Communicating information regarding an industrial machine to an operator by using a communication assistant that is specific to operator context
AssigneePaul Wurth S.A.
InventorCédric SCHOCKAERT
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A computer provides communication assistance to communicate information regarding an industrial machine to an operator. The computer detects an operator context of the operator from context data that it receives from the industrial machine. The computer has data modules adapted to process a query to obtain a response. The computer activates at least one data module from the data modules. according to the detected operator context. When the computer receives a question from the operator, it translates the question to the query and directs the query to one of the activated data modules. The computer also translates the response to an answer and forwards the answer to the operator.
Claims13
A computer-implemented method to communicate information regarding an industrial machine to an operator of the industrial machine, the method being executed by a computer and including the following steps:
- by a context detector, detecting an operator context of the operator from context data that the context detector receives from the industrial machine, wherein the operator context is defined by the relation of the operator (190) to the industrial machine and by the function of the operator to control the industrial machine;
- by a task manager, activating at least one data module from a plurality of data modules, according to the detected operator context, thereby the computer activating data modules for that the probability of being used is related to the operator context, wherein the step activating the at least one data module, comprises any of the following:
- loading the data module to the main memory of the computer, establishing a data connection to the industrial machine to receive machine data that represents current operation parameters of the industrial machine, associating model data with the to-be-activated data module, and instructing the data module to start operating;
- upon a query interface receiving a question from the operator, translating the question to a query (340-Q) and directing the query to one of the previously activated data modules that is already running;
- by one of the activated data modules, processing the query to obtain a response;
- and
- translating the response to an answer and forwarding the answer to the operator.
A computer-implemented assistance system —an assistant hereinafter—to communicate information regarding an industrial machine to an operator of the industrial machine, the assistant comprising:
- a context detector that is adapted to detect an operator context of the operator from context data, wherein the context detector receives the context data from the industrial machine;
- a plurality of data modules that are adapted to process a query to obtain a response;
- a task manager that is adapted to activate at least one data module from the plurality of data modules, according to the detected operator context, so that the at least one data module is already running before receiving a query, wherein the task manager is adapted to activate the data module by being adapted to load the data module to the main memory of the computer, to establish a data connection to the industrial machine to receive machine data that represents current operation parameters of the industrial machine, to associate model data with the to-be-activated data module, or to instruct the data module to start operating;
- and
- a query interface that is adapted to receive a question from the operator (190), to translate the question to the query and to direct the query to one of the activated data modules, wherein the query interface is also adapted to translate the response to an answer and to forward the answer to the operator.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.