# US 11,897,068 B2 · Information processing method, information processing system, and information processing device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,897,068 B2 - Document ID: US11897068B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/467,901 - Filed: 2017-08-24 - Published: 2020-02-27 - Granted: 2024-02-13 - Earliest claimed: 2016-12-09 - Assignees: Dmg Mori Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Dmg Mori Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Yasuhiko Morita; Masafumi Takahashi; Satoshi Miyamoto; Sumihiro Kiyota; Masakazu Takayama; Katsuhiko Ono - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11897068B2 ## CPC - B23Q 17/0995: {Tool life management} - 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)} - B23Q 17/09: for indicating or measuring cutting pressure or {for determining} cutting-tool condition, e.g. cutting ability, load on tool (arrangements preventing overload of tools B23Q11/04; devices for indicating failure of drills during boring B23B49/00) - G05B 13/024: {in which a parameter or coefficient is automatically adjusted to optimise the performance} - G05B 13/0265: {the criterion being a learning criterion} - G05B 19/4065: Monitoring tool breakage, life or condition - G05B 23/0229: {knowledge based, e.g. expert systems; genetic algorithms} - G05B 23/024: {Quantitative history assessment, e.g. mathematical relationships between available data; Functions therefor; Principal component analysis [PCA]; Partial least square [PLS]; Statistical classifiers, e.g. Bayesian networks, linear regression or correlation analysis; Neural networks} - B23Q 17/0952: {during machining} - B23Q 2717/003: in lathes - G05B 2219/32226: Computer assisted repair, maintenance of system components - B23Q: DETAILS, COMPONENTS, OR ACCESSORIES FOR MACHINE TOOLS, e.g. ARRANGEMENTS FOR COPYING OR CONTROLLING (tools of the kind used in lathes or boring machines B23B27/00); MACHINE TOOLS IN GENERAL CHARACTERISED BY THE CONSTRUCTION OF PARTICULAR DETAILS OR COMPONENTS; COMBINATIONS OR ASSOCIATIONS OF METAL-WORKING MACHINES, NOT DIRECTED TO A PARTICULAR RESULT - G05B: CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS (systems for controlling or regulating non-electric variables G05D; systems for regulating electric or magnetic variables G05F; control devices or systems insofar as characterised by mechanical features only G05G) ## Abstract Provided is an information processing method capable of effectively utilizing a variety of types of information collected from a machine tool. The information processing method includes the step of communicating with a plurality of machine tools (S10). The plurality of machine tools each include a sensor to sense information about the machine tool as sensed information. The step of communicating (S10) includes the step of receiving as collected data from each of the plurality of machine tools part information about a part of the machine tool and the sensed information obtained by the sensor. The information processing method further includes the steps of storing in a storage unit the collected data received from each of the plurality of machine tools (S20A, S20B); and based on the plurality of collected data stored in the storage unit, learning a correlation between part information of a machine tool and sensed information obtained by the sensor internal to that machine tool (S32). ## Claims ### Claim 1 An information processing method comprising the steps of: communicating with a plurality of machine tools, the plurality of machine tools each including a sensor to sense information about each of the plurality of machine tools as sensed information, the step of communicating including the step of receiving as collected data from each of the plurality of machine tools part information about a part of each of the plurality of machine tools and the sensed information obtained by each sensor; storing in a storage unit the collected data received from each of the plurality of machine tools; based on the collected data stored in the storage unit, learning for each type of the part a correlation between part information of each of the plurality of machine tools of the plurality of machine tools and respective sensed information obtained by the sensor for each of the plurality of machine tools; utilizing at least one of the plurality of machine tools to process at least one workpiece and to collect current operation data; and performing a self-diagnosis routine utilizing the correlation and the current operation data. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The information processing method according to claim 1, the step of communicating including the step of receiving as the collected data from each of the plurality of machine tools the part information including a timing of replacing a part of each of the plurality of machine tools and sensed information obtained by each sensor that is obtained before the timing of replacing the part of each of the plurality of machine tools, the step of learning including the step of learning a correlation between the timing of replacing a part of each of the plurality of machine tools and sensed information obtained by each sensor of each of the plurality of machine tools, based on the collected data stored in the storage unit, the method further comprising a step of estimating a lifetime such that when new sensed information obtained by each sensor is received from any of the plurality of machine tools and other machine tools, a lifetime estimation unit refers to the correlation to specify the timing of replacing a part, that corresponds to the new sensed information received, and estimates the lifetime for the part, based on the specified timing. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The information processing method according to claim 1, the step of communicating including the step of receiving as the collected data from each of the plurality of machine tools the part information including a timing of a failure of a part of each of the plurality of machine tools and sensed information obtained by each sensor that is obtained before the timing of the failure of a part, the step of learning including the step of learning a correlation between the timing of a failure of a part of each of the plurality of machine tools and sensed information obtained by each sensor of the plurality of machine tools, based on the collected data stored in the storage unit, the method further comprising the step of when new sensed information obtained by each sensor is received from any of the plurality of machine tools and other machine tools, referring to the correlation to specify the timing of a failure of a part, that corresponds to the new sensed information received, and determine a timing of replacing that part, based on the specified timing. ### Claim 4 An information processing system comprising: an information processing device; and a plurality of machine tools capable of communicating with the information processing device, the plurality of machine tools each including a sensor to sense information about each of the plurality of machine tools as sensed information, the information processing device including a communication unit configured to receive as collected data from each of the plurality of machine tools part information about a part of each of the plurality of machine tools and the sensed information obtained by each sensor, a storage unit configured to store the collected data received from each of the plurality of machine tools, and a learning unit configured to learn for each type of the part, based on the plurality of collected data stored in the storage unit, a correlation between part information of each of the plurality of machine tools and sensed information obtained by each sensor; wherein the information processing device is configured to collect current operation data in the case that at least one workpiece is processed by at least one of the plurality of machine tools and to perform a self-diagnosis routine utilizing the correlation and the current operation data. ### Claim 5 An information processing device comprising: a communication unit configured to communicate with a plurality of machine tools, the plurality of machine tools each including a sensor to sense information about each of the plurality of machine tools as sensed information, the communication unit receiving as collected data from each of the plurality of machine tools part information about a part of each of the plurality of machine tools the machine tool and the sensed information obtained by each sensor; a storage unit configured to store the collected data received from each of the plurality of machine tools; and a learning unit configured to learn for each type of the part, based on the plurality of collected data stored in the storage unit, a correlation between part information of each of the plurality of machine tools and sensed information obtained by each sensor; wherein the information processing device is configured to collect current operation data in the case that at least one workpiece is processed by at least one of the plurality of machine tools and to perform a self-diagnosis routine utilizing the correlation and the current operation data.