DESC:FIELD
The present disclosure relates to a monitoring system for a generator set.

DEFINITION
As used in the present disclosure, the following terms are generally intended to have the meaning as set forth below, except to the extent that the context in which they are used indicates otherwise.
The expression “edge computing” used hereinafter in this specification refers to, but not limited to allowance of data produced by internet of things (IoT) devices to be processed closer to where it is created instead of sending it across long routes to data centers or clouds. Doing this computing closer to the edge of the network lets organizations analyze important data in near real-time.
These definitions are in addition to those expressed in the art.
BACKGROUND
The background information herein below relates to the present disclosure but is not necessarily prior art.
Preventive maintenance is maintenance that is regularly performed on an equipment to lessen the likelihood of it failing. It is performed while the equipment is still working so that it does not break down unexpectedly. The preventive maintenance of an engine-generator, typically diesel generator, includes checking of lubricant services, cooling system, fuel system, testing batteries, routine engine exercise and the like.
Internet of Things (IoT) refers to the concept of extending Internet connectivity beyond conventional computing platforms such as personal computers and mobile devices, and into any range of non-internet-enabled physical devices and everyday objects. Embedded with electronics, Internet connectivity, and other forms of hardware (such as sensors), these devices can communicate and interact with others over the Internet, and they can be remotely monitored and controlled.
Predictive maintenance system for engine-generator sets, typically diesel generator based on IoT, without use of sensors has not been developed conventionally.
Therefore, there is felt a need to provide monitoring system for a generator set that alleviates the aforementioned drawbacks.
OBJECTS
Some of the objects of the present disclosure, which at least one embodiment herein satisfies, are as follows:
It is an object of the present disclosure to ameliorate one or more problems of the prior art or to at least provide a useful alternative.
An object of the present disclosure is to provide a monitoring system for a generator set.
Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a sensor-less system for predictive maintenance of engine-generator sets.
Still another object of the present disclosure is to provide a system for predictive maintenance of engine-generator sets using Internet of Things (IoT).
Yet another object of the present disclosure is to provide a system that estimates life degradation factor of different parts of engine-generator sets.
Other objects and advantages of the present disclosure will be more apparent from the following description, which is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
SUMMARY
The present disclosure envisages a monitoring system for a generator set wherein the system receives a plurality of information corresponding to a plurality of factors from a generator set controller in the generator set and a server.
The server is configured to store the factors and a set of pre-determined factor defining rules corresponding to the factors.
In an embodiment, the factors are selected from the group consisting of engine speed, engine load, engine running hours, fuel level, coolant temperature, coolant level, battery voltage, and oil level.
The system comprises an edge computing unit and a communication module and user device.
The server includes a repository and a crawler and extractor.
The repository is configured to store a look up table having the factors and the factor defining rules corresponding to the factors.
The crawler and extractor are configured to crawl through the look up table to extract the corresponding factor defining rules based on the information values received from the edge computing unit
The crawler and extractor are implemented using one or more processor(s).
The edge computing unit includes a calculator and a status unit.
The calculator is configured to receive the extracted factor defining rules and the information, and further configured to calculate the life degradation factor values based on the extracted factor defining rules and the corresponding information.
The status unit is configured to cooperate with the calculator to generate at least one status based on the life degradation factor values.
The calculator and the status unit are implemented using one or more processor(s).
The server further includes an alert generator module configured to generate at least one alert based on the status, and is further configured to transmit the alerts to a user device associated with a user.
The alerts are selected from the group consisting of health of battery circuit, oil circuit, fuel circuit, fuel level, fuel theft, air circuit and coolant level.
The communication module is configured to facilitate communication between the server and the edge computing unit.
The present disclosure a method to monitor a generator set. The steps include:
• receiving, a plurality of information corresponding to a plurality of factors from a generator set controller in the generator set and a server;
• storing, by the server, said factors and the factor defining rules corresponding to said factors;
