METHOD AND DEVICE FOR AUTOMATICALLY DETERMINING A CURRENT CONDITION OF A SYSTEM IN OPERATION

Abstract

A method for automatically determining a current condition of a system in operation includes acquiring first data relating to one or more faults in the system during a process, acquiring second data relating to a process time in the system during the process, acquiring third data relating to media and energy consumption in the system during the process, and determining a process indicator number based on the first, second, and third data. A device for automatically determining a current condition of a system in operation is configured to carry out the method.

Claims

1. A method for automatically determining a current condition of a system in operation, the method comprising: acquiring first data relating to one or more faults in the system during a process; acquiring second data relating to a process time in the system during the process; acquiring third data relating to media and energy consumption in the system during the process; and determining a process indicator number based on the first data, the second data, and the third data.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising using the determined process indicator number to determine whether to initiate at least one of maintenance, troubleshooting, cleaning, service, and repair work.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein acquiring the first data includes acquiring at least one of the following: first faults in the system which lead to a process stoppage of the process; second faults in the system which lead to an extension of the process in time; and third faults in the system that do not lead to any extension in time and to no process stoppage of the process.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising classifying the first faults, the second faults, and the third faults into a respective first class, second class, and third class, wherein different weighting is respectively used in the first class, the second class, and the third class, and wherein a maximum first weighting in the first, second, and third classes totals 50% of the process indicator number.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein acquiring the second data includes acquiring: a process time of at least one of: a ramp-up of the system; a cleaning-in-place (CIP); a sterilization-in-place (SIP); a rinsing step; a cooling step; a production interruption; and a ramp-down of the system, wherein a maximum second weighting totals 30% of the process indicator number.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising measuring, during the acquisition of the third data, a quantity of media or electrical energy used, wherein a maximum third weighting amounts to 20% of the process indicator number.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing at least one of: the process indicator number; and the first, second, and third data.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing an operating state of the system.

9. The method of claim 3, further comprising analyzing the first faults, the second faults, and/or the third faults including: associating, during the analysis, events in the system that are related to one another in terms of time; and making, during the analysis, an association to environmental conditions of the system.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising: creating a time profile of the process indicator number; and comparing the time profile of the process indicator number with a preceding time profile of the process indicator number.

11. A device for automatically determining a current condition of a system in operation, wherein the device is configured to: acquire first data relating to one or more faults in the system during a process; acquire second data relating to a process time in the system during the process; acquire third data relating to media and energy consumption in the system during the process; and determine a process indicator number based on the first data, the second data, and the third data.

12. The device according to claim 11, wherein the device is further configured to perform an acquisition function to acquire the first data, the second data, and/or the third data.

13. The device according to claim 12, wherein the device is further configured to perform a determination function to determine the process indicator number based on the first data, the second data, and the third data, and/or to create a time profile of the process indicator number.

14. (canceled)

15. The device of claim 11, wherein, to acquire the first data, the device is further configured to acquire at least one of the following: first faults in the system which lead to a process stoppage of the process; second faults in the system which lead to an extension of the process in time; and third faults in the system that do not lead to any extension in time and to no process stoppage of the process.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the device is further configured to perform an analysis function for analyzing at least one of the first faults, the second faults, and the third faults.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the device is further configured to classify the first faults, the second faults, and the third faults into a respective first class, second class, and third class, wherein different weighting is respectively used in the first class, the second class, and the third class, and wherein a maximum first weighting in the first, second, and third classes totals 50% of the process indicator number.

18. The method of claim 3, further comprising classifying the first faults, the second faults, and the third faults into a respective first class, second class, and third class, wherein different weighting is respectively used in the first class, the second class, and the third class.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein a maximum weighting in the first, second, and third classes totals 50% of the process indicator number.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein acquiring the second data includes acquiring a process time of at least one of: a ramp-up of the system; a cleaning-in-place (CIP); a sterilization-in-place (SIP); a rinsing step; a cooling step; a production interruption; and a ramp-down of the system, wherein a maximum weighting totals 30% of the process indicator number.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising measuring, during the acquisition of the third data, a quantity of media or electrical energy used, wherein a maximum weighting amounts to 20% of the process indicator number.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0042] The accompanying figures lead to a better understanding and are to illustrate aspects of the invention, where:

[0043] FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic block diagram for determining a process indicator number; and

[0044] FIG. 2 illustrates a time profile of a process indicator number.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0045] FIG. 1 shows a schematic block diagram for determining a process indicator number in a system. In block 1, first data relating to one or more faults in the system is acquired during a process. In block 2, second data relating to a process time in the system is acquired during the process. In block 3, third data relating to media consumption in the system is acquired during the process.

[0046] Based on this first, second, and third data, a process indicator number is determined in block 4. In block 5, the determined process indicator number is output, for example, as a function of time. For example, an objective analysis of fault frequencies and changes in certain process times can be illustrated using the determined process indicator number. For this purpose, the determined process indicator number can be compared with a preprocess indicator number specified.

[0047] For example, the determined process indicator number and the one specified can be made available to a control device or be stored in a memory of the control device or in a memory to which the control device has access so that maintenance, troubleshooting and/or cleaning, service and/or repair work can be carried out by the control device.

[0048] In addition or as an alternative, the process indicator number determined and the one specified can be displayed on a screen. Maintenance, troubleshooting and/or cleaning, service and/or repair work can then also be initiated by a human operator instead of by the control device.

[0049] FIG. 2 shows a time profile of process indicator number PZK, where the time is illustrated in hours. In the exemplary illustration, the process indicator number increases incrementally from a value of around 80 to 100, after which it decreases to around 50 and remains there for some time, around 15 hours. This is followed by an increase to about 80 which remains for about 40 hours. This is followed by an increase to around 90, which is maintained for about 10 hours before dropping to 30 and then increasing to 75.