Degradation diagnostic method, degradation diagnostic mediation device and degradation diagnostic device and computer-readable recording medium on which a program is recorded

• US 20020120426A1
• Filed: 12/31/2001
• Published: 08/29/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Sawada, Akira, Sasaki, Keiichi, Kimura, Kazushige, Adachi, Kenji, Kanehira, Katsumi, Todo, Yoko, Ookubo, Masaaki, Imai, Hiromi, Murayama, Tadayoshi
• Granted Patent: US 6,751,577 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/183
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

In a method of degradation diagnosis according to the present invention, an equipment degradation diagnosis request is input through network 4 from a diagnosis requester and a degradation diagnosis requests handler is selected in accordance with execution condition information of degradation diagnosis specified in respect of at least one degradation diagnosis requests handler and condition information in accordance with which an diagnosis requester requests degradation diagnosis. A request for execution of degradation diagnosis is made to this selected degradation diagnosis requests handler and the results of execution of the degradation diagnosis obtained by the selected degradation diagnosis requests handler are acquired and output through network 4 to the diagnosis requester. In this way, a service can be implemented whereby diagnosis of degradation requested by a diagnosis requester from a diagnostic service provider is performed rapidly and easily at low cost.

Claims

1. A degradation diagnostic method, comprising:

inputting an equipment degradation diagnostic request from a diagnosis requester through a network;

selecting a degradation diagnosis request handler in accordance with degradation diagnosis execution condition information specified in respect of at least one degradation diagnosis request handler and condition information according to which said diagnosis requester requests degradation diagnosis;

requesting said selected degradation diagnosis request handler to execute degradation diagnosis;

acquiring execution results of degradation diagnosis by said selected degradation diagnostic request handler; and

outputting execution results through said network to said diagnosis requester.

3. The degradation diagnostic method according to claim 1, further comprising:

acquiring execution results of degradation diagnosis obtained by said selected degradation diagnostic request handler and outputting said execution results to said diagnosis requester through said network;

registering said execution results and contents of said degradation diagnostic request that was a cause of said execution results in a diagnostic results database;

newly second inputting a degradation diagnostic request from a diagnosis requester through said network; and

reading said execution results of a degradation diagnosis in accordance with a degradation diagnostic request having a prescribed relationship from said diagnostic results database if a degradation diagnostic request having a prescribed relationship with said degradation diagnostic request input from a new second diagnosis requester is registered in said diagnostic results database; and

outputting said execution results to said new diagnosis requester through said network.

4. The degradation diagnosis method according to claim 1 or claim 3,

wherein, if environmental information utilized in degradation diagnosis by said selected degradation diagnosis request handler is deficient, a measurement request handler of said deficient environmental information is selected and is requested to measure said deficient environmental information, and said results of measurement of said deficient environmental information are provided to said selected degradation diagnosis request handler.

5. The degradation diagnosis method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising:

inputting an equipment maintenance request from a diagnosis requester that obtained said execution results through said network; and

requesting a maintenance by selecting a maintenance request handler.

2. A degradation diagnostic method, comprising:

registering in a diagnostic results database contents of an equipment degradation diagnostic request and execution results of degradation diagnosis in accordance with said equipment degradation diagnostic request;

first inputting a degradation diagnostic request from a diagnosis requester through a network; and

reading execution results of a degradation diagnosis in accordance with a degradation diagnostic request having a prescribed relationship from said diagnostic results database if said degradation diagnostic request having a prescribed relationship with said degradation diagnostic request input from a diagnosis requester is registered in said diagnostic results database; and

outputting execution results of a degradation diagnosis to said diagnosis requester through said network.

6. A degradation diagnosis method comprising:

storing information for diagnostic purposes specifying degradation diagnostic processing whereby a state of degradation of equipment is diagnosed in a diagnostic database;

inputting said information utilized in said degradation diagnosis processing from a diagnosis requester through a network;

executing said degradation diagnostic processing in accordance with said information for diagnostic purposes stored in said diagnostic database and information input from said diagnosis requester; and

outputting said execution results to said diagnosis requester through said network.

10. A method of degradation diagnosis according to any one of claim 6 to 9, further comprising:

executing said degradation diagnostic processing in accordance with information for diagnostic purposes stored in said diagnostic database and information input from said diagnosis requester and obtaining execution results;

outputting said execution results to said diagnosis requester through said network;

storing said execution results and said information input from said diagnosis requester in a diagnostic results database;

inputting information utilized in said degradation diagnostic processing from a new requester through said network; and

reading said execution results of degradation diagnostic processing in accordance with information having said prescribed relationship from said diagnostic results database if information having a prescribed relationship with information input from said new diagnosis requester is registered in said diagnostic database; and

outputting execution results to said new diagnosis requester through said network.

