Remote maintenance method, industrial device, and semiconductor device

• US 6,708,072 B2
• Filed: 02/25/2002
• Issued: 03/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Iizumi, Takashi, Aizono, Takeiki, Arima, Juntaro, Inaba, Masaaki
• Primary Examiner(s): PALADINI, ALBERT WILLIAM
• Application Number:
  US10/080,394
• Publication Number:
  US 20020183880A1
• Time in Patent Office: 750 Days
• Field of Search: 700/108, 700/109, 705/400, 493/8
• US Class Current: 700/108
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4184 characterised by fault tolerance, reliability of production system
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/24001 Maintenance, repair
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32234 Maintenance planning
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0267 Fault communication, e.g. human machine interface [HMI]
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0283 Predictive maintenance, e.g. involving the monitoring of a system and, based on the monitoring results, taking decisions on the maintenance schedule of the monitored system; Estimating remaining useful life [RUL] preventive maintenance, i.e. planning maintenance according to the available resources without monitoring the system G06Q10/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/80 Management or planning

Abstract

The present invention provides a remote maintenance method, a remote maintenance system, and an industrial device for enabling control and thorough services and billing according to the contents of the remote maintenance operation and the request destination of maintenance and enabling access limit according to the attribute of a service person, access limit according to the device state, and output limit according to the output mode. The industrial device 123 installed at the factory 120 and the operation device 113 installed in the maintenance center 110 are connected via the network 100. The operation device 113 transmits command information indicating a command concerning maintenance to the industrial device 123 and the industrial device 123 executes a process according to the received command information, generates charge information indicating a charge concerning maintenance according to the contents of the executed process, and outputs the whole or a part of the generated charge information to the output device of the industrial device 123.

Claims

1. A remote maintenance method for a system having an industrial device for executing a specific process and an operation device for maintaining said industrial device connected to each other via a network, characterized in that said operation device transmits command information indicating a maintenance command to said industrial device and said industrial device includes a computer executing a program to perform maintenance on the industrial device according to said received command information, generates charge information indicating a value for maintenance according to contents of said executed program, and outputs a whole or a part of said generated charge information to an output device of said industrial device.

2. A remote maintenance method according to claim 1, wherein said industrial device includes a memory for storing an identifier of a user of said operation device and attribute information indicating a degree of maintenance skill of said user being related to each other and generates said charge information according to said attribute information related to said user transmitting said command information.

3. A remote maintenance method according to claim 2, wherein said value for maintenance is surcharged according to said degree of maintenance skill indicated in said attribute information.

4. A remote maintenance method according to claim 1, wherein said industrial device includes a memory storing state information indicating a state of said industrial device and generates said charge information according to said condition information at a point of time when said process is executed according to said command information.

5. A remote maintenance method according to claim 4, wherein when said state information indicates that said industrial device is in a production state, said value for maintenance is discounted.

6. A remote maintenance method according to claim 1, wherein said industrial device includes a memory storing a work performed history information indicating a history of work performed on said industrial device and generates said charge information according to a kind of said work performed history information read according to said command information.

7. A remote maintenance method according to claim 1, wherein said industrial device outputs state information indicating a state of a completed maintenance operation and generates said charge information according to contents of said output state information.

8. A remote maintenance method according to claim 1, wherein when secret information included in the program or a maintenance result concerning use of said industrial device is disclosed, said industrial device discounts said value for maintenance.

9. A remote maintenance method according to claim 1, wherein when secret information included in the program or maintenance result concerning maintenance of said industrial device is disclosed, said industrial device surcharges said value for maintenance.

10. A remote maintenance method according to claim 1, wherein said industrial device outputs state information to which an output authority is given indicating a completed maintenance operation and generates said charge information according to contents of said output state information.

11. A remote maintenance method according to claim 1, wherein said industrial device is a semiconductor manufacturing device.

12. An industrial device for receiving a maintenance operation from an operation device connected via a network by remote control, comprising communication means for receiving command information indicating a command of maintenance from said operation device, processing means for executing a maintenance program according to said command information received by said communication means, calculation means for generating charge information indicating a value for said maintenance according to contents of said program executed by said processing means, and output means for outputting a whole or a part of said charge information generated by said calculation means to an output device.

13. An industrial device according to claim 12, wherein said communication means holds service person attribute data including a user of said operation device and attribute information indicating a degree of art held by said user in connection with each other, and said calculation means obtains said attribute information related to said user of said operation device transmitting said command information from said communication means, and said calculation means generates said charge information according to said obtained attribute information.

14. An industrial device according to claim 13, wherein said calculation means surcharges said value for maintenance according to said degree of art indicated in said attribute information.

15. An industrial device according to claim 12, wherein said processing means has a memory storing state information indicating a maintenance state of said industrial device and said calculation means obtains a state information at a point of time when said program is executed according to said command information from said processing means and generates said charge information according to said obtained state information.

16. An industrial device according to claim 15, wherein when said state information held by said processing means indicates that said industrial device is in a production state, said calculation means discounts said value for maintenance.

17. An industrial device according to claim 12, wherein said processing means has a memory storing a work performed history information indicating a history of work performed on said industrial device and said calculation means generates said charge information according to a kind of said work performed history information read by said processing means according to said command information.

18. An industrial device according to claim 12, wherein said output means outputs state information indicating a state of a completed maintenance operation and said calculation means generates said charge information according to contents of said state information which is output to said output device by said output means.

19. An industrial device according to claim 12, wherein when secret information included in the program or a maintenance result concerning use of said industrial device is disclosed, said calculation means discounts said value for maintenance.

20. An industrial device according to claim 12, wherein when secret information included in the program or a maintenance result concerning maintenance of said industrial device is disclosed, said calculation means surcharges said value for maintenance.

21. An industrial device according to claim 12, wherein said industrial device is a semiconductor manufacturing device.

22. A semiconductor device characterized in that said semiconductor device is manufactured under condition that an industrial device for executing a specific process and an operation device for maintaining said industrial device are connected to each other via a network, and said operation device transmits command information indicating a maintenance command to said industrial device, and said industrial device has a computer executing a program to perform maintenance according to said received command information, generates charge information indicating a value for maintenance according to contents of said executed program and outputs a whole or a part of said generated charge information to an output device of said industrial device.