SE1450431A1

SE1450431A1 - Diagnosis of work machines

Info

Publication number: SE1450431A1
Application number: SE1450431A
Authority: SE
Inventors: Janne Viitala; Eemeli Haverinen
Original assignee: Sandvik Mining & Constr Oy
Priority date: 2011-10-11
Filing date: 2011-10-11
Publication date: 2014-04-08
Also published as: AU2011379005B2; CA2849941C; CA2849941A1; WO2013053975A1; AU2011379005A1

Abstract

29Abstract The invention relates to maintenance of work machines.Configurations may be used for defining indicators to bedisplayed and machine signals to be connected to theindicators. A functional diagnosis may be enabled byshowing signals related to a single function of themachine with the help of directional indicators showingthe interconnections between elements. The configura-tions may be created by a user and loaded to themaintenance system upon need. Fig. 1

Description

Diagnostics of work machines Field of the lnvention The present invention relates to methods, apparatuses, systems andcomputer program products for the maintenance of work machines,especially to diagnostics of the same.

Background of the lnvention Advances with complex machines and vehicles such as drillingvehicles, loaders, trucks and other moving machines for mining,construction and material handling have increased the speed andefficiency of work performed with these machines. At the same time,the maintenance of these machines has also become more demand-ing. Namely, when a part of a machine malfunctions due to wear andtear, the fault may have an effect on several other parts andconsequently it may be difficult to identify the actual part in which themalfunction has occurred. l\/lodern work machines may comprise a control system where thevalues of sensors at different machine parts are displayed to theoperator of the machine. This makes it easier to see if a part of themachine is not operating within normal operational parameters.However, the source of the malfunction may still not be easilydeterminable from the readings of the sensors, since there may bequite many values of sensors visible to the operator and determiningthe significant ones may be visually challenging. Furthermore, thecontrol system may also lack information that would be needed todetermine the current source of malfunction - yet, increasing thenumber of available readings may not be feasible.

There is, therefore, a need for solutions that make it easier todetermine the appropriate maintenance operations of a work machinein different situations.

Summarv of the lnvention Now there has been invented an improved method and technicalequipment implementing the method, by which the above problems arealleviated and/or solutions for improving safety are offered. Variousaspects of the invention include a method, a device, a system, and acomputer readable medium comprising a computer program storedtherein, which are characterized by what is stated in the independentclaims. Various embodiments of the invention are disclosed in thedependent claims.

The invention relates to maintenance of work machines that may bee.g. automated or semi-automated. Configurations may be used fordefining indicators to be displayed and machine signals to be connec-ted to the indicators. The configurations may reside e.g. in a configu-ration file to be loaded to the system. A functional diagnosis may beenabled by showing signals related to a single function of the machinewith the help of directional indicators showing the interconnectionsbetween elements. The configurations may be created by a user andloaded to the maintenance system upon need, e.g. over a networkconnection.

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a mainte-nance method for a work machine, comprising displaying indicators ona user interface for indicating machine status values, said indicatorscorresponding to a subset of machine status values to enable viewingon a limited screen, and forming associations between machine signalsand said indicators so that a change in a machine signal causes achange in a corresponding indicator, receiving a configuration from aconfiguration source, displaying said indicators on said user interfaceusing said configuration, and forming said associations betweenmachine signals and said indicators using said configuration.

According to an embodiment, said signals and indicators relate tomachine elements used for carrying out a unitary function of themachine such as movement of a boom, commencing drilling, measu- rement of an angle and provision of lubrication and the methodcomprises displaying a directional indicator on said user interfacebetween two other indicators, said directional indicator showing thedependency of machine elements corresponding to said two otherindicators from each other, and forming an association between amachine signal and said directional indicator so that a change in amachine signal causes a change in said directional indicator. Accordingto an embodiment, the directional indicator indicates a value on acontrol bus or a value on a hydraulic line, or value indicative of amaterial flow. According to an embodiment, the directional indicatorindicates whether a connection works between machine elementscorresponding to said two other indicators for example by altering thecolor of the directional indicator when the connection does not work.According to an embodiment, the method comprises receiving an inputfrom a user focusing on an indicator, selecting said indicator based onsaid input, and expanding said indicator so that further indicatorsassociated with further machine signals are displayed. According to anembodiment, the method comprises receiving an input from a user tochange a value of an indicator, and changing the value of a machinesignal in accordance with the change. According to an embodiment,the user interface resides on a different apparatus from said workmachine and the method comprises forming said associations betweenmachine signals and said indicators takes place over a communicationconnection. According to an embodiment, the method comprisesforming said associations between machine signals and said indicatorswhen said work machine is in a running state. According to an embo-diment, the configuration source is different from said work machineand the method comprises receiving said configuration from a configu-ration memory over a communication connection such as from a USBmemory over a USB connection. According to an embodiment, theconfiguration source is different from said machine where said userinterface resides and the method comprises receiving said configu-ration from a remote configuration source over a communicationconnection. According to an embodiment, the method comprises omit-ting the displaying of an indicator if an element corresponding to theindicator is not present in the work machine.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided amaintenance method for a work machine, comprising definingindicators on a user interface for indicating machine status values, saidindicators corresponding to a subset of machine status values toenable viewing on a limited screen, defining associations betweenmachine signals and said indicators so that a change in a machinesignal causes a change in a corresponding indicator, forming a configu-ration comprising said defined indicators and said associations, makingsaid configuration available for controlling displaying said indicators onsaid user interface using said configuration and forming saidassociations between machine signals and said indicators using saidconfiguration.