11. A method of degradation diagnosis according to any one of claim 6 to 10, further comprising:

managing service charges relating to degradation diagnosis requested by said diagnosis requester.

14. The degradation mediation device according to claim 12, further comprising:

results registration section that acquires execution results of degradation diagnosis obtained by said selected degradation diagnostic request handler and registers said execution results and a content of said degradation diagnostic request that was an execution cause in a diagnostic results database; and

reusable results output section that newly inputs a degradation diagnostic request from a diagnosis requester through said network; and

, if a degradation diagnostic request having a prescribed relationship with said degradation diagnostic request input from a new diagnosis requester is registered in said diagnostic results database, reads said execution results of a degradation diagnosis in accordance with said degradation diagnostic request having said prescribed relationship from said diagnostic results database and outputs said execution results to said new diagnosis requester through said network.

15. The degradation mediation device according to claim 12 or 14, further comprising:

an environmental information provision section whereby, if environmental information utilized in degradation diagnosis by said selected degradation diagnosis request handler is deficient, said selection section requests measurement of said deficient environmental information by selecting a measurement request handler of deficient environmental information, and measurement results of said deficient environmental information are provided to said selected degradation diagnosis request handler.

16. The degradation mediation device according to any one of claim 12 to 15, further comprising:

a maintenance request selection section whereby an equipment maintenance request is input from a diagnosis requester that obtained said execution results through said network and maintenance is requested by selecting a maintenance request handler.

18. The degradation diagnostic device according to claim 17, further comprising:

an output section whereby a request for reading manual information relating to degradation diagnostic processing is input from a diagnosis requester through said network and said manual information is output through said network to said diagnosis requester that requested a reading.

19. The degradation diagnostic device according to claim 17 or 18, further comprising:

a sending section whereby a request for sending out an environmental evaluation unit utilized for measurement for evaluation of an environment state in which an equipment is arranged is input from a diagnosis requester through said network and instructions are given for sending out of said environmental evaluation unit.

7. A degradation diagnosis method, comprising:

storing information for diagnostic purposes that specifies degradation diagnostic processing whereby a state of degradation of equipment is diagnosed and manual information relating to said degradation diagnostic processing in a diagnostic database;

designating sending out of an environmental evaluation unit if a request for sending out of said environmental evaluation unit to be utilized in measurement for evaluation of environment is input from a diagnosis requester through a network;

outputting said manual information stored in said diagnostic database to said diagnosis requester through the network if a request for output of said manual information is input through said network from said diagnosis requester;

inputting information utilized in said execution diagnostic processing from said diagnosis requester through said network;

executing said degradation diagnostic processing in accordance with information for diagnostic purposes stored in said diagnostic database and said information input from said diagnostic requester and obtaining execution results; and

outputting said execution results to said diagnosis requester through said network.

8. A method of degradation diagnosis according to claim 7, further comprising:

when said environmental evaluation unit is updated,

inputting new manual information involved in said updating; and

storing said information in said diagnostic database.

9. A method of degradation diagnosis according to claim 7 or 8, further comprising:

storing new information for diagnostic purposes that specifies said updated degradation diagnostic processing in said diagnostic database when said degradation diagnostic processing is updated.

12. A degradation diagnosis mediation device, comprising:

selection section that inputs an equipment degradation diagnostic request from a diagnosis requester through a network and selects a degradation diagnosis request handler in accordance with degradation diagnosis execution condition information specified in respect of at least one degradation diagnosis request handler and condition information according to which said diagnosis requester requests degradation diagnosis, and requests said selected degradation diagnosis request handler to execute degradation diagnosis; and

result output section that acquires execution results of degradation diagnosis by said selected degradation diagnostic request handler and outputs said execution results through said network to said diagnosis requester.

13. A degradation diagnosis mediation device, comprising:

a diagnostic results database in which is registered a content of an equipment degradation diagnostic request and execution results of degradation diagnosis in accordance with a degradation diagnostic request;

reusable results output section that inputs a degradation diagnostic request from a diagnostic requester through a network and, if a degradation diagnostic request having a prescribed relationship with said degradation diagnostic request input from said diagnosis requester is registered in said diagnostic results database, reads said execution results of a degradation diagnosis in accordance with said degradation diagnostic request having a prescribed relationship from said diagnostic results database and outputs said execution results to said diagnosis requester through said network.

