Information processing device, information processing method, and non-transitory computer readable medium

Abstract

An information processing device for efficiently processing various products comprises: a determination unit that receives signals from sensors provided on a plurality of working machines, determines the operating conditions of the plurality of working machines, and derives a plurality of usable working machines; a receiving unit that receives product determination data for determining a product to be manufactured; a determination unit that determines the necessary working machines required for processing the product based on the product determination data; and a prompting unit that retrieves the necessary working machines from a plurality of usable working machines and prompts information related to the use of the working machines as a search result.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, and an information processing program. Background Art

[0002] In the above-mentioned technical field, Patent Document 1 discloses a system for receiving orders for products via a network and manufacturing the products.

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-201528 Summary of the invention

[0006] However, the technology described in the above-mentioned document is at most limited to an ordering and manufacturing system for plate processing, and the target products are greatly limited, the efficiency of supply is achieved, and the degree of freedom of the products that can be manufactured is extremely small.

[0007] An object of the present invention is to provide a technology for solving the above-mentioned problems.

[0008] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the device involved in the present invention comprises: a judgment unit, which receives signals from sensors installed in multiple working machines, judges the operating conditions of the multiple working machines, and derives multiple usable working machines; a receiving unit, which receives product identification data for determining the product to be manufactured; a determination unit, which determines the necessary working machines required when processing the product based on the product identification data; and a prompting unit, which retrieves the necessary working machines from the multiple usable working machines and prompts information related to the use of the working machines as a search result.

[0009] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the method involved in the present invention includes: a judgment step, receiving signals from sensors installed in multiple working machines, judging the operating conditions of the multiple working machines, and deriving multiple usable working machines; a receiving step, receiving product identification data for determining the product to be manufactured; a decision step, which determines the necessary working machines required for processing the product based on the product identification data; and a prompting step, which retrieves the necessary working machines from the multiple usable working machines and prompts information related to the use of the working machines as a search result.

[0010] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the program involved in the present invention enables the computer to execute: a judgment step, receiving signals from sensors installed on multiple working machines, judging the operating conditions of the multiple working machines, and deriving multiple usable working machines; a receiving step, receiving product identification data for determining the product to be manufactured; a decision step, determining the necessary working machines required for processing the product based on the product identification data; and a prompting step, retrieving the necessary working machines from the multiple usable working machines, and prompting information related to the use of the working machines as a search result.

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to easily place an order for processing of various products by understanding the states of a plurality of machine tools. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Figure 1 This is a block diagram showing the configuration of an information processing device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0013] Figure 2 It is a block diagram showing the configuration of an information processing system according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] Figure 3 It is a block diagram showing the configuration of an information processing device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0015] Figure 4 It is a diagram showing a machine tool database of the information processing device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 5 It is a diagram showing an example of a screen provided by the information processing device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 6 It is a diagram showing an example of a screen provided by the information processing device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 7 It is a sequence diagram showing the flow of processing by the information processing device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 8 It is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of an information processing device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the components described in the following embodiments are merely illustrative, and are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention to these.

[0021] [First embodiment]

[0022] use Figure 1 , an information processing device 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described. The information processing device 100 is a device that proposes a workpiece for completing a shape input by a user.

[0023] like Figure 1 As shown, the information processing device 100 includes a determination unit 101 , a reception unit 102 , a determination unit 103 , and a presentation unit 104 .

[0024] The determination unit 101 receives signals from sensors provided on the plurality of working machines 110 , determines the operating conditions of the plurality of working machines 110 , and derives the usable working machines 111 .

[0025] On the other hand, the receiving unit 102 receives the product identification data 120 that identifies the product to be manufactured from the user terminal 130 .

[0026] The determination unit 103 determines necessary machine tools 131 required for processing the product based on the product identification data 120 .

[0027] Thus, the presentation unit 104 searches for the necessary working machines 131 from the available working machines 111 , and presents information on the available working machines 141 as the search result to the user terminal 130 .

[0028] According to the above configuration, since a machine tool that meets the conditions is selected from a plurality of machine tools and is prompted and recommended to the user, the user can easily obtain the information required to complete the product he wants to make. In addition, the demand for processed products using machine tools can be aroused, which is related to the efficient use of idle equipment.

[0029] [Second embodiment]

[0030] Next, with respect to the information processing system involved in the second embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 The following figures illustrate this. Figure 2 It is a diagram for explaining the overall configuration of an information processing system 200 according to the present embodiment.

[0031] The user 202 converts the desired product image into 3D, processes it, and converts it into data, and notifies the server 201 using the user terminal 230. The server 201 analyzes the product data sent from the user terminal 230, performs cutting simulation, and allocates the required machine tools. On the other hand, the server 201 always monitors various machine tools 203 to 205 used in various factories and stores their usage status. Examples of the machine tools 203 to 205 include vertical machining centers, horizontal machining centers, NC lathes, 5-axis machining equipment, AM (Additive Manufacturing) compound machines, and compound machining equipment.

