Manufacturing system and controller, controlling method, controlling system, and control program for the manufacturing system

• US 7,920,934 B2
• Filed: 07/07/2009
• Issued: 04/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kateeva, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Aruga, Hisashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Masinick; Michael D
• Application Number:
  US12/498,704
• Publication Number:
  US 20090271022A1
• Time in Patent Office: 637 Days
• Field of Search: 700/98, 700/108, 700/110, 347/40
• US Class Current: 700/110
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17546 electronically
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 29/393 Devices for controlling or analysing the entire machine ; Controlling or analysing mechanical parameters involving printing of test patterns
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

A manufacturing system, located at a manufacturing system site, includes a discharger for discharging a liquid material having fluidity onto a substrate, communication means for transmitting and receiving data through a communication line, and monitoring means for monitoring the state of the discharger and for outputting data obtained by the monitoring through the communication means. The communication means provides communication between the monitoring means at the manufacturing system site and a server located outside of the manufacturing system site. The monitoring means receives a control command from the server through the communication means.

Claims

1. A manufacturing system comprising:

a discharger for discharging a liquid material from nozzles;

a communication section for transmitting and receiving data through a communication line, and

a monitoring section for monitoring the state of the discharging and for outputting data obtained by the monitoring to the communication section;

the monitoring section holds the data, analyzes the data obtained by the monitoring, and transmits a warning signal to a server located outside of the manufacturing system through the communication section when an abnormality in the data is detected by the analyzing, the server receives the warning signal, analyzes a warning content of the warning signal, and sends a control command to the monitoring section based on the warning content, the monitoring section receives the control command from the server through the communication section and controls operation of the discharger based on the control command, and the control command from the server renders the discharger inoperable when a breach of an agreement about the manufacturing system is discovered.

2. The manufacturing system according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring section counts a number of dots discharged from the nozzles.

3. The manufacturing system according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring section measures an operable state time of the nozzles, the operable state time includes the time for manufacturing, maintaining in a dischargeable state and waiting for discharging operation.

4. The manufacturing system according to claim 1, wherein the discharger further comprises a detector for a remaining amount of the liquid material, the detector outputs a detection signal to the monitoring section.

5. The manufacturing system according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring section compiles and sends the monitor data through the communication section.