Method and system for measurement using a telescopic measuring device.

专利摘要:
A measuring system for determining dimensions of a measuring zone of a physical good (602) is presented. The system contains a telescopic measuring device (601), which is set up to determine one or more analog measurement values belonging to the measuring zone of the physical asset (602), the telescopic measuring device (601) having a push arm (618) and a vertical arm (620) contains. The system further includes a data digitizer (614) which is functionally connected to the telescope measuring device (601) and is set up to convert the one or more analog measured values into corresponding one or more corresponding digital measured values. The system also includes a wireless unit (616) operatively connected to the data digitizer (614) or the data digitizer (614) and the telescope measuring device (601) and configured to wirelessly transmit the one or more digital readings.
公开号:CH710796B1
申请号:CH00169/16
申请日:2016-02-09
公开日:2021-03-15
发明作者:Wu Juntao；William Tait Robert；Zhan Chun；Marie Gibeau Maxine；Brandon Laflen John
申请人:Gen Electric；
IPC主号:

专利说明:

BACKGROUND
The invention relates generally to a measuring system with a telescope measuring device, in particular a wireless digital telescope measuring device, and a method for determining dimensions of a measuring zone, which has improved repeatability, better accuracy and increased resolution.
Conventionally, a telescope measuring device is used by a field inspector to measure an inner radius of an element, such as a hole or a pipe, of a physical system / physical asset. The physical asset can include components from oil and gas fields, for example. The telescopic measuring device is an indirect measuring device in which a head of the telescopic measuring device is first positioned within holes or pipes and then the head of the telescopic measuring device is extended sideways in order to make contact with the side walls of the holes or pipes. Further, the telescope gauge is withdrawn from the holes or tubes and the length of the extended head of the telescope gauge is measured using a micrometer or caliper to determine the inside radius of the holes or tubes. Accordingly, the use of the telescope measuring device comprises two steps, namely a measuring process and a recording process. As a result, the telescope measuring device is cumbersome to use and involves manual intervention.
In addition, an inspection of physical goods usually involves collecting data using the telescope meter. This data collection is challenging and time consuming. In addition, the data must then be analyzed to enable proper monitoring and inspection of the physical goods. Analyzing the data requires computational skills that are usually not readily available to the field inspector.
In addition, the measurements using the telescope meter depend to a large extent on the experience and habits of the field inspector. Accordingly, the efficiency and repeatability of the telescope measuring device cannot meet desired requirements. Thus, measurements using the telescope measuring device can be inaccurate. The inaccurate measurements can in turn affect the maintenance and repair of physical goods / systems.
SHORT REPRESENTATION
According to the invention, a measuring system and a method of the type described in the independent claims are claimed.
The measuring zone can have a bore, a hole, a pipe or combinations of these.
Additionally or as an alternative, the measurement zone can have uniform dimensions, varying dimensions, or a combination of these.
In the system of any type mentioned above, the telescopic measuring device can further comprise a coupling unit which is arranged to couple the sliding arm to the vertical arm, which coupling unit can comprise a plurality of gears.
In an embodiment of the system of any of the aforementioned types, the telescopic measuring device can further comprise a spring which is arranged to couple the sliding arm to the vertical arm.
In a further embodiment, the system can further comprise a two-stage button which is arranged on the telescopic measuring device and is adapted to move the sliding arm and the vertical arm of the telescopic measuring device.
In any of the above systems, the data digitizer may comprise a rotary encoder, a linear position encoder, or a combination of these.
In addition or as an alternative, the data digitizer can also be set up to generate digital measured values.
In the last-mentioned case, the system can furthermore have a processing subsystem which is set up to determine a state of the physical asset on the basis of the one or more digital measured values.
In addition, the processing subsystem can also be set up to process the series of digital measured values in order to generate application-specific evaluations of the digital measured values.
In a preferred embodiment of the system of any type mentioned above, the vertical arm, the push arms, or both the vertical arm and the push arms can have a toothed portion.
In some preferred embodiments of the method, the telescopic measuring device can furthermore have a plurality of gears, a spring, an axis or combinations of these.
In the last-mentioned preferred embodiments, arranging the telescopic measuring device in the measuring zone also causes a movement of the plurality of gears, the spring, the axle, the at least two sliding arms, the vertical arm or combinations of these in such a way that the at least two sliding arms of the telescopic measuring device are effectively connected to the side walls of the measuring zone.
Furthermore, determining the one or more analog measured values can include determining an angle of rotation of the plurality of gears, a linear displacement of at least one of the at least two sliding arms and the vertical arm, or a combination of these.
Still further, converting the one or more analog measurement values into the one or more digital measurement values can include converting one or more of the rotation angle, the linear displacement of at least one of the at least two slide arms and the vertical arm into the have one or more digital measured values.
The method of any type mentioned above can further comprise generating a series of digital measurement values.
In addition, identifying the condition of the physical asset in real time can include comparing the one or more digital measurement values with a reference value in order to assess the condition of the physical asset.
According to yet another example, the system includes a measurement subsystem that is operatively connected to the physical asset and a wireless unit that is operatively connected to the telescope meter, the data digitizer, or both and is configured to monitor the one or more to transmit digital measured values wirelessly.
