Failure detection device for detecting an issue with a part of a machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10760995-B2
Application number	US-201916566136-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 10, 2019
Priority date	Jan 15, 2019
Publication date	Sep 1, 2020
Grant date	Sep 1, 2020

Abstract

A failure detection device is disclosed. The failure detection device may receive operations data related to operations of a set of parts of a machine. The failure detection device may process the operations data using a condition-based processing technique. The condition-based processing technique may be associated with mapping initial values of data elements of the operations data to binary values based on satisfaction of a first set of conditions by the initial values. The failure detection device may detect a presence of a possible issue with the operations of the set of parts based on a second set of conditions, associated with the binary values and the initial values, being satisfied during a time period. The failure detection device may perform, after detecting the presence of the possible issue, a set of actions related to addressing the possible issue.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
receiving, by a device, operations data related to operations of one or more of a set of parts of a machine,
wherein the machine is one of a vehicle, a backhoe loader, a cold planer, a wheel loader, a compactor, a feller buncher, a forest machine, a forwarder, a harvester, an excavator, an industrial loader, a knuckleboom loader, a material handler, a motor grader, a pipelayer, a road reclaimer, a skid steer loader, a skidder, a telehandler, a tractor, a dozer, or a tractor scraper,
wherein the operations data is received from a set of sensors associated with the set of parts, and
wherein the operations data includes measurement data from a sensor of the set of sensors;

processing, by the device and after receiving the operations data, the operations data using a condition-based processing technique,
wherein the condition-based processing technique is associated with mapping initial values of data elements of the operations data to mapped values based on satisfaction of a set of conditions by the initial values;

detecting, by the device and after processing the operations data, a presence of a possible issue with the operations of the one or more of the set of parts based on a condition, associated with the mapped values, being satisfied a threshold quantity of times during a time period;
triggering, by the device and based on detecting the presence of the possible issue, an alarm that indicates the presence of the possible issue with the operations of the one or more of the set of parts; and
performing, by the device and based on triggering the alarm that indicates the presence of the possible issue, a set of actions related to addressing the possible issue with regards to one of the vehicle, the backhoe loader, the cold planer, the wheel loader, the compactor, the feller buncher, the forest machine, the forwarder, the harvester, the excavator, the industrial loader, the knuckleboom loader, the material handler, the motor grader, the pipelayer, the road reclaimer, the skid steer loader, the skidder, the telehandler, the tractor, the dozer, or the tractor scraper.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein performing the set of actions comprises:
determining a manner in which to modify operations of the machine; and
providing, to the machine and after determining the manner in which to modify the operations of the machine, a set of instructions associated with modifying the operations of the machine.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the measurement data includes at least one of:
a voltage measurement for a spark plug associated with an engine of the machine,
a temperature measurement for a turbine inlet of a turbine of the machine, or
a temperature measurement for an exhaust port of an exhaust system of the machine.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving operating condition data related to a set of operating conditions of the machine; and
wherein detecting the presence of the possible issue comprises:
detecting the presence of the possible issue based on detecting that the condition is satisfied the threshold quantity of times during the time period in a context of the operating condition data.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein triggering the alarm comprises:
activating an output component, associated with the machine, that indicates the presence of the possible issue, or
sending a message to a client device for display,
wherein the message includes information that indicates the presence of the possible issue.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining, after detecting the presence of the possible issue, a severity of the possible issue based on the condition, the threshold quantity, or the mapped values.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein performing the set of actions comprises:
determining, based on the severity of the possible issue, a maintenance facility at which the possible issue is to be addressed;
scheduling, for a particular time and after determining the severity, the machine for maintenance at the maintenance facility; and
sending, after scheduling the machine for the maintenance, a set of instructions to the machine to cause the machine to move to the maintenance facility at the particular time.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining that an operating condition of a worksite, associated with the machine, satisfies a threshold,
wherein processing the operations data comprises:
processing, based on determining that the operating condition of the worksite satisfies the threshold, the operations data using the condition-based processing technique.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the operating condition of the worksite is a temperature of the worksite.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining that an operating condition associated with the machine satisfies a threshold, wherein processing the operations data comprises:
processing, based on determining that the operating condition associated with the machine satisfies the threshold, the operations data using the condition-based processing technique.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the operating condition associated with the machine is an age of the machine.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein performing the set of actions comprises:
providing, to the machine, one or more instructions to one or more of:
reduce an engine speed of the machine,
stop an engine of the machine,
power down a part of the machine, or
power on a back-up part of the machine.

13. A failure detection device comprising:
one or more memories; and
one or more processors, communicatively coupled to the one or more memories, configured to:
receive operations data related to operations of a set of parts of a machine,
wherein the machine is one of a vehicle, a backhoe loader, a cold planer, a wheel loader, a compactor, a feller buncher, a forest machine, a forwarder, a harvester, an excavator, an industrial loader, a knuckleboom loader, a material handler, a motor grader, a pipelayer, a road reclaimer, a skid steer loader, a skidder, a telehandler, a tractor, a dozer, or a tractor scraper,
wherein the operations data is received from a set of sensors associated with the set of parts, and
wherein the operations data includes measurement data from a sensor of the set of sensors;

process, after receiving the operations data, the operations data using a condition-based processing technique,
wherein the condition-based processing technique is associated with mapping initial values of data elements of the operations data to binary values based on satisfaction of a first set of conditions by the initial values;

detect, after processing the operations data, a presence of a possible issue with the operations of the set of parts based on a second set of conditions, associated with the binary values and the initial values, being satisfied during a time period; and
perform, after detecting the presence of the possible issue, a set of actions related to addressing the possible issue,
wherein the set of actions includes an action related to causing the presence of the possible issue to be addressed with regards to one of the vehicle, the backhoe loader, the cold planer, the wheel loader, the compactor, the feller buncher, the forest machine, the forwarder, the harvester, the excavator, the industrial loader, the knuckleboom loader, the material handler, the motor grader, the pipelayer, the road reclaimer, the skid steer loader, the skidder, the telehandler, the tractor, the dozer, or the tractor scraper.

14. The failure detection dev

Assignees

• Caterpillar Inc

Inventors

• Billing Andrew
• Hopf Kurt
• Lin David J
• Campagna Michael

Classifications

• G08B21/187

  Machine fault alarms · CPC title

• G07C5/0816 Primary

  Indicating performance data, e.g. occurrence of a malfunction · CPC title

• G07C5/008

  communicating information to a remotely located station (transmission systems for measured values G08C) · CPC title

• G01M15/10

  by monitoring exhaust gases {or combustion flame} · CPC title

• F02P17/12

  Testing characteristics of the spark, ignition voltage or current (testing of sparking plugs H01T13/60) · CPC title