Method and apparatus for health assessment of a transport apparatus

1. A method for health assessment of a system including a transport apparatus, the method comprising:

registering, with a registration system communicably coupled to an apparatus controller, predetermined operating data embodying at least one dynamic performance variable output by at least one apparatus component of the transport apparatus effecting a predetermined velocity command base set of predetermined base velocity commands of the transport apparatus;

determining with a processor, communicably coupled to the registration system, a base value characterized by a probability density function of each of the dynamic performance variable output by the at least one apparatus component for each velocity command of the predetermined velocity command base set;

with a resolver communicably coupled to the apparatus controller, resolving from the at least one apparatus component in situ process velocity commands of the apparatus controller, where in situ process velocities effected by the at least one apparatus component map to the predetermined base velocity commands of the predetermined velocity command base set, and defining with the mapped in situ process velocities another predetermined velocity command set, of the transport apparatus that corresponds to the transport apparatus of the predetermined velocity command base set; and

registering, with the registration system, predetermined operating data embodying the at least one dynamic performance variable output by the at least one apparatus component effecting the other predetermined velocity command set, and determining with the processor another value characterized by the probability density function of each of the dynamic performance variable output by the at least one apparatus component effecting the mapped in situ process velocities of the other predetermined velocity command set for comparison of the other value with the base value and assessing the health of the transport apparatus based on the comparison.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising comparing with the processor the other value and the base value for each of the dynamic performance variable output by the at least one apparatus component respectively corresponding to the predetermined velocity command base set and the other predetermined velocity command set.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the transport apparatus is a unique transport apparatus common for both the predetermined velocity command base set and the other predetermined velocity command set.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the predetermined base command defines a template command velocity and each in situ process maps onto a corresponding one of the template command.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising registering, in a registry of the apparatus controller, a histogram of commanded by the apparatus controller including in situ process effected by the at least one apparatus component, and wherein the processor resolves the mapped in situ process from periodic access of the velocity histogram in the registry.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined base command of the predetermined velocity command base set include a statistically characterizing number of at least one common base command defining a base command type.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined base command, of the predetermined velocity command base set, include a number of different base command types, each of which is effected by the at least one apparatus component in a statistically characterizing number of common command for each base command type.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein each of the different base command types has a different corresponding at least one command characteristic and position command characteristic defining a different common command respective to each base command type.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising registering, with the registration system, trending data for each of the dynamic performance variable where the trending data characterizes a deterioration trend of a respective dynamic performance variable.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising aggregating, with the processor, dynamic performance variables, of the at least one dynamic performance variable output by the at least one apparatus component, with a highest of the deterioration trends and predicting an occurrence of the transport apparatus having a performance below predetermined performance state.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising providing to an operator of the transport apparatus, with the processor, an indication of a prediction of the occurrence of the transport apparatus having a performance below predetermined performance state based on the aggregation of the dynamic performance variables.

12. A health assessing apparatus for assessing a health of a system including a transport apparatus, the health assessing apparatus comprising:

a registration system communicably coupled to a transport apparatus controller of the transport apparatus, the registration system being configured to:

register predetermined operating data embodying at least one dynamic performance variable output by at least one apparatus component of the transport apparatus effecting a predetermined velocity command base set of predetermined base commands of the transport apparatus, and

register predetermined operating data embodying at least one dynamic performance variable output by the at least one apparatus component effecting another predetermined velocity command set;

a resolver communicably coupled to the transport apparatus controller, the resolver being configured to:

resolve from the at least one apparatus component in situ process commands of the apparatus controller, where in situ process effected by the at least one apparatus component map to the predetermined base commands of the predetermined command base set, and

define with the mapped in situ process the other predetermined velocity command set of the transport apparatus that corresponds to the transport apparatus of the predetermined velocity command base set; and

a processor communicably coupled to the registration system, the processor being configured to:

determine a base value characterized by a probability density function of each of the dynamic performance variable output by the at least one apparatus component for each command of the predetermined velocity command base set, and

determine another value characterized by the probability density function of each of the dynamic performance variable output by the at least one apparatus component effecting the mapped in situ process of the other predetermined velocity command set for comparison of the other value with the base value and assessing the health of the transport apparatus based on the comparison.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the processor is further configured to compare the other value and the base value for each of the dynamic performance variable output by the at least one apparatus component respectively corresponding to the predetermined velocity command base set and the other predetermined velocity command set.

14. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the transport apparatus is a common transport apparatus for both the predetermined velocity command base set and the other predetermined velocity command set.

15. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein each of the predetermined base command defines a template command and each in situ process maps onto a corresponding one of the template command.

16. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the transport apparatus controller comprises a registry, the registry being configured to register a histogram of commanded by the apparatus controller including in situ process effected by the at least one apparatus component, and the processor is further configured to resolve the mapped in situ process from periodic access of the histogram in the registry.

17. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the predetermined base command of the predetermined velocity command base set include a statistically characterizing number of at least one common base command defining a base command type.

18. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the predetermined base command, of the predetermined velocity command base set, include a number of different base command types, each of which is effected by the at least one apparatus component in a statistically characterizing number of common command for each base command type.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 , wherein each of the different base command types has a different corresponding at least one command characteristic and position command characteristic defining a different common command respective to each base command type.

20. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the registration system is further configured to register trending data for each of the dynamic performance variable where the trending data characterizes a deterioration trend of a respective dynamic performance variable.

21. The apparatus of claim 20 , wherein the processor is further configured to aggregate dynamic performance variables, of the at least one dynamic performance variable output by the at least one apparatus component, with a highest of the deterioration trends and predict an occurrence of the transport apparatus having a performance below predetermined performance state.

22. The apparatus of claim 21 , wherein the processor is further configured to provide, to an operator of the transport apparatus, an indication of a prediction of the occurrence of the transport apparatus having a performance below predetermined performance state based on the aggregation of the dynamic performance variables.