[0032] The server 201 determines at least one machine tool that is not in use at the current time point and can process the product based on the product data transmitted from the user terminal 230 , and presents the result to the user terminal 230 .

[0033] Figure 3 The server 201 includes a determination unit 301 , a reception unit 302 , a determination unit 303 , a presentation unit 304 , a machine tool database 305 , an order acceptance / settlement unit 306 , a plan determination unit 307 , and an ordering unit 308 .

[0034] The determination unit 301 receives signals from sensors installed on a plurality of work machines 203 to 205, determines the operating conditions of each work machine 203 to 205, and derives the usable work machine 311. The determination unit 301 stores various information of each work machine managed by the system in the work machine database 305. Specifically, Figure 4 As shown, the machine tool ID, installation location, type, workpiece size, tools, macro programs, axis configuration, fixture preparation, processing speed, processing accuracy, and actual processing results are stored in a corresponding relationship. The machine tool database 305 also stores the usage status indicating the time of scheduled use when idle or in use. The determination unit 301 updates this information at any time based on the signal received from the sensor provided on the machine tool or the status directly input by the owner of the machine tool, or the information from the order acceptance / settlement unit 306. If the machine tool database 305 is referred to, it is possible to understand where the device that can process what kind of workpiece is located and in what state.

[0035] On the other hand, the receiving unit 302 receives product determination data 320 that specifies the product to be manufactured from the user terminal 230. Specifically, the user terminal 230 displays Figure 5 In the screen shown, for example, 3D CAD data, 2D CAD data, etc. are uploaded as product confirmation data. Also, the number of products, the desired delivery date, and the budget are input.

[0036] The decision unit 303 determines the necessary machine tools 321 required for processing the product based on the product determination data 320. More specifically, the decision unit 303 includes a cutting simulation unit 331 that performs a cutting simulation that satisfies the standards and structural characteristics of each machine tool contained in the product determination data and the machine tool database 305. In addition, the decision unit 303 includes an optimal processing condition determination unit 332 that determines the optimal processing conditions based on the results of the cutting simulation, the processing time, and the processing accuracy. In addition, the decision unit 303 includes a necessary processing machine determination unit 333 that determines the necessary machine tools that achieve the determined optimal processing conditions. The optimal processing condition determination unit 332 may also determine the optimal processing conditions based on the degree of vibration suppression, the vibration stability limit, and the processing distance of each machine tool.

[0037] For example, based on the results of cutting simulation that satisfy the structural characteristics of each working machine, a machine that shows good results (exceeding a certain threshold or being a higher value among multiple machines) in at least one of the following conditions: the degree of suppression of chatter vibration, processing accuracy, processing time, or processing distance is determined to be the necessary working machine 321.

[0038] In addition, the decision unit 303 may also determine the past product having the most similar shape to the product determination data sent from the user by referring to a large amount of past processing actual performance data contained in the machine tool database 305, and determine the machine tool for processing the past product as the necessary machine tool. Specifically, a plurality of difference points are extracted from the product determination data sent from the user, and compared with the difference points of the past product shape. When the relative positional relationship of the plurality of difference points is similar with a certain degree of similarity, it is determined to be a similar shape.

[0039] The prompting unit 304 retrieves the necessary working machines 321 from the plurality of available working machines 311, and presents information related to the available working machines 341 as the search result to the user terminal 230. In the working machine database 305, even a working machine "in use" is considered as an available working machine 311 if it is a working machine that can be idle for a certain period of time before the user's desired delivery date.

[0040] Figure 6 600 is an example of a screen 600 displayed by the display unit 304. Figure 6 As shown, the prompting unit 304 provides at least one of information of a factory equipped with a machine tool, cost, and delivery period. The screen displayed by the prompting unit 304 is not limited to Figure 6 , and the processing accuracy, processing time, processing distance, etc. may also be prompted. Furthermore, the prompting unit 304 may list the factories that own and use the machine tools in at least one of the following order: delivery deadline order, cost order, processing accuracy order, processing time order, and processing distance order.

[0041] The presenting unit 304 may present a set of multiple machine tools required for processing a product as the necessary machine tools, in which case a single factory including the set of multiple machine tools may be presented, or a combination of multiple factories may be presented. The presenting unit 304 may also present past processing examples of the factory.

[0042] The plan determination unit 307 determines a plan using the working machine.

[0043] The determination unit 301 may also determine whether the processing is progressing according to the plan determined by the plan determination unit 307 .

[0044] The ordering unit 308 places an order with the selected factory based on the order details accepted by the order acceptance / settlement unit 306 .