According to an embodiment, the method comprises receiving infor-mation on available machine signals from said work machine, anddisplaying said information to a user for forming said associationsbetween said available machine signals and said indicators. Accordingto an embodiment, the method comprises receiving information fromsaid work machine, such as a reading deviating from normal range,and forming said configuration in response to said received infor-mation. According to an embodiment, the method comprises receivingan existing configuration from said work machine, and modifying saidexisting configuration to form a configuration comprising said definedindicators and said associations. According to an embodiment, themethod comprises sending said configuration to be used at anotherapparatus such as said work machine over a communication connec-tion. According to an embodiment, the method comprises carrying outthe method according to the first aspect or any embodiment thereof.

According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a systemfor carrying out maintenance on a work machine, said system compri-sing means for carrying out a method according to the first or secondaspect or any embodiment thereof.

According to an embodiment, the means comprise computer programcode for causing the system, with at least one processor, to carry out the method according to the first or second aspect or any embodimentthereof. According to an embodiment, the system is a work machine.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided asystem for carrying out maintenance on a work machine, the systemcomprising a control interface for receiving control input from an ope-rator, a processor, memory including computer program code, thememory and the computer program code configured to, with theprocessor, cause the system to display indicators on a user interfacefor indicating machine status values, said indicators corresponding to asubset of machine status values to enable viewing on a limited screen,and form associations between machine signals and said indicators sothat a change in a machine signal causes a change in a correspondingindicator, receive a configuration from a configuration source, displaysaid indicators on said user interface using said configuration, andform said associations between machine signals and said indicatorsusing said configuration.

According to an embodiment, the signals and indicators relate tomachine elements used for carrying out a unitary function of themachine such as movement of a boom, commencing drilling, measure-ment of an angle and provision of lubrication and said system furthercomprises computer program code for causing the system to display adirectional indicator on said user interface between two other indi-cators, said directional indicator showing the dependency of machineelements corresponding to said two other indicators from each other,and form an association between a machine signal and said directionalindicator so that a change in a machine signal causes a change in saiddirectional indicator.

According to a fifth aspect of the invention, there is provided a systemfor carrying out maintenance on a work machine, the system compri-sing a control interface for receiving control input from an operator, aprocessor, memory including computer program code, the memory andthe computer program code configured to, with the processor, causethe system to define indicators on a user interface for indicating machine status values, based on received control input from anoperator, said indicators corresponding to a subset of machine statusvalues to enable viewing on a limited screen, and define associationsbetween machine signals and said indicators so that a change in amachine signal causes a change in a corresponding indicator, form aconfiguration comprising said defined indicators and said associations,make said configuration available for controlling displaying said indica-tors on said user interface using said configuration and forming saidassociations between machine signals and said indicators using saidconfiguration.

According to a sixth aspect of the invention, there is provided a workmachine comprising a system according to the third, fourth or fifthaspect According to a seventh aspect of the invention, there is provided avehicle comprising the work machine of the sixth aspect. According toan embodiment, the work machine is a drill rig, a loader, a dumper, acrushing and screening apparatus, a conveyor, a road header, or acontinuous miner.

According to an eighth aspect of the invention, there is provided acomputer program product comprising computer program code forperforming maintenance on a work machine, the computer programcode arranged to carry out the method according to the first or secondaspect or any embodiment thereof. According to an embodiment thecomputer program product comprises a computer-readable non-transi-tory medium such as a USB stick or a data disc, and the computerprogram code is stored on said medium.

According to an ninth aspect of the invention, there is provided a datastructure product stored on a computer-readable non-transitorymedium, the data structure comprising a configuration as in the secondaspect, and said data structure being arranged to be used with a com-puter program product of the eight aspect.

Description of the Drawinqs ln the following, various embodiments of the invention will be describedin more detail with reference to the appended drawings, in which Fig. 1 Fig. 2 Fig. 3 Fig. 4 Fig. 5 Fig. 6 shows a flow chart of a maintenance method for a workmachine according to an embodiment of the invention; shows a system and apparatuses for which maintenance ofa work machine is carried out according to an embodimentof the invention; shows a block diagram of a system for carrying out mainte-nance of a work machine according to an embodiment ofthe invention; shows an example of a user interface for carrying outmaintenance of a work machine according to an embodi-ment of the invention; shows a flow chart of a maintenance method for a workmachine according to an embodiment of the invention; and shows a flow chart of creating a maintenance view for awork machine according to an embodiment of the invention.

