Manufacturing system, measurement data collecting system, and measurement terminal apparatus

• US 20030176939A1
• Filed: 01/14/2003
• Published: 09/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Yoshida, Yoshifumi, Kojima, Koichi, Hirai, Atsushi, Torii, Hideo, Ichikawa, Yuya
• Granted Patent: US 6,934,596 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/109
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management

Abstract

A manufacturing system has an inspection data collecting apparatus that is capable of carrying out, upon receipt of a signal containing measurement data in different formats according to the type of inspection or a measuring instrument, processing in accordance with the signal and the format of data to create data in a certain format, and of transmitting a signal for giving an instruction to the measuring instrument in association with the format compatible with the measuring instrument. All data obtained by the inspections in all steps for manufacturing a product is accumulated as inspection data and exchanged among the steps.

Claims

1. A manufacturing system comprising:

a system having a terminal apparatus that is able to, upon receipt of a signal containing data regarding an inspection result that has a different format according to the type of inspection or a measuring instrument, carry out processing in accordance with the format of the signal and the data to create data regarding the inspection result in a certain format, and to transmit a signal in the format compatible with the measuring instrument to give an instruction to the measuring instrument,

wherein all data regarding the inspection results obtained from the inspection in all steps for manufacturing an article is stored as inspection data and exchanged among the steps.

2. The manufacturing system according to claim 1, wherein at least part of the data obtained in all the steps can be referred to in a certain step.

3. The manufacturing system according to claim 1, wherein:

parts inspection data obtained by inspecting each component constituting the article is taken as article data, and further results of inspection of a functional operation of the article are accumulated as product data, and

the system further comprises evaluating means for evaluating the article on the basis of the article data and the product data to create evaluation data.

4. The manufacturing system according to claim 1, wherein design data including data regarding the setting of inspection items and instruction details can be input for the article or components constituting the article.

5. The manufacturing system according to claim 1, wherein environmental conditions during manufacture in the steps for manufacturing the article are accumulated as data.

6. The manufacturing system according to claim 1, wherein manufacturing conditions of a manufacturing apparatus in the steps for manufacturing an article are accumulated as data.

7. The manufacturing system according to claim 1, further comprising manufacture status determining means for determining the manufacture status of the article on the basis of the stored inspection data.

8. The manufacturing system according to claim 1, further comprising a transfer device for transferring the data that has been input to the system or processed in the system to another system.

9. The manufacturing system according to claim 1, wherein the article further comprises a printer.

10. A measurement data collecting system comprising:

at least a single processor connected by a communication line, each processor having at least a single unit, each unit being constructed of a means for implementing each of the functions that aid measurement.

11. The measurement data collecting system according to claim 10, wherein the functions that aid measurement further comprise:

a function for turning an instruction for carrying out measurement into data and processing the data;

a function for carrying out management based on the instruction and turning a measurement result obtained by the measurement into data and processing the data;

a function for displaying the status of the measurement on display, based on the measurement result;

a function for displaying the measurement result on a display;

a function for outputting the measurement result; and

a function for registering a measuring instrument used for the measurement.

12. The measurement data collecting system according to claim 10, further comprising:

an accumulating apparatus that exchanges data used for aiding measurement and data regarding measurement results obtained by the measurement with the processor, the accumulating apparatus being connected by the communication line.

13. The measurement data collecting system according to claim 11, wherein

the processor has a unit for implementing a function for turning a measurement result obtained by measurement into data and processing the data, and each processor further comprises:

interfacing means for converting a signal sent by one of a measuring instrument and the unit into a signal that can be processed by the other of the measuring instrument and the unit.

14. The measurement data collecting system according to claim 11, wherein

the unit is constructed for implementing a function for turning a measurement result obtained by measurement into data and processing the data, and further comprises:

a measuring instrument interface that processes a signal including a measurement result as data according to at least one of the type of measurement and a measuring instrument into data of a certain format.

15. A measurement terminal apparatus that, upon receipt of a signal containing data regarding a measurement result that differs in format according to at least one of the type of measurement and a measuring instrument, carries out processing in accordance with the format of the signal and the data to create data regarding the measurement result in a certain format.

16. A measurement terminal apparatus comprising:

processing means for processing a received signal containing data regarding a measurement result in accordance with at least one of the type of measurement and the data format of a measuring instrument into data of the measurement result in a certain format; and

interfacing means for converting a signal transmitted from the measuring instrument into a signal in a format that can be processed by the processing means.

17. A measurement terminal apparatus comprising:

processing means for implementing at least a single function that aids measurement,

wherein the processing means determines whether an operator is authorized to access the measurement terminal apparatus on the basis of data for identifying the operator.

18. A measurement terminal apparatus comprising:

processing means for implementing at least a single function that aids measurement,

wherein the processing means determines whether an operator is authorized to carry out directed data processing on the basis of data for identifying the operator.

19. A measurement terminal apparatus comprising:

processing means for implementing a function for performing measurement,

wherein the processing means determines whether a measuring instrument is authorized to be used for measurement, on the basis of data for identifying the measuring instrument.

20. A measurement terminal apparatus in a measuring system having a plurality of measurement terminal apparatuses for performing measurement that are connected by a communication line, each of the measurement terminal apparatuses comprising:

processing means for implementing at least a single function that aids measurement, and

storing means for storing at least data for the processing means to implement each function that aids the measurement.

21. A measurement terminal apparatus comprising:

processing means for implementing at least a single function that aids measurement,

wherein the processing means has at least a function for carrying out processing to cause a printing apparatus to print out a measurement result in a certain form.

22. A measurement terminal apparatus comprising:

processing means for implementing at least a single function that aids measurement,

wherein the processing means has at least a function for carrying out processing to cause numerical measurement results to be represented as a graph.

23. A measurement terminal apparatus comprising:

processing means for implementing at least a single function that aids measurement,

wherein the processing means has at least a function for carrying out processing to calculate a result computed on the basis of received measurement result data as the data regarding a measurement result.

24. A measurement terminal apparatus comprising:

processing means for implementing at least a single function that aids measurement,

wherein the processing means has at least a function for determining the progress of a measuring operation on the basis of data regarding a measurement result and for carrying out processing to display the determination result.