CAN And Ethernet Connectivity Diagnostics for Industrial Machines
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Solution Overview
Problem
Diagnosing communication and connectivity issues in complex industrial machines is challenging due to limited internal diagnostic systems, requiring technicians to spend significant time on-site and lacking proper training to identify network problems, leading to increased downtime and customer dissatisfaction.
Innovation Solution
A diagnostic system that connects to an industrial machine's electronic processing system, performing software, connectivity, and CAN bus checks to analyze data and provide solutions to technicians, including a communication interface and diagnostic module that initiates checks and outputs likely causes and solutions based on analyzed data.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If technicians use traditional diagnostic methods for CAN bus issues, then they can identify problems, but it requires significant time and travel to the machine location
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary diagnostic actions by automatically executing software checks, connectivity checks, and CAN bus checks before technician arrival. The diagnostic module pre-analyzes error codes, controller responses, and network status to prepare diagnostic results in advance, reducing on-site troubleshooting time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an automated diagnostic module as an intermediary between the CAN bus system and the technician. This module acts as a mediator that collects, analyzes, and interprets diagnostic data from multiple sources (software data, connection status data, CAN bus data) and presents processed results to technicians, eliminating the need for technicians to manually perform time-consuming diagnostic procedures.
2Measurement precision
If technicians are equipped with robust diagnostic capabilities, then diagnostic accuracy improves, but the system complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The diagnostic module is designed as a universal system that can perform multiple diagnostic functions through a single integrated platform. It simultaneously executes software checks, connectivity checks, CAN bus checks, and controller response checks, and can diagnose issues across different machine types and communication protocols, reducing the need for multiple specialized diagnostic tools.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements self-service diagnostics by automatically collecting diagnostic data from the machine's own controllers and communication networks. The diagnostic module leverages existing machine resources (controllers, CAN bus infrastructure, error code databases) to perform self-diagnosis, eliminating the need for external complex diagnostic equipment.
3Measurement precision
If technicians perform comprehensive diagnostic checks, then diagnostic accuracy improves, but the amount of data to analyze increases
Solution Approach 1:
The diagnostic module implements feedback mechanisms that automatically process and interpret diagnostic data in real-time. As data is collected from software checks, connectivity checks, and CAN bus checks, the system continuously analyzes the information, compares it against known fault patterns, and provides feedback to guide further diagnostic steps or directly identifies the root cause, reducing the information processing burden on technicians.
Solution Approach 2:
The system extracts and isolates only the most relevant diagnostic information from the vast amount of collected data. The diagnostic module selectively extracts key parameters (error codes, controller response times, connection status) from the comprehensive data set and presents only the critical findings to technicians, filtering out redundant information while maintaining diagnostic accuracy.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for diagnosing connection and communication in an industrial machine. The electronic processing system includes a CAN bus, an ethernet network, and a plurality of devices connected to the CAN bus and the ethernet network. The plurality of devices includes at least one controller programmed to run one or more software applications. A connectivity check is performed to obtain CAN connection status data and ethernet connection status data for the plurality of devices. The CAN connection status data and the ethernet connection status data is analyzed to determine a likely cause of a device connection issue. A solution to the device connection issue is output to a user based on the analyzed data.