Data processing: measuring – calibrating – or testing – Measurement system – Performance or efficiency evaluation
Reexamination Certificate
2002-12-04
2004-11-09
Hoff, Marc S. (Department: 2857)
Data processing: measuring, calibrating, or testing
Measurement system
Performance or efficiency evaluation
C700S009000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06816815
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a preventive maintenance system of industrial machines such as press machines and machine tools. More particularly, the invention relates to a preventive maintenance system of industrial machines suitable for preventive maintenance that is to be conducted before any disorder occurs.
2. Description of the Related Art
So-called “mechatronic” technologies have made remarkable progress in recent years to improve performance and the man-machine interface in industrial machines such as press machines and machine tools. However, since recent industrial machines contain a number of technical portions classified as black-box technologies, and since know-how and experience are often required for preventive maintenance, service engineers on the user side sometimes fail to cope with disorders. When a disorder develops in the industrial machine, therefore, a quick maintenance assistance system on the side of the manufacturer has become indispensable. Particularly, a system that correctly grasps the condition of a machine from a remote place and enables the manufacturer to conduct appropriate preventive maintenance has been strongly required.
To build up such a preventive maintenance system, a diagnostic technology for executing fault diagnosis on the basis of signals during operation of an industrial machine has been proposed in the past, and JP-A-2000-210800, for example, describes a monitor apparatus for an industrial machine.
FIG. 6
of the accompanying drawings provides an overview of the system of the monitor apparatus described in this prior art reference. This technology will be hereinafter explained with reference to
FIG. 6. A
large transfer press (hereinafter called merely the “press”) is installed in each of a plurality of production lines set up in each plant A, B and C. Each press includes a press main body for conducting press molding at a plurality of working stations and a work conveyor for conveying works among a plurality of working stations. A press control sequencer (press controller) controls the start and stop of the press. As a motion controller controls each servomotor through each servo driver, the position of the work conveyor and its speed are controlled.
One server terminal for diagnosis is provided to each plant A, B and C. The press controller, the motion control and a line production management computer are connected as clients to the server terminal through, for example, an Ethernet (TRADEMARK). Information from each line is externally distributed (to the manufacturer of the press
51
) through the server terminal. In addition, the manufacturer can gain access to the clients such as the pressure controller through the server terminal. Here, the line production management computer of each line is a terminal for collecting real-time data such as oscillation of the press and its current condition. This terminal has a board to which an analog input card for inputting later-appearing analog information and an Ethernet (TRADEMARK) (not shown) card for the connection with the server terminal can be fitted. The server terminal can be connected to a diagnosis terminal with a modem installed on the manufacturer side through a telephone line.
In the system described above, a dial-up connection is established through the telephone line from the diagnosis terminal installed on the manufacturer side or from the line production management computer of each plant A, B and C to the server terminal of the plant A, B and C to be monitored to log in to the client such as the press controller. The signal waveform to be monitored is acquired from each sensor through the analog input card and the waveform data so acquired is distributed to the diagnosis terminal or to the line production management computer of each plant A, B and C that, requests monitoring. In addition, the diagnosis terminal or the line production management computer of each line has several software packages for fault diagnosis. An oscilloscope, for example, may display waveform data distributed as a waveform on a terminal display screen. An on-line manual function has the functions of preserving the waveform of a normal operation of a machine measured in the past, reading out the preserved waveform, comparing it with the present waveform and stipulating a maintenance position from the change of the waveform.
The monitor method through fault diagnosis described in JP-A-2000-210800 described above compares an actual measurement value of an analog waveform (such as a motor current and a pressure value) with a normal value and judges whether or not any disorder occurs on the basis of the comparison result. However, the contents and causes of the fault are diversified and moreover, a plurality of causes are associated with one another in complicated ways. For this reason, diagnosis cannot always be made correctly by the comparison of only one kind of waveform data. As a matter of fact, comparative examination by using one kind of waveform data can seldom judge correctly the true cause of the disorder. It has been found from this aspect, too, that expert knowledge, experience and know-how of service engineers and expert engineers on the manufacturer side are indispensable for fault diagnosis.
On the other hand, the manufacturer cannot keep a large number of service engineers and expert engineers for fault diagnosis from the aspect of cost. Otherwise, the maintenance fee to the user will rise. Therefore, it is not practically advantageous to wholly conduct the actual maintenance work on the manufacturer side. Further, it is often impossible for the service engineer on the manufacturer side to finish repairs within a short time because it takes time for the service engineer to visit the user. Therefore, the service engineer on the user side can preferably conduct the maintenance work to a certain extent.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
With the background described above, it is an object of the invention to provide a preventive maintenance system for an industrial machine that enables a service engineer on a user side to efficiently conduct maintenance work while a manufacturer provides expert maintenance information.
According to a first aspect of the invention for accomplishing the object described above, there is provided a preventive maintenance system of an industrial machine for preserving industrial machines installed in a plant on a user side by repairing or preventing a disorder, comprising an information transmission unit for connecting, whenever necessary, a LAN on the user side and a LAN on a manufacturer side through a wire and/or wireless communication line; a monitor unit connected to the LAN on the user side for monitoring an operation condition of an industrial machine with respect to predetermined items; an information transmission/reception unit connected to the LAN on the user side for transmitting either constantly or periodically monitor information obtained by the monitor unit to the LAN on the manufacturer side through the information transmission unit, and for receiving information from the LAN on the manufacturer side through the information transmission unit; a supervisory unit connected to the LAN on the manufacturer side for receiving the monitor information transmitted from the information transmission/reception unit, for automatically diagnosing a fault on the basis of the monitor information, and for automatically supervising the industrial machine; and a preventive maintenance information transmission unit for automatically transmitting preventive maintenance information to the information transmission/reception unit on the user side through the information transmission unit when maintenance is necessary such as when any disorder occurs, on the basis of a diagnosis result of the supervisory unit.
In the construction described above, the monitor unit monitors the operation condition of the industrial machine installed in the user's plant, and the monitor information is transmitted from the LAN on the user si
Frishauf Holtz Goodman & Chick P.C.
Hoff Marc S.
Komatsu Ltd.
Raymond Edward
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