JP4911386B2 - Maintenance work support system and method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention can perform writing on an IC tag including information on each component for each component of a fault detection unit in apparatuses such as computers, computer-related devices, robots, automobiles, and machine tools, and the IC tag. The present invention relates to a maintenance work support system and method for attaching an IC tag writer and reading information written in the IC tag so as to grasp a failure for each component and perform maintenance work on the apparatus.

  When a failure occurs in the main device to be maintained, the user calls the maintenance company and receives an inquiry from the maintenance company. At that time, the maintenance company collects as detailed information as possible and prepares necessary maintenance parts based on that information, and then goes to the site. However, if the information gathering at the interview is insufficient or inaccurate Maintenance personnel at maintenance companies often collect information on-site again, arrange maintenance parts again, and take time to recover from failures.

  In the isolation work for identifying the cause of the failure, it may be difficult to identify the cause depending on the content of the failure or the device, which may take a long time. Not only that, but also the difference in the working time will occur depending on the knowledge, skill and experience of the corresponding maintenance personnel.

  On the other hand, depending on the main body device, parts are consumed and deteriorated, and therefore, there is a certain time for replacement. In addition, before the failure occurs, a sign that causes the trouble may be seen, but since the main device itself is at the customer, the sign cannot be seen. Therefore, it is possible not only to respond after a failure occurs, but also to prevent the failure if the component replacement timing and signs can be grasped in real time.

  If it is possible to notify that the component itself is in failure, the response time can be shortened regardless of the content of the failure, the main body device, and the responder. In recent years, some parts have a self-diagnosis function, but circuit boards are limited.

  In addition, barcodes are currently the mainstream in the component parts of the main unit, and there is a limitation on the space for attachment due to the fixed shape of the barcode, the amount of data that can be stored is small, and barcodes can be used to write information in real time. Since the information cannot be updated and the reading needs to be touched individually, the internal configuration and version of the main unit have management limitations.

Therefore, there are failure diagnosis systems and failure diagnosis methods using IC tags having IC chips as shown below.
JP 2005-293345 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-222291 JP 2005-182619 A JP 2007-114999 A JP 2006-107236 A JP 2006-178803 A JP 2007-264815 A

  However, the failure diagnosis system and the failure diagnosis method in Patent Document 1 have a problem that the communication of the IC tag is affected by the metal. Further, although the IC tag is attached to a replacement part unit (unit) according to the claims, in the best mode, the IC tag is independent from the part (unit) and is merely used as an external storage device. Absent.

  In Patent Document 2, it is necessary to process an IC tag of a device that has actually failed at the terminal, display a failure analysis, and to arrange parts after seeing it, and do not know the content of the failure before going to the customer. There was a problem that it took time until the parts were delivered.

  Patent Document 3 is to attach one IC tag to the main body of the device, and to have parts and revision information there. When a failure occurs, the device is read at a repair reception desk, and the network is used. It communicates with the server. Therefore, there is a problem that it is difficult to grasp a failure in units of parts, and reading of information is not automated.

  In Patent Document 4, an IC tag is mounted for each component, but there is no communication means for taking out the information stored in the IC tag to the outside, and when a failure occurs, the failure information is received from the maintenance terminal's portable terminal. There is a problem in terms of automation of work and quick response.

  Patent Document 5, Patent Document 6 and Patent Document 7 are to attach an IC tag to a component and notify the failure. Specifically, work related to repair such as arrangement of components required for maintenance after the failure occurs is specifically described. There is a problem that it is not considered.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a maintenance work support system and method for automating fault isolation of a main body device, arrangement of parts, and contact with a base.