Detailed Description of Example Embodiments ln the following, several embodiments of the invention will often bedescribed in the context of mining machines. lt is to be noted, however,that the invention is not limited to such machines. ln fact, the differentembodiments have applications in any environment where improvedmaintenance of work machines or vehicles is needed.

A work machine often contains wearing parts, and maintenance of thework machine may be needed every now and then. Additionally, it iscommonplace that in demanding conditions such as mines andconstruction sites, work machines may develop a malfunction. Beforethe work machine can be serviced, the details of the malfunction needto be found out: it needs to be understood which part or which parts arenot operating correctly within normal operational parameters. Theseoperational parameters can be monitored. However, in the invention, ithas been noticed that the operator or the maintenance person mayhave difficulty in determining the cause of the malfunction from a largenumber of work machine parameters.

The invention provides a number of ways to tackle this challenge andto improve maintenance operations of work machines.

Fig. 1 shows a flow chart of a maintenance method for a work machineaccording to an embodiment of the invention. ln an embodiment of the invention, a subsection of work machineparameters are displayed to the user (operator or maintenance person)with indicators on a user interface in phase 120. The selection of asubset makes it possible to view the parameters on a limited screen,for example on the screen of the work machine or on a laptop screen.The parameters may indicate different status values such as controlline values, valve positions, revolution counts and pressure values.

Before displaying the indicators, a configuration may be received inphase 110 from a configuration source such as a network server, e-mail, or other network source over a communication connection, orfrom a memory such as a local or network hard drive or other memoryl\/lEl\/l of the work machine, a computer or a server, or a portablememory device such as a USB memory stick. The configuration maybe stored to the work machine memory at the time of manufacture or ata later time. This configuration contains information on how to displaythe indicators and how to arrange them on the screen. Theconfiguration also contains information on which elements and which signals are displayed with the indicators. The configuration may containinformation on indicators that would relate to elements and/or signalsthat are not present in the actual machine. ln such a case, when theconfiguration is received, the system may leave such indicatorsundisplayed. That is, there may be optional elements in a workmachine, and the configuration may contain information on indicatorsand signals for the optional elements, but in case when an optionalelement is not present, the corresponding indicator is not displayed. ln phase 130, associations between machine signals and theindicators are formed so that a change in a machine signal causes achange in a corresponding indicator. For example, a control signalvalue on a control bus may be associated or tied to a certain displayshowing the numeric value of the control signal. As another example,the pressure value from a pressure sensor may be tied to anotherindicator. This association between the signals of the machine and theindicators may be determined from the configuration received in phase110.

The names and identifiers of the signals of the work machine may beknown to the designer of the configuration. As will be explained in thecontext of Fig. 6, the names and types of the signals can e.g. beretrieved from the work machine, and thereby the designer may editthe associations from the signals into the indicators in an editorprogram. This makes it easier for a designer to create a view of thedesired function of the machine without needing to create a program, tocompile and link the program or to have any tools for such. Also, askilled maintenance person may be able to create a new configurationas needed, since no special programming skills are needed. Even thedevelopment of work machines at an R&D centre may be made easierand faster, since the different signals in a machine can be viewed bycreating or modifying a configuration in an editor, without the need tocreate a program for each desired view.

A configuration may contain the relevant indicators and signals relatedto the relevant machine elements that are needed to carry out a function, and this makes it possible for the user of the configuration(e.g. a maintenance person or an operator of the machine) to readilyaccess the relevant signals from the work machine on a graphicaldisplay without knowing the details of the work machine and withoutneeding to interpret a large number of numerical values. Also, fewerand only relevant signals may be displayed to the user, since thegraphical layout and the displayed signals may be selected effectivelyby the designer. This makes it easier to detect the source ofmalfunction for the user. ln an embodiment of the invention, a way of functional diagnostics isprovided. Signals and indicators that relate to machine elements usedfor carrying out a unitary function of the machine such as movement ofa boom, commencing drilling, measurement of an angle and provisionof lubrication are provided in a configuration. ln other words, if theoperator of the work machine notices a problem in a certain function ofthe machine, for example the commencing of drilling, the user of themaintenance system may receive a configuration that contains infor-mation on indicators and signals that are relevant for that function, e.g.commencing drilling. The different indicators may be linked together ina logical way on the user interface (and in the configuration) in a waythat displays the dependencies of different machine elements fromeach other. For example, a directional indicator such as an arrow maybe used between two other indicators to display the dependency of thesecond indicator from the first one (or the dependency of corres-ponding machine elements). The directional indicator may also beassociated with a machine signal such as a control line value or ahydraulic line value, or value indicative of a material flow.

The invention may provide advantages such as ease of use and claritycompared to conventional maintenance systems, as well as dynamicconfigurability for different maintenance tasks. For example, the dis-played indicators and the function to be investigated may be changedby receiving a new configuration. The invention may also enableremote access maintenance. 11 Some non-limiting examples of work machines 2 are depicted inFigures 2a-2c. Figure 2a depicts an example of a drill, figure 2bdepicts an example of a loader, and figure 2c depicts an example of acrusher apparatus. lt is to be understood that the work machines maybe e.g. automated or semi-automated.

