Machine Tool Electronic Manual Retrieval for Faster Maintenance Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Managing and accessing large and complex machine tool instruction manuals is difficult, making it time-consuming to find necessary information for inspection and maintenance tasks.
Innovation Solution
A machine tool electronic manual system that acquires and displays electronic manuals from a network-connected server, using a server with user and instruction manual databases, and a manual display terminal with an inquiry code generation unit to provide operators with relevant information for operations and maintenance through a wireless communication unit.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If electronic manuals are provided in the form of electronic data to manage the huge amount of instruction manuals, then the manageability of manuals is improved, but finding necessary information becomes difficult and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The manual system segments the huge amount of electronic manual data into organized categories and structures, allowing operators to access specific information sections quickly without searching through entire manuals. The system divides comprehensive manuals into manageable, searchable segments based on machine tool models, functions, and maintenance procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary information processing system that acts as a mediator between the electronic manual database and the operator. This intermediary system automatically searches, retrieves, and presents relevant manual sections based on operator queries or machine tool identification, eliminating the need for operators to manually search through vast amounts of electronic data.
2Loss of information
If comprehensive electronic manuals are provided for all machine tool models, then the completeness of information is improved, but the complexity of the system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The manual system is designed with universal functionality to handle multiple machine tool models, types, and versions through a single integrated platform. The system can automatically identify the specific machine tool model and retrieve appropriate manual sections, providing model-specific comprehensive information while maintaining a unified, manageable system structure rather than separate systems for each model.
3Ease of operation
If operators access manual information at the location where tasks are performed, then the ease of operation is improved, but the need for portable display devices increases system complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical/portable display device approach with an information field-based solution. Instead of requiring physical portable devices to display manuals at the work location, the system uses wireless communication and digital transmission to deliver manual information electronically to display terminals at or near the operator's location, eliminating the need for complex portable display hardware while maintaining ease of access.
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic manual system for a machine tool: generates an inquiry code on the basis of information relating to a user including a manufacture number of a machine tool; refers, on the basis of the inquiry code, to a user information database in which information relating to the machine tool and user identification information are associated with each other and stored; acquires, from an instruction manual database which stores electronic data of an instruction manual for the machine tool possessed by the user, a corresponding electronic manual; and displays the electronic manual on a manual display terminal.