System and method for on-line diagnostics

• US 7,373,501 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2003
• Issued: 05/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Iizumi, Takashi, Arima, Juntaro, Inaba, Masaaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Smithers; Matthew
• Assistant Examiner(s): FIELDS, COURTNEY D
• Application Number:
  US10/443,015
• Publication Number:
  US 20030226010A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,818 Days
• Field of Search: 713/150, 380/259
• US Class Current: 713/150
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4184 characterised by fault tolerance, reliability of production system
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31457 Factory remote control, monitoring through internet
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/33284 Remote diagnostic
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/36542 Cryptography, encrypt, access, authorize with key, code, password
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0267 Fault communication, e.g. human machine interface [HMI]
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 9/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/34 Encoding or coding, e.g. Huffman coding or error correction
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/60 Digital content management, e.g. content distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/28 Restricting access to network management systems or functions, e.g. using authorisation function to access network configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0435 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply symmetric encryption, i.e. same key used for encryption and decryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for symmetric key encryption H04L9/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0825 using asymmetric-key encryption or public key infrastructure [PKI], e.g. key signature or public key certificates
• 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

An on-line diagnostics system and method enable equipment information stored in each piece of industrial equipment to be safely disclosed to maintenance personnel to the extent permitted by the user of the industrial equipment. The on-line diagnostics system comprises industrial equipment and a maintenance apparatus for the maintenance of the industrial equipment, which are connected via the Internet. Equipment information indicating the state of the industrial equipment is encrypted using a specific common key, and the encrypted equipment information is transmitted to the maintenance apparatus in response to a request therefrom. The fact that the common key has been transmitted from the industrial equipment to the maintenance apparatus is outputted. After receiving the encrypted equipment information and the common key that have been transmitted, the encrypted equipment information is decrypted using the common key, and the decrypted equipment information is outputted.

Claims

1. An on-line diagnostics method for the maintenance of industrial equipment by a maintenance apparatus, the maintenance apparatus being connected via the Internet to the industrial equipment, the method comprising the steps of:

when a trouble takes place in the industrial equipment, encrypting the ID of the industrial equipment and the error code of the trouble using a common key by the industrial equipment to generate a maintenance request message including the encrypted ID of the industrial equipment and the error code of the trouble, and transmitting it from the industrial equipment to the maintenance apparatus,

when the maintenance apparatus receives a maintenance request message from the industrial equipment, transmitting an analysis start notice message including an equipment data ID of the object of analysis from the maintenance apparatus to the industrial equipment,

when the industrial equipment receives an analysis start notice message from the maintenance apparatus, transmitting an analysis start notice response message including the common key from the industrial equipment to the maintenance apparatus,

when the maintenance apparatus receives an analysis start notice response message from the industrial equipment, decrypting the encrypted equipment data ID in the maintenance request message using the common key by the maintenance apparatus to generate a maintenance operation message including a program ID and parameters, based on the cause of trouble which is obtained by the analysis based on the decrypted equipment data ID and transmitting it from the maintenance apparatus to the industrial equipment,

when the industrial equipment receives a maintenance operation message from the maintenance apparatus, executing the program using the parameters by the industrial equipment, encrypting the equipment data obtained from the result of the execution of the program by the industrial equipment, and transmitting a maintenance operation response message including the encrypted equipment data from the industrial equipment to the maintenance apparatus.

2. The on-line diagnostics method according to claim 1, wherein the industrial equipment is semiconductor manufacture/inspection equipment.

3. The on-line diagnostics method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a countervalue for the contents of maintenance carried out by the maintenance apparatus on the industrial equipment based on the equipment information is calculated and transmitted.