Method for remote support of electric drive apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10601924-B2
Application number	US-201715805115-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 6, 2017
Priority date	Nov 6, 2017
Publication date	Mar 24, 2020
Grant date	Mar 24, 2020

Abstract

The invention relates to electric drive apparatuses used in different industries for different applications more particularly to a method for remote support of an electric drive apparatus. The method comprises: establishing a live support session with virtual drive assistance between a first apparatus and a third apparatus in the remote support site, said first apparatus having a connection with a local electric drive apparatus in a local site, and said third apparatus having a connection to a virtual drive tool for virtual drive assistance; downloading by said third apparatus from said first apparatus parameter settings and other relevant process information of the local electric drive apparatus to said third apparatus; and controlling and/or operating said virtual drive tool by said third apparatus to provide assistance to a user of said first apparatus.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
establishing a live support session with virtual drive assistance between a first apparatus and a third apparatus in a remote support site, said first apparatus having a connection with a local electric drive apparatus in a local site, and said third apparatus having connection to a virtual drive tool for virtual drive assistance;
forwarding by said first apparatus parameter settings and other relevant process information of the local electric drive apparatus to said third apparatus;
selecting, by use of said third apparatus, an adjustment for one or more of the parameter settings of the local electric drive apparatus;
operating, using at least the selected adjustment for the one or more parameter settings, the virtual drive tool;
verifying, based on an outcome from the operation of the virtual drive tool using at least the selected adjustment for the one or more parameter settings, a proposed change to the parameter settings for the local electric drive apparatus; and
receiving, by said first apparatus, the verified proposed change to the parameter settings for said local electric drive apparatus.

2. A method comprising:
establishing a live support session with virtual drive assistance between a first apparatus and a third apparatus in a remote support site, said first apparatus having a connection with a local electric drive apparatus in a local site, and said third apparatus having connection to a virtual drive tool for virtual drive assistance;
downloading by said the third apparatus from said first apparatus parameter settings and other relevant process information of the local electric drive apparatus to said third apparatus;
adjusting, using said third apparatus, one or more of the downloaded parameter settings;
controlling and/or operating said virtual drive tool, by said third apparatus, while using at least the adjustment one or more parameter settings;
repeating the steps of both adjusting and controlling and/or operating until a performance of said virtual drive tool indicates a corrective action for an operation of said local electric drive apparatus; and
transmitting the corrective action to said first apparatus.

3. A method comprising:
starting in a first apparatus a remote support application that contains address information to a remote support site, said first apparatus having a connection with a local electric drive apparatus in a local site;
establishing a remote support session between the first apparatus and a second apparatus in the remote support site;
detecting in the first apparatus an input requesting a live support session with virtual drive assistance;
causing sending from the first apparatus to the second apparatus in the remote support session a request for a live support session with virtual drive assistance;
causing establishing, while continuing to run the remote support application and the remote support session, a live support session with virtual drive assistance between the first apparatus and a third apparatus in the remote support site, said third apparatus having connection to a virtual drive tool for virtual drive assistance;
forwarding by said first apparatus parameter settings and other relevant process information of the local electric drive apparatus to said third apparatus;
adjusting, using the third apparatus, one or more settings of the parameter settings;
operating the virtual drive tool using at least some of the forwarded parameter settings and the adjusted one or more settings;
identifying, based on an outcome from the operation of the virtual drive, a proposed change for at least one of the parameter settings for the operation of the local electric drive apparatus; and
receiving by said first apparatus the proposed change for the operation of the local electric drive apparatus.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
outputting in the first apparatus information received from the third apparatus over the live support session and information sent to the third apparatus over the live support session as an aggregate information regardless of the media type of the information.

5. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
establishing a connection from the first apparatus to a fourth apparatus in a site in which the first apparatus is; and
allowing, by the first apparatus, a connection from the third apparatus to the fourth apparatus to be established via the first apparatus when the live support session is established.

6. A method comprising:
establishing a remote support session between a first apparatus and a second apparatus in a remote support site, said first apparatus having a connection with an a local electric drive apparatus in a local site;
receiving, from the first apparatus, by the second apparatus, in the remote support session, a request for a live support session with virtual drive assistance;
causing, in response to accepting the request, establishing a live support session with virtual drive assistance between the first apparatus and a third apparatus in the remote support site while maintaining the remote support session, said third apparatus being connected to the second apparatus and said third apparatus having a connection to a virtual drive tool for virtual drive assistance;
downloading by said third apparatus from said first apparatus parameter settings and other relevant process information of the local electric drive apparatus to said third apparatus;
selecting an adjustment for one or more of the parameter settings of the local electric drive apparatus; and
controlling and/or operating said virtual drive tool, using at least the selected adjustment for the one or more parameter settings, by said third apparatus to provide assistance to a user of said first apparatus.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
outputting in the third apparatus information received from the first apparatus over the live support session and information sent to the first apparatus over the live support session as an aggregate information regardless of the media type of the information.

8. The method of claim 6 , further comprising when the live support session is established:
causing establishing a connection from the third apparatus to a fourth apparatus in a site in which the first apparatus is via the first apparatus by using an existing connection established between the first apparatus and the fourth apparatus.

9. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer program instructions which, when run by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:
establish, when a remote support application that contains address information to a remote support site is started in a first apparatus comprising the processor and having a connection with a local electric drive apparatus in a local site, a remote support session between the first apparatus and a second apparatus in the remote support site;
cause sending, in response to detecting an input requesting a live support session with virtual drive assistance, from the first apparatus to the second apparatus in the remote support session a request for a live support session with virtual drive assistance;
cause establishing, while continuing to run the remote support application and the remote support session, a live support session with virtual drive assistance between the first apparatus and a third apparatus in the remote support site, said third apparatus having a connection to virtual drive tool for virtual drive assistance;
forward by said first apparatus parameter settings and other relevant process information of the local electric drive apparatus to sai

Assignees

• Abb Technology Oy
• Abb Schweiz Ag

Inventors

• Hu Zhongliang
• Lalu Jarkko

Classifications

• G06F9/45558

  Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects · CPC title

• G06F2009/45595

  Network integration; Enabling network access in virtual machine instances · CPC title

• G06F2009/45579

  I/O management, e.g. providing access to device drivers or storage · CPC title

• H04L67/125 Primary

  involving control of end-device applications over a network · CPC title

• H04L65/1069

  Session establishment or de-establishment · CPC title