Information Everywhere - Connectivity is the Future of Predictive

Maintenance

By Dean Lofall, PREDICT/DLI

Welcome to the Information Age. Today we have computer be available at their fingertips, on their control panels, and on
networks all around us. We have the Internet in our homes, at their desktops.
our office and now even in mobile devices. You log on to
communicate, share files, view a stock ticker, plan a trip, buy a Part of the problem is that condition monitoring systems from
book, or do research. Microsoft envisions that before too long all technologies vendors, require that anyone who wants access
you will be able to walk up to a display on your refrigerator, to predictive information, must have their proprietary software
and interact with the information services on your home installed. This normally is not very desirable, primarily for the
network and on the Internet. The boom of network and Internet following reasons:
technology has drastically changed the way we find and handle
information. Information barriers are quickly dissolving. 1.) Cost: you must purchase extra network licenses to access
the condition monitoring system on the plant's network.
Thus far, the predictive maintenance industry has largely been No predictive technology software system is inexpensive.
oblivious this new technology. While each vendor's system is
designed to acquire, disseminate and present valuable data and 2.) Software training: traditional predictive technology
information, they do a poor job of providing free access of software is sophisticated and normally requires training to
machinery condition information throughout your plant. operate. Especially the integrated systems offered by the
Information about plant condition is extremely valuable, but large vendors.
has less value when it is not easily accessed.
3.) Predictive technology software is
"Information Everywhere" is a term we
use to describe how condition monitoring
"Data is useful to designed to evaluate data, add analysis, set
up test points, schedule tests and print data
data and information is exchanged
seamlessly between mobile devices,
the specialist; and reports. Its purpose is not solely to
deliver information.
network workstations, your home
computer, remote monitoring stations and
information is
Some predictive technology specialists
the plant control system. This article looks
at new web and network technologies that
useful to everyone would rather control information and are
very protective of it. This thinking is
will change the way we access predictive
maintenance information.
else." wrong, as the specialists value to the plant
is not the information they keep, but it is
the information they share. When information is up to date and
readily available, the specialist is of the greatest value to all
Islands of Data departments within the plant.
Before we begin, we need to point out the difference between
information and data. When we speak of data, we speak in
terms of numbers, vibration spectra, waveforms, and band and Integration
threshold exceptions. Information on the other hand, is a result
There has been a great deal of momentum in the condition
of interpreting or analyzing data that describes a machine's
monitoring industry to provide integrated solutions. From this,
condition. Data is useful to the specialist; information is useful
the Machinery Information Management Open Systems
to everyone else. Is there a fault? What is the fault? What is
Alliance (MIMOSA) group was formed. MIMOSA has
the severity? What is the expected time to failure? Repair
developed an open system information exchange specification
recommendations? Answers to these questions are
that describes a database and data structure for sharing
information. This is what analysts and automated diagnostic
condition monitoring information. This allows a vendor or
systems do best; transform data into information.
PdM technology's program to share data on a very low level.
Once we have information, then we have the power to make
It was believed that integrating technologies would result in
decisions. But do you see the obvious problem? This valuable
better access to machine information. A fundamental problem
information is typically locked up at the centralized point of
with this belief is that the condition monitoring vendors have
analysis, in the maintenance or predictive technologies
made little progress in adopting this standard. Also, vendors
departments. While this information benefits maintenance
that can use the MIMOSA interface still require the end user to
directly, it cannot simply stop here. What about other critical
buy their expensive, condition monitoring systems.
decision makers within the plant, such as operations,
engineering and general management? This information should
Networking and Internet technologies, distributed computing, Frequency (RF), Infrared (IR), Universal Serial Bus (USB),
and OLE for Process Control have made great advancements direct cable and modem connections allow mobile computers to
since the integration efforts began. New technology simply has easily connect to any computer, network or Internet.
challenged the need for these vendor-specific integrated
software systems. Networking and the use of non-proprietary Until now a vibration analysis system was made up of a
software (such as Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator) desktop computer, a host software system and one or more
have made integration much easier to implement, access and portable data collectors. This model has been common since
customize. the mid 1980s. Plants, areas and machinery are setup in the
host software system. A data collection route (or survey) is
At PREDICT/DLI, we feel that it is important to pay close created which includes a selection of machines to test. The list
attention to these new technologies. Advancements in network of machines and associated test parameters are downloaded
and Internet technology is the wave we need to ride on into the from the host PC into the portable data collector, and data is
future. Information has become commonplace, and those that collected. Once the collection is complete, the data is then
cannot deliver it economically will be left behind. We have uploaded from the portable device back into the host PC for
taken a multi-tiered strategy in delivering information processing, analysis and reporting.
everywhere by utilizing much of the new technology available
today: PREDICT/DLI’s DCX™ system is a departure from this
traditional model. It utilizes a rugged, Windows® 98 based
• Distributed Computing – Utilize high powered, mobile mobile computer and 4-channel PCMCIA data acquisition card.
computers to move advanced analysis capability and This mobile computer employs a complete ExpertALERT
machine history onto the plant floor and remote sites. vibration analysis software system and a complete copy of a
Mass storage is now inexpensive, so to make the best use plant's condition monitoring database on its 4-gigabyte hard
of the many gigabytes available in today’s computers; drive. Because a complete condition monitoring database and
complete condition monitoring databases can now be software system are on the mobile device, advanced analysis
replicated between desktop and mobile devices. and historical information are available while in the field. Any
machine in the plant can be tested at random. In addition, new
• Web Content – Dynamic HTML, Active Server machinery tests may be added to the database without returning
Documents and Email are all accessible by common tools to a host computer to update a data collection "route". The
already installed on your computer. These tools work in DCX is connected to a network via direct, IR, modem or USB
the same way on your plant network as they do out on the network connections.
World Wide Web.
An important element of this mobile device is the ability to
• Text Messaging – Machine condition information and access a local database, and then share any new or modified
machine status changes can be delivered to you by data (machinery setup, vibration data, and results) with other
common text messaging services. These services include individuals. Individuals are defined as any computer, whether
digital cell phones and digital pagers. There is no reason an analyst workstation, served database, and mobile or online
that valuable information or important events cannot be device that utilizes a common database structure as part of a
delivered to you the instant the system becomes aware of larger, condition monitoring system. To effectively share data
them. with other individuals within a system of individuals,
asynchronous database replication is used.
• OLE for Process Control (OPC) – A new information
interface developed by the control system industry and
Microsoft that provides a transparent interface of machine
data and information to process management systems,
plant control systems, plant-wide mimic displays, and
condition monitoring systems.

