# US 2014/0156048 A1 · Integrated Manufacturing and Test Process Platform > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0156048 A1 - Document ID: US20140156048A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/895,281 - Filed: 2013-05-15 - Published: 2014-06-05 - Earliest claimed: 2012-05-15 - Assignees: Spacelabs Healthcare LLC - Applicants: Spacelabs Healthcare LLC - Inventors: Martin Dekker - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140156048A1 ## CPC - G05B 19/18: Numerical control [NC], i.e. automatically operating machines, in particular machine tools, e.g. in a manufacturing environment, so as to execute positioning, movement or co-ordinated operations by means of program data in numerical form (G05B19/418 takes precedence) - G06Q 10/06395: {Quality analysis or management} - G06Q 10/103: {Workflow collaboration or project management} - G06Q 10/20: Administration of product repair or maintenance - G06Q 50/04: Manufacturing - Y02P 90/30: Computing systems specially adapted for manufacturing - 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) - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS ## Abstract The present specification provides a novel process platform that replaces paper-based work instructions and data collection used for manufacturing products. Specifically, the present specification provides a method and platform for performing automated testing of a product being manufactured. The process platform of the present invention may be deployed at multiple locations and be integrated with existing quality control systems. The process platform includes a plurality of pre-defined instructions and is programmed to execute these instructions automatically at different stages for performing desired quality checks on the product being manufactured at multiple manufacturing stages. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A process platform for integrating manufacturing and test process platforms, comprising: a. a manufacturing software subsystem, which comprises a database that contains manufacturing process software and core system software for controlling manufacturing processes and collecting manufacturing data; b. a manufacturing database, in data communication with the manufacturing software subsystem, and used for housing process parameters for driving manufacturing processes and data collected from the manufacturing processes; c. a process design subsystem, in data communication with the manufacturing software subsystem, used for storing test sequences and providing a series of instructions to the manufacturing software subsystem, executed at one or more stages of the manufacturing process; d. an electronic work environment technical user interface, coupled to the manufacturing software subsystem; e. at least one display; and f. at least one processor to control the operation of the entire system and its components. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The process platform of claim 1 wherein the new electronic work environment technical user interface comprises a main interface coupled with the manufacturing software subsystem and is responsible for managing the launching of a manufacturing sequence, synchronizing with the manufacturing sequence, and displaying instructions or results for an operator. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The process platform of claim 1 where data is exchanged between the manufacturing software subsystem and the manufacturing database via a database API. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The process platform of claim 1 wherein the process parameters and data collected that are housed within the manufacturing database include at least one of: product lines and definitions, station definitions, user rights definitions, process definitions, or test sequence definitions. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The process platform of claim 1 further comprising a traceability GUI for handling traceability and tracking definitions and versions of the manufacturing software subsystem, exchanged between the manufacturing database and manufacturing software subsystem. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The process platform of claim 1 further comprising a publishing GUI for enabling a user to define parameters of the process platform, wherein said parameters include at least one of: assembly details, test details, traceability requirements, or tracking requirements. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The process platform of claim 1 further comprising an engineering tools GUI for enabling a user to define parameters within the manufacturing software subsystem. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The process platform of claim 1 further comprising a report viewer for displaying production report results. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The process platform of claim 1 further comprising a sequence authoring GUI for building and editing test sequences used within the process design subsystem. ### Claim 10 A process platform for integrating manufacturing and test process platforms, comprising: a. a manufacturing software subsystem; b. a manufacturing database, in data communication with the manufacturing software subsystem; c. a process design subsystem, in data communication with the manufacturing software subsystem; d. a new electronic work environment technical user interface, coupled to the manufacturing software subsystem; e. at least one display; and f. at least one processor to control the operation of the entire system and its components. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The process platform of claim 10 wherein the manufacturing software subsystem comprises a database that contains manufacturing process software and core system software for controlling manufacturing processes and collecting manufacturing data. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The process platform of claim 10 wherein the manufacturing database is used for housing process parameters for driving manufacturing processes and data collected from the manufacturing processes. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The process platform of claim 10 wherein the process design subsystem is used for storing test sequences and providing a series of instructions to the manufacturing software subsystem to be executed at one or more stages of the manufacturing process. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The process platform of claim 10 wherein the new electronic work environment technical user interface comprises a main interface coupled with the manufacturing software subsystem and is responsible for managing the launching of a manufacturing sequence, synchronizing with the manufacturing sequence, and displaying instructions or results for an operator. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The process platform of claim 10 where data is exchanged between the manufacturing software subsystem and the manufacturing database via a database API. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The process platform of claim 10 wherein the process parameters and data collected that are housed within the manufacturing database include at least one of: product lines and definitions, station definitions, user rights definitions, process definitions, or test sequence definitions. ### Claim 17 (depends on 10) The process platform of claim 10 further comprising a traceability GUI for handling traceability and tracking definitions and versions of the manufacturing software subsystem, exchanged between the manufacturing database and manufacturing software subsystem. ### Claim 18 (depends on 10) The process platform of claim 10 further comprising a publishing GUI for enabling a user to define parameters of the process platform, wherein said parameters include at least one of: assembly details, test details, traceability requirements, or tracking requirements. ### Claim 19 (depends on 10) The process platform of claim 10 further comprising an engineering tools GUI for enabling a user to define parameters within the manufacturing software subsystem. ### Claim 20 (depends on 10) The process platform of claim 10 further comprising a report viewer for displaying production report results. ### Claim 21 (depends on 10) The process platform of claim 10 further comprising a sequence authoring GUI for building and editing test sequences used within the process design subsystem. ### Claim 22 A method for performing automated testing of a product being manufactured at multiple sites of the manufacturing operation, said method being executed by a process platform having at least one computing device executing programmatic instructions stored in non-volatile memory, comprising: a. storing data indicative of a product line in a non-volatile memory; b. storing data indicative of a process for manufacturing said product line in a non-volatile memory; c. storing data indicative of a process for testing said product line in a non-volatile memory, wherein said processes coordinate data flows from a manufacturing software subsystem, a manufacturing database, and a process design subsystem; and d. automatically executing quality control and process flow procedures stored in a non-volatile memory at predefined stages of a manufacturing process being executed by the process platform. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The method of claim 22 wherein the manufacturing software subsystem comprises a database that contains manufacturing process software and core system software for controlling manufacturing processes and collecting manufacturing data. ### Claim 24 (depends on 22) The method of claim 22 wherein the manufacturing database houses process parameters for driving manufacturing processes and data collected from the manufacturing processes. ### Claim 25 (depends on 22) The method of claim 22 wherein the process design subsystem stores test sequences and provides a series of instructions to the manufacturing software subsystem that are executed at one or more stages of the manufacturing process. ### Claim 26 (depends on 22) The method of claim 22 wherein said method further includes tracking equipment used in the manufacturing process by automatically monitoring quality parameters of the equipment. ### Claim 27 (depends on 22) The method of claim 22 wherein said method further includes a means for integrating a main production site with a plurality of remote production sites. ### Claim 28 (depends on 27) The method of claim 27 wherein said method further includes a means for implementing quality control procedures at a plurality of remote production sites integrated with a main production site. ### Claim 29 A system for managing a quality control process, comprising: a plurality of programmatic instructions stored in non-volatile memory, wherein said programmatic instructions, when executed by a processor, cause a first graphical user interface to be displayed on a screen; receiving data indicative of a quality level of a component; a plurality of programmatic instructions stored in non-volatile memory, wherein said programmatic instructions, when executed by a processor, determine if said quality level meets a threshold level; a plurality of programmatic instructions stored in non-volatile memory, wherein said programmatic instructions, when executed by a processor, causes a second graphical user interface to be displayed on a screen, wherein said second graphical user interface comprises a rework option; and a plurality of programmatic instructions stored in non-volatile memory, wherein said programmatic instructions, when executed by a processor, causes said component to be disassembled based upon a selection of said rework option. ### Claim 30 A system for managing a quality control process, comprising: a plurality of programmatic instructions stored in non-volatile memory, wherein said programmatic instructions, when executed by a processor, cause a first graphical user interface to be displayed on a screen; receiving data indicative of a quality level of a component, wherein said quality level comprises a qualitative quality level and a quantitative quality level; a plurality of programmatic instructions stored in non-volatile memory, wherein said programmatic instructions, when executed by a processor, determine if said quality level meets a threshold level; a plurality of programmatic instructions stored in non-volatile memory, wherein said programmatic instructions, when executed by a processor, causes a second graphical user interface to be displayed on a screen, wherein said second graphical user interface comprises a retry option, wherein said retry option is only selectable or displayed if said component is not assembled; and a plurality of programmatic instructions stored in non-volatile memory, wherein said programmatic instructions, when executed by a processor, causes said quality level checks to be performed again on said component based upon a selection of said retry option.