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US 6,385,497 B1Granted
Remote maintenance system
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsNobuaki Ogushi, Hirohisa Ohta, Yoshito Yoneyama, Masaya Ogura
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Factories (102-104) have host computers (107) for monitoring industrial equipments (106). Each host computer (107) is connected to a management host computer (108) on a vendor (101) side through the internet (105). The host computer (107) on the factory side detects occurrence of a trouble of the industrial equipment (106) and notifies the vendor side of status information representing a trouble state. In response to this, the host computer (108) on the vendor side notifies the factory side of response information representing a countermeasure against the trouble state.
Claims82
A remote maintenance system for maintaining industrial equipment installed at a remote location, said system comprising:
- monitor means for monitoring an operating state of the industrial equipment;
- and
- management means for managing maintenance of the industrial equipment while in communication with said monitor means through an internet,
- wherein, in the communication, said management means receives from said monitor means status information or the industrial equipment and transmits to said monitor means response information used for maintaining the industrial equipment in response to the received status information.
1 more element
A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device using a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, the method comprising the steps of:
- monitoring an operating state of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus using a monitor apparatus;
- managing maintenance of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus from a remote location using a management apparatus while the management apparatus is in communication with the monitor apparatus through an internet;
- and
- executing at least one of an exposing process, a coating/developing process, an annealing process, an assembling process, and an inspection process using the maintained semiconductor manufacturing apparatus,
- wherein, in the communication at said managing step, the management apparatus receives from the monitor apparatus status information of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and transmits to the monitor apparatus response information used for maintaining the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus in response to the received status information, and
- the communication at said managing step is executed with a security system having at least one of a coded system providing an encoded communication and a fire wall.
3 more elements
A semiconductor device manufactured by a method comprising the steps of:
- monitoring an operating state of a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus using a monitor apparatus;
- managing maintenance of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus from a remote location by a management apparatus while the management apparatus is in communication with the monitor apparatus through an internet;
- and
- executing at least one of an exposing process, a coating/developing process, an annealing process, an assembling process and an inspection process using the maintained semiconductor manufacturing apparatus,
- wherein, in the communication at said managing step, the management apparatus receives from the monitor apparatus status information of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and transmits to the monitor apparatus response information used for maintaining the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus in response to the received status information, and
- the communication in said managing step is executed with a security system having at least one of a coded system providing an encoded communication and a fire wall.
3 more elements
A monitor apparatus arranged on an industrial equipment side for use in a remote maintenance system for maintaining industrial equipment installed at a remote location, said monitor apparatus comprising:
- obtaining means for detecting occurrence of trouble in the industrial equipment and obtaining status information representing a state of the trouble;
- communication means for notifying, through an internet, a management apparatus that performs centralized maintenance management of the industrial equipment of status information obtained by said obtaining means, and for receiving response information used for maintaining the industrial equipment sent from the management apparatus, through internet, in response to notification of the status information, and
- maintenance means for maintaining the industrial equipment based on the response information received by said communication means from the management apparatus.
A management apparatus provided by a vendor for use in a remote maintenance system for maintaining industrial equipment for manufacturing installed in a user factory, said management apparatus comprising:
- a communication system for communicating, thorough an internet, with a respective monitor apparatus installed in the factory in which the monitor apparatus is arranged to monitor an operating state of the industrial equipment during operation;
- and
- a computer system for deteimining a countermeasure against trouble in the industrial equipment based on status information received by said communication means from the monitor apparatus, and causing said communication system to notify the monitor apparatus of response information based on the determined countermeasure, wherein the status information is associated with a state of the trouble in the industrial equipment.