• Microsoft’s DCOM – Distributed Component Object

Model. DCOM allows a remote program user interface to
control a component on another location of a network.
This includes the local area network, wide area network, a
dial up connection, or even the Internet.

Distributed Computing
Today's advancements in mobile computers and miniature
electronics allow the use of a small, fast, Pentium® based, The DLI Watchman® DCX™ utilizes a 233MHz Pentium® MMX
touch-screen mobile computers to host advanced machinery mobile computer by Fujitsu, running Microsoft's Windows® 98
condition monitoring and maintenance management software. operating system.
This offers the user a highly portable computer to run powerful
software systems and SQL database engines that traditionally The database replication used in the mobile device can be
could only be run on a significant desktop computer. Radio simply defined as the process of synchronizing common copies
of the data within a network of individuals, whether mobile most, then everyone is best served. Take a common search
devices, a common network database, or desktop PC work engine; query these web sites (on your network) for
stations. This functionality is critical to this model, as information about a specific PLANT/AREA/MACHINE and a
advanced functions of the mobile device are not possible unless list of the latest web content is returned. This list would
a complete condition monitoring database is present. represent all technologies for a given machine. In this web-
based approach to the integration issue, we simplify the
Data replication can provide a wide spectrum of benefits, problem of integration by pushing individual information out to
including redundancy of condition monitoring data, fast access common web-based network clients where these clients
to the local database, the ability to utilize a complete database become the integrators.
while operating in isolation, and assurance that new and
modified data will migrate to all locations. PREDICT/DLI's ExpertALERT Enterprise and DCX Online™
include NetCast™ HTML Server and InfoServer™
Decentralization of data collection and analysis activities is respectively. These servers generate dynamic web sites that
also very important to today’s condition monitoring industry. include web pages for any or all of a plant's machinery.
Machinery condition monitoring specialists are increasingly Information available is machine status, date/time of test,
dispersed in multiple offices or mobile situations that bring diagnostic results, and analyst comments and repair
them closer to the equipment that requires monitoring. The key recommendations. The site can be made available on your
problem today is that off-site personnel must access central network or may be transferred automatically to a secure
databases through dialup or wide-area network connections and location on Internet. Index pages include plant, area, and
can typically only use the data collection and analysis systems machine as well as user specific lists of machines.
fully while staying connected. Current solutions cannot deliver
performance equal to an on-site workstation database, primarily The InfoServer also provides an ASD interface, so web
because these connections are slow. browsers can be used to view information and near real time
data generated by the DCX Online system.

Web Content
If we can provide a user interface based on web technologies
such as HTML, active server documents and Email then most
every PC computer today could access information in our
databases with common web browsers and Email clients.

The most simple and robust approach is a system that would

generate web-based HTML pages for each machine in the
database. These pages are placed in a folder on your network
or even out on the Internet. A small, lightweight program that
is run on a periodic basis, connects to the condition monitoring
database and generates each of the machine pages and various
index pages. This folder then represents a dynamic web site,
which is maintained within your plant’s network or out on a
web server.

Another, more dynamic approach would be to utilize active

server documents (ASD). You access an ASD Server with a Clicking on a link will take to you the appropriate machine web page:
web browser, just like a common web page. The Server checks
to see if the web browser has a specific client component
installed, and if not, will prompt the user to install it from the
Server. Once loaded, your web browser can display active
pages that can provide up-to-the-moment database information
and near real time data from automated data acquisition
systems. Like the dynamic HTML pages described above, the
ASD Server makes the database connection and dynamically
provides web-based content to the networked web browser
(with the plug-in installed).

Let’s get back to the technology integration for a moment. In

utilizing the web based approached, various databases on the
network, each with their own web content servers, can be
thought of as PdM technology servers in an integrated network.
For instance, rather than stand outside and look into any
integrated data structure, let's jump inside an individual
technology and look out. We have data and information in here
with people out there on the network who need it. If we could
expose this data, or push this data out, to the people who need it
Text Messaging and Pages automatically updated on each of the OPC clients. The DCX
Online system includes an OPC server that provides
As with most processes in our lives, our best decisions can be information to and remote control from networked OPC clients:
made when we are kept informed of new information and
changing conditions around us. Communications plays a big
part of this decision process. Digital cellular phones and pagers • Machine status (“OK”, “Slight”, etc.) and severity score
have become common in our lives and many professionals use (the score of the worst diagnosis – typically between 0 and
one or the other on a daily basis. 1000).

Internet technology has gone mobile. Servers on the Internet • Collected or computed data. This may include running
now can communicate with any digital text-messaging device. speed, machine state (on, off, high-speed, etc.), overall
Check out www.mobile.msn.com. Here you can set up an level measurements, performance variables (including
account to have specific stock quotes, weather forecasts, sports computed values) and other measured data.
scores and more sent to your digital pager or cell phone every
day. In addition, you can be alerted to an event, such as when • System status information about the monitoring system
your stock hits a certain value, a storm warning is issued, or such as next machine to be tested, times that machines
news written about a specific topic. In other words, you don’t were last tested, etc.
need to look for information that interests you, the information
finds you. • Allow a user to control the monitoring system. That may
include control over the monitoring rate (e.g. to monitor a
Certain events of a machine condition monitoring program can specific machine more frequently or to perform a one-off,
be captured and automatically communicated to the user in the out of sequence test on a machine).
same way. These events include:
• Access to available information and data structure.
• When a machine problem is identified or machine’s Anyone can write applications using standard off-the-shelf
condition status changes programs to access and control the monitoring system.
Integration with other monitoring and controls systems
• A new test has been made on a specific machine will be greatly enhanced. Integration with an OEM’s
information management system (or their monitoring and
control systems) would be made far easier.
• Any analysis has been made or changed for a specific
machine

