Apparatus productivity improving system and its method
AssigneeTokyo Electron Limited
InventorWataru Karasawa
Life of this patent
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Abstract
There is provided a system and method for monitoring an apparatus from a remote location. A vendor-side computer obtains operating state data obtained by a monitoring device provided in an apparatus via a communication line, and monitors the operating state of the apparatus from a remote location. Maintenance data at a part replacing time is transmitted from the apparatus, and the vendor-side computer that has received maintenance data calculates an optimal replacement period of a part based on this. The calculated optimal replacement period of each part is sent to a plant. The plant feeds the optimal replacement period back to the operation of the apparatus, so that productivity can be improved.
Claims32
A system that monitors an apparatus from a remote location, the system comprising:
- receiving means, which is connected to the apparatus via a communication line, for receiving history information, including a processing conditional parameter of a predetermined process that the apparatus performs to provide predetermined processing to a processing object;
- monitoring means, which monitors said apparatus based on the history information received by said receiving means;
- and
- storing means, which stores information indicating reference information and an error range for the processing conditional parameter;
- wherein said monitoring means transmits a notification that trouble has occurred in the apparatus to at least one of the apparatus and a person in charge of said apparatus when a difference between the reference information and the history information received by said receiving means is not included in the error range stored by said storing means.
A system that monitors an apparatus from a remote location, the system comprising:
- an apparatus including sensor means, which obtains history information, including a processing conditional parameter of a predetermined process that the apparatus performs to provide predetermined processing to a processing object, and transmitting means, which transmits the history information obtained by said sensor means;
- and
- a server including receiving means, which is connected to the apparatus via a communication line, for receiving the history information transmitted by said transmitting means of the apparatus, monitoring means, which monitors said apparatus based on the history information received by said receiving means, and storing means, which stores information indicating reference information and an error range for the processing conditional parameter,
- wherein said monitoring means transmits a notification that trouble has occurred in the apparatus to at least one of the apparatus and a person in charge of said apparatus when a difference between the reference information and the processing conditional parameter received from said receiving means is not included in the error range stored by said storing means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.