• calculating, by an edge computing unit, at least one life degradation factor values based on the received information and the factor defining rules;
• transmitting, by the edge computing unit, at least one status corresponding to the life degradation factor values to the server;
• facilitating, by a communication module, communication between the server and the edge computing unit; and
• receiving, by a user device, at least on alert the server and the edge computing unit.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF ACCOMPANYING DRAWING
A monitoring system for a generator set and a method thereof, of the present disclosure will now be described with the help of the accompanying drawing, in which:
Figure 1 illustrates a block diagram of a monitoring system for a generator set;
Figure 2 illustrates a flow diagram depicting steps involved in a method to monitor a generator set; and
Figure 3 illustrates a front view of the monitoring system for a generator set.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS USED IN DETAILED DESCRIPTION AND DRAWING
100 System
102 generator set
104 generator set controller
106 server
108 edge computing unit
110 communication module
112 repository
114 crawler and extractor
116 calculator
118 status unit
120 alert generator module
122 user device
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Embodiments, of the present disclosure, will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing.
Embodiments are provided so as to thoroughly and fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to the person skilled in the art. Numerous details are set forth, relating to specific components, and methods, to provide a complete understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to the person skilled in the art that the details provided in the embodiments should not be construed to limit the scope of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, well-known processes, well-known apparatus structures, and well-known techniques are not described in detail.
The terminology used, in the present disclosure, is only for the purpose of explaining a particular embodiment and such terminology shall not be considered to limit the scope of the present disclosure. As used in the present disclosure, the forms "a,” "an," and "the" may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly suggests otherwise. The terms "comprises," "comprising," “including,” and “having,” are open ended transitional phrases and therefore specify the presence of stated features, elements, modules, units and/or components, but do not forbid the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
A monitoring system for a generator set and a method thereof is now being described with reference to Figure 1 through Figure 3.
Referring to Figure 1, a monitoring system (100) for a generator set (hereinafter referred as “system”) wherein the system (100) receives a plurality of information corresponding to a plurality of factors from a generator set controller (104) in the generator set (102) and a server (106).
The server (106) is configured to store the factors and a set of pre-determined factor defining rules corresponding to the factors.
In an embodiment, information of sensor values like engine speed, engine load, engine temperature, engine run hours, fuel level, oil level, coolant level, battery parameters are received from the generator set controller (104). The manufacturer specified parameters like life of filters, coolant, replacement time, installation location details are extracted from the repository on the server (106).
In an embodiment, the factors are selected from the group consisting of engine speed, engine load, engine running hours, fuel level, coolant temperature, coolant level, battery voltage, and oil level.
The system (100) comprises an edge computing unit (108), a communication module (110) and a user device (122) as referred in Figure 3.
The server (106) includes a repository (112) and a crawler and extractor (114).
The repository (112) is configured to store a look up table having the factors and the factor defining rules corresponding to the factors.
The crawler and extractor (114) are configured to crawl through the look up table to extract the corresponding factor defining rules based on the information values received from the edge computing unit (108).
The crawler and extractor (114) is implemented using one or more processor(s).
The edge computing unit (108) includes a calculator (116) and a status unit (118).
The calculator (116) is configured to receive the extracted factor defining rules and the information, and further configured to calculate the life degradation factor values based on the extracted factor defining rules and the corresponding information.
The status unit (118) is configured to cooperate with the calculator (116) to generate at least one status based on the life degradation factor values.
The calculator (116) and the status unit (118) are implemented using one or more processor(s).
The server (106) further includes an alert generator module (120) configured to generate at least one alert based on the status, and is further configured to transmit the alerts to a user device (122) associated with a user.
The alerts are selected from the group consisting of health of battery circuit, oil circuit, fuel circuit, fuel level, fuel theft, air circuit and coolant level.
The different types of life degradation factor values are calculated below.