ExpertALERT Enterprise and DCX Online’s InfoServer can be

configured to automatically alert an Email recipient or any
digital messaging device such as a pager or cell phone when an
event occurs. The system will automatically generate a
message to specific users when the status of a machine changes
(such as Moderate to Serious), when there was any activity on a
specific machine, such as a note or an analyst comment added
or when any new test is performed. This is especially useful to
keep interested parties abreast of activities that take place on a
piece of equipment within their area of responsibility.

OLE (Object Linking and Embedding)

for Process Control (OPC)
OPC is an exciting, relatively new specification/method
developed by the control system industry and Microsoft (see Third party OPC client displays can present user configured screens
www.opcfoundation.org). The primary purpose was to create a and information and data made available by DCX Online's OPC
common interface based on Microsoft Distributed Component Server.
Object Model (DCOM) and Object Linking and Embedding
(OLE) so that individual control system vendors could connect
to a common network and serve information and receive Microsoft’s Distributed Component
commands from various OPC clients. These clients may
include a mimic display, the operators control panel, and other Object Model (DCOM)
condition and performance monitoring systems. Microsoft’s Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM) is
a technology that truly supports remote computing. A
In the case of a condition monitoring system, the data structure computer program that utilizes DCOM is developed with
may be exposed to the network via an OPC Server software separate components, each meant to operate remotely on a
system. Selected condition monitoring information would be network. For instance, software that controls specific hardware
served to any third party OPC compliant client. As information is installed computer A, the user interface for this program is
is updated in the condition monitoring database, it is installed on computer B. A user then can sit down at computer
B and interface and control the program/hardware running on
computer A. This distributed technology allows remote
operation of a networked computer program from any other
location on the same network.

For both the walk-around DCX and DCX Online monitoring

systems, DCOM is used to control the data acquisition circuitry
through an interface we call the DCX DataServer™. In the case
of the DCX, a local connection is made to its DataServer.
However, if the DCX is connected to the network, remote
clients can also connect to its DataServer to request and view
real time data. The same is true with the DCX Online system.
Any number of remote workstations can run a DataServer
client such as the DCX Online user interface, a custom
LabVIEW interface, or PREDICT/DLI’s real time analysis
software, whether connected to a local area network, Internet or
dial-up network connection.

In Summary
Network technology has advanced at the speed of light.
Information that was once locked up in condition monitoring
"islands" can now be shared and used by virtually anyone,
anywhere in the world. Plant and remote condition
maintenance activities can now benefit from these new tools.

Information is valuable. It must be accessible to realize its true

value. Tomorrow's tools will break the barriers that we have
grown accustomed to. Information Everywhere is a smart
strategy to wring every cent of value that you've invested into
your condition monitoring program. Connectivity is here now
and will drive condition monitoring into the next millennium.
Those who don't adopt this strategy will be left in the
information dark ages.

Contact PREDICT/DLI for additional information about all of

our products that subscribe to the Information Everywhere
strategy at (800) 654-2844 or Email [email protected].

Dean Lofall has been a member of the PREDICT/DLI team

since September 1980. In January of 1997 he became the
Product Development and Marketing Manager for
PREDICT/DLI vibration products. His development team is
responsible for development and implementation of the
Information Everywhere strategy in the release of the new
ExpertALERT for Voyager 2.1, ExpertALERT Enterprise,
Voyager Integrated PdM Software, DCX Diagnostic Data
Collector/Real Time Analyzer and the new DCX Online family
of products.