagnostic data module coupled to said remote
diagnostic data link wherein said diagnostic data module is adapted to
monitor said apparatus under test so as to measure said diagnostic
data.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
52 words
The remote diagnostic system as recited in claim 11,
wherein said respective diagnostic command module generates a
respective at least one command signal to drive a respective at least
one control parameter in said respective apparatus under test to an
active state in correspondence with said respective at least one
command signal.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
34 words
The remote diagnostic system as recited in claim 12,
wherein said respective diagnostic data module generates a respective
at least one monitor signal corresponding to the measured response of
said respective apparatus under test.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
35 words
The remote diagnostic system as recited in claim 13,
wherein said central diagnostic station is adapted to utilize an expert-based
tool to facilitate the predictive assessment of said respective at
least one apparatus under test.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
118 words
A method of conducting predictive type maintenance
assessment on at least one remotely located apparatus under test (62)
in a satellite-based remote diagnostic system (50), comprising the
following steps: (a) transmitting a diagnostic interrogation message from
a central diagnostic station (51) to a respective at least one remote
diagnostic unit (53) coupled to said respective at least one apparatus
under test (62); (b) responding to said respective diagnostic interrogation
message by performing the requested action in response to said
respective diagnostic interrogation message; and (c) transmitting a respective diagnostic answer message
to said central diagnostic station (51) from said respective at least one
diagnostic unit (53) so as to provide diagnostic information to said
central diagnostic station (51).
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
45 words
The method of conducting predictive maintenance
assessment as recited in claim 15, wherein the step of transmitting a
diagnostic interrogation message further comprises the step of
encrypting said diagnostic interrogation message before being
transmitted via satellite to said respective at least one remote
diagnostic unit.
Claim 17
Independent Claim
40 words
The method of conducting predictive maintenance
assessment as recited in 15, wherein the step of transmitting a
diagnostic answer message further comprises the step of encrypting
said diagnostic answer message before being transmitted via satellite
to said central diagnostic station.
Claim 18
Independent Claim
38 words
The method of conducting predictive maintenance
assessment as recited in 15, wherein the step of transmitting a
diagnostic answer message further comprises the step of decoding
said diagnostic answer message after being received by said central
diagnostic station.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
43 words
The method of conducting predictive maintenance
assessment as recited in claim 15, wherein the step of transmitting a
diagnostic interrogation message further comprises the step of
decoding said diagnostic interrogation message after being received
by said respective at least one remote diagnostic unit.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
42 words
The method of conducting predictive maintenance
assessment as recited in claim 19, further comprising the step of
transmitting a command signal to a respective remote diagnostic unit
(53) to initiate a diagnostic mode of operation in said respective
apparatus under test (62).
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
43 words
The method of conducting predictive maintenance
assessment as recited in claim 20, further comprising the step of
receiving diagnostic information from a respective remote diagnostic
unit (53) based on measurement of diagnostic data within said
respective apparatus under test (62) during normal operation.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
42 words
The method of conducting predictive maintenance
assessment as recited in claim 21, further comprising the step of
transmitting a command signal to a respective remote diagnostic unit
(53) to halt said diagnostic mode of operation in said respective
apparatus under test (62).
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
42 words
The method of conducting predictive maintenance
assessment as recited in claim 22, further comprising the step of
analyzing respective diagnostic data utilizing an expert-based
diagnostic tool to determine the predictive maintenance action for each
respective at least one apparatus under test (62).
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
40 words
The method of conducting predictive maintenance
assessment as recited in claim 23, further comprising the step of
displaying a respective service message based on the analysis of
respective diagnostic data collected from said respective at least one
apparatus under test.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
40 words
The method of conducting predictive maintenance
assessment as recited in claim 23, further comprising the step of
displaying a respective special message based on the analysis of
respective diagnostic data collected from said respective at least one
apparatus under test.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
42 words
The method of conducting predictive maintenance
assessment as recited in claim 23, further comprising the step of
removing power from said respective user interface based on the
analysis of respective diagnostic data collected from said respective at
least one remote diagnostic unit.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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