In order to solve the above-described problems, a maintenance work support system according to the present invention attaches an IC tag to a component provided in a main body device, and uses the information on the component recorded by the IC tag for maintenance work of the main body device. In the maintenance work support system to be utilized, the component is mounted on each of the components, the component is self-diagnosed by the IC tag, and a failure flag indicating whether there is a failure based on the self-diagnosis result is written in the IC tag The IC tag writer, the component code of the component written in the IC tag and the failure flag are read, and the read component code of the component and the failure flag include the device name or system name of the main unit IC tag reader for generating component / main unit information to which the information is added, and the component / book from the IC tag reader Receiving the device information, and receiving apparatus for generating a component, the main unit and customer information added with the information including the customer code of the main unit to the received information,
A part information database storing information including version information of the component parts, an inventory quantity of the component parts and a delivery method of the component parts, a customer code including a customer code of the main unit and a maintenance base corresponding to the customer Based on the customer information database storing the information and the customer code of the main body device transmitted from the receiving device , the customer information database is searched for information on the corresponding maintenance base serving as the maintenance base corresponding to the customer of the main body device. And, from the component information database transmitted from the receiving device, search the component information database for information on the version information, inventory quantity and delivery method of the component component of failure based on the failure flag, and fault reception server for generating the search result as a fault reception data, the component information database La retrieved the fault reception data, characterized in that it comprises an accepting delivery server to be sent to the corresponding maintenance station corresponding to the main device retrieved from the customer information database.

In order to solve the above-described problems, a maintenance work support method according to the present invention attaches an IC tag to a component provided in a main body device, and uses the information on the component recorded by the IC tag for maintenance work of the main body device. In a maintenance work support method to be utilized, an IC tag writer performs a self-diagnosis of the component using the IC tag, and writes a failure flag indicating whether or not there is a failure based on the self-diagnosis result to the IC tag, The reading device reads the component code and the failure flag of the component written in the IC tag, and the read component code and the failure flag include the device name or the system name of the main device. And the receiving device receives the component / main device information from the IC tag reader. And a procedure for generating component / main unit / customer information in which information including the customer code of the main unit is added to the received information, and the receiving unit is configured to transmit the component / main unit / A procedure for transmitting customer information to a failure receiving server, and the failure receiving server relates to a customer name of the main device and a maintenance base corresponding to the customer based on the customer code of the main device transmitted from the receiving device. Information on a corresponding maintenance base serving as a maintenance base corresponding to the customer of the main device is retrieved from a customer information database storing customer information including information, and based on the component code of the component transmitted from the receiving device the component version information, the part from database storing information including a shipping method in stock and the components of the component to A procedure for searching for information on version information, inventory quantity and delivery method of a failed component based on a failure flag, a procedure for generating a search result retrieved from the component information database as failure reception data, and a reception distribution server And transmitting the failure acceptance data retrieved from the parts information database to a corresponding maintenance base corresponding to the main device retrieved from the customer information database.

  The IC tag generates information obtained by adding the main unit and customer information to the information obtained by self-diagnosis of the component, and based on the generated information, the failure reception server determines the number of components in stock and the component The corresponding information is retrieved from the parts information database storing information including the delivery method, the failure information database storing case information regarding the failure of the main unit and component parts, and the customer information database storing the user information of the main unit. Then, the failure reception data supporting the maintenance work is generated, and the failure delivery data is transmitted to the maintenance base corresponding to the maintenance work by the reception delivery server, so that the failure of the main unit, the arrangement of parts, and the base It is possible to obtain a maintenance work support system and method for automating communication.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an entire maintenance work support system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  Referring to FIG. 1, the maintenance work support system according to the present embodiment includes a main body device 1 that is a maintenance work target, a reception device 30, a failure reception server 40, and a reception distribution server 50.

  Here, the main unit 1 is a combination of the component parts 10. Each component 10 is provided with an IC tag 11 for storing information on each component 10 and a self-diagnosis result described later.

  The IC tag 11 not only holds information relating to the mounted component part, but also performs self-diagnosis depending on the component part 10. This is because the component 10 may be consumed or deteriorated due to the operation of the main device 1. The result of the self-diagnosis is written by the IC tag writer 12 into the IC tag 11 itself that has performed the self-diagnosis.

  In addition, when the component 10 is a mechanism or a movable part, in addition to the IC tag 11, a sensor 13 for detecting operations such as infrared rays, temperature or vibration is mounted, and information measured by these sensors 13 is also The data is written into the IC tag 11 related to the component 10 to which the sensor 13 is mounted by the IC tag writer 12.