DRAWINGS
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will be better understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters indicate like parts throughout the drawings, in which: FIG a block diagram representation of an exemplary measurement and analysis system according to an embodiment of the invention; FIG. 2 shows a schematic illustration of an embodiment of an exemplary measurement subsystem for use in the exemplary system according to FIG. 1; FIG. 3 shows a schematic illustration of a further embodiment of an exemplary measurement subsystem for use in the exemplary system according to FIG. 1; FIGS. 4 and 5 are schematic representations of further embodiments of an exemplary measurement subsystem having a data digitizer for use in the exemplary system according to FIG. 1; 6 shows a schematic illustration of the measurement of dimensions of a physical good using the exemplary measurement and analysis system according to FIG. 1; 7 shows a schematic representation of a method for measuring dimensions belonging to a physical good using the measuring and analysis system according to FIG. 1, according to an embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Unless otherwise stated, the technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this description pertains. As used herein, the terms “first,” “second,” and the like do not denote order, quantity, or importance, but rather are used to distinguish one element from another. Furthermore, the terms “a” and “an” do not denote a limitation in quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced elements. The term "or" is used in an inclusive sense and is intended to mean one, some, or all of the items listed. The use of “include,” “having,” or “having” and modifications thereof provided herein are intended to encompass the elements listed hereinafter and their equivalents, as well as additional elements. The terms “connected” and “coupled” are not limited to physical or mechanical connections or couplings and may include electrical connections or couplings, whether direct or indirect. In addition, the terms “circuit” and “circuit” as well as “controller” can contain either a single component or multiple components that are either active and / or passive and that are connected or otherwise coupled to one another in order to perform the desired function fulfill.
As described in detail hereinafter, a measurement system is presented. The measurement and analysis system includes a measurement subsystem that can be used to measure dimensions of a physical asset 104. In particular, a digital wireless telescope meter 108 is presented for measuring dimensions of a measurement zone 604 corresponding to the physical asset 104, such as, but not limited to, components of oil and gas fields. By using the measurement and analysis system described below, a measurement and analysis system with improved repeatability, accuracy, and resolution can be obtained.
Referring now to the drawings and referring to them as an example, an illustration 100 of an exemplary measurement system is shown in FIG. 1. The measurement and analysis system 100 includes a measurement subsystem 102 and a processing subsystem 106. The measurement subsystem 102 can be used to measure and analyze dimensions of a measurement zone 604 associated with a physical asset 104. The term dimensions of measurement zone 604 as used herein can be used to refer to a diameter, radius, length, width, and the like of measurement zone 604. The physical asset 104 may include components of an oil and gas field such as, but not limited to, pipelines and pipes. In addition, the measurement zone 604 associated with the physical asset 104 can be a bore, a hole, a pipe, and the like.
In addition, in certain embodiments, the physical asset 104 may have uniform dimensions. As an example, in one embodiment, physical asset 104 may include a pipe. Accordingly, the dimensions of a measurement zone 604 corresponding to the pipe, such as radius and / or diameter, may be uniform throughout the length of the pipe. However, in certain other embodiments, the physical asset 104 may have a conical shape. Accordingly, dimensions of a measurement zone 604 of the conical physical asset 104, such as the radius and / or the diameter, may vary along a longitudinal extension of the conical physical asset 104. The exemplary measurement and analysis system 100 may be configured to efficiently measure the dimensions of a physical asset 104 that has uniform dimensions and / or changing dimensions.
In a presently contemplated configuration, the measurement subsystem 102 may include a telescope measurement device 108, a data digitizer 110, and a wireless unit 112. The telescope gauge 108 may include a vertical arm 204, slide arms 202, multiple gears, or combinations of these. The telescope measuring device 108 can be used to measure dimensions of bores, holes and / or pipes. Furthermore, in one embodiment, the telescope measuring device 108 can be set up to determine an analog measured value that belongs to the measuring zone 604. The term analog measured value as used herein can be used to refer to a linear displacement of the vertical arm 204 and / or the sliding arms 202 of the telescopic measuring device 108, an angle of rotation of the multiple gears of the telescopic measuring device 108, or a combination of these . In one example, the analog measured value is determined together with a time stamp. The term timestamp as used herein can be used to refer to the point in time at which the analog measurement value is measured. In one example, the analog measured value with the time stamp can be displayed as 3.789 mm @ 2014-08-27 09: 55: 18: 067. Different embodiments of the exemplary telescope measuring device 108 are explained in greater detail below with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.
According to the invention, the data digitizer 110 is functionally connected to the telescope measuring device 108. The data digitizer 110 is set up to convert the analog measured value determined by the telescope measuring device 108 into a corresponding digital measured value. As used herein, the term digital reading can be used to refer to a digital reading that corresponds to the analog reading. An example of the digital reading may include a numeric display showing dimensions of the measurement zone 604 of the physical asset 104.
