Industrial machine management system, industrial machine management device, industrial machine management method, and information storage medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10168675-B2
Application number	US-201414526545-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 29, 2014
Priority date	Oct 29, 2013
Publication date	Jan 1, 2019
Grant date	Jan 1, 2019

Abstract

An industrial machine management system includes a maintenance-use portable terminal and a cloud server. The maintenance-use portable terminal includes a data communication unit for transmitting management information for a user, which is set in accordance with an input from the user in regard to an industrial machine to be managed. The cloud server includes a data communication unit for receiving the management information for the user transmitted by the data communication unit, and a machine information storage for storing the management information for the user received by the data communication unit in association with individual identification information on the industrial machine to be managed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An industrial machine management system comprising:
a first terminal;
a second terminal; and
an industrial machine management device, wherein
the first terminal comprises a transmitter that transmits user management information for a first industrial machine which is one of a plurality of industrial machines;
the second terminal downloads firmware selected by a user from the industrial machine management device and updates an installed firmware in a storage of the first industrial machine with the firmware which is downloaded; and
the industrial machine management device comprises:
a receiver configured to receive the serial number and the user management information from the transmitter; and
a storage that comprises a machine information database for the plurality of the industrial machines;

a register that creates a new record which includes the serial number and the manufacture management information of the first industrial machine in the machine information database when the first industrial machine, whose order has been place by the user, is produced;
a write that searches the machine information database for the record corresponding with the serial number received from the first terminal as a key, and writes the user management information which is received into the searched record;

wherein the manufacturer management information includes kind or version information on the firmware installed onto the storage of the first industrial machine;
wherein the manufacturer management information cannot be written to by the terminal and is inhibited from being changed by the user;
wherein the firmware installed onto the storage of the first industrial machine controls the operation of the first industrial machine;
wherein the kind or version information on the firmware installed onto the storage of the first industrial machine within the manufacturer management information is changed in response to updating the firmware installed onto the storage of the first industrial machine; and
wherein the second terminal displays the kind or version information on the firmware installed onto each of the plurality of the industrial machines on the display unit.

2. The industrial machine management system according to claim 1 , wherein the industrial machine management device further comprises:
a provider that provides at least one of the user management information and manufacturer management information.

3. The industrial machine management system according to claim 1 , wherein the user management information comprises:
a first item; and
data relating to the first item.

4. The industrial machine management system according to claim 3 , wherein the user management information comprises:
the first item indicating the first industrial machine serving as a connection destination of an industrial machine to be managed; and
individual identification information on the first industrial machine serving as the connection destination.

5. The industrial machine management system according to claim 4 , wherein the industrial machine management device further comprises:
an adding unit that adds a storage area for storing information to be associated with the individual identification information on the industrial machine serving as the connection destination, to the storage, when the storage does not store the individual identification information on the industrial machine serving as the connection destination.

6. The industrial machine management system according to claim 5 , wherein the industrial machine management device further comprises a writer that writes the individual identification information on the first industrial machine to be managed into the storage area added by the adding unit.

7. The industrial machine management system according to claim 5 , wherein:
the industrial machine management device further comprises:
an information acquirer that acquires the management information for the user, which is set in accordance with the input from the user in regard to the individual identification information on the industrial machine serving as the connection destination; and
a writer that writes the acquired management information for the user into the storage area associated with the individual identification information on the industrial machine serving as the connection destination.

8. The industrial machine management system according to claim 4 , wherein the industrial machine management device further comprises:
a generator that generates, based on the individual identification information on the industrial machine serving as the connection destination stored in the storage in association with the individual identification information on a designated industrial machine, information on an industrial machine group formed of a plurality of industrial machines connected to the designated industrial machine directly or through another industrial machine; and
an industrial machine group information provider that provides the information on the industrial machine group generated by the generator.

9. An industrial machine management method performed by a first terminal, a second terminal, and an industrial machine management device, the industrial machine management method comprising:
transmitting a serial number and user management information for a first industrial machine which is one of a plurality of industrial machines by the first terminal;
downloading firmware selected by a user from the industrial machine management device and updating an installed firmware in a storage of the first industrial machine with the firmware which is downloaded;
receiving the serial number and the user management information for the first industrial machine from the first terminal by the industrial machine management device;
storing a machine information database for the plurality of the industrial machines by the industrial machine management device; and
creating a new record which includes the serial number and the manufacture management information of the first industrial machine in the machine information database by the industrial machine management device when the first industrial machine, whose order has been placed by the user, is produced;
searching the machine information database for the record corresponding with the serial number received from the first terminal as a key, and writing the user management information which is received into the searched record by the industrial machine management device: and
displaying the kind or version information on the firmware installed onto each of the plurality of the industrial machines on the display unit by the second terminal, and
wherein the manufacturer management information includes kind or version information on the firmware installed onto the storage of the first industrial machine;
wherein the manufacturer management information cannot be written to by the terminal and is inhibited from being changed by the user;
wherein the firmware installed onto the storage of the first industrial machine controls the operation of the first industrial machine; and
wherein the kind or version information on the firmware installed onto the storage of the first industrial machine within the manufacturer management information is changed in response to updating the firmware installed onto the storage of the first industrial machine.

Assignees

• Yaskawa Electric Corp

Inventors

• Hashimoto Ayaka
• Okubo Tadashi
• Muraoka Jiro

Classifications

• H04L41/0803

  Configuration setting · CPC title

• G05B19/0426 Primary

  Programming the control sequence · CPC title

• G05B2219/31391

  Administration tasks and factory control tasks · CPC title

• G05B19/41855

  by local area network [LAN], network structure · CPC title

• H04L41/28

  Restricting access to network management systems or functions, e.g. using authorisation function to access network configuration · CPC title