System to monitor/analyze robot related information and display on a smart device

• US 9,415,514 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2013
• Issued: 08/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fanuc America Corporation (Fanuc Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fanuc America Corporation (Fanuc Corporation)
• Inventors: Geheb, Gordon, Tsai, Jason, Wunderlich, Rick E., Sun, Yi, Kijek, Don, Eckert, Isaac, Kalbavi, Ganesh, Krause, Ken, Evans, Judy, Prajapati, Ashok
• Primary Examiner(s): Mancho, Ronnie
• Application Number:
  US14/021,036
• Publication Number:
  US 20140074286A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,072 Days
• Field of Search: 700/245, 700/88, 700/264, 700/223, 700/224, 700/90, 700/96, 709/224, 709/202, 709/203, 709/223, 714/57, 712/29, 702/185, 340/635
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1674 characterised by safety, monitoring, diagnostic
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/409 characterised by using manual data input [MDI] or by using control panel, e.g. controlling functions with the panel; characterised by control panel details or by setting parameters G05B19/408, G05B19/4093 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/33209 Protocol, mailbox, email, mail system
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/36163 Local as well as remote control panel

Abstract

A robot monitoring system for monitoring and analyzing robot related data and displaying the data on a smart device is provided. The robot monitoring system comprises at least one robot in local communication with at least one robot controller. The at least one robot controller has local processing power for monitoring, gathering, and analyzing data related to the at least one robot. The data analysis results are formatted into a message file that is communicated to a storage system. The message file may then be retrieved by a smart device having software running thereon for displaying the results of the data analysis.

Claims

1. A robot monitoring system for monitoring and analyzing robot related data and displaying the data on a smart device, the system comprising:

at least one robot;

at least one robot controller in communication with the at least one robot, wherein the at least one robot controller has local processing power and is configured to cause the at least one robot to perform a programmed movement, and wherein the at least one robot controller is further configured to monitor and analyze robot related data to determine a condition of the at least one robot, wherein the at least one robot controller further includes a communications device for communicating the condition of the at least one robot to a storage system, wherein the storage system is at least one of an email server system, a remote storage system, and a local memory of the at least one robot controller; and

at least one software application running on the at least one robot controller collects and analyzes robot related data to determine a running condition of the at least one robot, and the at least one software application further defines triggers that can be activated to communicate the running condition of the at least one robot from the robot controller to the storage system, and

wherein upon one of the triggers occurring, the at least one software application formats a result of the robot related data analysis for communicating the running condition of the at least one robot as a message file and communicates the message file to the storage system, the storage system responding to a request from a user of the smart device for the message file and where the user has requested the message file and provided a correct password the message file is sent from the storage system to the smart device.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one software application interrogates the message file to determine whether an alert notification is to be forwarded to the smart device using push notification protocols.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one software application formats a result of the robot related data analysis for communicating the running condition of the at least one robot as the message file using a unique protocol.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the unique protocol includes the data analysis results being formatted into a plurality of nodes, wherein every node has an id name and the ability to store historical data in a sub node structure, and there is a file tag node to structure an attached file to reference specified data.

5. The system according to claim 3, wherein the message file may further include additional data files for attachment to and sending with the data analysis results.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one robot controller is in local communication with a teach pendant, wherein the teach pendant includes the at least one software application running thereon for customizing a triggering event indicating that the running condition of the at least one robot is to be communicated to the storage system.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the storage system is the email server system, wherein the at least one robot controller acts as a mail client for communicating the condition of the robot in the message file in the form of an email message file;

wherein the email message file is received by an email retrieval server configured to sort and store the email message file to an appropriate mailbox located within a memory of the email retrieval server.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein the email retrieval server interrogates the email message file to determine if an alert notification is to be forwarded to the smart device using push notification protocols.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the smart device includes a smart device application running thereon configured to receive the running condition of the at least one robot in the form of Hap the message file, wherein the message file is sorted and stored to a memory of the smart device into categories based upon the structure and the content of the robot related data contained within the message file, creating a database of robot related data within the memory of the smart device.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the smart device further includes a display for visually communicating the running condition of the at least one robot to a user of the smart device;

wherein the display generates indicia and the indicia may be presented based on the categories to which the smart device application stores the robot related data.

11. A method for monitoring, analyzing and displaying robot related information on a smart device comprising the steps of:

providing at least one robot in communication with at least one robot controller having local processing power and configured to cause the at least one robot to perform a programmed movement, and a storage system in communication with the at least one robot controller, wherein the storage system is at least one of an email server system, a remote storage system, and a local storage system;

running at least one software application on the at least one robot controller to monitor, collect and analyze robot related data using the local processing power of the at least one robot controller to determine a running condition of the at least one robot, the at least one software application further defining triggers that are activated to communicate the running condition of the at least one robot from the robot controller to the storage system,

formatting by the at least one software application a result of the robot related data analysis as a message file for communicating the running condition of the at least one robot, upon one of the triggers occurring;

communicating the message file from the at least one robot controller to the storage system;

receiving by the storage system a request from a user of the smart device for the message file; and

communicating the message file from the storage system to the smart device where the user has requested the message file and provided a correct password.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the forming of the message file includes formatting the result of the robot related data analysis.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the result of the robot related data analysis is formatted using a unique protocol, wherein the unique protocol includes the result of the robot related data analysis being formatted into a plurality of nodes, wherein every node has an id name and the ability to store historical data in a sub node structure, and there is a file tag node to structure an attached file to reference specified data.

14. The method according to claim 11, further including the step of decoding, sorting, and storing the robot related data analysis results contained within the message file, wherein the robot related data is decoded by a smart device application running on the smart device that sorts the robot related data analysis results into categories based on a structure and a content of the robot related data contained within the message file, and wherein the robot related data is stored to a memory of the smart device based on the categories of robot related data.

15. The method according to claim 11, wherein the smart device reads the robot related data analysis results contained within the message file via one or more of the following methods:

email content and attached files;

robot controller memory through a short distance communication link; and

a file stored on a remote storage system.

16. The method according to claim 11, wherein the storage system interrogates the message file to determine if an instant alert is sent to the smart device through smart device protocols for push notification.

17. The method according to claim 11, wherein the storage system interrogates the received file message to determine all assigned user smart devices for sending an instant alert through a smart device supplier mechanism to the assigned user smart devices.

18. The method according to claim 11, wherein the robot controller interrogates the message file to determine if an instant alert is to be sent to the smart device through smart device protocols for push notification.