Furthermore, the measuring subsystem 104 and in particular the data digitizer 110 can be set up in certain embodiments to continuously digitize the analog measured values measured by the telescope measuring device 108. As an example, the data digitizer 110 can be configured to digitize approximately 100 analog measurements per second. The digital measurement values can be processed by the processing subsystem 106. In addition, the processed digital measurement values can be used to determine a state or a condition of the physical asset 104. In one example, the condition of the physical asset 104 may include a functional condition or a faulty / abnormal condition of the physical asset 104.
In addition, the data digitizer 110 can be set up to generate a series of digital measured values. The series of digital measured values can then be processed by the processing subsystem 106 in order to generate application-specific evaluations of the series of digital measured values. In one example, the processing subsystem 106 may be configured to monitor any change in the digital measurements over a period of time. Accordingly, the series of digital measurements in this example can include time-indexed digital measurements. In another example, the series of digital measurements may correspond to a range of measurements acquired along a desired length of the physical asset 104. In this example, a desired measured value can be obtained and / or interpolated from the series of digital measured values.
In yet another example, the series of digital measurements can be smoothed to generate a smoothed series of digital measurements. In certain embodiments, the processing subsystem 106 may be configured to generate the smoothed series of digital measurements by averaging the series of digital measurements. In addition, the processing subsystem 106 may be further configured to identify a desired measurement value based on the smoothed series of digital measurement values. In one example, the desired measurement value may indicate a maximum value that corresponds to the smoothed series of digital measurement values. In addition, the desired measurement value can be used to identify a condition of the physical asset 104. Using the desired reading helps minimize errors based on the subjective judgment of a field operator.
As one non-limiting example, the data digitizer 110 may include a linear position encoder, a rotary encoder, or a combination of these. Different embodiments of telescopic measuring devices that use other types of data digitizers are explained in greater detail below with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.
In addition, the wireless unit 112 may be operably connected to the data digitizer 110 and the processing subsystem 106. As soon as the analog measurement value has been converted into a corresponding digital measurement value by the data digitizer 110, the wireless unit 112 can be set up to transmit the digital measurement values wirelessly to the processing subsystem 106. Various communication protocols can be used to transmit the digital measured value. Some examples of interfaces that are used to transmit the digital measured values include, but are not limited to, a universal serial bus "USB"), a recommended standard 232 "RS232"), a serial peripheral interface bus ("SPI") ), an inter-integrated circuit ("I2C"), analog interfaces, and other proprietary I / O interfaces.
Further, some examples of wireless techniques wireless device 112 may use may include various wireless technologies such as, but not limited to, Bluetooth technology, ultra wideband technology, and local area wireless technology such as Wi-Fi, to transfer the digital measured values. In an exemplary embodiment, wireless device 112 may use Bluetooth® Low Energy (“BLE”) protocol to communicate with processing subsystem 106. It can be mentioned that BLE is also called Bluetooth SMART <®>. Bluetooth and Bluetooth SMART are registered trademarks owned by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group of Kirkland, Washington. The use of the BLE protocol by wireless unit 112 is advantageous in that relatively little power is consumed while maintaining Bluetooth connected communication areas. Other wireless protocols including, for example, 902.11b, Bluetooth, and ZigBee <®> (ZigBee is a registered trademark of the ZigBee Alliance of San Ramon, California) can be used by wireless unit 112.
Furthermore, the digital measured values generated by the digital digitizer 110 can be processed and analyzed by the processing subsystem 106. As an example and not by way of limitation, the processing subsystem 106 may include a computer, smartphone, iPad, iPhone, tablet, or combinations thereof. In cases where the processing subsystem 106 is a mobile device such as the smartphone, iPhone, or a combination of these, the processing subsystem 106 enables ubiquitous connectivity, portability, and interoperability with the measurement subsystem 102.
It is worth mentioning that, in some embodiments, interpreting or drawing conclusions from the series of digital measured values can be complex and thus involve sophisticated processing. The demanding processing may go beyond the processing capability of the mobile device and / or the context may require additional information that may not be readily available on the mobile device. In this example, the processing subsystem 106 may be set up to rely on additional computing resources and / or storage and database structures (e.g. a cloud). In some embodiments, the additional resources can include remote servers.
In addition, the system 100 can be set up to determine a state of the physical asset 104, in particular on the basis of the digital measured values that are generated by the measurement subsystem 102 and the data digitizer 110. In one embodiment, the processing subsystem 106 may be configured to compare the processed digital measurement values with a reference value in order to identify a condition of the physical asset 104. In one example, the condition of the physical asset 104 may include a functional condition or an abnormal condition of the physical asset 104. A value of the digital measurement value generated by the measurement subsystem 102 which lies outside a specific range of additional values can be indicative of an abnormal state of the physical asset 104. If an abnormal condition of the physical asset 104 is identified by the processing subsystem 106, the information about the abnormal condition can be communicated to a field operator. In one embodiment, the information about the anomaly status can be communicated by activating an alarm and / or activating a visual display. Although the example of FIG. 1 depicts processing subsystem 106 as a separate entity, processing subsystem 106 may form part of measurement subsystem 102 in one example. The measurement and analysis system 100 is explained in greater detail below with reference to FIG. 6. Further, a method for measuring dimensions of a physical asset 104 using the measurement subsystem 102 is discussed in greater detail below with reference to FIG. 7.