Work machines, in particular mining and construction apparatuses,may comprise different elements to enable mining operations such asrock excavation. For example, a mining apparatus may comprise arock drill or another tool which is controlled by a control system. Somemining apparatuses may comprise a crusher for crushing substancessuch as stones, for example. The tool may be mounted in a carrier ofthe mining apparatus. Work machines may further comprise an engineto generate power for moving the machine, for running a generator togenerate electricity for the machine, and for operating e.g. one or morehydraulic pumps, which may be used to generate pressure for ahydraulic system of the machine. The hydraulic system may includevalves, pipes, hydraulic cylinders etc. The hydraulic cylinders may beused e.g. to move different parts of the work machine, in case of amining apparatus e.g. a drill boom. A rock drill may also use the hyd-raulic system for drilling. A control system of a mining apparatus maycomprise elements for controlling the operation of the hydrauliccylinders and other actuators which may be present in the miningapparatus.

A user may control the operation of the work machine e.g. by a controlpanel which may comprise a wheel, a joystick, switches and/or someother means for moving the mining apparatus, for positioning the tool,for switching the tool on and off, etc.

Work machines such as mining machines may have actuators forperforming different tasks, sensors to detect states of actuators and/orto measure conditions of different parts of the mining apparatus andpossibly to take measurements about the environment, etc. Theactuators and sensors may be under the control of a control system,which may comprise a supervisor element providing visual and/or 12 audible information to the user by a user interface (UI), to control theoperation of the actuators, to analyze sensor signals, parameters etc.possible needed in determining the status of the mining apparatus. Theuser interface provides information to the user and receive user”scommands. The control panel may be part of the user interface andcontrolled by the supervisor element.

Signals between different parts of the control system may betransferred by a communication network, such as a fieldbus or a CANbus (Controller Area Network). The communication may use a higherlevel protocol such as CANopen or J1939. Actuators, sensors andother elements may be connected to the communication network asnodes of the network, or they may be connected with a communicationdevice which is connected to the network to operate as a node. Hence,the communication device can communicate with other parts of thenetwork to receive from the network e.g. commands to be delivered tothe actuators and/or to send to the network information obtained, forexample, from the sensors. Certain functionality in the device acting asa node is required so that it can attach to the network, send messagesto the network and receive messages from the network.

The invention may also be applied in an industrial machine or moni-toring system of a plant where the machine or plant is in a constantoperation, and speed of diagnostics is an important matter. Otherexamples where the invention may be used are in the maintenance ofa drill rig, a loader, a dumper, a crushing and screening apparatus, aconveyor, a road header, or a continuous miner.

Some work machines like mining machines may have special needs interms of maintenance. For example, a mining machine may be locateddeep underground, where it is difficult to reach, and from where itcannot necessarily be brought to the surface of the ground to a servicefacility. Therefore, the diagnostics and maintenance operations mayneed to be carried out on site where the machine is located. Theinvention addresses these challenges by making it possible to carry out 13 diagnostics at the site of the machine by providing easy-to-useconfigurations where they are needed.

Fig. 3 shows a block diagram of a system for carrying out maintenanceof a work machine according to an embodiment of the invention. Thesystem comprises one or more processors PRO, and memory l\/lEl\/l.The processors and memory may be in one part of the system ordistributed across different parts and different apparatuses. Forexample, a work machine control interface may have its own processorand/or memory, a computer connected to the work machine its ownprocessor and memory, and other parts of the system their own. Thememory l\/lEl\/l may comprise software SW executable on the processorPRO so that the system may display items to the operator via a screenSCR and accept input through buttons BUT, physical controls PCTRLlike levers and joysticks, and/or through a touch screen T-SCR. A partor all of the steps of an embodiment may be carried out in software,and a part or all of the steps may be carried out by control circuitry CIR.The software may reside on a computer-readable non-transitorymedium such as a USB stick or a data disc, and the computer programcode is stored on said medium. Such a computer program product maybe used to deliver the functionalities of the invention to a system byinstallation or by using the computer-readable medium directly forexecuting the program therefrom. The system may comprise communi-cation modules COl\/ll\/l for sending and receiving data between thedifferent parts and apparatuses of the system. ln addition, there may be a data structure DATAST storing theconfiguration information (the indicators, their layout and the machinesignals to be associated with the indicators). ln addition to the memoryof the work machine, a computer and/or a server, this data structuremay also be stored on a computer-readable non-transitory mediumsuch as a USB stick or a data disc. This configuration source may beconnected to the system over a wired connection or a wireless connec-tion, or a network connection, or any other communications connectionallowing the receiving of the configuration at the maintenance system.For example, the configuration may be received from a remote location 14 over internet connection, or the configuration may be delivered to thesystem on a USB memory stick that is plugged in to the system forloading the configuration. The data structure (the configuration) may be|oaded to the work machine memory at the time of manufacture, oruploaded at a later time, and then received from the work machinememory when it is needed for maintenance. The loading of the datastructure controls the operation of the maintenance system so that itcauses the maintenance system to display the indicators given in theconfiguration and to connect to the signals of the work machine forupdating the indicator values based on the signals.

