← Back to Patent Explorer
EP0965897A1 Expired / Lapsed EP ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Field device management system

Assignee: Valmet Automation Oy
•
Filing: 1999-06-11
•
Granted: —
•
Expires: 2019-06-11
📄 Original PDF 🌐 Google Patents 🔄 Sync Now

Abstract

Abstract The invention relates to field management in industrial process systems and similar systems. In the invention, maintenance management systems of industrial processes of separate plants located geographically apart from each other are networked in such a way that they may communicate with each other and exchange information on maintenance parameters of field devices of different types. As a result, experience obtained in one industrial process can be transferred to other respective industrial processes and applications. By utilizing this globally collected cumulative information, it is possible to improve and specify the diagnostics of the separate local maintenance systems (6) essentially faster than in case if the local maintenance management system were independent and the diagnostics were changed on the basis of local experience only.

Inventors

  • 👤 Jouni Pyötsiä
  • 👤 Harri Cederlöf

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction EP
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-11-09 13:32
CPC Classifications
G; G05; G05B; G05B19/00; G05B19/02; G05B19/418; G05B19/4185; G05B2219/00; G05B2219/30; G05B2219/31; G05B2219/31121; G05B2219/31211; G05B2219/31324; G05B2219/32; G05B2219/32226; Y; Y02; Y02P; Y02P90/00; Y02P90/02; Y02P90/80

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 20
Claim 1
Independent Claim 91 words
A system for the maintenance management of field devices in industrial processes, each of said industrial processes comprising a local maintenance management system, characterized in that the local maintenance management systems of said industrial processes being networked in order to exchange information relating to the maintenance of field devices for a network level learning and utilization of the information, at least one of the local maintenance management systems is arranged to modify maintenance management parameters independently based on both data collected locally and data received from other local maintenance management systems.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 103 words
A system according to claim 1, characterized in that the local maintenance management system comprises a knowledge database storing application-specific and/or device-specific and/or device-type-specific knowledge, analyzing means for analyzing the condition of the field devices based on a measurement data from the respective industrial process and a knowledge data from the knowledge database and, when necessary according to the analysis results, for changing the maintenance parameters in the local maintenance management system, and means for modifying the contents of the knowledge data base according to both a maintenance history data collected locally and maintenance history data received from other local maintenance management systems.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 33 words
A system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said maintenance parameters include data representing a control performance of the field devices and/or the need of maintenance of the field devices.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 29 words
A system according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that said maintenance parameters include a maintenance alarm limit and/or a performance alarm limit for the field device.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 25 words
A system according to claim 1, 2, 3 or 4, characterized in that said maintenance parameters include a maintenance priority level for the field device.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 38 words
A system according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5, characterized in that said knowledge data include data representing a control performance history data of a field device and/or a field device-type and/or a process control application.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 38 words
A system according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5, characterized in that said knowledge data include data representing a maintenance need history data of a field device and/or a field device-type and/or a process control application.
Claim 8
Independent Claim 60 words
A system according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that the field device is a valve and the parameter representing the performance comprises or is affected by one or more of the following factors: static error, rate of change in static error, dynamic error, rate of change in dynamic error, opening accumulation, load, rate of change in load.
Claim 9
Independent Claim 70 words
A system according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that the field device is a valve and the parameter representing the need of maintenance comprises or is affected by one or more of the following factors: control performance, odometer of valve, odometer of actuator, number of valve reversals, number of actuator reversals, valve seal leakage, valve emission, valve wall thickness, cavitation level, load, rate of change in load.
Claim 10
Independent Claim 38 words
A system according to any preceding claim, characterized in that the local maintenance management system is arranged to independently adapt the maintenance management to the changes the management system has detected in the properties of the field devices.
Claim 11
Independent Claim 34 words
A system according to any preceding claim, wherein the communication is based on one or more of the following communication methods: electronic mail, Dynamic Data Exchange, Hyper Text Markup Language, short message, Internet, OLE.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim 81 words
A maintenance management system for managing field devices in an industrial process, characterized in that said maintenance management system is arranged to communicate with maintenance management systems of industrial processes of other plants located geographically apart from each other, in order to transmit and receive information relating to the maintenance management of the field devices, adjust maintenance parameters of the field devices independently in a self-learning manner based on both data collected locally and data received from other maintenance management systems.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim 100 words
A system according to claim 12, characterized in that the maintenance management system comprises a knowledge database storing application-specific and/or device-specific and/or device-type-specific knowledge, analyzing means for analyzing the condition of the field devices based on a measurement data from the respective industrial process and a knowledge data from the knowledge database and, when necessary according to the analysis results, for changing the maintenance parameters in the maintenance management system, and means for modifying the contents of the knowledge data base according to both a maintenance history data collected locally and maintenance history data received from other maintenance management systems.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim 33 words
A system according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that said maintenance parameters include data representing a control performance of the field devices and/or the need of maintenance of the field devices.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim 29 words
A system according to claim 12, 13 or 14, characterized in that said maintenance parameters include a maintenance alarm limit and/or a performance alarm limit for the field device.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim 25 words
A system according to claim 12, 13, 14 or 15, characterized in that said maintenance parameters include a maintenance priority level for the field device.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim 38 words
A system according to claim 12, 13, 14, 15 or 16, characterized in that said knowledge data include data representing a control performance history data of a field device and/or a field device-type and/or a process control application.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim 38 words
A system according to claim 12, 13, 14, 15 or 16, characterized in that said knowledge data include data representing a maintenance need history data of a field device and/or a field device-type and/or a process control application.
Claim 19
Independent Claim 38 words
A system according to one of claims 12-18, characterized in that the maintenance management system is arranged to independently adapt the maintenance management to the changes the management system has detected in the properties of the field devices.
Claim 20
Independent Claim 37 words
A system according to any one of claims 12-19, characterized in that the communication is based on one or more of the following communication methods: electronic mail, Dynamic Data Exchange, Hyper Text Markup Language, short message, Internet.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

WO1997029408A1 Cited
WO1997029409A1 Cited
WO1998014848A1 Cited

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Maintenance schedule is calculated for granted US utility patents.

Assigned Categories & Tags

No categories assigned to this patent yet.

Assign Category Tag