Referring now to FIG. 2, shown is a schematic diagram 200 of one embodiment of an exemplary measurement subsystem for use in the exemplary system 100 of FIG. 1, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The measuring subsystem 200 includes a telescopic measuring device 201, such as the telescopic measuring device 108 of FIG. 1, a two-stage button 208 and a wireless unit 210. The telescopic measuring device 201 includes push arms 202, a vertical arm 204 and a coupling unit 206. The push arms 202 can have at least two Contact caps 212 on two free ends of the slide arms 202 included.
In addition, the sliding arms 202 can be coupled to the vertical arm 204 via the coupling unit 206. Furthermore, the coupling unit 206 can contain a plurality of gear wheels 215, a spring 218 and an axle 220. The plurality of gears 215 include a large gear 214 and a small gear 216. In one example, the spring 218 can be a coil spring, a linear coil spring, or a combination of these. Axis 220 and spring 218 can be operatively connected to large gear 214 and small gear 216. In accordance with aspects of the present disclosure, the large gear 214 and the small gear 216 can provide mechanical amplification of about 2.5 times or more via the gear translation. The mechanical reinforcement helps improve the resolution of the measurement subsystem 200.
Furthermore, the two-step button 208 may be operatively connected to the vertical arm 204 of the measurement subsystem 200. The two-step button 208 is configured to move the slide arms 202 and the vertical arm 204 of the telescope measuring device 201. In particular, the vertical arm 204 can be moved in an upward direction 226 or in a downward direction 230 using the two-step button 208. Movement of the two-step button 208 in the upward direction 226 may cause the vertical arm 204 to move upward. Similarly, movement of the two-step button 208 in the downward direction 230 may result in downward movement of the vertical arm 204.
[0042] The vertical arm 204 may also include a first toothed portion 222 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. Additionally, each of the pusher arms 202 may include a corresponding second toothed portion 224. In the example of FIG. 2, the first toothed portion 222 of the vertical arm 204 is operatively connected to the large gear 214. The large gear 214 is in turn coupled to the small gear 216. Further, the small gear 216 may be operatively connected to the second toothed portion 224 of the slide arms 202. In particular, the first and second toothed sections 222, 224 can assist in coupling the vertical arm 204 to the slide arms 202 via the large and small gears 214, 216. This coupling can in turn assist in a reciprocating movement of the vertical arm 204 and the sliding arms 202. In one example, movement of the vertical arm 204 in the upward direction 226 may result in rotation of the large gear 214. The rotation of the large gear 214 can result in a rotational movement of the smaller gear 216, which in turn causes movement 228 of the pusher arms 202 outward.
According to the invention, the telescope measuring device 201 is used to measure a dimension, such as a diameter, of a measuring zone 604, which corresponds to a physical good 104, such as the physical good 104 according to FIG. 1. Accordingly, the telescope measuring device 201 can be arranged in the measuring zone 604 of the physical asset 104. Furthermore, the vertical arm 204 of the telescope measuring device 201 can be moved in the upward direction 226. Accordingly, large gear 214, small gear 216, axle 220, and spring 218 rotate, causing pusher arms 202 to move in outward direction 228. This outward movement of the pusher arms 202 has the consequence that the pusher arms 202 reliably engage with the measuring zone 604 of the physical good 104. In particular, the sliding arms 202 can be brought safely into engagement with side walls of the measuring zone 604 via the contact caps 212 of the telescopic measuring device 201. The movement of the vertical arm 204 in the upward or downward direction and the movement of the slide arms 202 in an inward or outward direction can collectively be referred to as a linear displacement.
As soon as the slide arms 202 are in engagement with the measuring zone 604, the dimensions of the measuring zone 604 can be determined based on a displacement of the vertical arm 204 upwards or a displacement of the slide arms 202 outwards. In another example, the dimensions of the measurement zone 604 may be determined based on an angle of rotation of the large gear 214 and / or the small gear 216 when the slide arms 202 are in engagement with the side walls of the measurement zone 604. Additionally, in the event of vertical arm 204 moving in the downward direction 230, the pusher arms 202 may move inwardly in a direction 232, thereby disengaging the pusher arms 202 from the sidewalls of the measurement zone 604.
The linear displacement of the slide arms 202 and / or the vertical arm 204 and the angle of rotation of the large gear 214 and / or the small gear 216 can be referred to as an analog measurement value. The analog measured value can be converted into a digital measured value by using a digital data converter such as the data digitizer according to FIG. 1. The data digitizer 110 may be operatively connected to the slide arms 202, the vertical arm 204, the coupling unit 206, or a combination of these. Furthermore, the digital measurement value can be transmitted to a processing subsystem, such as the processing subsystem 106 of FIG. 1, using the wireless unit 210. In the example of FIG. 2, the wireless unit 210 may be arranged on the vertical arm 204 of the measurement subsystem 200. In one embodiment, the wireless unit 210 can be configured to transmit the digital measurement values from the measurement subsystem 200 to the processing subsystem 106 by moving the second-stage button 208 in a lateral direction.
Referring now to FIG. 3, a schematic representation of another embodiment of an exemplary measurement subsystem 300 for use in the exemplary system 100 of FIG. 1 is presented in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. It can be mentioned that the measurement subsystem 300 is similar to the measurement subsystem 200 of FIG. 2.
