Working Machine Failure Information Centralized Managing System

• US 20080140435A1
• Filed: 02/02/2006
• Published: 06/12/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
• Inventors: Arakawa, Shuji
• Granted Patent: US 8,108,242 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/1
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/26 Indicating devices E02F5/145 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 9/267 Diagnosing or detecting failure of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0272 Presentation of monitored results, e.g. selection of status reports to be displayed; Filtering information to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0633 Workflow analysis
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/80 Management or planning

Abstract

With a system and a method of providing information on a working machine, it is allowed to promptly handle a failure that has not been initially predicted by its designer. Failure occurrence information is transmitted from the working machine 1 side to the communication server 12 (S201). The communication server 12 transfers the failure occurrence information to the maintenance server 14 (S202). The maintenance server 14 additionally records the failure occurrence information to the database. The server 14 computes to obtain predetermined statistical information based on the design failure information, the production failure information, the information related to the treatment examples carried out at the work sites, and the failure occurrence information additionally recorded. The server 14 transmits the obtained statistical information to the communication server 12 (S203). The communication server 12 transmits the statistical information to the working machine 1 (S204). In the working machine 1 side, the statistical information is correlated with the failure occurrence information and recorded in the storage device 111. The statistical information is displayed on the display 142.

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. A centralized information management device of a working machine comprising:

a storing means for separately storing failure management information including at least information that indicates a method of handling a failure which is expected to occur, depending on each individual working machine which is under the management of the device;

an information processing means for receiving information related to each individual working machine, which includes at least predetermined failure information that indicates failure occurrence, wirelessly transmitted from information transmitting/receiving means arranged in each individual working machine under the management of the device, to perform a predetermined processing on the information;

a failure management information revising means for performing an update processing or an additional processing of new information on the failure management information stored in the storing means, based on a processing result by the information processing means; and

a transmitting means for transmitting the failure management information or the revised failure management information in response to a request from the information transmitting/receiving means arranged in each individual working machine or from a portable terminal carried by an operator.

3. A failure management information providing system of a working machine comprising a working machine and a centralized information management device which puts the working machine under its management, wherein the working machine has:

a condition detecting means for detecting conditions of respective parts of which the working machine consists;

a failure information generating means for collecting information related to the conditions of the respective parts which is detected by the condition detecting means to check whether or not a failure occurs in the respective parts referring to the collected information, and when the failure occurrence is distinguished, generating predetermined failure information to output it;

an information transmitting/receiving means for wirelessly transmitting the failure information output from the failure information generating means as well as receiving treatment information related to the failure information wirelessly transmitted to output it; and

an informing means for serving to inform an operator of the failure information output from the failure information generating means or the treatment information output from the information transmitting/receiving means, and wherein the centralized information management device has;

a storing means for separately storing failure management information including at least information that indicates a method of handling a failure which is expected to occur, depending on each individual working machine which is under the management of the device;

an information processing means for receiving information related to each individual working machine, which includes at least the predetermined failure information that indicates the failure occurrence, wirelessly transmitted from the information transmitting/receiving means arranged in each individual working machine under the management of the device, to perform a predetermined processing on the information;

a failure management information revising means for performing an update processing or an additional processing of new information on the failure management information stored in the storing means based on a processing result by the information processing means; and

a transmitting means for transmitting the failure management information or the revised failure management information in response to a request from the information transmitting/receiving means arranged in each individual working machine or from a portable terminal carried by an operator.

4. A failure management information providing method of a working machine comprising a working machine and a centralized information management device which puts the working machine under its management, wherein the working machine includes the steps of:

detecting conditions of respective parts of which the working machine consists;

collecting information related to the conditions of the respective parts which is detected by the step of detecting the conditions to check whether or not a failure occurs in the respective parts referring to the collected information, and when the failure occurrence is distinguished, generating predetermined failure information to output it;

wirelessly transmitting the failure information generated in the step of generating and outputting the failure information as well as receiving treatment information related to the failure information wirelessly transmitted to output it; and

informing an operator of the failure information generated in the step of generating and outputting the failure information or the treatment information received in the step of receiving and outputting the treatment information, and wherein

the centralized information management device includes the steps of;

separately storing failure management information including at least information that indicates a method of handling a failure which is expected to occur, depending on each individual working machine which is under the management of the device;

receiving information related to each individual working machine, which includes at least the predetermined failure information that indicates the failure occurrence, wirelessly transmitted from an information transmitting/receiving means arranged in each individual working machine under the management of the device, to perform a predetermined processing on the information;

performing an update processing or an additional processing of new information on the failure management information stored in the step of storing, based on a processing result in the step of performing the predetermined processing; and

transmitting the failure management information or the revised failure management information in response to a request from the information transmitting/receiving means arranged in each individual working machine or from a portable terminal carried by an operator.

5. A centralized information management method of a working machine comprising the steps of:

separately storing failure management information including at least information that indicates a method of handling a failure which is expected to occur, depending on each individual working machine which is under the management;

receiving information related to each individual working machine, which includes at least predetermined failure information that indicates failure occurrence, wirelessly transmitted from information transmitting/receiving means arranged in each individual working machine under the management, to perform a predetermined processing on the information;

performing an update processing or an additional processing of new information on the failure management information stored in the step of storing, based on a processing result in the step of performing the predetermined processing; and

transmitting the failure management information or the revised failure management information in response to a request from the information transmitting/receiving means arranged in each individual working machine or from a portable terminal carried by an operator.