Patent ID: 8316297
Filing Date: 2012-11-20
Classification: B29B,B29C,G06Q

Abstract:
1. A method of ascertaining a configuration and a state of a machine, wherein the machine comprises a plurality of exchangeable machine components and parts, said method comprising the steps of: providing each of the machine components with a dedicated storage device arranged on the machine component that stores documentation information specific for the machine component; assigning an individual identification information to each of the machine parts; accessing the storage device of each machine component to retrieve the component-specific documentation information; storing the component-specific documentation information in a first documentation memory; reading the identification information of each machine part into an identification unit; accessing with the identification unit an external memory to retrieve documentation information associated with the identification information of each machine part; storing the retrieved part-specific documentation information in a second documentation memory; combining the component-specific documentation information from the first documentation memory and the retrieved part-specific identification information from the second documentation memory to generate an overall documentation of the machine; upon exchange of a machine component with a replacement machine component, reading into the first documentation memory changed component-specific documentation information of a replacement machine component stored in the dedicated storage device arranged on the replacement machine component, and reading with the identification unit at least the part-specific documentation information of the replacement part from the external data memory into the second documentation memory, automatically generating from changed documentation information in the first and second documentation memory a changed overall documentation, and displaying at least the changed overall documentation on an output device to allow an operator to determine the changed machine configuration and machine state and to intervene in operation and maintenance of the machine.