Method for remotely diagnosing process flows in systems

• US 7,089,155 B2
• Filed: 09/20/2002
• Issued: 08/08/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Korsch AG
• Original Assignee: Korsch AG
• Inventors: Hegel, Walter
• Primary Examiner(s): Raymond, Edward
• Application Number:
  US10/490,058
• Publication Number:
  US 20050038531A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,418 Days
• Field of Search: 702/183, 702/184, 702/185, 702/188, 702/189, 709/217, 719/313, 438/106
• US Class Current: 702/183
• CPC Class Codes: B30B 11/08 co-operating with moulds carried by a turntable
• CPC Class Codes: B30B 15/26 Programme control arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0428 Safety, monitoring G05B19/0423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/058 Safety, monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4185 characterised by the network communication
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/14006 Safety, monitoring in general
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/24048 Remote test, monitoring, diagnostic
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31104 Remote configuration of parameters of controlled devices
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31156 Network structure, internet
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/33209 Protocol, mailbox, email, mail system
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/34038 Web, http, ftp, internet, intranet server
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/35008 Www cad, world wide design and manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for remotely diagnosing process conditions in systems such as tablet presses, using computer software. The aim of the invention is to develop a method, which overcomes the disadvantages of methods in prior art and ensures that no modifications, which lead to unintentional effects on the systems, can be made to the software. To achieve this, a programmable control system (PCS) and/or a computer, such as a personal computer (PC), is/are connected to an Internet server, such as a browser, in such a way that—the process image of all conditions and the entire parameterisation of the system (actual condition) is stored on the Internet on a protected home page and/or—the PCS and/or the PC is operated as a subscriber of an e-mail system and issues protected status messages via said system—and the installation and parameterisation of the components and the software are stored either in e-mail form or as a protected Internet page.

Claims

1. A method for remote diagnosis of process states in a system using computer software, the system having a validated state and a non-validated state, wherein either a stored program control system (SPS) or a computer is connected to an Internet server in such a way that

a process image of all process states of the system and complete parameterization of the system (actual state) are stored in a secure home page on the Internet server;

the SPS or the PC is connected as a subscriber to an e-mail system and transmits status messages via the e-mail system in a secure manner, the computer software of the system being non-modifiable by the SPS or the computer during the remote diagnosis of the system to prevent the system from entering from the validated state into the non-validated state; and

installation and parameterization of components of the computer software are stored either as an e-mail or as a secure Internet site.

2. The method of claim 1, characterized in that programs are started by the e-mail that are used to perform controlled diagnoses in the system or to start specific functions from which the state of the system is deduced (online diagnosis).

3. The method of claim 1, characterized in that the parameterizations of the PC or the SPS and of files that are relevant for on-site diagnosis (offline diagnosis) are transmitted as the e-mail or as the secure home pages.

4. The method of claim 1, characterized in that the system automatically sends messages with varying content regarding critical states and maintenance, as an e-mail to a defined addressee.

5. The method of claim 1, characterized in that screen pages and screen contents of a Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA) system and a Human Machine Interface (HMI) are stored on the Internet on the secure home page such that the screen contents produced for the user in offline diagnosis can be transmitted to the secure home page for analysis, troubleshooting, and diagnosis.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the system is a tabletting machine.