The measuring subsystem 300 contains a telescopic measuring device 301. The telescopic measuring device 301 contains two sliding arms 302, a vertical arm 304 and a coupling unit 306. The coupling unit 306 can contain a spring. In one embodiment, the spring 306 may be disposed on the vertical arm 304, with the vertical arm 304 being a pin-shaped structure. In addition, in the embodiment of FIG. 2, the coupling unit 306 in the form of a spring is used to effectively couple the vertical arm 304 to the slide arms 302. The arrangement for coupling the vertical arm 304 to the slide arms 302 of FIG. 2 can be referred to as a wedge coupling. The measurement subsystem 300 of FIG. 3 can be used to measure an extremely small range of measurement values. In one example, the range of readings can be from about 0.254 cm (0.1 inch) to about 1.27 cm (0.5 inch). Also, in one example, example tools, such as measurement subsystem 300, may be used in columns on the order of about 0.254 cm (0.1 inch) and require precision on the order of 2.54 µm (0.0001 inch).
In order to determine the dimensions of a measuring zone 604, such as a relatively small bore / a relatively small hole, the telescopic measuring device 301 and in particular the sliding arms 302 of the telescopic measuring device 301 can be arranged in the measuring zone 604. Furthermore, the vertical arm 304 can be displaced in an upward direction 308, so that the sliding arms 302 are displaced laterally 310. This movement of the vertical arm 304 has the consequence that the sliding arms 302 are securely brought into engagement with side walls of the measuring zone 604. In one example, the vertical arm 304 can be displaced in the upward direction 308 using a two-step button, such as the two-step button 208 of FIG. 2. Once the pusher arms 302 have been brought into engagement with the side walls of the measurement zone 604, the displacement of the pusher arms 302 and the displacement of the vertical arm 304 can be converted into a corresponding digital measured value through the use of a data digitizer, such as the data digitizer 110 of FIG. 1 will. Furthermore, the digital measurement value can be transmitted to a processing subsystem, such as the processing subsystem 106 according to FIG. 1, for example. A wireless device, such as wireless device 210 of FIG. 2, aids in wireless transmission of the digital network to processing subsystem 106.
4 and 5 show schematic representations of further embodiments of an exemplary measurement subsystem 400 having a data digitizer 406 for use in the system 100 of FIG. 1 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. In particular, in the embodiments according to FIG. 4; 5 shows the data digitizer 406 an integral part of the telescope measuring device.
4 shows a schematic illustration 400 of an exemplary measurement subsystem 400 with a data digitizer. The system 400 is adapted for use in the exemplary system of FIG. 1. The measurement subsystem 400 may include a telescope measurement device 401 and a data digitizer 406. In the example of FIG. 4, the data digitizer 406 can be a rotary encoder 406. The telescopic measuring device 401 includes sliding arms 402, a vertical arm 404 and a coupling unit (not shown). In one example, the coupling unit 206 is set up to couple the sliding arms 402 and the vertical arm 404 to one another. The coupling unit 206 may include a large gear, a small gear, an axle, and a spring. It can be mentioned that the coupling unit 206 of the system 400 can be essentially similar to the coupling unit 206 according to FIG. 2. Furthermore, the rotary encoder 406 can be coupled to the coupling unit 206.
As mentioned hereinbefore, when measuring a dimension of a measurement zone 604 of a physical asset 104, such as the physical asset 104 of FIG be moved in an upward direction, causing the coupling unit 206 to rotate. In particular, the movement of the vertical arm 404 in the upward direction causes the large gear and the small gear of the coupling unit 206 to rotate, thereby causing the push arm 402 to move in an outward direction. As a result, the slide arms 402 can be securely engaged with side walls of the measurement zone 604. As soon as the slide arms 402 are suitably engaged, the dimensions of the measuring zone 604 can be determined on the basis of an angle of rotation of the large gear and / or the small gear. The angle of rotation of the large gear wheel and / or the small gear wheel can provide an analog measured value. According to aspects of the present disclosure, the rotary encoder 406 can be configured to convert the analog measured value, which corresponds to the angle of rotation of the large gear and / or the small gear, into a corresponding digital measured value. As mentioned above, the digital measurement characterizes a digital reading of a diameter of the measurement zone 604. The rotary encoder 406 can include an absolute rotary encoder, an incremental rotary encoder, a rotary encoder based on magnetic polarization, or combinations thereof.
5 shows a schematic illustration 500 of an exemplary measurement subsystem 400 including a linear position encoder for use in the exemplary system of FIG. 1, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. It can be mentioned that the linear position encoder can also be used in the measuring subsystems 200, 300 of FIGS. 2 and 3, respectively.
The measurement subsystem 500 may include a telescope measurement device 501 and a data digitizer 506. In the example of Figure 5, the data digitizer 506 can be a linear position encoder. In particular, the linear position transmitter 506 can be set up to supply a digital measured value. The telescopic measuring device 501 contains sliding arms 502 and a vertical arm 504. In addition, the telescopic measuring device 501 contains a coupling unit, such as the coupling unit 206 according to FIG. 2, for coupling the sliding arms 502 and the vertical arm 504 to one another. In one embodiment, linear position encoder 506 may include a sensor, transducer, or read head paired with a scale that encodes position. In the example where the linear position encoder 506 is a read head paired with a scale that encodes the position, a measurement value can be obtained from the scale, and the encoded position value can be converted into a digital measurement value.
The linear position encoder 506 can either be an incremental linear encoder or an absolute linear encoder. Furthermore, the linear position encoder 506 in some embodiments is a magnetic linear encoder, a capacitive linear encoder, an inductive linear encoder, an eddy current linear encoder, an optical linear encoder, or combinations of these. The optical linear encoder operates using optical techniques such as shadow, self-imaging, and interferometric techniques.
