Recent developments in the accelerator equipment automation field

CERN has embarked on a new programme of Particle Accelerator Efficiency improvements that is inspired by lessons learned from the last years of operation and by the latest technology advancements. The field of equipment automation is being addressed through a mix of concrete developments and pilot projects. This paper presents the work on preparing a new paradigm of accelerator equipment automation and reporting, anomaly detection and advanced analysis for predictive maintenance. An example of such automation is presented using the case of the SPS injection kicker (MKP) and the automatic classification of vacuum spike events to provide additional context to experts and stand-by personnel during interventions on the installation. This contribution also outlines how Kicker magnet faults caused by high voltage electrical discharge events can be distinguished from standard vacuum spike events, thus allowing a rapid automatic recovery without expert interventions.