17. A degradation diagnostic device, comprising:

diagnostic section that inputs information utilized in degradation diagnostic processing whereby a state of degradation of equipment is diagnosed from a diagnosis requester through a network, accesses a diagnostic database that stores information for diagnostic purposes that specifies said degradation diagnostic processing, executes said degradation diagnostic processing in accordance with said information for diagnostic purposes stored in said diagnostic database and information input from said diagnosis requester and obtains execution results, outputs said execution results to said diagnosis requester through said network.

20. The degradation diagnostic device according to any one of claims 17 to 19, further comprising:

a storage section that stores in said diagnostic database execution results obtained by said diagnostic section and information from said diagnosis requester; and

a storage management section that inputs information utilized for said degradation diagnostic processing from a new diagnostic requester through said network and, if information having a prescribed relationship with said information input from said new diagnosis requester is registered in said diagnostic database, reads from said diagnostic database execution results of said degradation diagnostic processing based on information having a prescribed relationship and output said execution results to said new diagnosis requester through said network.

21. The degradation diagnostic device according to any one of claims 17 to 20, further comprising:

a requester information management section that manages information of diagnosis requesters; and

a fee management section that manages service fees resulting from requests relating to degradation diagnosis input through said network from said diagnosis requester utilizing the information of said requester information management section.

22. A computer-readable recording medium on which is recorded a program for implementing on a computer, said program comprising:

a selection function whereby an equipment degradation diagnosis request is input from a diagnosis requester through a network, a degradation diagnosis request handler is selected based on execution condition information of prescribed degradation diagnosis concerning at least one degradation diagnosis request handler and condition information according to which said diagnosis requester requests degradation diagnosis, and execution of degradation diagnosis by said selected degradation diagnosis requests handler is requested; and

a results output function that acquires execution results of degradation diagnosis obtained by said selected degradation diagnosis requests handler and outputs said execution results to said diagnosis requester through the network.

24. The computer-readable recording medium according to claim 22 on which is recorded a program for implementing on a computer, said program comprising:

a results registration function whereby the execution results of degradation diagnosis executed by said selected degradation diagnosis request handler are acquired and execution results and a content of said degradation diagnostic request that was an execution cause are registered in a diagnostic results database; and

a reusable results output function that inputs a degradation diagnostic request from a new diagnostic requester through a network and, if a degradation diagnostic request having a prescribed relationship with said degradation diagnostic request input from a new diagnosis requester is registered in said diagnostic results database, reads execution results of a degradation diagnosis in accordance with a degradation diagnostic request having a prescribed relationship from said diagnostic results database and outputs said execution results to said new diagnosis requester through said network.

26. The computer-readable recording medium according to claim 25 on which is recorded a program for implementing on a computer, said program comprising:

a storage function of storing in said diagnostic database execution results obtained by said diagnostic function and information input from said diagnosis requester; and

a storage management function whereby information utilized for said degradation diagnostic processing is input from a new diagnosis requester through said network and, if information having a prescribed relationship with information input from a new diagnosis requester is registered in said diagnostic database, results of said degradation diagnostic processing in accordance with information having said prescribed relationship are read from said diagnostic database and output to said new diagnosis requester through said network.

23. A computer-readable recording medium on which is recorded a program for implementing on a computer, said program comprising:

a results registration function whereby a content of an equipment degradation diagnosis request and execution results of degradation diagnosis in accordance with said equipment degradation diagnosis request are registered in a diagnostic results database; and

a reusable results output function that inputs a degradation diagnostic request from a diagnostic requester through a network and, if a degradation diagnostic request having a prescribed relationship with a degradation diagnostic request input from said diagnosis requester is registered in said diagnostic results database, reads said execution results of a degradation diagnosis in accordance with said degradation diagnostic request having a prescribed relationship from said diagnostic results database and outputs said execution results to said diagnosis requester through said network.

25. A computer-readable recording medium on which is recorded a program for implementing on a computer, said program comprising:

a diagnostic function whereby information utilized for degradation diagnostic processing whereby a state of degradation of equipment is diagnosed is input from a diagnosis requester through a network, a diagnostic database in which is stored information for diagnostic purposes that specifies said degradation diagnostic processing is accessed, said degradation diagnostic processing is formed in accordance with information for diagnostic purposes stored in said diagnostic database and information input from said diagnosis requester, and said execution results are output to said diagnosis requester through said network.