Machine Tool Visual Manual for Maintenance Without Keyword Search
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing machine tool electronic manuals require operators to be familiar with the machine's components and operation methods, making it difficult for unfamiliar users to access necessary maintenance and inspection information, even with simplified input systems.
Innovation Solution
An electronic manual system for machine tools that displays information through appearance-based searching, using point icons on a touch panel, allowing operators to select components visually and access handling instructions without needing to know the component names, with options for rotating views and multimedia explanations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If traditional keyword-based search is used in electronic manuals, then information can be found for familiar users, but unfamiliar operators cannot access necessary information due to not knowing component names or operation methods
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a visual copy of the machine tool's appearance on the touch panel display, allowing operators to interact with a graphical representation rather than text descriptions. This visual copy enables selection of components and operations through direct visual identification, eliminating the need to know technical names or search keywords.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an image processing unit and touch panel as intermediaries between the operator and the manual information system. The touch panel serves as an intermediary interface that translates visual selections into information retrieval queries, bridging the gap between unfamiliar operators and technical manual content.
2Loss of time
If simplified input methods are provided, then input time is reduced, but proper maintenance information cannot be obtained because operators still need to know keywords to search
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs automatic information retrieval based on visual selections without requiring operators to formulate search queries or know keywords. The control unit automatically searches and displays maintenance information corresponding to the visually selected component or operation, making the information retrieval process self-service and eliminating the need for keyword knowledge.
3Loss of information
If comprehensive manual content is provided, then all necessary information is available, but the manual becomes enormous and difficult to navigate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the comprehensive manual information into discrete, visually-mapped components. Each component or operation in the machine tool corresponds to a specific visual element on the touch panel, allowing information to be accessed in small, manageable units rather than navigating through an enormous document structure.
Data Source
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AI summary
An electronic manual for a machine tool includes a display part for displaying handling instruction display point icons (42, 56) and internal display point icons (44, 46, 48, 50, 52) on an image (122) of the machine tool in an overlapping manner, and a control part (130) for displaying, when the handling instruction display point icon is selected, handling instructions or a list of handling instructions corresponding to the handling instruction display point icon, and displaying, when the internal display point icon is selected, an image of the interior of the machine tool corresponding to the internal display point icon overlapping the handling instruction display point.