Data processing: measuring – calibrating – or testing – Measurement system – Performance or efficiency evaluation
Reexamination Certificate
2002-09-05
2004-12-21
Hoff, Marc S. (Department: 2857)
Data processing: measuring, calibrating, or testing
Measurement system
Performance or efficiency evaluation
C714S057000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06834257
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims the priority of German Patent Application, Serial No. 101 44 006.5, filed Sep. 7, 2001, the subject matter of which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method for message diagnosis, in particular for diagnosing error messages, and for error recovery.
The article “Internet Technologies in the Industrial Automation: Present Applications and Future Potential” by Peter Terwiesch, published in the Journal Automatisierungstechnik in January 2001 by the Oldenbourg Verlag, discloses on page 32 to 37 remote access to industrial machines, in particular access to the data of industrial machines. Internet technology paves the way for remote monitoring and remote diagnostics. A system-specific operating console on the user side enables the user to make remote requests. Remote monitoring allows one or several experts access to an industrial machine. Remote monitoring can also include supervisory functionality.
Disadvantageously, the data have to be evaluated by human intervention, such as by a group of experts or by at least one expert. The evaluation includes, for example, information about repair measures. Messages, in particular error messages from the least one industrial machine, are diagnosed, for example, centrally via remote monitoring or locally by the expert. The experts are informed about the messages via a man-machine-interface (MMI). The experts obtain their expertise through familiarity with the machines that generate the messages. This expertise is built up, for example, in that the experts know at least one error message that occurs in an industrial machine already from another identical or similar machine, where they have repaired the error through suitable error recovery measures. The error recovery measures are then known to the experts and are used for error recovery on another identical industrial machine. Insight into error messages and the associated error recovery measures can also be obtained, for example, by observing an industrial machine over a certain period of time. Industrial machines are, for example machine tools, production machines or robots. Error diagnosis can also applied to the machines components. A system for error recovery is deduced from the centralized message diagnosis performed by personnel and/or the industrial machine(s) that generate messages, because the experts participate in the error recovery, for example via remote intervention, or locally, possibly through local personnel.
A method for a centralized and/or local message diagnosis raises many problems, such as forgetfulness of people, illness of the experts, response time of the experts, working hours, continuous access to personnel, varying degrees of expertise by different experts, familiarity with foreign languages and so on.
It is therefore desirable to provide a method for error diagnosis which improves error handling and recovery.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to one aspect of the invention, in a method for message diagnosis, in particular for error messages, and for error recovery in a system with at least one industrial machine, in particular a machine tool, a production machine and/or a robot and/or components thereof, one or several error messages and their accompanying circumstances are stored in at least one message diagnosis unit together with the corresponding generated error recovery measure(s), so that when one or several known errors are repeated, the stored measures are immediately and automatically accessed and the proven error recovery measures are supplied to the respective machine.
Industrial machines, such as machine tools, production machines and robots, frequently have mechanisms for generating messages. Messages are to be understood as representing information relating to the switch-on state of the industrial machine or other parameters relating to the industrial machine that describe its state, such as temperature, operating times, pressures or error messages. Error messages are generated, for example, when the industrial machine is in a state that is different from its normal operating state. Error messages can be caused, for example, by a malfunction of components which can result in an interruption of the process flow, excess temperatures, excess pressures, the absence of an operating resource, exceeding an electric current or electric voltage or, for example, also a loss of electrical power. Error messages can also be alarm messages. Alarm messages are messages which indicate, for example, a critical state or a potential for a critical state in the near future, which can limit the operating range of the industrial machine, for example a dwindling supply of raw materials for industrial machines that process raw materials. Alarm messages can also relate to the number of operating hours.
Industrial machines frequently include different components. Many machine tools have, for example, electric drives. The electric motor of an electric drive is powered, for example, via a converter. Both the motor and the converter are components and can be implemented so as to generate component messages. Components can also have additional sub-components which can also generate error messages. An example are converters which have a power section and a control section.
An industrial machine or its components generate messages, such as error messages which are supplied to a message diagnosis unit. The messages are provided either locally at the industrial machine or externally.
With an external message diagnosis unit, systems such as telephone lines, wireless transmission, for example via a mobile telephone, data networks such as LAN or WAN or the Internet can be used for data transmission. Transmission channels already in use with remote diagnosis units can also be employed. The transmission of data or messages can be automated so that a message can be transmitted immediately after it has been generated, which speeds up error recovery. The transmission of data and/or messages can also be automated in such a way that they are transmitted with a time delay if transmission to a central unit has to be authorized first. This is advantageous, for example, if a fee has to be paid for the diagnosis of the messages and for returning messages with proposed error recovery measures, for example to the service provider of the message diagnosis.
With local message diagnosis units, an already existing system for for data processing, such as a numeric controller, a computer-numeric controller or a storage-programmed controller can advantageously be used for the message diagnosis. At least one error recovery measure is stored in the message diagnosis unit in addition to the received error messages. If the message diagnosis unit is not yet aware of error recovery measures for a specific error, then there is either no need for error recovery measures or the proposed error recovery measures should be added to the message diagnosis. When a known error occurs, the message diagnosis unit automatically and immediately accesses the stored error recovery measures which are supplied by the message diagnosis unit to the corresponding machine which reported the error(s). Unknown errors and/or accompanying circumstances can be advantageously included in the message diagnosis. To improve the diagnosis, the accompanying circumstances of the error message are included in the error diagnosis. Accompanying circumstances are, for example, other errors or messages which are produced simultaneously and/or with a time delay, but also the absence of other errors or messages. If, for example, the blower fails in an air-cooled electric machine, then the error messages “blower failure” and “overtemperature” can be generated, whereby either error message can represent an accompanying circumstance for the other error message.
The error recovery measures stored in the message diagnosis unit for an error message and its accompanying circumstances are, for example, instructions for personnel
Baran Mary Catherine
Feiereisen Henry M.
Hoff Marc S.
Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
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