Interactive support system manufacturing equipment

• US 6,393,380 B1
• Filed: 09/08/1998
• Issued: 05/21/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sierra Concepts Corporation
• Original Assignee: Sierra Concepts Corporation
• Inventors: Zemlo, Brandon
• Primary Examiner(s): SHAH, KAMINI S
• Application Number:
  US09/149,639
• Time in Patent Office: 1,351 Days
• Field of Search: 702/188, 702/34, 702/181, 702/184, 370/397, 370/497, 370/395.5, 370/395.64, 348/12, 348/6, 348/7, 709/224, 709/214, 709/217, 710/18, 706/20, 318/912, 318/806, 700/286
• US Class Current: 702/188
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4185 characterised by the network communication
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

Interactive access to a machine from a personal computer at a remote location is provided by connecting the machine and the computer to a communication network by modems which have digital data and analog audio input/output circuits. A point-to-point communication link is established between the machine and the remote location. Data and video are transmitted over the communication link using software that is configured to use a TCPIP network protocol. Voice transmission is handled by the audio circuits in the modems. The creation of a TCPIP network on the point-to-point communication link enables simultaneous access to the link by a plurality of programs and devices that separately handle the exchange of data, voice and video images over a shared communication medium.

Claims

1. A method for interactive access to a machine from a remote location, which method comprises the steps of:

providing a video camera which produces video images of at least one of the machine and an environment in which the machine is located;

establishing a point-to-point communication link between the machine and the remote location;

executing communication software at the machine and in a computer at the remote location to form a TCPIP network on the point-to-point communication link; and

simultaneously exchanging data regarding operation of the machine and video images over the point-to-point communication link.

2. The method recited in claim 1 wherein exchanging data and exchanging video images utilize a TCPIP network protocol.

3. The method recited in claim 1 further comprising exchanging audio over the point-to-point communication link.

4. The method recited in claim 1 further comprising exchanging digitized audio over the point-to-point communication link.

5. The method recited in claim 1 further comprising:

connecting a first modem to the machine;

connecting a second modem to the computer at the remote location, each of the first and second modems has a digital data input/output circuit and an analog audio input/output circuit, wherein at each of the first modem and the second modem a signal in the digital data input/output circuit and a signal in the analog audio input/output circuit are merged for transmission over the point-to-point communication link; and

employing the audio input/output circuits of the first and second modems to transmit audio over the point-to-point communication link.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein executing communication software comprises executing a first program in each of the machine and the computer to exchange the data over the point-to-point communication link using a TCPIP protocol;

and executing a second program in each of the machine and the computer to exchange the video images over the point-to-point communication link using a TCPIP protocol.

7. The method recited in claim 1 wherein the step of simultaneously exchanging comprises exchanging the data in a time division multiplex manner with exchanging the video images.

8. The method recited in claim 1 further comprising:

diagnosing operational problems of the machine in response to exchanging the data and the video images; and

transmitting data to the machine from the remote location which reconfigures operation of the machine to rectify the operational problems.

9. A method for interactive access to a machine from a remote location, which method comprises the steps of:

establishing a point-to-point communication link between the machine and the remote location;

executing communication software, in the machine and in a computer at the remote location, to form a TCPIP network on the point-to-point communication link; and

simultaneously exchanging data and audio over the point-to-point communication link, wherein the data pertains to operation of the machine and is exchanged utilizing a TCPIP network protocol.

10. The method recited in claim 9 further comprising:

connecting a first modem to the machine;

connecting a second modem to the computer at the remote location, wherein each of the first and second modems has a digital data input/output circuit and an analog audio input/output circuit; and

the step of simultaneously exchanging data and audio comprises merging a signal from the digital data input/output circuit with a signal from the analog audio input/output circuit for transmission over the point-to-point communication link.

11. The method recited in claim 9 further comprising transmitting a video image over the point-to-point communication link.

12. The method recited in claim 9 further comprising:

providing a video camera which produces a video image of at least one of the machine and an environment in which the machine is located;

processing the video image by the machine with video communication software which is configured to transmit images over a TCPIP network;

transmitting the video image over the point-to-point communication link;

the computer receiving the video image from the point-to-point communication link; and

displaying the video image at the computer.

13. The method recited in claim 10 wherein the step of simultaneously exchanging data and audio comprises transmitting digitized audio over the point-to-point communication link.

14. The method recited in claim 10 wherein simultaneously exchanging data and audio comprises exchanging the data in a time division multiplex manner with exchanging the audio.

15. The method recited in claim 9 further comprising diagnosing operational problems of the machine in response to simultaneously exchanging data and audio.

16. The method recited in claim 9 further comprising transmitting data over the point-to-point communication link to the machine from the remote location which reconfigures operation of the machine to rectify the operational problems.

17. The method recited in claim 9 further comprising training personnel at the machine by means of simultaneously exchanging data and audio.

18. A method for interactive access to a machine from a remote location, which method comprises the steps of:

providing a video camera which produces video images of the machine;

connecting the machine to a communication network by means of a first modem which includes a digital data input/output circuit and an analog audio input/output circuit;

connecting a computer at the remote location to the communication network by means of a second modem which includes a digital data input/output circuit and an analog audio input/output circuit;

establishing a point-to-point communication path between the first and second modems;

executing communication software, in the machine and in the computer, to form a TCPIP network on the point-to-point communication path for the exchanging digital data, video and audio; and

simultaneously exchanging digital data related to operation of the machine, the video images, and audio over the TCPIP network.

19. The method recited in claim 18 wherein the digital data and the video are exchanged utilizing a TCPIP network protocol.

20. The method recited in claim 18 wherein executing communication software comprises executing a first program in each of the machine and the computer to exchange the data over the point-to-point communication path using a TCPIP protocol;

and executing a second program in each of the machine and the computer to exchange the video images over the point-to-point communication path using a TCPIP protocol.

21. The method recited in claim 18 wherein simultaneously exchanging the digital data, the video images, and the audio occur in a time division multiplex manner.

22. The method recited in claim 18 further comprising:

diagnosing operational problems of the machine in response to simultaneously exchanging the digital data, the video images and the audio; and

transmitting data to the machine from the remote location which reconfigures operation of the machine to rectify the operational problems.