Patent ID: 7593784

Claim:
A machine condition assessment system comprising: (a) a standard industrial communications network; (b) a plurality of signal processing engines on the network, the signal processing engine coupled to a sensor to receive at least one raw dynamic operating condition signal and to produce at least one processed dynamic operating condition signals representative of a dynamic operating condition of a monitored machine; (c) a machine condition assessment module having a processor; at least one network interface connecting the processor to the standard industrial communications network; and a memory communicating with the processor and holding a stored operating program; and a stored template program; the operating program executing on the processor to: (i) identify at least one type, location, and access method for dynamic operating condition data from the plurality of processing engines required to evaluate a specific condition for which the template is designed; (ii) identify at least one network address for an output signal indicating an alarm condition; (iii) execute combinatorial logic from the template accepting as arguments the dynamic operating condition data and producing as a value the output signal transmitted on the network; whereby the condition of the machine is monitored.