SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR TROUBLESHOOTING A MACHINE
First Claim
1. A method for troubleshooting operation of a machine operable to perform at least one machining operation on a workpiece, a sensor operatively connected to the machine is configured to sense a machine operation parameter during operation of the machine, a processing unit operatively connected to the sensor includes a processor and a memory, and is configured to receive and store data related to the machine operation parameter received from the sensor, the data including values of the machine operation parameter and trend data for both machining operations and non-machining operations, a controller operatively connected to the machine is configured to output to the processing unit data related to operation of the machine, the processing unit is further configured to correlate data from the sensor and data from the controller to facilitate retrieval of machine operation parameter data for specific cutting tools and specific operations of the machine, the processing unit being further configured to output a fault signal when a fault condition is indicated, a fault condition occurring when the sensed machine operation parameter data meets predetermined fault criteria, the method comprising:
- sending information related to the fault to an operator of the machine, including at least one of;
information indicating whether the fault was long term or short term, information identifying a statistical parameter used to characterize the machine operation parameter data, information indicating a time and date for when the fault was detected, information identifying a cutting tool in use when the fault condition occurs during a machining operation, or information identifying a machining operation being performed when the fault condition occurs during a machining operation;
sending query driven information to the operator of the machine, thereby guiding the operator through an initial analysis to determine the cause of the fault; and
performing a secondary analysis when the cause of the fault is not determined in the initial analysis, the secondary analysis including at least one of;
determining if a transient spike in the values of the stored machine operation parameter data is present, analyzing trend data for machining operations, analyzing trend data for non-machining operations, or analyzing certain operations of the machine to determine if the fault includes a machine fault.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method for troubleshooting a operation of a machine include performing an initial, operator based analysis in response to an alarm indicator output by a processing unit monitoring the machine operation. The method uses a query-based analysis to guide the operator. A secondary analysis is used if the initial analysis does not yield the cause of the alarm. The secondary analysis can include a number of steps, including analyzing raw vibration data or trend lines generated from the raw data. If the trend lines are operation specific, a particular operation or particular tool may be identified as the cause of the alarm, and appropriate action can be taken. A tertiary analysis can also be used if the initial and secondary analyses do not yield the cause of the alarm.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method for troubleshooting operation of a machine operable to perform at least one machining operation on a workpiece, a sensor operatively connected to the machine is configured to sense a machine operation parameter during operation of the machine, a processing unit operatively connected to the sensor includes a processor and a memory, and is configured to receive and store data related to the machine operation parameter received from the sensor, the data including values of the machine operation parameter and trend data for both machining operations and non-machining operations, a controller operatively connected to the machine is configured to output to the processing unit data related to operation of the machine, the processing unit is further configured to correlate data from the sensor and data from the controller to facilitate retrieval of machine operation parameter data for specific cutting tools and specific operations of the machine, the processing unit being further configured to output a fault signal when a fault condition is indicated, a fault condition occurring when the sensed machine operation parameter data meets predetermined fault criteria, the method comprising:
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sending information related to the fault to an operator of the machine, including at least one of;
information indicating whether the fault was long term or short term, information identifying a statistical parameter used to characterize the machine operation parameter data, information indicating a time and date for when the fault was detected, information identifying a cutting tool in use when the fault condition occurs during a machining operation, or information identifying a machining operation being performed when the fault condition occurs during a machining operation;
sending query driven information to the operator of the machine, thereby guiding the operator through an initial analysis to determine the cause of the fault; and
performing a secondary analysis when the cause of the fault is not determined in the initial analysis, the secondary analysis including at least one of;
determining if a transient spike in the values of the stored machine operation parameter data is present, analyzing trend data for machining operations, analyzing trend data for non-machining operations, or analyzing certain operations of the machine to determine if the fault includes a machine fault. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method for troubleshooting operation of a machine operable to perform at least one machining operation on a workpiece, a sensor operatively connected to the machine is configured to sense a machine operation parameter during operation of the machine, a processing unit operatively connected to the sensor includes a processor and a memory, and is configured to receive and store data related to the machine operation parameter received from the sensor, the data including values of the machine operation parameter and trend data for both machining operations and non-machining operations, a controller operatively connected to the machine is configured to output to the processing unit data related to operation of the machine, the processing unit is further configured to correlate data from the sensor and data from the controller to facilitate retrieval of machine operation parameter data for specific cutting tools and specific operations of the machine, the processing unit being further configured to output a fault signal when a fault condition is indicated, a fault condition occurring when the sensed machine operation parameter data meets predetermined fault criteria, the method comprising:
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sending information related to the fault to an operator of the machine, thereby guiding the operator through an initial analysis to determine the cause of the fault; and
performing a secondary analysis when the cause of the fault is not determined in the initial analysis, the secondary analysis including at least one of the following steps;
analyzing the stored machine operation parameter data to determine if a transient spike in the values of the stored machine operation parameter is present, thereby indicating a crash of the machine, analyzing trend data for machining operations when the fault condition occurs during a machining operation, the trend data including at least one of a trend based on the cutting tool in use when the fault condition occurred or the machining operation being performed when the fault condition occurred, analyzing trend data for non-machining operations when the fault condition occurs during a non-machining operation, or performing an analysis of certain operations of the machine to determine if the fault condition resulted from a machine fault. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A system for troubleshooting operation of a machine operable to perform at least one machining operation on a workpiece, a sensor operatively connected to the machine is configured to sense a machine operation parameter during operation of the machine, a controller operatively connected to the machine is configured to output data related to operation of the machine, the system comprising:
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an operator display for displaying information related to operation of the machine; and
a processing unit operatively connected to the controller and the sensor, and including a processor and a memory, the processing unit being configured to;
receive and store data related to the machine operation parameter received from the sensor, the data including values of the machine operation parameter and trend data for both machining operations and non-machining operations, correlate data from the sensor and data from the controller to facilitate retrieval of machine operation parameter data for specific cutting tools and specific operations of the machine, output a fault signal when a fault condition is indicated, a fault condition occurring when the sensed machine operation parameter data meets predetermined fault criteria, send information related to the fault to the operator display, including at least one of;
information indicating whether the fault was long term or short term, information identifying a statistical parameter used to characterize the machine operation parameter data, information indicating a time and date for when the fault was detected, information identifying a cutting tool in use when the fault condition occurs during a machining operation, or information identifying a machining operation being performed when the fault condition occurs during a machining operation, andsending query driven information to the operator display, thereby guiding the operator through an initial analysis to determine the cause of the fault, including querying the operator to determine if the cause of the fault is discernable by observation of the machine, including observation of a cutting tool outside of a predetermined location and observation of an obstacle present inhibiting operation of the machine.
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Specification