  The main body device 1 is equipped with an IC tag reading device 20 that reads information of the IC tag 11 and identifies and manages a failure. The IC tag reader 20 holds information on the component 10 of the device as component / main device information in a hierarchical structure according to the structure of the main device as shown in FIG.

  The receiving device 30 receives component / main device information relating to the main device 1 and the component 10 from the IC tag reader 20, and attaches customer information such as the customer code 301 in FIG. 6 to the component / main device. Customer information is generated and this information is transmitted to the maintenance company using the network 100 such as the Internet. Further, the receiving device 30 grasps the operating status of the main device 1 and the presence or absence of a failure for each component 10 from the received component / main device information, and displays the information as shown in FIG.

  The failure reception server 40 includes a component information database 41 based on information received from the reception device 30 via the network 100, a failure information database 42 that stores information on cases related to failures of the main device and the component, customer information Corresponding information is searched from the database 43, and one failure acceptance data is completed from the search result.

  Further, the failure reception server 40 registers this failure reception data in the reception information database 44.

  From the data registered in the reception information database 44, the reception distribution server 50 arranges the failed component 10 and contacts a customer service base (a service maintenance base such as a service center).

  Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Here, FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of information written in the IC tag 11.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the IC tag 11 includes a part name 111, a part code 112, version information 113, a manufacturing date 114, a replacement period 115, a failure flag 116 indicating the presence / absence of a failure, and a part. The manufacturer specific information 117, the operation start date 118, the repair history 119, the firmware 120, the related part 121 of the component part 10, the version information 122 of the related part, and the like are recorded.

  The IC tag reading device 20 of the main device 1 periodically reads information recorded on the IC tag 11 shown in FIG. 4, and further adds the device name 201, system name 202, manufacturing of the main device 1 to the read information. Generate component / main unit information with information including unit 203, management code 204, model classification code 205, start flag 206, operation date 207, start time 208, OS 209 and warranty period 210 as shown in FIG. Then, this information is transmitted to the receiving device 30.

  The receiving device 30 includes a customer code 301, customer name 302, postal code 303, address 304, telephone number 305, department name 306 held in the receiving device 30 in the component / main unit information received from the IC tag reading device 20. The person in charge name 307, the contract information 308, and the sales person in charge / SE309 information are added and transmitted to the failure reception server 40 of the maintenance company using the network 100.

  Next, self-diagnosis performed regularly by the IC tag 11 in the component 10 will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Here, the left side of FIG. 7 is a flowchart relating to self-diagnosis performed regularly by the IC tag 11 in the component 10 and writing of the IC tag writer 12.

  In the left of FIG. 7, the IC tag 11 first checks whether or not the mounted component 10 is operating normally (step S11). In this check, the circuit board and peripheral device use a self-diagnosis function such as the existing POST (Power On Self Test) or RAS function, and a sensor 13 for detecting the operation is mounted on movable parts such as a mechanism and a gear. This makes it possible to determine whether the operation is normal.

  In the subsequent step S12, if the result of the self-diagnosis is normal (YES), the procedure is returned to step S11 or earlier. On the other hand, when it is determined that the component 10 is out of order (NO), the IC tag writer 12 writes the information in the failure flag 116 of the IC tag 11 of the component 10 (step S13).

  Thereafter, whether or not the component 10 can be retried is determined in step S14. If retry is possible (YES), the procedure is returned to before step S11 and the self-diagnosis is performed again. On the other hand, when the retry is impossible (NO), the series of processes related to the self-diagnosis is terminated.

  Next, an IC tag reading process in the IC tag reading device 20 will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Here, the center of FIG. 7 is a flowchart relating to the IC tag reading process in the IC tag reading device 20.

  First, while the main body device 1 is operating, the IC tag reader 20 periodically reads the IC tag 11 of each component 10 (step S21).

  In subsequent step S22, it is checked whether or not the failure flag 116 of the information read in step S21 is ON. If it is ON (YES), failure isolation processing for specifying a failure is performed in step S23. In step S23, the IC tag 11 of the related part is also read, and the fault is identified and determined. On the other hand, when the failure flag 116 is not ON (NO), the procedure is returned to step S21 or earlier.