The maintenance system for carrying out maintenance may bephysically inside the machine, e.g. installed in the machine cabin suchas a vehicle cabin where the operator of the machine sits. Part or all ofthe system may also reside outside the machine. The maintenancesystem may also be operationally connected to the work machinethrough a wired or a wireless connection. For example, the mainte-nance system may reside on a separate computer, and the computerconnects to the work machine over a communication connection suchas a network connection. ln this way, the separate computer mayconnect to the work machine signals, and thereby display the indicatorsfrom a configuration and the signal values from the work machine inthose indicators. ln this case, the associations between work machinesignals and the indicators takes place over a communicationconnection.

The maintenance system may connect to a work machine that is in arunning state, that is, carry out diagnostics during operation of themachine. By using different configurations, the maintenance systemmay change the displayed indicators on the fly, and connect theindicators to different signals on the work machine when the workmachine is in the running state. This makes it faster to obtain visuallyclear and meaningful information quickly during the machine”soperation. The different available configurations at a configurationsource may be arranged in a menu structure or a list on the userinterface, thereby making the switching faster. Furthermore, the confi- guration source may be updated with new configurations any time, thatis, a designer may create or upload new configurations for use.Consequently, the menu or list of available configurations may beupdated essentially without delay, with a suitable time interval, or at thenext time when the maintenance views are brought up.

Fig. 4 shows an example of a user interface for carrying outmaintenance of a work machine according to an embodiment of theinvention. Directional indicators may be used to show the dependencyof two readings from each other. For example, a control unit may set avalue on a control (data) bus and a node may receive the value. ln thiscase, the direction of data may be indicated with an arrow from thecontrol unit to the node. Alternatively, a hydraulic connection betweentwo units may be shown with a solid black line. Since there may not bea clear direction in this case (pressure has no direction), the directionalindicator (line) may have arrowheads at both ends, or it may have noarrowheads. The indicator may indicate a connection between twoelements, or it may branch to indicate a connection from one elementto multiple elements, or between a plurality of elements. The directionalindicator may also indicate whether a connection works betweenmachine elements. This may be done for example by altering the colorof the directional indicator when the connection does not work (e.g. togray) and otherwise showing the indicator with a strong solid color likeblue. ln Fig. 4, the power switch indicator PWR is connected with adirectional indicator to the controller PLC, showing clearly that the thepower switch is on, data flows to the controller and the controller is alsoon. The controller controls a motor IVITR over a data connection (arrowright), setting a certain rotational speed, and the directional indicatorshows that this speed is being sent over a working data connection tothe motor IVITR. The motor IVITR provides the actual running speed asfeedback to the controller PLC.

From the figure it can be seen that the motor IVITR drives an oil pumpPMP, and the pump draws oil from the lubrication tank TNK. The oil is 16 pushed through an oil filter, for which a pressure is shown on theindicator into a crusher CRS. At the crusher, there is a lubricationsensor LBR showing the pressure and temperature of the lubricant.The different values of the indicators are retrieved from the workmachine sensors and data sources, and displayed on the correspon-ding indicators.

From the visual layout of Fig. 4, a malfunction in the lubrication of thecrusher can be diagnosed and the element causing the problem can beidentified. For example, if the data connection between the controllerPLC and the motor IVITR is broken for some reason, the problem canbe sought from the controller PLC, the motor IVITR or the dataconnection between them. lf the data connection shows that the speedset by the controller is visible on the data connection, the source of theproblem may be the motor IVITR.

As shown in Fig. 4, there may also be indicators on the user interfacethat are associated with the interlocks of the machine, that is, generalstates of the machine that may prevent some operations from beingcarried out. For example, there may be an indicator BREAK for theparking break of the machine being on, an indicator DOOR for the doorswitch of the machine being in open state, an indicator STOP forindication a state where emergency stop has been pressed and/or anindicator ENG for indicating whether the engine is running. The user ofthe maintenance view may then deduce e.g. that there is nothingwrong with the work machine, but the boom cannot be operatedbecause the engine is not running, or that drilling cannot be startedbecause the emergency stop has been pressed.

