System and method for determining condition of plant
OwnerJames H. Meekerinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The system and method can determine the condition of a plant, its equipment and facilities, at inspection sites identified by identification codes. A portable processing device with an inspection transducer can sense and store at least one measured characteristic of the plant equipment. This device can also read at least one of the identification codes of the plant equipment. A central processing system can communicate with and upload from the portable processing device at least measured characteristics and identification codes. The central processing system can, in response to at least one measured characteristic and at least one of the identification codes, produce a condition signal signifying the condition of some aspect of the plant.
Claims41
A system for determining the condition of a plant, plant equipment and plant facilities, at a plurality of inspection sites identified by a plurality of separate, machine-readable, identification codes, the system comprising:
- at least one portable processing device having an inspection transducer adapted for sensing and storing in said at least one portable processing device a plurality of characteristics of said plant equipment, said plurality of characteristics corresponding to different qualities of said plant equipment, said at least one portable processing device being operable to record at least a selected one of the identification codes associated with said plant equipment;
- and
- a central processing system adapted to communicate with and upload from said at least one portable processing device the plurality of characteristics and said at least a selected one of the identification codes, said central processing system being operable in response to more than one of the characteristics and said at least a selected one of the identification codes to (a) calculate a plurality of current conditions based on said more than one of the characteristics, and (b) calculate an overall condition of said plant based on said plurality of current conditions to produce a condition signal signifying the overall condition of the plant, in response to more than one of the plurality of characteristics.
A method employing a central processing system and at least one portable processing device with an inspection transducer for determining the condition of a plant at a plurality of inspection sites identified by a plurality of separate, machine-readable, identification codes, the method comprising the steps of:
- sensing and storing in said at least one portable processing device a plurality of characteristics of said plant using at times said inspection transducer, said plurality of characteristics corresponding to different qualities of said plant at said plurality of inspection sites;
- recording with said at least one portable processing device at least a selected one of the identification codes associated with said plurality of inspection sites;
- communicating with and uploading from said at least one portable processing device the plurality of characteristics and said at least a selected one of the identification codes using the central processing system;
- calculating (a) a plurality of current conditions based on said plurality of characteristics, and (b) an overall condition of said plant based on said plurality of current conditions;
- and
- producing with said central processing system a condition signal signifying the overall condition of the plant, in response to more than one of the characteristics.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.