  Thereafter, in step S24, as shown in FIG. 5, the component part / main unit information obtained by adding the information such as the device name 201 of the main unit 1 of the IC tag reader 20 to the information read by the IC tag 11 is obtained. And transmitted to the receiving device 30. At that time, the fault isolation and the determination result of the component with the failure flag turned ON and the related component of this component are also transmitted. This is because there is a possibility that a plurality of parts are malfunctioning at the same time by interlocking with each other.

  Next, processing in the receiving device 30 will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Here, the right side of FIG. 7 is a flowchart relating to processing in the receiving device 30.

  First, as shown as (A) on the right side of FIG. 7, when the receiving device 30 receives the information including the failure flag ON transmitted from the IC tag reading device 20, it determines whether or not it is connected to the network 100. When it is checked (step S31) and connected to the network 100 (YES), as shown in FIG. 6, information including the customer code 301 and the like held by the receiving device 30 is obtained from the IC tag reading device 20. In addition to the received information, component / main unit / customer information is generated, and this information is transmitted to the failure acceptance server 40 of the maintenance company using the network 100 (step S32).

  After transmitting the information in step S32, the receiving device 30 displays the current operating status of the main device 1 on its own display, and ends the series of processing (step S33).

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S31 that the receiving device 30 is not connected to the network 100 (NO), the receiving device 30 displays the current operating status on its own display and performs a series of processes. The process ends (step S33). As a result, at the time of non-network connection, the user can call the maintenance company and tell the displayed failure ID accurately, so that the failure information can be conveyed accurately.

  After that, the failure reception server 40 inquires the customer information database 43 using the customer code 301 and the telephone number 305 as keys in the information transmitted by the receiving device 30, and the customer name, address, person in charge name, telephone number, corresponding maintenance Acquire information including base code and corresponding maintenance base name.

  Further, the failure information database 42 is referred to from the device name 201, the manufacturing number machine 203, the part code 112, and the version information 122, and a search is made as to whether or not there is a case relating to a failure of the main body device and the component parts.

  If a case exists, the corresponding device name, phenomenon, countermeasure, part name and part code are acquired from the case. On the other hand, when there is no case, the component code 112 transmitted from the receiving device 30 is used as it is.

  Thereafter, the component information database 41 is referred to from the component code 112 and the version information 113, and an appropriate version, inventory quantity, and delivery method of the component are acquired. Information acquired from each database is written in the reception information database 44 as failure reception data.

  When information is written in the reception information database 44, the reception distribution server 50 transmits information to the corresponding maintenance base code.

  As described above, according to the maintenance work support system and the method thereof according to the present invention, even in an inquiry that needs to obtain as detailed information as possible, it is automatically performed regardless of whether the user has device knowledge or the length of the inquiry time. Accurate information can be obtained, and accurate information can be obtained regardless of the user's knowledge and experience only by conveying the contents displayed on the receiving device 30 even when the network is not connected.

  In addition, since the failed part can be automatically identified, the suspected part can be identified before the dispatch without depending on the knowledge, skill, and experience of the maintenance staff.

  Furthermore, since the state of the apparatus is confirmed almost in real time, if the consumable part replacement time or a sign of failure can be confirmed, it is possible to cope with the situation before the apparatus stops. When maintenance personnel come to the customer for troubleshooting, the status of other devices can be confirmed at a glance by looking at the display on the receiving device.

  In addition, the internal configuration and version of the device can be managed from the point that IC tags and IC chips are non-contact, the shape is free and can be mounted for each component, and the stored information can be rewritten. can do.

  The present invention is suitable for maintenance work of equipment that requires immediate contact and notification in the event of an emergency, preparing equipment in every situation, leakage of daily life and school timetables, preventing forgetting, tools and parts in the factory It can be used in cases such as forgetting preparations, preventing tool loss after work, missing work procedures when assembling equipment, preventing forgetting, managing merchandise inventory at stores, and shoplifting prevention.