As mentioned hereinabove with respect to FIG. 2, once the pusher arms 502 are engaged with the sidewalls of the measurement zone 604, the dimensions of the measurement zone 604 based on an upward displacement of the vertical arm 504 and / or an outward displacement of the pusher arms 502 can be determined. In the example according to FIG. 5, the linear position transmitter 506 can be arranged on each of the sliding arms 502 of the telescopic measuring device 501. In this embodiment, readings / measured values recorded by the two linear position encoders 506 on the slide arms 502 can be used to generate a digital measured value that corresponds to the dimension of the measuring zone 604. In the example according to FIG. 5, the two sliding arms 502 are independent of one another. Thus, the linear position encoder 506 corresponding to each pusher arm 502 measures the position of the corresponding pusher arm 502. Further, the dimension of the measurement zone 604 can be determined by a combination of the readings recorded by the linear position encoder 506 associated with each of the pusher arms 502 .
However, in a further embodiment, the linear position encoder 506 can be arranged on the vertical arm 504 of the telescope measuring device 501. In this example, the linear position encoder 506 may be configured to provide a digital measurement value that corresponds to the dimension of the measurement zone 604 based on an upward displacement of the vertical arm 504.
Referring now to FIG. 6, a schematic illustration 600 of the use of an exemplary measuring and analysis system for determining measured values of a physical good 602 is shown. As an example, the system 600 is configured to measure dimensions of a measurement zone 604 of the physical asset 602. As mentioned above, the measurement zone 604 may have uniform dimensions along a length of the physical asset 602. However, in some embodiments, the measurement zone 604 may have dimensions that vary along a length of the physical asset 602. The measurement and analysis system 600 contains a measurement subsystem 606 and a processing subsystem 610. The measurement subsystem 606 is similar to the measurement subsystems 200, 300 of FIGS. 2 and 3. Further, the processing subsystem 610 may be similar to the processing subsystem 106 of FIG. 1.
The measuring subsystem 606 includes a telescope measuring device 601, a second stage button 612, a data digitizer 614 and a wireless unit 616. Furthermore, the telescopic measuring device 601 includes push arms 618 and a vertical arm 620. The push arms 618 are connected to the vertical arm 620 via a coupling unit , such as the coupling unit 206 according to FIG. 2, coupled.
The measurement subsystem 606 can be arranged in the measurement zone 604 of the physical asset 602 in order to obtain measurements of the dimensions of the measurement zone 604. Accordingly, the measurement subsystem 606 can be positioned such that the slide arms 618 of the measurement subsystem 606 are arranged in the measurement zone 604. The two-step knob 612 can be used to move the pusher arms 618 and vertical arm 620 of the telescopic gauge 601 such that the pusher arms 618 are securely engaged with side walls 608 of the measurement zone 604. As soon as the slide arms 618 are securely in engagement with the side walls 608 of the measuring zone 604, the data digitizer 614 can be used to convert the displacement of the slide arms 618 and / or the vertical arm 620 or a rotation angle of the gears of the coupling unit 206 into a digital measured value.
Furthermore, the wireless unit 616 can be used to wirelessly transmit the digital measurement value from the measurement subsystem 606 to a processing subsystem 610. In one embodiment, lateral movement of the two-step button 612 assists in transferring the digital measurement value from the measurement subsystem 606 to the processing subsystem 610. In some embodiments, the processing subsystem 610 can be a computer, smartphone, iPad, iPhone, tablet, or a combination of contain this.
According to one embodiment, the system 600 is set up to identify a state of the physical asset 602. In particular, the system 600 can be set up to determine the state of the physical asset 602 on the basis of the digital measured value generated by the measurement subsystem 606. In one embodiment, the processing subsystem 610 can be set up to compare the digital measured values with a reference value in order to identify the condition of the physical asset 602. It can be mentioned that the reference value can be determined based on a field test, an experimental simulation, and the like. In one example, the condition of the physical asset 602 may include at least one of a functional condition and an abnormal condition of the physical asset 602.
7 shows a flow diagram 700 showing a method for measuring and analyzing a physical asset 602 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method according to FIG. 7 is explained below with reference to the elements of FIGS. 1, 2 and 6. The method begins in step 702, in which a telescope measuring device 601 is arranged in a measuring zone 604 of a physical good 602. In particular, the telescopic measuring device 601 can be positioned in such a way that the sliding arms 618 of the telescopic measuring device 601 are located in the measuring zone 604. As mentioned above, physical asset 602 may include components from oil and gas fields. Furthermore, the measurement zone 604 corresponding to the physical asset 602 may include a bore, a hole, a pipe, or combinations thereof.
Furthermore, in step 704, one or more analog measured values that belong to the measuring zone 604 of the physical good 602 can be determined using the telescope measuring device 601. For this purpose, the sliding arms 618 of the telescopic measuring device 601 can be moved in such a way that the sliding arms 618 are reliably brought into engagement with the side walls 608 of the measuring zone 604. In one embodiment, the two-step knob 612 can be moved / rotated to move the slide arms 618. As soon as the slide arms 618 are in engagement with the side walls 612, analog measured values corresponding to the measuring zone 604 can be obtained. As mentioned above, the analog measured values are indicative of a displacement of the vertical arm 620 and / or the sliding arms 618 of the telescopic measuring device 601, an angle of rotation of the multiple gears of the telescopic measuring device 601, or a combination of these.