[0045] Figure 7 This is a sequence diagram for explaining the process of processing using this system. When the user thinks, "I want this part", he opens the order-specific page (S701) prepared in advance in the system on the Internet. Then, upload the "product confirmation data". Alternatively, you can also upload product confirmation data made using CAD drawings prepared on the Internet.

[0046] In this way, the receiving unit 302 receives the data (S702), and uses the determining unit 303 to instantaneously perform a cutting simulation (S703), and derives the "optimal processing conditions" (S704) based on the judgment of whether the processing of the desired shape and accuracy is possible, the tool used, the support, the degree of chatter suppression, the chatter stability limit, the processing time, the processing distance, the processing accuracy, etc. At this time, the chatter suppression degree and the chatter stability limit processing distance are related to the tool life, so the processing conditions with a long tool life can also be selected.

[0047] Next, the machine tool database 305 is referenced to search for a machine tool that can perform processing under the “optimal processing conditions” from the machine tools in the “idle” state.

[0048] And, in step S706, the cost and delivery deadline of using the machine tool are calculated. Finally, information indicating "who (company name)", "how much (cost)", and "when (delivery deadline)" can be processed is presented to the user terminal (S707, S708).

[0049] Thus, the user who sees the prompt information selects one from among them, clicks the "place order" button (S709), makes an appointment for the selected machine tool, and enters the factory 720 that owns the machine tool (S710). Finally, the post-completion settlement or prepayment settlement (S711, 712) is carried out, and the factory 720 sends the processed finished product to the user.

[0050] use Figure 8 The hardware structure of the server 201 is described below. The server 201 includes a CPU 810, a ROM 820, a communication control unit 830, a RAM 840, and a storage 850. The CPU 810 is a central processing unit that controls the entire server 201 by executing various programs. The ROM 820 is a read-only memory that stores various parameters, in addition to the startup program initially executed by the CPU 810. The communication control unit 830 controls the communication of other terminals via the network. In addition, the RAM 840 is a random access memory that has an execution area for the application processing management 841. The processing management application 841 includes a determination module 842, a receiving module 843, a decision module 844, a prompt module 845, an order acceptance and settlement module 846, a plan decision module 847, and an order module 848. Each module has a function related to Figure 3 The functions shown are corresponding functions, and therefore detailed descriptions thereof are omitted. On the other hand, the storage unit 850 stores the machine tool database 305 .

[0051] According to this embodiment, users can receive products by just sending data. In addition, factories can enjoy the advantage of "waiting for work to arrive".

[0052] That is, for users who want to make such products and consider selling them, it becomes an opportunity to easily conduct fabless business (outsourcing only the design and production of the product). On the other hand, for machine tool users, since they can receive orders regularly by using this system, the advantage is that they can reduce idle equipment.

[0053] [Other embodiments]

[0054] The present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Various changes that can be understood by those skilled in the art within the scope of the present invention can be made in the composition or details of the present invention. In addition, any system or device formed by combining the various features contained in the various embodiments is also included in the scope of the present invention.

[0055] In addition, the present invention can be applied to a system composed of multiple devices, and can also be applied to a single device. Furthermore, the present invention can also be applied to a situation where an information processing program that realizes the functions of the implementation mode is directly or remotely supplied to a system or device. Therefore, in order to realize the functions of the present invention in a computer, a program installed in a computer, or a medium storing the program, or a WWW (World Wide Web) server that downloads the program is also included in the scope of the present invention. In particular, at least a non-transitory computer readable medium that stores a program that enables a computer to execute the processing steps contained in the above-mentioned implementation mode is also included in the scope of the present invention.

[0056] This application claims priority based on Japanese patent application No. 2018-071528, filed on April 3, 2018, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Claims

1. An information processing system, wherein: Displaying an order-specific page on the user terminal to upload a manufacturing order including product confirmation data for the product to be manufactured, the desired delivery date and the budget, The information processing system comprises: a receiving unit configured to receive the manufacturing order including the product identification data, the expected delivery date, and the budget from the user terminal; a determination unit configured to receive signals from sensors respectively provided on a plurality of working machines and determine operating conditions of the plurality of working machines; as well as a determination unit that determines necessary working machines required for processing the product based on the product determination data; The determination unit is configured to determine, with reference to a work machine database, work machines that may be idle for a certain period of time before the desired delivery deadline as a plurality of usable work machines, wherein the work machine database stores, for each of the work machines, a work machine ID, standards and structural characteristics, installation location, type, actual processing results, and a usage status indicating when the work machine is scheduled to be used when idle or in use, The determination unit is configured as follows: performing a cutting simulation that satisfies the product identification data and the standards and structural characteristics of each machine tool included in the machine tool database, Determine whether the desired shape and precision can be processed. Based on the results of the cutting simulation, the processing time and the processing accuracy, the optimal processing conditions are obtained. analyzing past machining performance data contained in the machine tool database and past products having a shape most similar to the product identification data received from the user terminal, The machine tool for processing the past product is determined as the necessary machine tool, wherein a plurality of difference points are extracted from the product determination data and compared with the difference points of the shape of the past product to determine the shape similarity, The invention also comprises a prompting unit, which retrieves the necessary working machine from the plurality of working machines available, and prompts information related to the working machine available as a search result, wherein the search result includes a list of factories that own the working machine available, arranged in at least one of the order of delivery deadline, cost, processing accuracy, processing time and processing distance, The prompting unit is further configured to prompt the user terminal to place an order for the selected working machine.

2. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein: The determination unit further determines the optimal machining condition based on the chattering suppression degree, the chattering stability limit, and the machining distance.

3. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein: The determination unit further derives a plurality of usable working machines based on the states set by the owners of the plurality of working machines.

4. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein: The method further includes a plan determination unit that determines a plan for using the working machine.

5. The information processing system according to claim 4, wherein: The determination unit further determines whether the work is progressing according to the plan.

6. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein: The presenting unit displays the used machine tools in a list in at least one of a delivery deadline order, a cost order, a processing accuracy order, a processing time order, and a processing distance order.

7. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein: The presenting unit presents a set of a plurality of working machines as the necessary working machines.

8. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein: The presenting unit further presents past processing examples of the factory.

9. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein: The presenting unit presents the necessary working machine based on an idle period of each usable working machine.

10. An information processing method, wherein: include: Displaying an order-dedicated page on a user terminal for uploading a manufacturing order including product confirmation data confirming the product to be manufactured, a desired delivery period and a budget; receiving the manufacturing order including the product identification data, the desired delivery date, and the budget from the user terminal; receiving signals from sensors respectively provided on a plurality of working machines, and determining the operating conditions of the plurality of working machines; Based on the product identification data, the necessary working machinery required for processing the product is determined, wherein, with reference to a work machine database, work machines that may be idle for a certain period of time before the desired delivery deadline are determined as a plurality of usable work machines, wherein the work machine database stores, for each of the work machines, a work machine ID, standard and structural characteristics, installation location, type, actual processing performance, and a usage status indicating when the work machine is scheduled to be used when idle or in use; performing a cutting simulation that satisfies the product identification data and the standards and structural characteristics of each machine tool included in the machine tool database; Determine whether the desired shape and precision can be processed; Based on the cutting simulation results, machining time and machining accuracy, optimal machining conditions are obtained; analyzing past machining performance data contained in the machine tool database and past products having a shape most similar to the product identification data received from the user terminal; The machine tool for processing the past product is determined as the necessary machine tool, wherein a plurality of difference points are extracted from the product determination data and compared with the difference points of the shape of the past product to determine the shape similarity, In the information processing method, further, the necessary working machine is retrieved from the plurality of usable working machines, and information related to the usable working machine is presented as a retrieval result, wherein the retrieval result includes a list of factories that own the usable working machines arranged in at least one of a delivery deadline order, a cost order, a processing accuracy order, a processing time order, and a processing distance order; The user terminal is prompted to place an order to reserve the selected working machine.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing an information processing program, wherein: The information processing program causes the computer to execute a method comprising the following steps: Displaying an order-dedicated page on a user terminal for uploading a manufacturing order including product confirmation data confirming the product to be manufactured, a desired delivery period and a budget; receiving the manufacturing order including the product identification data, the desired delivery date, and the budget from the user terminal; receiving signals from sensors respectively provided on a plurality of working machines, and determining the operating conditions of the plurality of working machines; Based on the product identification data, the necessary working machinery required for processing the product is determined, wherein, with reference to a work machine database, work machines that may be idle for a certain period of time before the desired delivery deadline are determined as a plurality of usable work machines, wherein the work machine database stores, for each of the work machines, a work machine ID, standard and structural characteristics, installation location, type, actual processing performance, and a usage status indicating when the work machine is scheduled to be used when idle or in use; performing a cutting simulation that satisfies the product identification data and the standards and structural characteristics of each machine tool included in the machine tool database; Determine whether the desired shape and precision can be processed; Based on the cutting simulation results, machining time and machining accuracy, optimal machining conditions are obtained; analyzing past machining performance data contained in the machine tool database and past products having a shape most similar to the product identification data received from the user terminal; The machine tool for processing the past product is determined as the necessary machine tool, wherein a plurality of difference points are extracted from the product determination data and compared with the difference points of the shape of the past product to determine the shape similarity, In the method, further, the necessary working machine is retrieved from the plurality of usable working machines, and information related to the usable working machine is presented as a retrieval result, wherein the retrieval result includes a list of factories that own the usable working machine arranged in at least one of a delivery deadline order, a cost order, a processing accuracy order, a processing time order, and a processing distance order; The user terminal is prompted to place an order to reserve the selected working machine.

Images