Paging, status monitoring and report compiling system for support, maintenance and management of operator-supervised automatic industrial machines

• US 4,251,858 A
• Filed: 03/06/1979
• Issued: 02/17/1981
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/1979
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Cambigue, Arthur E., Tieden, Jansey D., Burton, James M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ruggiero, Joseph F.
• Application Number:
  US06/018,027
• Time in Patent Office: 714 Days
• Field of Search: 364/101, 364/102, 364/100, 364/107, 364/474, 364/120, 364/200 MS File, 364/900 MS File, 340/147 P, 340/147 R, 340/163, 340/311, 340/312, 235/92 PD
• US Class Current: 700/3
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4181 characterised by direct numerical control [DNC]
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31435 Paging support with display board, status monitoring and report compiling
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32226 Computer assisted repair, maintenance of system components
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/33338 DNC distributed, decentralised nc, concurrent, multiprocessing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

A distributed microcomputer network is interconnected with a plurality of operator-supervised, numerically controlled (N/C) machines, visual display paging boards, terminal printers and CRT/keyboard terminals for communicating operator-originated CALLs (requests for assistance) to support personnel via the paging boards and terminal printers, and for sensing and transmitting encoded signals representing the STATUS of each machine to a central control room where the current status of the various machines is displayed on a CRT and where a central data processor compiles periodic reports of the operating history of each machine and stores such reports on a permanent recording. The microcomputer network includes a separate microcomputer for each machine for receiving and concentrating CALL and STATUS data at the individual machine level. These machine microcomputers and their associated machines are divided into separate groups and each group is linked, by a serial transmit/receive data path, to a local microcomputer which further concentrates CALL and STATUS data received from the individual machine microcomputers of the associated group, and which is linked to a visual display microcomputer that controls a paging board assigned to that group of machines. A front end microcomputer, collects the CALLs from all of the local microcomputers and hence their associated display microcomputers for causing all CALLs to be displayed on all of the paging boards located throughout the plant area.

Claims

1. An apparatus for facilitating support, maintenance and management of a plurality of operator-supervised industrial machines that are located in a given plant area which is serviced in common by operator support and machine maintenance personnel, and which is characterized by an environment having a high audible noise level and low operator visibility, and a high electrical noise level such that common forms of audible, visual and electrical signal communication are unsuitable, comprising:

an operator-controlled input module for each machine, each said module incorporating a machine computer means and operator-actuated means for inputting into the associated machine computer means digitally encoded call data for requesting operator support assistance, and status data representing a condition of the operation or nonoperation of the associated machine;

first and second local computer means, said first local computer means being associated with a first group of said machines preselected from the total plurality of machines, and said second local computer means being associated with a second and different group of said machines preselected from the total plurality of machines, said first local computer means being jointly linked to all of said machine computer means in said input modules of said first group of machines and including means for sequentially polling said machine computer means so as to receive the digitally encoded call and status data therefrom, and said second local computer means being jointly linked to all of said machine computer means in said input modules of said second group of machines and including means for sequentially polling said machine computer means so as to receive the digitally encoded call and status data therefrom;

first and second electrical signal controlled visual paging display means mounted in the plant area and being respectively associated with said first and second groups of machines;

first and second display computer means for receiving and decoding the digitally encoded call data and for respectively controlling said first and second visual paging display means so as to cause the call data to be visually displayed in the plant area, said first display computer means being linked to said first local computer means and including interrupt means for causing the call data in said first local computer means to be transmitted to said first display computer means, and said second display computer means being linked to said second local computer means and including interrupt means for causing the call data in said second local computer means to be transmitted to said second display computer means;

front end computer means, each of said first and second local computer means being linked to said front end computer means over separate digital data transmission paths, said front end computer means including means for sequentially polling each of said first and second local computer means for call and status data originating at the first and second groups of machines respectively, and means for receiving and storing such call and status data developed in response to said means for polling, and said front end computer means further including interrupt means for transmitting said call data received and stored in said front end computer means to each of said first and second local computer means such that call data received by said front end computer means from both said first and second local computer means is routed back to each of said first and second local computer means and hence to the associated first and second display computer means for causing said first and second display means to visually present call data originating in either said first or second groups of machines; and