1 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a maintenance work support system according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the state in which an IC tag reader holds information hierarchically. It is a figure which shows an example of the operating condition of the main body apparatus which a receiving apparatus displays, and the information of a failure. It is a figure which shows an example of the information written in an IC tag. It is a figure which shows an example of the components and main body apparatus information which an IC tag reader transmits to a receiver. It is a figure which shows an example of the components, main body apparatus, and customer information which a receiving apparatus transmits to a failure reception server. It is a flowchart which shows the self-diagnosis regularly performed by the IC tag, the writing by the IC tag writer, the processing of reading the IC tag by the IC tag reading device, and the processing by the receiving device.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body apparatus 10 Component part 11 IC tag 12 IC tag writer 20 IC tag reader 13 Sensor 30 Receiving apparatus 40 Fault reception server 41 Parts information database 42 Fault information database 43 Customer information database 44 Reception information database 50 Reception distribution database 100 Network 111 Parts Name 112 Part code 113 Version information 114 Date of manufacture 115 Replacement period 116 Failure flag 117 Manufacturer specific information 118 Operation start date 119 Repair history 120 Firmware 121 Related parts 122 Version information 201 Device name 202 System name 203 Production number 204 Control code 205 Model classification code 206 Startup flag 207 Operating day 208 Startup time 209 OS
210 Warranty period 301 Customer code 302 Customer name 303 Postal code 304 Address 305 Telephone number 306 Department name 307 Contact name 308 Contract information 309 Sales / SE in charge

Claims (21)