Fig. 5 shows a flow chart of a maintenance method for a work machineaccording to an embodiment of the invention. ln phase 510, one ormore communication connections for receiving configuration and/or forconnecting to machine signals may be formed. The connections maybe wired or wireless. For example, an external maintenance computermay connect to the work machine over a local wireless connection, and 17 to a network server for receiving the configurations over a fixednetwork like a local area network connected to the internet. ln phase 520, a configuration may be received from a configurationsource such as a network server, over e-mail, or other network sourceover a communication connection, or from a memory such as a local ornetwork hard drive or a portable memory device such as a USBmemory stick. As explained earlier, this configuration contains infor-mation on the indicators and on which signals are displayed with theindicators. ln phase 530, a subsection of work machine parameters may bedisplayed to the user (operator or maintenance person) with indicatorson a user interface. The parameters may indicate different statusvalues such as control line values, valve positions, revolution countsand pressure values. ln phase 540, associations between machine signals and theindicators are formed so that a change in a machine signal causes achange in a corresponding indicator. This association between thesignals of the machine and the indicators may be determined from theconfiguration received in phase 520. The forming of the associationsand connections to the machine signals may happen in running state ofthe work machine upon receiving a new configuration. ln phase 550, a directional indicator showing the dependency betweenmachine elements corresponding to other indicators is displayed. Thedirectional indicator may correspond e.g. to a control bus between acontrol unit and a node, and the value on the control bus may beassociated with the directional indicator. That is, an association isformed between the directional indicator and a machine signal such asa value on a control bus or a value on a hydraulic line. The directionalindicator may show whether a connection works between two machineelements e.g. by altering the color of the directional indicator when theconnection does not work. The directional indicator may be between 18 two other indicators, or it may be a multi-ended connection betweenmultiple elements. ln phase 560, an indicator may be expanded by receiving an input froma user. The input may happen e.g. by focusing on an indicator. Theindicator is then selected based on the input, and expanded so thatfurther indicators associated with further machine signals are dis-played. Alternatively or in addition, the expanded indicator may showmore detail, e.g. values of individual data lines of a control bus. ln addition to or as an alternative to displaying indicators showing thecurrent state of the work machine, the values of e.g. control signals orinput parameters to elements of the machine may be manipulated (i.e.changed) from the user interface. That is, the indicators may acceptuser input e.g. by dragging, tapping or as numeric input so that thevalue of the indicator can be changed. When the value of the indicatoris changed, this changed value may be sent to the work machine andthe value in the work machine is then changed. This may enable tocontrol an element of the machine. For example, by changing a valuethat is related to the boom control, the boom may be driven. At thesame time, the values of other indicators connected to other signalsmay be observed to determine whether they respond correctly to thedrive. ln addition, the system may collect information of the values over timeand display them to the user, which may make it easier to see if anelement of the machine is not responsive or behaves incorrectly.

Fig. 6 shows a flow chart of creating a maintenance view for a workmachine according to an embodiment of the invention. With thismethod, it is possible to form and deliver new configurations for mainte-nance of a work machine to the maintenance system. The operationsof Fig. 6 may happen before the operations of Fig. 5 as part of themaintenance, or completely separately, e.g. in a central design centrefor creating the configurations. Alternatively or in addition, the creationof configurations may happen during the operations of Fig. 5. 19 A new maintenance view and configuration for maintenance of a workmachine is created as follows. lndicators on a user interface forindicating machine status values are defined in phase 610, and theindicators correspond to a subset of machine status values to enableviewing on a limited screen. As explained earlier, the indicators mayrelate to a unitary function of the work machine.

Associations between machine signals and said indicators are definedin phase 620 so that a change in a machine signal causes a change ina corresponding indicator. The signals of a specific work machine maybe known by type of the machine and by having the specific infor-mation on the individual machine setup, and thereby the association ofthe signals and the indicators may be defined. Alternatively or in addi-tion, the names and types of signals available on a work machine maybe discovered or queried from the work machine itself, that is, the workmachine may carry information on the signals and their types in itsmemory. The signal names and types may also be obtained fromanother source such as a central database. The discovery of namesand types of available signals from the machine makes it easier for thedesigner of the configuration to link the indicators to the correctmachine signals. lt needs to be appreciated, however, that the signalsmay be identifiable by any method, e.g. by having unique identifierssuch as names, or by having a unique address such as an index-sub-index pair. ln the discovery, the signals may also be provided with anexplanation of their purpose. Examples of signals that may be availablefrom a machine are listed below in Table 1.

Table 1. Example signals.

Signal name Signal type (data type) Boolean BOOL 16-bit integer lNT16 16-bit Unsigned integer UlNT16Character string STRING EmergencyStopActivatedOilTemperatureEngineRPlVlSerialNumber The indicators and the associations of the indicators to machine signalsare then formed into a configuration in phase 630. This may happene.g. by creating a data structure, the data structure being e.g. in abinary format or in a human-readable format such as XML (extensiblehypertext markup language). The data structure may stored into aconfiguration file on a computer-readable non-transitory medium suchas a USB memory stick or a data disc.

The forming of the configuration may also happen so that the designerreceives an existing configuration from a configuration source, e.g. thework machine itself, and then modifies the configuration. The modifiedconfiguration may also be sent back to the configuration source, e.g.back to the work machine memory, so that also the modifiedconfiguration can be received and used from this location. ln this way,a designer, for example a service person with an editor program for themachine maintenance, may create new configurations based on exis-ting ones for use at the work machine or downloadable from the server,or of course for use at the same computer where the designer isrunning the editor program.

The editor program may be available e.g. at a computer of a serviceperson, or it may be available from a server, or even at the workmachine itself. There may also be a viewer program that is enabled toreceive a configuration, to display the indicators and to connect to themachine signals. Such a viewer program may be located on the workmachine itself, on a lighter maintenance device such as a smart phoneor a tablet computer, a light laptop, or on any other computer.

