Diagnostic method for localizing technical faults in a motion system

Abstract

A diagnostic method localizes technical faults in a motion system that includes a base adapted to receive a motion stage for equipment, a machine frame resting on the floor, dampers adapted to support the base, and an active isolation system arranged between the base and the machine frame. The active isolation system and the base form a mechanical system. The active isolation system includes actuators, adapted to impart six degree-of-freedom (DOF) motion to the base in a reference frame, and inertial sensors adapted to provide a six DOF measurement of the base's motion. The method includes: i) applying a control signal for actuating or contributing to the actuation of the actuators of the active isolation system to impart a motion to the base; ii) obtaining, with the inertial sensors, a six DOF measurement of the base's motion relative to a reference point; iii) creating a measured process sensitivity matrix of the mechanical system using the six DOF measurement; and iv) determining, based on the measured process sensitivity matrix, whether all the actuators and sensors of the active isolation system are working as expected and/or whether there is a pivot point impeding the movement of the base.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.