The one or more analog measured values that correspond to the measurement zone 604 of the physical good 602 can then be converted in step 706 into one or more corresponding digital measured values. In one embodiment, the analog values of the measurements can be converted to corresponding digital measurements through the use of the data digitizer 614. In some embodiments, a series of digital measurements can be generated. In one example, the data digitizer 614 can be used to generate the series of digital measurements. In addition, in one example, the processing subsystem 106 may be configured to monitor any change in the digital measurement values over a period of time. Accordingly, the series of digital measurements in this example can include time-indexed digital measurements. In another example, the series of digital measurements may correspond to a range of measurements acquired along a desired length of the physical asset 602. In this example, a desired measured value can be obtained and / or interpolated from the series of digital measured values.
In yet another example, the series of digital measurements can be smoothed to generate a smoothed series of digital measurements. In some embodiments, the processing subsystem 106 may be configured to generate the smoothed series of digital measurements by averaging the series of digital measurements. Furthermore, the processing subsystem 106 can also be configured to identify a desired measurement value based on the smoothed series of digital measurement values. In one example, the desired measurement value may be indicative of a maximum value corresponding to the smoothed series of digital measurement values. In addition, the desired measurement value can be used to identify a condition of the physical asset 602. Using the desired measurement value helps minimize errors that result from a subjective judgment by a field operator. In one embodiment, the data digitizer 614 may include a rotary encoder 406, a linear position encoder, and the like.
In addition, the one or more digital measurement values can be transmitted to the processing subsystem 610 in a wireless manner in step 708. In some embodiments, the wireless unit 616 can be used to wirelessly transmit the digital measurements from the measurement subsystem 606 to the processing subsystem 610. Furthermore, in one embodiment, a lateral movement of the two-stage button 612 helps in triggering the transmission of the digital measured values from the measurement subsystem 606 to the processing subsystem 610. The cloud of digital measured values can also be transmitted wirelessly from the wireless unit 616 to the processing subsystem 610.
In addition, the one or more digital measurement values or the series of digital measurement values can be processed in real time in step 710 in order to identify a state of the physical asset 602. In some embodiments, the processing subsystem 610 can be used to identify the condition of the physical asset 602 by processing the digital measurements in real time. As an example, the series of digital metrics may be processed by processing subsystem 610 to generate application specific evaluations of the series of digital metrics. In particular, the processing subsystem 610 can be set up to compare the digital measured values with a reference value in order to identify the condition of the physical asset 602. In one example, the condition of the physical asset 602 may be a healthy condition or an abnormal condition of the physical asset 602. If an abnormal condition is identified, an alarm or visual indicator can be activated to notify a field operator accordingly.
In certain further embodiments, the processing subsystem 610 may be configured to process the cloud of digital metrics to generate a smoothed cloud of digital metrics. In one example, the processing system 610 may use a smoothing algorithm to generate the smoothed cloud of digital metrics. In addition, the processing subsystem 610 can be configured to generate a desired measurement value based on the smoothed cloud of digital measurement values. In one example, the desired measurement value can be indicative of a maximum value that corresponds to the smoothed cloud of digital measurement values. In this example, the processing subsystem 610 may be configured to identify the condition of the physical asset 602 based on a comparison of the desired measurement value with a reference value.
Furthermore, the foregoing examples, demonstrations, and process steps, such as those that can be performed by the system, may be implemented by suitable code on a processor-based system, such as a general purpose or special purpose computer. It should also be noted that various implementations of the present disclosure may perform some or all of the steps described herein in different orders or substantially simultaneously, that is, in parallel. Furthermore, the functions can be implemented in a wide variety of programming languages including, but not limited to, C, C ++, or Java. Such code can be stored or for storage on one or more tangible, machine-readable media, such as data storage chips, local or remote hard drives, optical disks (i.e. CDs or DVDs), memory, or other media, on which a processor-based system can can be accessed to run the stored code. It should be noted that the tangible medium may include paper or other suitable medium on which the instructions are printed. For example, the instructions can be electronically captured via an optical scan of the paper or other medium, then compiled, interpreted or otherwise processed in any suitable manner, if necessary, and then stored in the data store or memory.
The various embodiments of the systems and method for measuring dimensions associated with a physical asset 104, 602, as described hereinabove, result in a framework for measuring dimensions of the physical asset 104, 602 and determining one State of the physical goods 104, 602 by processing the measured dimensions. In addition, the systems and method provide automated digital measurements of the dimensions of the physical asset 104, 602, thereby enabling improved efficiency and repeatability of the measurements of the physical asset 104, 602. As a result, multiple sets of the measurement data free from manual errors can be obtained. In addition, the systems and the method enable easier and faster acquisition and analysis of multiple sets of measurement data. In addition, the systems and the method also enable a real-time analysis of the digital measured values, as a result of which real-time information about the condition of the physical goods is provided, which in turn can support rapid maintenance and repair of the physical goods.

