Machines and other resources are increasingly being fitted with sensors to record and control the functions of the machine and subsystems of the machine. For example, a diesel engine for construction machinery such as, for example, a bulldozer, digger and so forth may include sensors which measure, amongst other variables, injected fuel pressure, mass-flow of air into the engine, engine temperature, oxygen concentration in the outlet gases and so forth, to allow precise adjustments of the fuel/air mix. Similarly, a ship typically includes hundreds, thousands or tens of thousands of sensors measuring parameters such as speed, fuel temperature, stresses in the propeller shafts and so forth. Furthermore, quantities of data relating to a machine or other resource may be obtained from data input by users who monitor the maintenance of the machine or other resource. Many ships are powered by marine diesel engines, liquefied natural gas (LNG) engines or combi-fuel engines which may be powered using diesel or LNG. Some ships may include gas-turbine engines. Regardless of the particular type of engine, ship engines similarly include large numbers of sensors for operational, monitoring and diagnostic purposes.
The information thus gathered can be used in a variety of contexts.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds