초록 ▼

A Reliability and Maintainability Indicator (RAMI) is disclosed which effectively predicts the remaining time of operation of a system, equipment, component, or device before it would fail to perform its intended functions. The ability of RAMI to predict the remaining time of operation before failur

A Reliability and Maintainability Indicator (RAMI) is disclosed which effectively predicts the remaining time of operation of a system, equipment, component, or device before it would fail to perform its intended functions. The ability of RAMI to predict the remaining time of operation before failure is accomplished by having key parameters of an equipment monitored by applicable transducers to sense measurands periodically over a period of time. Then, these measurands are analyzed to project when they would reach pre-established limits which would indicate equipment failure or serious degradation resulting in the equipment failing to perform its intended functions. A micro-processor based computer is used to analyze the measurands, as required, and correlates them, by means of mathematical extropolation to obtain the time at which failure, or a pre-established limit of degradation of the equipment is expected to occur. Visual and audio means are provided to indicate that the monitored equipment is operating properly or that a pre-determined degree of degradation has occured or is expected to occur by a given time.

대표청구항 ▼

A method for predicting the time remaining for individual equipment to fail, comprising the steps of: (1) sampling at predetermined times the output signal of at least one transducer monitoring at least one key operating parameter of said equipment; (2) computing at given sampling times the slope of

A method for predicting the time remaining for individual equipment to fail, comprising the steps of: (1) sampling at predetermined times the output signal of at least one transducer monitoring at least one key operating parameter of said equipment; (2) computing at given sampling times the slope of the curve formed by said output signal versus time; (3) extrapolating from said slope the remaining time for said operating parameter to cause said output signal to increase to a known amplitude representative of a failure condition for said equipment, the extrapolated time being indicative of the remaining time to failure; and (4) successively repeating steps (2) and (3) as said curve is generated, whereby said extrapolated time continues to reflect the slope of the said curve as said slope changes. A system for providing an early warning indicator of impending equipment failure for an individual one out of a population of similar equipment, without requiring statistical analysis of the failure modes of populations of similar equipment, the improvement comprising: at least one transducer means connected to said equipment, for providing an output signal having a magnitude analogous to the operating condition of at least one key parameter of said equipment; sampling means for sampling said output signal at predetermined times; computing means receptive of the sampled portions of said output signal, for computing the slope of the curve formed by said output signal versus time at predetermined sampling times; extrapolation means for computing from the slope of said curve at a given sampling time, the expected time, TF remaining for the level of said output signal to reach a predetermined level where said equipment is expected to fail or degrade in performance; and means for successively recomputing the said slope of the output signal versus time curve as said curve is generated, whereby said extrapolated expected time TF reflects the slope of the said curve as said slope changes.