System and method for on-line diagnostics

Abstract

An on-line diagnostics system and method enable equipment information stored in each piece of industrial equipment to be safely disclosed to maintenance personnel to the extent permitted by the user of the industrial equipment. The on-line diagnostic system comprises industrial equipment and a maintenance apparatus for the maintenance of the industrial equipment, which are connected via the Internet. Equipment information indicating the state of the industrial equipment is encrypted using a specific common key, and the encrypted equipment information is transmitted to the maintenance apparatus in response to a request therefrom. The fact that the common key has been transmitted from the industrial equipment to the maintenance apparatus is outputted. After receiving the encrypted equipment information and the common key that have been transmitted, the encrypted equipment information is decrypted using the common key, and the decrypted equipment information is outputted.

1 . An on-line diagnostics system comprising industrial equipment and a maintenance apparatus for the maintenance of the industrial equipment, which are connected via the Internet, the industrial equipment comprising:
 an encryption unit for encrypting equipment information indicating the state of the industrial equipment using a specific common key;   a communication unit for transmitting the encrypted equipment information encrypted by the encryption unit to the maintenance apparatus in response to a request therefrom; and   an input/output unit for outputting the fact that the industrial equipment has transmitted the common key to the maintenance apparatus,   wherein when a trouble takes place in the industrial equipment, the industrial equipment encrypts the ID of the industrial equipment and the error code of the trouble using a common key to generate a maintenance request message including the encrypted ID of the industrial equipment and the error code of the trouble, and transmits it to the maintenance apparatus,   wherein when the industrial equipment receives an analysis start notice message including an equipment data ID of the object of analysis from the maintenance apparatus, the industrial equipment transmits an analysis start notice response message including the common key to the maintenance apparatus,   wherein when the industrial equipment receives a maintenance operation message including a program ID and parameters from the maintenance apparatus, the industrial equipment executes the program using the parameters and encrypts the equipment data obtained from the result of the execution of the program, the industrial equipment transmitting a maintenance operation response message including the encrypted equipment data to the maintenance apparatus.   
     
     
         2 . An on-line diagnostics system comprising industrial equipment and a maintenance apparatus for the maintenance of the industrial equipment, which are connected via the Internet, wherein the maintenance apparatus comprises:
 a communication unit for receiving encrypted equipment information indicating the state of the industrial equipment and a common key;   a decryption unit for decrypting the encrypted equipment information using the common key; and   an input/output unit for outputting the decrypted equipment information decrypted by the decryption unit,   wherein when the maintenance apparatus receives a maintenance request message including the encrypted ID of the industrial equipment and the error code of the trouble from the industrial equipment, the maintenance apparatus transmits an analysis start notice message including an equipment data ID of the object of analysis to the industrial equipment,   wherein when the maintenance apparatus receives an analysis start notice response message including the common key from the industrial equipment, the maintenance apparatus decrypts the encrypted equipment data ID in the maintenance request message using the common key to generate a maintenance operation message including a program ID and parameters, based on the cause of trouble which is obtained by the analysis based on the decrypted equipment data ID and transmits it to the industrial equipment,   the maintenance apparatus receiving a maintenance operation response message including the encrypted equipment data from the industrial equipment.   
     
     
         3 . An on-line diagnostics system comprising industrial equipment and a maintenance apparatus for the maintenance of the industrial equipment, which are connected via the Internet, the industrial equipment comprising:
 an encryption unit for encrypting equipment information indicating the state of the industrial equipment using a specific common key;   a communication unit for transmitting the encrypted equipment information encrypted by the encryption unit to the maintenance apparatus in response to a request therefrom; and   an input/output unit for outputting the fact that the industrial equipment has transmitted the common key to the maintenance apparatus, and wherein   the maintenance apparatus comprises a communication unit for receiving the encrypted equipment information and the common key transmitted by the communication unit of the industrial equipment;   a decryption unit for decrypting the encrypted equipment information using the common key; and   an input/output unit for outputting the equipment information decrypted by the decryption unit,   wherein when a trouble takes place in the industrial equipment, the industrial equipment encrypts the ID of the industrial equipment and the error code of the trouble using a common key to generate a maintenance request message including the encrypted ID of the industrial equipment and the error code of the trouble, and transmits it to the maintenance apparatus,   wherein when the maintenance apparatus receives a maintenance request message from the industrial equipment, the maintenance apparatus transmits an analysis start notice message including an equipment data ID of the object of analysis to the industrial equipment,   wherein when the industrial equipment receives an analysis start notice message from the maintenance apparatus, the industrial equipment transmits an analysis start notice response message including the common key to the maintenance apparatus,   wherein when the maintenance apparatus receives an analysis start notice response message from the industrial equipment, the maintenance apparatus decrypts the encrypted equipment data ID in the maintenance request message using the common key to generate a maintenance operation message including a program ID and parameters, based on the cause of trouble which is obtained by the analysis based on the decrypted equipment data ID and transmits it to the industrial equipment,   wherein when the industrial equipment receives a maintenance operation message from the maintenance apparatus, the industrial equipment executes the program using the parameters and encrypts the equipment data obtained from the result of the execution of the program, the industrial equipment transmitting a maintenance operation response message including the encrypted equipment data to the maintenance apparatus.   
     
     
         4 . The on-line diagnostics system according to any one of  claims 1  to  3 , wherein the industrial equipment is semiconductor manufacture/inspection equipment. 
     
     
         5 . The on-line diagnostics system according to any one of  claims 1  to  3 , wherein the maintenance apparatus comprises a calculation unit for calculating a countervalue for the contents of maintenance carried out on the industrial equipment based on the equipment information, wherein the calculated countervalue is transmitted by the input/output unit of the maintenance apparatus. 
     
     
         6 . The on-line diagnostics system according to  claim 1 ,  2  or  3 , wherein the input/output unit of the industrial equipment outputs all or part of the history of transmission of the common key from the industrial equipment to the maintenance apparatus. 
     
     
         7 . The on-line diagnostics system according to  claim 1 ,  2  or  3 , wherein the input/output unit of the maintenance apparatus stores the equipment information decrypted by the decryption unit and outputs all or part of the stored equipment information. 
     
     
         8 . The on-line diagnostics system according to  claim 1 ,  2  or  3 , the industrial equipment comprising a determination unit for determining the maintenance apparatus to which the equipment information encrypted by the encryption unit is to be transmitted, the communication unit transmitting the encrypted equipment information to the maintenance apparatus determined by the determination unit. 
     
     
         9 . The on-line diagnostics system according to  claim 1 ,  2  or  3 , further comprising a managing apparatus which is connected to the maintenance apparatus, the managing apparatus transmitting the analysis start notice message and the maintenance operation message from the maintenance apparatus to the industrial equipment.