The Fuel Filter Degradation (FFD) is a monotonically increasing function of engine speed and engine load, f(s,L). The Fuel Filter Degradation factor 1 (FFDF1) is estimated based on engine speed(s),
The factor defining rule is FFDF1=s*E1
where, s=engine speed, and
E1=proprietary emperical factor 1
Similarly, Fuel Filter Degradation factor 2 (FFDF2) is estimated based on engine load(L),
The factor defining rule is FFDF2=L*E2
where, L=engine load, and
E2=proprietary emperical factor 2
The final Fuel Filter Degradation Factor (FFDF) is calculated by the factor defining rule,
FFDF=FFDF1*FFDF2
In another embodiment, the fuel filter replacement factor is calculated using manufacturer specified filter life in terms of factors engine running hours, calendar time and FFDF.
By using FFDF and the manufacturer Specified Filter Life (SFL) by filter manufacturer, the Fuel Filter Replacement (FFR) instance in terms of engine running hours is calculated with the factor defining rule:
FFR (in hours) =SFL*FFDF
In yet another embodiment, the life degradation factor of oil filter uses the information of engine speed and engine temperature. The Oil Filter Degradation (OFD) is a monotonically increasing function of engine speed and engine temperature(s,T). The Oil Filter Degradation factor 1 (OFDF1) is estimated based on engine speed(s), using the factor defining rule:
OFDF1=s*E3
where, s=engine speed, and
E3=proprietary emperical factor 3
Similarly, Oil Filter Degradation factor 2 (OFDF2) is estimated based on engine temperature(T), using the factor defining rule:
OFDF2=T*E4
where, T=engine temperature, and
E4=proprietary emperical factor 4
The final Oil Filter Degradation Factor (OFDF) is calculated by, using the factor defining rule:
OFDF=OFDF1*OFDF2
In an embodiment, the oil filter replacement instance is calculated using manufacturer specified filter life in terms of engine running hours, calendar time and Oil Filter Degradation Factor.
By using oil filter degradation factor (OFDF) and the manufacturer Specified Filter Life (SFL) by filter manufacturer, the oil Filter Replacement (OFR) instance in terms of engine running hours is calculated using the factor defining rule:
OFR (in hours) =SFL*OFDF
In another embodiment, the life degradation factor of air filter uses the information of engine speed and engine load. The Air Filter Degradation (AFD) is a monotonically increasing function of speed and load, f(s,L). The Air Filter Degradation factor 1 (AFDF1) is calculated based on engine speed(s) using the factor defining rule:
AFDF1=s*E5
where, s=engine speed, and
E5=proprietary emperical factor 1
Similarly, Air Filter Degradation factor 2 (AFDF2) is calculated based on engine load(L) using the factor defining rule:
AFDF2=L*E6
where, L=engine load, and
E6=proprietary emperical factor 2
The final Air Filter Degradation Factor (AFDF) is calculated by using the factor defining rule:
AFDF=AFDF1*AFDF2
In another embodiment, the life degradation factor of air filter uses information related to location of installation of generator set. The proprietary environmental degradation factor (E7) is based on location details of generator set.
The modified air filter degradation factor (MAFDF) is calculated by using the factor defining rule:
MAFDF=AFDF*E7
In yet another embodiment, the air filter replacement instance uses manufacturer specified filter life (SFL) in terms of engine running hours, calendar time and air filter degradation factor. The Air Filter Replacement (AFR) instance in terms of engine running hours is calculated by using the factor defining rule:
AFR (in hours) =SFL*MAFDF
In another embodiment, the life degradation factor of engine coolant uses the information of engine speed and engine temperature. The Engine Coolant Degradation (ECD) is a monotonically increasing function of engine speed and engine temperature f(s,T). The Engine Coolant Degradation Factor 1 (ECDF1) is calculated based on engine speed(s) by using the factor defining rule:
ECDF1=s*E8
where, s=engine speed, and
E8=proprietary emperical factor 8
Similarly, Engine Coolant Degradation Factor 2 (ECDF2) is calculated based on engine temperature(T) using the factor defining rule:
ECDF2=T*E9
where, T=engine temperature, and
E9=proprietary emperical factor 9
The Engine Coolant Degradation Factor (ECDF) is calculated by using the factor defining rule:
ECDF=ECDF1*ECDF2
In an embodiment, the engine coolant replacement instance uses manufacturer specified coolant life (SCL) in terms of engine running hours, calendar time and ECDF. The engine coolant replacement (ECR) instance in terms of engine running hours) is calculated by using the factor defining rule:
ECR (in hours) =SCL*ECDF
where, SCL is Standard Coolant Life recommended by coolant manufacturer.
In another embodiment, the system (100) is further configured to
• detect and communicate battery degradation based on cranking dip and battery charge state (SOC) to the server (106);
• predict the coolant leakage using coolant level readings received at fixed known time intervals by generator set controller;
• predict the fuel theft using information of fuel level and engine running hours;
• exercise daily health checkup of diesel generator set, by starting diesel generator set to check all parameters like fuel level, fuel filter replacement, oil level, oil filter replacement, air filter replacement, engine coolant level, engine coolant replacement, cranking dip and battery charge state.