The benefit of having an editor program is that the indicators of themaintenance view may be easily arranged on the user interface andthe signals may be easily connected to the indicators. Thereby the useof a compiler and/or linker may be avoided, that is, programming toolsmay not be needed at the computer where the editor is running. Also,the designer may not need programming skills, and/or may not need tobe able to use a so-called analyzer program where raw data andsignals from the machine is shown. 21 ln phase 640, the configuration is made available to the maintenancesystem for controlling the displaying of the indicators on the userinterface of the maintenance system and for forming the associationsbetween the machine signals and the indicators. The configuration maybe made available as a file on a storage medium or at a computernetwork node, or it may be made available upon request from themaintenance system. The configurations e.g. in configuration files mayalso be delivered against credentials and/or payment.

The creation of a configuration may happen in a pre-emptive mannerso that configurations exist for maintenance operations of all typicalmalfunctions, or based on need when a malfunction is noticed. Thecreation of the configuration may be made by a skilled human designerwhen the designer has received information on the malfunction.Furthermore, the creation of the configuration may happen based ondata received from the work machine. For example, if it is detected thata reading deviates from normal operational range, the configurationmay be automatically or semi-automatically created to display suchsignals and connections that may be relevant for finding the fault.

The various embodiments of the invention can be implemented with thehelp of computer program code that resides in a memory and causesthe relevant apparatuses to carry out the invention. For example, awork machine may comprise circuitry and electronics for handling,receiving and transmitting data, computer program code in a memory,and a processor that, when running the computer program code,causes the machine to carry out the features of an embodiment. lt is obvious that the present invention is not limited solely to the above-presented embodiments, but it can be modified within the scope of theappended claims.

Claims

22 Claims:

1. A diagnostics method for a work machine, comprising: - displaying indicators on a user interface for indicating machine statusvalues, said indicators corresponding to a subset of machine statusvalues to enable viewing on a limited screen, and - forming associations between machine signals and said indicators sothat a change in a machine signal causes a change in a correspondingindicator, characterized in that said method comprises: - receiving a configuration from a configuration source, saidconfiguration containing information on displaying said indicators andsaid signals on said user interface, and said configuration sourcecontaining a plurality of configurations, - displaying said indicators on said user interface using saidconfiguration, and - forming said associations between machine signals and saidindicators using said configuration, - displaying a directional indicator on said user interface between twoother indicators using said configuration, said directional indicatorshowing the dependency of machine elements corresponding to saidtwo other indicators from each other, - forming an association between a connection machine signal andsaid directional indicator using said configuration, and - based on a change in said connection machine signal,said directional indicator on said user interface. changing

2. A method according to claim 1, comprising: - switching between a first configuration and a second configurationusing a menu structure or a list on a user interface, and - updating said associations between machine signals and saidindicators using said second configuration.

3. A method according to claim 1 or 2, comprising:- receiving a configuration related to a problem in a certain function ofthe machine. 23

4. A method according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein said directionalindicator indicates whether a connection works between machineelements corresponding to said two other indicators for example byaltering the color of the directional indicator when the connection doesnot work.

5. A method according to any of the claims 1 to 4, the method furthercomprising: - receiving an input from a user focusing on an indicator, - selecting said indicator based on said input, and - expanding said indicator so that further indicators associated withfurther machine signals are displayed.

6. A method according to any of the claims 1 to 5, the method furthercomprising: - receiving an input from a user to change a value of an indicator, and - changing the value of a machine signal in accordance with thechange.

7. A method according to any of the claims 1 to 6, wherein said userinterface resides on a different apparatus from said work machine andthe method further comprises: - forming said associations between machine signals and saidindicators takes place over a communication connection.

8. A method according to claim 7, the method further comprising: - receiving said configuration and forming said associations betweenmachine signals and said indicators when said work machine is in arunning state.

9. A method according to any of the claims 1 to 8, wherein saidconfiguration source is different from said work machine and themethod comprises: 24 - receiving said configuration from a configuration memory over acommunication connection such as from a USB memory over a USBconnection.

10. A method according to any of the c|aims 1 to 8, wherein saidconfiguration source is different from said machine where said userinterface resides and the method comprises: - receiving said configuration from a remote configuration source over acommunication connection.

11. A method according to any of the c|aims 1 to 10, the methodcomprising: - omitting the displaying of an indicator if an element corresponding tothe indicator is not present in the work machine.

12. A diagnostics method for a work machine, comprising: - defining indicators on a user interface for indicating machine statusvalues, said indicators corresponding to a subset of machine statusvalues to enable viewing on a limited screen, and - defining associations between machine signals and said indicators sothat a change in a machine signal causes a change in a correspondingindicator, characterized in that said method comprises: - defining a directional indicator on said user interface between twoother indicators, said directional indicator showing the dependency ofmachine elements corresponding to said two other indicators fromeach other, and - defining an association between a connection machine signal andsaid directional indicator using said configuration, so that - based on a change in said connection machine signal, said directionalindicator on said user interface is changed, - forming a configuration comprising said defined indicators and saiddefined directional indicator, and said associations, - making said configuration available in a configuration source forcontrolling displaying said indicators on said user interface using saidconfiguration and forming said associations between machine signals and said indicators using said configuration, said configurationcontaining information on displaying said indicators and said signals onsaid user interface, and said configuration source containing a pluralityof configurations.

