Remote maintenance system

• US 6,721,685 B2
• Filed: 03/19/2001
• Issued: 04/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Kodama, Ryuichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoff, Marc S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Charioui, Mohamed
• Application Number:
  US09/811,930
• Publication Number:
  US 20020045976A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,121 Days
• Field of Search: 702/62, 702/81-84, 702/122, 702/177-185, 702/188, 702/187, 702/FOR.111, 702/FOR.112, 702/FOR.134, 702/FOR.135, 702/FOR.137, 702/FOR.139, 340/309, 340/988, 340/309.15, 455/445, 701/29, 701/117, 700/9, 700/19, 700/96, 700/241, 700/244
• US Class Current: 702/184
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0428 Safety, monitoring G05B19/0423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23162 Display real time or time already elapsed or rest time for program
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23335 History, log of program modifications
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/24048 Remote test, monitoring, diagnostic
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25196 Radio link, transponder
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25249 Counter, timer plus microprocessor for real time, jitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks

Abstract

A maintenance monitor mechanism 300 comprises of a maintenance control section 310 that controls and carries out remote maintenance of an apparatus-to-be-maintained, a maintenance history storage unit 320 that records maintenance history, and a display unit 350. The maintenance control section 310 acquires the date and time of the maintenance last carried out from the maintenance history storage unit 320 and displays “Maintenance Not Problematic” if the difference between the last maintenance date and time and the present date and time does not exceed a required maintenance interval or displays “Maintenance Problematic” if the difference exceeds the interval.

With said arrangement, it is possible to provide a remote maintenance system that informs the personnel in charge as to whether maintenance has been carried out surely and correctly and to definitely judge whether the apparatus is really in a usable condition.

Claims

1. A remote maintenance system, in which a maintenance center in charge of remote maintenance is connected to an apparatus-to-be-maintained with a communication channel, and a maintenance monitor mechanism is installed in the apparatus-to-be-maintained or on the communication channel, wherein

the maintenance monitor mechanism comprises:

a maintenance control section that controls and carries out remote maintenance of the apparatus-to-be-maintained, and

a display unit;

a maintenance history storage unit is installed in the maintenance center; and

when the communication channel between the maintenance center and the apparatus-to-be-maintained is connected, the maintenance history storage unit compares the maintenance history recorded at the last connection of the communication channel in the maintenance history storage unit in the maintenance center with the maintenance history recorded in the maintenance history storage unit in the maintenance monitor mechanism, and if the two records match each other, the remote maintenance is carried out, and if the two records do not match each other, the communication channel is shut down.

2. A remote maintenance system according to claim 1, wherein

the latest date of maintenance performed is output from the maintenance history storage unit, and

if the difference between the present date and the latest date of maintenance performed is equal to or shorter than the required maintenance interval, an indication of NO PROBLEMS IN MAINTENANCE is displayed, and

if the difference is longer than the required maintenance interval, an indication of PROBLEM IN MAINTENANCE is displayed.

3. A remote maintenance system according to claim 2, wherein

the latest date of maintenance among current maintenance dates in which no problem has been found is utilized instead of the latest date of maintenance performed.

4. A remote maintenance system according to claim 1, wherein

the maintenance history in the maintenance history storage unit is displayed on the display.

5. A remote maintenance system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of:

a required maintenance interval,

a current time of the timer, and

a maintenance history in the maintenance history storage unit, either in strings of numeric values of the frequency distribution calculated per specified unit time, or in a form of distribution calculated per specified unit time, or in a form of distribution histogram charting the strings of numeric values in time series, is displayed in the display.