Remote maintenance system

• US 7,805,279 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2006
• Issued: 09/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Ogura, Masaya, Ogushi, Nobuaki, Ohta, Hirohisa, Yoneyama, Yoshito
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsai; Henry W
• Assistant Examiner(s): Snyder; Steven G
• Application Number:
  US11/438,440
• Publication Number:
  US 20060282188A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,589 Days
• Field of Search: 700/108, 702/184, 714/27, 714/37, 714/57, 714/805
• US Class Current: 702/184
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70525 Controlling normal operating mode, e.g. matching different apparatus, remote control or prediction of failure
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4184 characterised by fault tolerance, reliability of production system
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/24084 Remote and local monitoring, local result to remote, remote takes action
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31186 TCP-IP internet protocol
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/33284 Remote diagnostic
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/33313 Frames, database with environment and action, relate error to correction action
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/33318 Knowledge acquisition
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2223/06 Remote monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0213 Modular or universal configuration of the monitoring system, e.g. monitoring system having modules that may be combined to build monitoring program; monitoring system that can be applied to legacy systems; adaptable monitoring system; using different communication protocols
• 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: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

Factories (102-104) have host computers (107) for monitoring industrial equipment (106). Each host computer (107) is connected to a management host computer (108) on a vendor (101) side through the internet (105). The host computer (107) on the factory side detects occurrence of a trouble of the industrial equipment (106) and notifies the vendor side of status information representing a trouble state. In response to this, the host computer (108) on the vendor side notifies the factory side of response information representing a countermeasure against the trouble state.

Claims

1. A remote maintenance apparatus for an industrial equipment, wherein the remote maintenance apparatus is connected to an intranet, and wherein the remote maintenance apparatus comprises:

a database configured to register information on an abnormal state of the industrial equipment and information on a countermeasure against the abnormal state,

wherein the remote maintenance apparatus is configured to;

receive information on the abnormal state of the industrial equipment through an internet from a monitor apparatus which monitors the industrial equipment;

determine whether information on the countermeasure against the abnormal state of the received information is registered in the database;

transmit the information on the countermeasure through the internet to the monitor apparatus, wherein the information on the countermeasure is transmitted if it is determined that the information on the countermeasure is registered in the database; and

transmit a report regarding whether the registered information on the countermeasure has been transmitted to the monitor apparatus, wherein the report is transmitted to a computer connected to the intranet to which information that represents the countermeasure is to be input by an operator; and

register in the database information that represents the countermeasure against the abnormal state of the received information based on the information that represents the countermeasure which is input to the computer by an operation of the operator.

2. A remote maintenance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the remote maintenance apparatus is configured to transmit to the monitor apparatus at least one of information selected from information of a code and a message representing the countermeasure, and a program and data for the countermeasure as the information on the countermeasure.

3. A remote maintenance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the remote maintenance apparatus is configured to execute remote maintenance for a plurality of industrial equipment based on information on an abnormal state from a plurality of monitor apparatuses.

4. A remote maintenance apparatus according to claim 1, the remote maintenance apparatus further comprising an encryption and decryption unit configured to encrypt and decrypt communication data to and from the monitor apparatus, respectively.

5. A remote maintenance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the industrial equipment includes a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus.

6. A remote maintenance system comprising a remote maintenance apparatus according to claim 1 and a monitor apparatus configured to monitor an industrial equipment.

7. A remote maintenance method for an industrial equipment by a remote maintenance apparatus connected to an intranet, wherein the remote maintenance method comprises:

a reception step of receiving information on an abnormal state of the industrial equipment through an internet from a monitor apparatus which monitors the industrial equipment;

a determination step of determining whether information on a countermeasure against the abnormal state of the received information is registered in a database configured to register information on the abnormal state and information on the countermeasure against the abnormal state;

a first transmission step of transmitting the information on the countermeasure through the internet to the monitor apparatus, wherein the information on the countermeasure is transmitted if it is determined that the information on the countermeasure is registered in the database in the determination step;

a second transmission step of transmitting a report regarding whether the registered information on the countermeasure has been transmitted to the monitor apparatus in the first transmission step, wherein the report is transmitted to a computer connected to the intranet to which information that represents the countermeasure is to be input by an operator; and

a registering step of registering in the database information that represents the countermeasure against the abnormal state of the received information based on the information that represents the countermeasure which is input to the computer by an operation of the operator.

8. A remote maintenance method according to claim 7, wherein the first transmission step transmits at least one of information of a code and a message representing the countermeasure, and a program and data for the countermeasure as the information on the countermeasure.

9. A remote maintenance method according to claim 7, wherein remote maintenance for a plurality of industrial equipment is executed based on information on an abnormal state from a plurality of monitor apparatuses.

10. A remote maintenance method according to claim 7, wherein communication data to and from the monitor apparatus are respectively encrypted and decrypted.

11. A remote maintenance method according to claim 7, wherein the industrial equipment includes a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus.