Malfunction diagnosis method

• US 5,115,177 A
• Filed: 04/02/1990
• Issued: 05/19/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fanuc Ltd (Fanuc Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fanuc Ltd (Fanuc Corporation)
• Inventors: Chiba, Kosuke, Tanaka, Kunio
• Primary Examiner(s): Ip, Paul
• Application Number:
  US07/469,462
• Time in Patent Office: 778 Days
• Field of Search: 318/560-646, 364/474.19, 364/474.11, 364/550, 364/477, 364/269.4, 371/2.1, 371/3, 371/5.1, 371/10.1, 371/10.3, 371/9.1, 371/15.1, 371/19, 371/21.1, 371/21.2, 371/21.6, 371/223, 371/22.4, 371/22.1, 371/22.5, 371/22.6, 371/23 , 371/25.1, 371/26, 371/27, 371/29.1
• US Class Current: 318/568.1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4063 Monitoring general control system G05B19/4062 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/33284 Remote diagnostic

Abstract

Disclosed is a malfunction diagnosis system used for the diagnosis of a malfunction of a numerical control system (CNC) having a programmable controller (PC) by a remote host computer. A host computer (4) reads input and output signals of a programmable controller (PC), diagnoses the malfunction, and repairs the malfunction by processing the input and output signals, whereby the malfunctions can be repaired by a remote control operation.

Claims

1. A malfunction diagnosis method for diagnosing a malfunction of a numerical control system (CNC) having a programmable controller (PC) including a non-volatile memory, using a remote host computer, comprising the steps of:

(a) reading input and output signals of said PC by said remote host computer;

(b) diagnosing said malfunction to determine whether said malfunction can be repaired by providing an instruction from said remote host computer;

(c) storing correct processing signals in response to the instruction and when said malfunction can be repaired;

(d) repairing said malfunction by ignoring said input and output signals caused by said malfunction and storing corrected processing signals in said non-volatile memory; and

(e) automatically executing the sequence program by providing the corrected processing signals from said non-volatile memory to control the numerical control system.

2. A malfunction diagnosis method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

providing an instruction from said host computer to initiate the storing of corrected processing steps.

3. A malfunction diagnosis method according to claim 1, wherein said PC is a programmable machine controller contained in said CNC.