A remote maintenance method of maintaining industrial equipment installed at a remote location, comprising the steps of:
- communicating, through an internet, maintenance information between a first vendor that supplies first industrial equipment, a second vendor that supplies second industrial equipment, a first factory in which the first and second industrial equipment are installed, and a second factory in which the first and second industrial equipment are installed;
- causing the first vendor to perform centralized maintenance management of the first industrial equipment installed in the first and second factories;
- and
- causing the second vendor to perform centralized maintenance management of the second industrial equipment installed in the first and second factories,
- wherein the maintenance information includes status information of the first or second industrial equipment and response information, sent in response to the status information, used for maintaining the first or second industrial equipment.
2 more elements
A remote maintenance method for industrial equipment for manufacturing installed in a factory, comprising the steps of:
- providing a database accessible through an internet, the database storing maintenance information of the industrial equipment;
- allowing a limited user of the industrial equipment installed in the factory to access the database through the internet with a security system for handling trouble associated with the industrial equipment, the security system having at least one of a coded system providing an encoded communication and a fire wall;
- and
- updating the maintenance information on the database so as to reflect the trouble.
1 more element
A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing semiconductor devices, comprising:
- a network connector;
- a console having a display;
- and
- a browser software providing a user interface on the display that allows access to an internet, the user interface having a hyperlink function and capable of performing at least one of operations of accessing a database through the internet that provides maintenance information of the apparatus, accessing software library of the apparatus through the internet and accessing an operation guide of the apparatus through the internet.
1 more element
A semiconductor device manufacturing method comprising the steps of:
- installing a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus in a factory for semiconductor manufacture;
- monitoring the apparatus during operation to obtain status information of the apparatus;
- consulting a database storing information of the apparatus in order to obtain response information corresponding to the status information;
- executing an appropriate countermeasure for the monitored semiconductor manufacturing apparatus in the factory according to the response information, wherein at least one of said monitoring step, said consulting step and said executing step utilizes an internet to transmit information;
- and
- performing a semiconductor manufacturing process with the apparatus.
3 more elements
A remote maintenance method for industrial equipment, said method comprising the steps of:
- monitoring the industrial equipment installed in a factory during operation to obtain status information of the industrial equipment;
- consulting a database storing information of the industrial equipment in order to obtain response information corresponding to the status information;
- and
- executing an appropriate countermeasure for the industrial equipment in the factory according to the response information, wherein at least one of said monitoring step, said consulting step and said executing step utilizes internet.
1 more element
A method for reporting trouble of industrial equipment, the method comprising the steps of:
- monitoring industrial equipment including a first manufacturing apparatus and a second manufacturing apparatus installed in a factory during operation;
- determining whether or not trouble associated with the first manufacturing apparatus or the second manufacturing apparatus has developed;
- and
- automatically sending a report to a first vendor of the first manufacturing apparatus when the trouble has developed in the first manufacturing apparatus, and automatically sending a report to a second vendor of the second manufacturing apparatus when the trouble has developed in the second manufacturing apparatus.
1 more element
A semiconductor manufacturing factory, comprising:
- a first semiconductor manufacturing apparatus provided by a first vendor;
- a second semiconductor manufacturing apparatus provided by a second vendor;
- a host computer capable of accessing an internet;
- and
- an intranet having a LAN connecting the first and the second semiconductor manufacturing apparatuses and the host computer,
- wherein the host computer allows communication between first semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and the first vendor through the internet for maintenance of the first semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, and allows communication between the second semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and the second vendor through the internet for maintenance of the second semiconductor manufacturing apparatus.
3 more elements
A semiconductor manufacturing method, comprising:
- installing a first semiconductor apparatus provided by a first vendor;
- installing a second semiconductor manufacturing apparatus provided by a second vendor;
- installing an intranet having a LAN connecting the first and second semiconductor manufacturing apparatuses and a host computer capable of accessing an internet;
- executing communication between first semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and the first vendor through an internet for maintenance of the first semiconductor manufacturing apparatus while manufacturing semiconductor devices;
- and
- executing communication between the second semiconductor manufacturing apparatus and the second vendor through the internet for maintenance of the second semiconductor manufacturing apparatus.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.