A controller for a machine tool outputs an operation instruction signal to the machine tool. The machine tool transmits a signal indicating that the instructed operation is compete. The controller determines a response time of operation to be a difference in time between a point in time when the numerical controller outputs an operation instruction signal and a point in time when the numerical controller receives a signal from the machine tool. When the response time of operation exceeds a preset value, the numerical controller determines that a corresponding maintenance component needs to be replaced and informs a user of the need for replacement by means of a display unit.

A method of controlling a robot system including an articulated robot and a control device is provided. The articulated robot includes links connected by joints, motors configured to drive the joints respectively, and detection devices configured to detect rotation amounts of the joints respectively. The control device controls the motors. The method includes the steps of, by the control device, recording movement information of the joints based on outputs of the detection devices; when detecting an abnormality in the operation of the articulated robot, determining presence or absence of a failure in the articulated robot based on the movement information recorded in at least a period from before detection of the abnormality until detection of the abnormality; and specifying a failure portion of the articulated robot if it is determined that there is a failure in the articulated robot in the step of determining.

An information processing apparatus executes a simulation of a process state, which is being executed in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus using a physical model of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus. The information processing apparatus includes a simulation execution unit that executes the simulation by setting operating conditions of the physical model to the same conditions as those of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus; a physical coefficient change unit that changes a physical coefficient of the physical model such that an output value of the physical model approximates to a corresponding output value of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus a deterioration state analysis unit that analyzes a deterioration state of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, based on a change in the physical coefficient; and a deterioration state output unit that outputs information regarding the deterioration state of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, analyzed by the deterioration state analysis unit.

A method for monitoring of an industrial system, such as a pneumatic control system, can include monitoring a plurality of operating characteristics of a plurality of components of the system, logging a plurality of instances of the operating characteristics for each of the components, creating a mathematical model of the system from the plurality of instances of the operating characteristics, predicting a failure of one of the components by comparing a trend in the plurality of instances of the operating characteristics to the model, or any combination thereof. The model can model the system as a whole and/or include discrete modelling of any of the components.

A fault prediction system includes a machine learning device that learns conditions associated with a fault of an industrial machine. The machine learning device includes a state observation unit that, while the industrial machine is in operation or at rest, observes a state variable including, e.g., data output from a sensor, internal data of control software, or computational data obtained based on these data, a determination data obtaining unit that obtains determination data used to determine whether a fault has occurred in the industrial machine or the degree of fault, and a learning unit that learns the conditions associated with the fault of the industrial machine in accordance with a training data set generated based on a combination of the state variable and the determination data.

A method for determining a dynamic response of a machine having at least one axis, including performing a measurement run for each axis of the machine over an entire work area of each respective axis, capturing and recording data associated with each measurement run, determining a time-frequency representation of recorded data using a data processing unit, and analyzing the time-frequency representation or a related representation using an image processing algorithm.