In an embodiment, the edge computing unit (108) comprises of a local wired interface on RS-232C / RS-485 / CAN with generator set controller, a micro controller to execute the program code.
In another embodiment, the edge computing unit (108) is communicatively coupled with server (106) to provide configuration information like engine run hours and calendar time in months specified for replacement of fuel filter, oil filter, air filter, engine coolant, life degradation factor for air filter estimated based on location of deployment of the generator set.
The server (106) further includes an alert generator module (120) configured to generate at least one alert based on the status, and is further configured to transmit the alerts to the user device (122) associated with a user.
In an embodiment, the alerts are selected from the group consisting of health of battery circuit, oil circuit, fuel circuit, fuel level, fuel theft, air circuit and coolant level.
The communication module (110) is configured to facilitate communication between the server (106) and the edge computing unit (108).
The user device (122) is configured to receive alerts.

The processors disclosed herein may be general-purpose processors, Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Digital Signal Processors (DSPs), and/or the like. The processors may be configured to retrieve data from and/or write data to a memory/repository. The memory/repository can be for example, a random access memory (RAM), a memory buffer, a hard drive, a database, an erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), a read only memory (ROM), a flash memory, a hard disk, a floppy disk, cloud storage, and/or so forth.

In an embodiment, the edge computing unit (108) is configured to predict fuel filter, air filter, oil filter and engine coolant replacement instances using an estimated life degradation factor, manufacturer specified life of filter(s), coolant and calendar time for replacement of filter(s), coolant and communicate the status over internet to server (106).
Figure 2 illustrates a flow diagram depicting steps involved in a method to monitor a generator set. The steps include:
• Step 202: receiving, a plurality of information corresponding to a plurality of factors from a generator set controller (104) in said generator set (102) and a server (106);
• Step 204: storing, by the server (106), the factors and the factor defining rules corresponding to the factors;
• Step 206: calculating, by an edge computing unit (108), at least one life degradation factor values based on the received information and the factor defining rules;
• Step 208: transmitting, by the edge computing unit (108), at least one status corresponding to the life degradation factor values to the server (106);
• Step 210: facilitating, by a communication module (110), communication between the server (106) and the edge computing unit (108); and
• Step 212: receiving, by a user device (122), at least one alert.
The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Individual components of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, are interchangeable. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the present disclosure, and all such modifications are considered to be within the scope of the present disclosure.
TECHNICAL ADVANCES AND ECONOMICAL SIGNIFICANCE
The present disclosure described herein above has several technical advantages including, but not limited to, the realization of a monitoring system for a generator set and a method thereof that:
• provide a sensor-less system for predictive maintenance of engine-generator sets;
• predictive maintenance of engine-generator sets using Internet of Things (IoT); and
• estimates life degradation factor of different parts of engine-generator sets.
The foregoing description of the specific embodiments so fully reveals the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the embodiments as described herein.
Throughout this specification the word “comprise”, or variations such as “comprises” or “comprising”, will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated element, step, or group of elements, steps, but not the exclusion of any other element, step, or group of elements, or steps.
While considerable emphasis has been placed herein on the components and component parts of the preferred embodiments, it will be appreciated that many embodiments can be made and that many changes can be made in the preferred embodiments without departing from the principles of the disclosure. These and other changes in the preferred embodiment as well as other embodiments of the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the disclosure herein, whereby it is to be distinctly understood that the foregoing descriptive matter is to be interpreted merely as illustrative of the disclosure and not as a limitation.
,CLAIMS:WE CLAIM:
1. A monitoring system (100) for a generator set wherein said system (100) receives a plurality of information corresponding to a plurality of factors from a generator set controller (104) in said generator set (102) and a server (106) wherein said server (106) is configured to store said factors and a set of pre-determined factor defining rules corresponding to said factors, said system (100) comprising:
• an edge computing unit (108) configured to communicate with said server (106) to calculate at least one life degradation factor values based on said received information and said factor defining rules, and further configured to transmit at least one status corresponding to said life degradation factor values to said server (106);
• a communication module (110) configured to facilitate communication between said server (106) and said edge computing unit (108); and
• a user device (122) configured to receive at least one alert.

2. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said factors are selected from the group consisting of engine speed, engine load, engine running hours, fuel level, coolant temperature, coolant level, battery voltage, and oil level.

3. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said server (106) includes:
• a repository (112) configured to store a look up table having said plurality of pre-determined factors and said factor defining rules corresponding to said factors; and
• a crawler and extractor (114) configured to crawl through said look up table to extract said corresponding factor defining rules based on said information values received from said edge computing unit (108),
wherein said crawler and extractor (114) is implemented using one or more processor(s).

4. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said edge computing unit (108) includes:
• a calculator (116) configured to receive said extracted factor defining rules and said information, and further configured to calculate said life degradation factor values based on said extracted factor defining rules and said corresponding information; and
• a status unit (118) configured to cooperate with said calculator (116) to generate at least one status based on said life degradation factor values,
wherein said calculator (116) and said status unit (118) are implemented using one or more processor(s).

5. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said server (106) further includes an alert generator module (120) configured to generate at least one alert based on said status, and further configured to transmit said alerts to said user device (122) associated with a user.

6. The system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said alerts are selected from the group consisting of health of battery circuit, oil circuit, fuel circuit, fuel level, fuel theft, air circuit and coolant level.

7. A method for monitoring a generator set, said method comprises the steps of:
• receiving (202), a plurality of information corresponding to a plurality of factors from a generator set controller (104) in said generator set (102) and a server (106)
• storing (204), by said server (106), said factors and said factor defining rules corresponding to said factors;
• calculating (206), by an edge computing unit (108), at least one life degradation factor values based on said received information and said factor defining rules;
• transmitting (208), by said edge computing unit (108), at least one status corresponding to said life degradation factor values to said server (106);
• facilitating (210), by a communication module (110), communication between said server (106) and said edge computing unit (108); and
• receiving (212), by a user device (122), at least one alert.