In a maintenance work support system in which an IC tag is attached to a component provided in a main unit, and information on the component recorded by the IC tag is used for maintenance work of the main unit.
An IC tag writer that is mounted on each of the component parts, self-diagnosis of the component parts is performed by the IC tag, and writes a failure flag indicating the presence or absence of a failure based on the self-diagnosis result to the IC tag;
A configuration in which the component code and the failure flag of the component written in the IC tag are read, and information including the device name or system name of the main device is added to the read component code and the failure flag of the component IC tag reader for generating component / main unit information;
A receiving device that receives the component / main device information from the IC tag reader and generates component / main device / customer information in which information including a customer code of the main device is added to the received information;
A component information database storing information including version information of the component, inventory quantity of the component and a delivery method of the component;
A customer information database storing customer information including information on maintenance station corresponding to the customer code and the customer of the main device,
Based on the customer code of the main body device transmitted from the receiving device, the customer information database is searched for information on a corresponding maintenance base serving as a maintenance base corresponding to the customer of the main body device, and transmitted from the receiving device. Based on the component code of the configured component, search the component information database for information on the version information, inventory quantity and delivery method of the failed component based on the failure flag, and generate the search result as failure acceptance data A fault acceptance server to
An acceptance delivery server for transmitting the failure acceptance data retrieved from the parts information database to a corresponding maintenance base corresponding to the main body device retrieved from the customer information database ;
A maintenance work support system comprising:   The maintenance work support system according to claim 1, wherein the receiving device holds in advance information including a customer code and a customer name of the main device.   The receiving device grasps the operating status of the main device and the presence / absence of a failure for each component from the component / main device information, and grasps the operating status of the main device and the presence / absence of a failure for each component. The maintenance work support system according to claim 1, further comprising means for displaying   The maintenance work support system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the receiving device and the failure reception server are connected via a network.   The failure reception data includes the customer name of the main unit, its address, its telephone number, its person in charge, the corresponding maintenance base, the name of the main unit, the phenomenon of the main unit failure, countermeasures, and maintenance. The maintenance according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising information related to a required part name, a part code, an appropriate version of the part, an inventory quantity of the part, and a delivery method of the part. Work support system. The said IC tag writer turns ON the failure flag of the said component when the result of the self-diagnosis of the said component by the said IC tag is not normal, The one of Claim 1 thru | or 5 characterized by the above-mentioned. Maintenance work support system.   The IC tag reader performs fault isolation for identifying a fault with respect to the component for which the failure flag is ON and a component related to the component, and the result of the fault isolation is the component / main unit. The maintenance work support system according to claim 1, wherein the maintenance work support system is added to information and transmitted to the receiving device.   The maintenance work support according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the IC tag reading device holds the component / main device information in a hierarchical structure according to the structure of the main device. system. When the component has a movable part, in addition to the IC tag, at least one of sensors including an infrared sensor, a temperature sensor, and a vibration sensor is further attached to the component.
The maintenance work support system according to claim 1, wherein the IC tag writer also writes information measured by the sensor into the IC tag.   The maintenance work support system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the IC tag is a passive radio communication type RFID (Radio Frequency Identification).   10. The maintenance work support system according to claim 1, wherein when the component can supply power to the IC tag, the IC tag adopts an active type. In a maintenance work support method in which an IC tag is attached to a component provided in a main unit, and information on the component recorded by the IC tag is used for maintenance work of the main unit.
A procedure in which an IC tag writer performs a self-diagnosis of the component by the IC tag and writes a failure flag indicating the presence or absence of a failure based on the self-diagnosis result to the IC tag;
The IC tag reading device reads the component code and the failure flag of the component written in the IC tag, and the device name or system name of the main device is read into the read component code and the failure flag of the component. A procedure for generating component / main unit information to which information including
A procedure in which the receiving device receives the component / main device information from the IC tag reader, and generates the component / main device / customer information in which information including the customer code of the main device is added to the received information. When,
The receiving device transmits the component / main unit / customer information to the failure receiving server via a network;
The failure reception server is
Based on the customer code of the main device transmitted from the receiving device, the customer information database storing customer information including the customer name of the main device and information on the maintenance base corresponding to the customer is sent to the customer of the main device. Search for information on the corresponding maintenance base to be the corresponding maintenance base, and based on the part code of the constituent part transmitted from the receiving device , the version information of the constituent part, the inventory quantity of the constituent part, and the constituent part A procedure for retrieving version information, the number of stocks, and information on a delivery method of a component having a failure based on the failure flag from a parts information database storing information including a delivery method of
A procedure for generating search results retrieved from the parts information database as fault acceptance data;
A procedure in which the reception delivery server transmits the failure reception data retrieved from the parts information database to a corresponding maintenance base corresponding to the main body device retrieved from the customer information database;
A maintenance work support method comprising:   The procedure of generating the component / main device / customer information includes adding information including the customer code and customer name of the main device held in advance by the receiving device to the component / main device information. The maintenance work support method according to claim 12,   The procedure for generating the component / main device / customer information includes a procedure for grasping the operation status of the main device and the presence / absence of a failure for each component from the component / main device information, and the grasped main device. 14. The maintenance work support method according to claim 12 or 13, further comprising: a procedure for displaying the operating status of each component and the presence or absence of a failure for each component.   The failure reception data includes the customer name of the main unit, its address, its telephone number, its person in charge, the corresponding maintenance base, the name of the main unit, the phenomenon of the main unit failure, countermeasures, and maintenance. 15. Maintenance according to any one of claims 12 to 14, characterized by including information on a required part name, its part code, an appropriate version of the part, an inventory quantity of the part, and a delivery method of the part. Work support method. 16. The IC tag writer according to claim 12, wherein a failure flag of the component is turned ON when a result of self-diagnosis of the component by the IC tag is not normal. Maintenance work support method .   In the procedure of generating the component / main unit information, the IC tag reader performs fault isolation for identifying a fault with respect to the component for which the failure flag is ON and a component related to the component. The maintenance work support method according to any one of claims 12 to 16, wherein the result of fault isolation is included in the component / main unit information.   18. The procedure for generating the component / main device information includes: the IC tag reader stratifies the component / main device information according to the structure of the main device. The maintenance work support method according to any one of the above items.   The procedure in which the IC tag writer writes information including a failure flag indicating the presence or absence of a failure of the component into the IC tag includes an infrared sensor and a temperature sensor in addition to the IC tag when the component has a movable part. 19. The maintenance work support method according to claim 12, wherein information measured by at least one of a sensor including a vibration sensor is also written in the IC tag.   The maintenance work support method according to any one of claims 12 to 19, wherein the IC tag is an RFID (Radio frequency identification) of a passive wireless communication system.   20. The maintenance work support method according to claim 12, wherein when the component can supply power to the IC tag, the IC tag employs an active type.

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