Manufacturing device with automatic remote monitoring and a corresponding monitoring method

• US 20050177347A1
• Filed: 09/24/2004
• Published: 08/11/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Maier, Volker, Walter, Rudolf
• Application Number:
  US10/949,499
• Publication Number:
  US 20050177347A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/188
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4065 Monitoring tool breakage, life or condition
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31457 Factory remote control, monitoring through internet
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/37233 Breakage, wear of rotating tool with multident saw, mill, drill
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2223/06 Remote monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 3/005 during manufacturing process
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/80 Management or planning

Abstract

It is to be possible to monitor manufacturing devices, in particular main spindles (1), centrally and securely. For this purpose it is provided that the respective main spindle (1) transmits operating and status data to a monitoring organization (2) over the Internet (3) for example. The data can be monitored there on the basis of limit values for example. Manufacturers (4) and OEMs (5) are preferably automatically notified if limit values are exceeded. The transmission of the operating data to the central monitoring organization (2) does not take up any of the machine'"'"'s own resources for status monitoring and the manufacturers (4) are notified only if necessary. The active sending of the data from the manufacturing device or main spindle unit (1) to the monitoring organization (2) increases data security.

Claims

1-13. -13. (canceled)

14. A manufacturing device comprising:

a sensor for obtaining data pertaining to the manufacturing device; and

a data processor;

wherein the data processor self initiates the transmission of said data to a remote computer system.

15. The manufacturing device of claim 14 wherein the data is transmitted continuously.

16. The manufacturing device of claim 14 wherein the data is transmitted periodically.

17. The manufacturing device of claim 14 wherein data comprises operating data.

18. The manufacturing device of claim 14 wherein the data comprises status data.

19. The manufacturing device of claim 14 further comprising a main spindle unit.

20. The manufacturing device of claim 14 further comprising a memory which stores the data prior to its transmission.

21. A monitoring system comprising:

a processor;

wherein the processor is configured to receive and store operating data from a plurality of manufacturing devices.

22. The monitoring system of claim 21 further comprising a software application for processing the operating data.

23. The monitoring system of claim 22 wherein the monitoring system communicates with an entity based upon a result of processing the data.

24. The monitoring system of claim 23 wherein the result of processing the data is an indication that a limit value has been exceeded.

25. The monitoring system of claim 23 wherein the entity comprises an operator of one of the plurality of manufacturing devices.

26. The monitoring system of claim 23 wherein the entity comprises a manufacturer of one of the plurality of manufacturing devices.

27. The monitoring system of claim 23 wherein the entity comprises a manufacturer of a component of one of the plurality of manufacturing devices.

28. The monitoring system of claim 23 wherein the entity comprises a service provider.

29. A manufacturing system comprising:

a plurality of manufacturing devices;

a shared server; and

a data connection between the shared server and each of the plurality of manufacturing devices;

wherein each of the plurality of manufacturing devices automatically provides operating data to the shared server over the data connection; and

the shared server records the operating data.

30. A method of monitoring a manufacturing device comprising the steps of:

transmitting operating data of the manufacturing device to a remote processing system;

wherein the transmitting of operating data is initiated by the manufacturing device.

31. The method according to claim 30 wherein the manufacturing device includes a spindle.

32. The method according to claim 30 further comprising the step of temporarily storing the operating data in the manufacturing device.

33. The method according to claim 30 further comprising the step of monitoring the operating data.

34. The method according to claim 33 wherein the monitoring is accomplished by a software application in said remote processing system.

35. The method according to claim 34 wherein the monitoring comprises comparing the data to a limit value.

36. The method according to claim 34 further comprising the step of configuring a monitoring parameter through a browser-based application.

37. The method according to claim 34 further comprising the step of providing information based upon the operating data to an entity that is remote from said remote processing system.

38. The method according to claim 37 wherein the information comprises a notification that the data is outside of a limit value.