13. A method according to claim 12, the method comprising: - receiving information on available machine signals from said workmachine, and - displaying said information to a user for forming said associationsbetween said available machine signals and said indicators.

14. A method according to claim 12 or 13, the method comprising: - receiving information from said work machine, such as a readingdeviating from normal range, and - forming said configuration automatically or semi-automatically inresponse to said received information.

15. A method according to claim 12, 13 or 14, the method comprising: - receiving an existing configuration from said work machine, and - modifying said existing configuration to form a configurationcomprising said defined indicators and said associations.

16. A method according to any of the claims 12 to 15, the methodfurther comprising: - sending said configuration to be used at another apparatus such assaid work machine over a communication connection during therunning state of said another apparatus.

17. A method according to any of the claims 12 to 16, the methodfurther comprising the method according to any of the claims 1 to 11.

18. A system for carrying out diagnostics on a work machine, saidsystem comprising means for carrying out a method according to anyof the claims 1 to 17. 26

19. A system according to claim 18 wherein said means comprisecomputer program code for causing the system, with at least oneprocessor, to carry out a method according to any of the claims 1 to 17.

20. A system according to claim 18 or 19, wherein the system is a workmachine and said system comprises means for carrying out a methodaccording to any of the claims 1 to 6, and 8 to 14.

21. A system for carrying out diagnostics on a work machine, thesystem comprising a control interface for receiving control input froman operator, a processor, memory including computer program code,the memory and the computer program code configured to, with theprocessor, cause the system to: - display indicators on a user interface for indicating machine statusvalues, said indicators corresponding to a subset of machine statusvalues to enable viewing on a limited screen, and - form associations between machine signals and said indicators sothat a change in a machine signal causes a change in a correspondingindicator, - display a directional indicator on said user interface between twoother indicators using said configuration, said directional indicatorshowing the dependency of machine elements corresponding to saidtwo other indicators from each other, and - form an association between a connection machine signal and saiddirectional indicator using said configuration, - based on a change in said connection machine signal, change saiddirectional indicator on said user interface, - receive a configuration from a configuration source, said configurationcontaining information on displaying said indicators and said signals onsaid user interface, and said configuration source containing a pluralityof configurations, - display said indicators and said directional indicator on said userinterface using said configuration, and - form said associations between machine signals and said indicatorsusing said configuration. 27

22. A system according to claim 21, comprising computer programcode to cause the system to: - switch between a first configuration and a second configuration usinga menu structure or a list on a user interface, and - update said associations between machine signals and saidindicators using said second configuration when the system is in therunning state.

23. A system for carrying out diagnostics on a work machine, thesystem comprising a control interface for receiving control input froman operator, a processor, memory including computer program code,the memory and the computer program code configured to, with theprocessor, cause the system to: - define indicators on a user interface for indicating machine statusvalues, based on received control input from an operator, saidindicators corresponding to a subset of machine status values toenable viewing on a limited screen, and - define associations between machine signals and said indicators sothat a change in a machine signal causes a change in a correspondingindicator, - define a directional indicator on said user interface between two otherindicators, said directional indicator showing the dependency ofmachine elements corresponding to said two other indicators fromeach other, and - define an association between a connection machine signal and saiddirectional indicator using said configuration so that a change in saidconnection machine signal causes a change in said directionalindicator on said user interface, - form a configuration comprising said defined indicators and saiddefined directional indicator, and said associations, said configurationcontaining information on displaying said indicators and said signals onsaid user interface, - make said configuration available in a configuration source forcontrolling displaying said indicators on said user interface using saidconfiguration and forming said associations between machine signals 28 and said indicators using said configuration, said configuration sourcecontaining a plurality of configurations.

24. A work machine comprising a system according to any of theclaims 18 to 23.

25. A vehicle comprising the work machine of c|aim 24.

26. A work machine according to c|aim 24, wherein the machine is adri|| rig, a loader, a dumper, a crushing and screening apparatus, aconveyor, a road header, or a continuous miner.

27. A computer program product comprising computer program codefor performing diagnostics on a work machine, the computer programcode arranged to carry out the method according to any of the claims 1to 17 when executed on one or more processors.

28. The computer program product of c|aim 27, wherein the computerprogram product comprises a computer-readable non-transitorymedium such as a USB stick or a data disc, and the computer programcode is stored on said medium.

29. A data structure product stored on a computer-readable non-transitory medium, the data structure comprising a configurationaccording to c|aim 12, and said data structure being arranged to beused with a computer program product of c|aim 27 or 28 on a computerto control the operation of the computer.