data processing means for utilizing said call and status data stored in said front end computer means.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of said input modules comprises feedback indicator light means mounted so as to be visible by the machine operator, and each of said machine computer means includes means for energizing said indicator light means in response to the associated operator-actuated means so as to acknowledge to the operator that the digitally encoded call and status data has been entered into the associated machine computer means.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said machine computer means, display computer means, and local computer means comprise identical microprocessors.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said machine computer means, display computer means, local computer means and said front end computer means comprise identical microprocessors.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said front end computer means comprises a microprocessor based microcomputer and said data processing means comprises a general purpose programmable computer linked to said front end computer means for receiving, compiling and report formatting of call and status data collected by said front end computer means.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprises a party line serial data transfer means for jointly linking said first local computer means to all of said machine computer means of the first group of machines.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said party line serial data transfer means comprises at least one common current data loop extending from said first local computer means and separate means for coupling each of said machine computer means of said first group of machines to said common current data loop.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said first display computer means is jointly linked, along with said machine computer means of said first group of machines to said first local computer means, and further comprising means for coupling said first display computer means to said common current data loop.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein each of said means for coupling said machine computer means to said common current data loop comprises an optical isolator.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first and second local computer means are disposed at separate locations on the plant floor respectively adjacent the first and second groups of machines, and further comprising CRT and keyboard terminal means for at least said first local computer means for retrieving and displaying call and status data from said front end computer means via said first local computer means.

11. In an industrial machine support system that has a plurality of operator-actuated input modules, one at each of a corresponding plurality of industrial machines, for generating digitally encoded call signals that represent requests for operator assistance, and that has a plurality of signal controlled visual paging displays disposed in a plant area where the industrial machines are located, the improvement comprising:

a separate machine microcomputer means for each of said input modules for receiving and storing said call signals;

first and second local microcomputer means, said first local microcomputer means being associated with a first group of said machines and their corresponding input modules, said second local microcomputer means being associated with a second and different group of said plurality of machines and their corresponding input modules;

first and second display microcomputer means for receiving, decoding and displaying digitally encoded call signals and for controlling separate ones of said displays so as to cause said call signals received by said first and second display microcomputer means to be visually displayed in the plant area;

first digital signal linking means for jointly linking said first local microcomputer means with each of said machine microcomputer means for said first group of machines and with said first display microcomputer means, and second digital signal linking means for jointly linking said second local microcomputer means with each of said machine microcomputer means for said second group of machines and with said second display microcomputer means;

said first local microcomputer means including means for sequentially polling said machine microcomputer means for said first group of machines so as to receive and store the digitally encoded call signals held in such machine microcomputer means, and said second local microcomputer means including means for sequentially polling said machine microcomputer means for said second group of machines so as to receive and store the digitally encoded call signals held in such machine microcomputer means;

said first and second display microcomputer means each including means for receiving the call signals stored in said first and second local microcomputer means, respectively, and said first and second local microcomputer means each including interrupt means for transmitting call signals stored therein to said first and second display microcomputer means respectively;

and front end computer means linking each of said first and second local microcomputer means, said front end microcomputer means including means for sequentially polling each of said first and second local microcomputer means for call signals originating at machines in the first and second groups of machines, respectively, and including means for receiving and storing such call signals developed in response to said means for polling, and said front end computer means further including interrupt means for transmitting call signals stored therein to each of said first and second local microcomputer means.

12. In an industrial machine support system that has a plurality of operator-actuated input modules, one at each of a corresponding plurality of operator-supervised machines, for generating digitally encoded call signals that represent requests for operator assistance, and that has a signal controlled visual paging display disposed in a plant area where operator support personnel are located, the improvement comprising:

a distributed microcomputer network interconnecting said operator-actuated input modules and said paging display, said network comprising;

a separate machine microcomputer for each of said input modules for receiving and storing said call signals;

a display microcomputer means for receiving and decoding said call signals, and including means for operating said paging display so as to cause calls represented by said call signals to be visually displayed thereon;

local microcomputer means;

digital data linking means for linking said local microcomputer means jointly to said machine microcomputer means and to said display microcomputer means, said digital data linking means comprising at least one common current data loop extending from said local microcomputer means serially to said machine and display PG,38 microcomputer means and a plurality of separate coupling means each connected in series with said loop for coupling each of said machine and display microcomputer means to said digital data linking means; and

said local microcomputer means including means for sequentially polling said machine microcomputer means for call signals held therein and means for accumulating and storing said call signals developed in response to said means for polling, and said local microcomputer means including interrupt means for transmitting call signals held in said local microcomputer means to said display microcomputer means.

13. The improvement in claim 12, wherein each of said separate coupling means is a photo-optical isolator.