权利要求:
Claims (8)
[1]
1. Measuring system for determining the dimensions of a measuring zone (604) of a physical item (104, 602), which has:a telescopic measuring device (201, 301, 401, 501, 601) which has at least one sliding arm (202, 302, 402, 502) and an arm (104, 204, 304, 404) oriented vertically to it and which is set up to a or to determine a plurality of analog measured values belonging to the measuring zone (604) of the physical asset (104, 602) by means of the at least one push arm, wherein the measuring system continuesa data digitizer (110, 406, 506, 614) which is functionally connected to the telescope measuring device (201, 301, 401, 501, 601) and is set up to convert the one or more analog measurement values into corresponding one or more corresponding digital measurement values to convert; and the measuring system further comprises a wireless unit (112, 210, 616) which communicates with the data digitizer (110, 406, 506, 614) or with the data digitizer (110, 406, 506, 614) and the telescope measuring device (201, 301, 401, 501, 601) is functionally connected and set up to wirelessly transmit the one or more digital measured values.
[2]
2. System according to claim 1, wherein the telescope measuring device (201, 301, 401, 501, 601) further comprises a coupling unit (206, 306) which is adapted to the sliding arm (202, 302, 402, 502) with the vertical Arm (104, 204, 304, 404) to couple, wherein the vertical arm (104, 204, 304, 404), the sliding arms (202, 302, 402, 502) or both the vertical arm (104, 204, 304, 404) and the sliding arms (202, 302, 402, 502) have a toothed section (222, 224), and the coupling unit (206, 306) has a plurality of gears (214, 216) for engaging the toothed sections (222 , 224); and / or wherein the telescopic measuring device (201, 301, 401, 501, 601) furthermore has a spring (218, 306) which is designed to connect the sliding arm (202, 302, 402, 502) with the vertical arm (104, 204, 304, 404).
[3]
The system of any preceding claim, wherein the data digitizer (110, 406, 506, 614) comprises a rotary encoder (406), a linear position encoder, or a combination thereof.
[4]
The system of any preceding claim, further comprising a processing subsystem (106, 610) configured to determine a condition of the physical asset (104, 602) based on the one or more digital measurements in real time ; wherein the processing subsystem (106, 610) is preferably further set up to process the digital measured values in order to generate application-specific evaluations of the digital measured values.
[5]
5. A method for determining dimensions of a measuring zone (604) of a physical item (104, 602) with a measuring system according to one of the preceding claims, the method comprising:Arranging the telescopic measuring device (201, 301, 401, 501, 601) in the measuring zone (604), which belongs to the physical good (104, 602), wherein the telescopic measuring device comprises at least two sliding arms, whereby the sliding arms with side walls of the measuring zone (604 ) be associated;Determining one or more analog measurement values that belong to the measurement zone (604) of the physical asset (104, 602) using the telescope measuring device (201, 301, 401, 501, 601);Converting the one or more analog measurements into one or more digital measurements using the data digitizer (110, 406, 505, 614);wirelessly transmitting the one or more digital measurements to a processing subsystem (106, 610) by means of the wireless unit (112, 210, 616); andIdentifying a condition of the physical asset (104, 602) in real time based on processing of the one or more digital measurements.
[6]
6. The method according to the preceding claim, wherein the telescope measuring device (201, 301, 401, 501, 601) further comprises a plurality of gears (214, 216), a spring (218, 306), an axis or combinations thereof; wherein arranging the telescopic measuring device (201, 301, 401, 501, 601) in the measuring zone (604) preferably further causing a movement of the plurality of gears (214, 216), the spring (218, 306), the axis, of at least two push arms (202, 302, 402, 502), the vertical arm (104, 204, 304, 404) or combinations of these in such a way that the at least two push arms (202, 302, 402, 502) of the Telescopic measuring device (201, 301, 401, 501, 601) are effectively connected to the side walls of the measuring zone (604).
[7]
7. The method according to the preceding claim, wherein the determination of the one or more analog measured values includes determining an angle of rotation of the plurality of gears (214, 216), a linear displacement of at least one of the at least two push arms (202, 302, 402, 502) and the vertical arm (104, 204, 304, 404) or a combination thereof; wherein converting the one or more analog measured values into the one or more digital measured values preferably converting one or more of the angle of rotation, the linear displacement of at least one of the at least two sliding arms (202, 302, 402, 502) and the vertical arm (104, 204, 304, 404) in the one or more digital measurements.
[8]
8. The method according to any one of the preceding method claims, wherein identifying the state of the physical good (104, 602) in real time preferably comparing the one or more digital measured values with a reference value in order to determine the state of the physical good (104, 602) judge, has.

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同族专利:

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公开号 | 公开日

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CN105890485A|2016-08-24|

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CH710796A2|2016-08-31|

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US20160238364A1|2016-08-18|

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JP6754191B2|2020-09-09|

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JP2016164551A|2016-09-08|

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US9719766B2|2017-08-01|

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DE102016102147A1|2016-08-18|

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CN105890485B|2021-10-15|

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法律状态:
2017-03-15| NV| New agent|Representative=s name: GENERAL ELECTRIC TECHNOLOGY GMBH GLOBAL PATENT, CH |

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2019-05-31| NV| New agent|Representative=s name: FREIGUTPARTNERS IP LAW FIRM DR. ROLF DITTMANN, CH |

优先权:

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申请号 | 申请日 | 专利标题

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US14/624,592|US9719766B2|2015-02-18|2015-02-18|Method and system for measurement using a telescopic gauge|

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