Patent ID: 6748341
Filing Date: 2004-06-08
Classification: G05B

Abstract:
A computer readable medium having instructions encoded thereon that cause a computer system to perform an accurate machine health prediction upon receipt of raw monitored machine operating variables data from said machine, the instructions on the computer readable medium comprising:(a) a data filter comprising a filtering algorithm operable for eliminating â€œspikesâ€  in said raw monitored machine operating variables data while retaining legitimate â€œups and downsâ€  in the raw monitored machine operating variables data, thereby improving the predictive performance of transfer function models (TFMs); (b) a TFM estimator comprising a multivariate non-linear transfer function estimation algorithm that uses historical or real-time calibration data comprised of values of machine operating variables from one or more normally operating machines to define normal monitored machine operating variables and to construct statistical multivariate non-linear TFMs of normal monitored machine operating variables; (c) a TFM modelbase comprising (i) a plurality of TFMs; and (ii) a set of sampled normal monitored machine operating variable values and operational condition values employed to develop said plurality of TFMs; (d) a predictor operable for identifying the best TFMs in the TFM modelbase for the monitored machine operating variables data and the current set of real-time machine operational conditions, and uses said monitored machine operating variables to predict one-step-ahead values for said monitored machine operating variables; (e) a comparator that enables the computer to compare current monitored machine operating variable values to the value of the monitored machine operating variables predicted by the appropriate TFMs for the same variables, and producing the algebraic differences therebetween, said differences defining residuals; (f) a prognosticator component that receives the residuals for each monitored machine operating variable from said comparator and conducts statistical tests on said residuals to categorize each monitored machine operating variable as normal or abnormal, and employ the results of said statistical tests on each monitored machine operating variable to calculate an output, the value of the output being a measure of the overall probability of machine abnormality.