Stop status management device during operation

Abstract

Provided is a device capable of displaying causes and countermeasures linked to a system's stop state, such that the causes and countermeasures are actually displayed. A device for managing a stop state during operation comprises: a first setting unit that defines the stop state of a device during operation stored in a computer; a first input unit for inputting the status, cause, and / or countermeasure of the stop state during operation in association with the stop state defined by the first setting unit; a first display unit that, when the device is in the stop state during operation defined by the first setting unit, outputs a display of the content recorded in a recording unit by a second setting unit; and a third setting unit that records the stop state defined by the first setting unit in the recording unit in association with a time series. The content recorded in the second setting unit can be newly created and changed based on input from the first input unit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a device for managing a stop state during operation. Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 states: "The alarm storage database 120 is a storage unit that stores a history of alarm text messages detected by the device abnormality detection unit 110. The history of alarm text messages stored in the alarm storage database 120 can be downloaded from the host computer 100 and can be used to improve minor downtime."

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-160056 Summary of the Invention

[0006] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0007] A device is desired that displays causes and countermeasures that are consistent with the actual causes and countermeasures in conjunction with the system stop status.

[0008] Solutions for solving problems

[0009] (1) One embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a device for managing a stop state during operation, which is connected to the device of an automation system having more than one device, and the device for managing a stop state during operation comprises: a computer connected to the device; a first setting unit for defining the stop state of the device during operation stored in the computer; a first input unit for inputting the status and / or cause and / or countermeasure of the stop state during operation in association with the stop state defined by the first setting unit; a second setting unit for recording the content inputted through the first input unit in a recording unit; a first display unit for outputting the content recorded in the recording unit by the second setting unit when the device is in the stop state during operation defined by the first setting unit; and a third setting unit for recording the stop state of the job defined by the first setting unit in association with a time series in the recording unit, wherein the content recorded by the second setting unit can be newly created and changed based on the input from the first input unit.

[0010] Effects of the Invention

[0011] According to one embodiment, the cause and countermeasure displayed in conjunction with the system stop state can be made to correspond to the actual cause and countermeasure content. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Figure 1 This is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a work stop state management device according to one embodiment.

[0013] Figure 2 It is a diagram showing the content popped up by the first display unit by touching the display portion of "a small stop is occurring" displayed at the robot 1 in the display device of the stop status management device in an operation involved in one embodiment, the number of occurrences of the stop status of each robot, the stop time, etc.

[0014] Figure 3 This figure shows a display for setting the content of a pop-up display displayed by the first display unit by touching the display portion of “Minor stoppage occurring” displayed on the robot 1 in the display device of the working stoppage state management device according to one embodiment.

[0015] Figure 4 This is a graph showing the transition of the time of the stop state and the transition of the number of stop states occurring within a predetermined period on a display device of a stop state management device in work according to one embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] Next, an example of an implementation method will be described. Figure 1 It is a diagram for explaining the structure of the work stop state management device 1.

[0017] The operation stop state management device 1 is a device connected to each robot of the automation system having the first robot to the eighth robot as eight devices. Figure 1 As shown, the operation stop status management device 1 is constructed by installing the required software in an electronic computer such as a computer having a CPU (processor) constituting a control device 10, and is constructed to include a computer body, input devices 20 such as a keyboard and a mouse, a display device 30 such as a monitor, and an interface 40 for connecting to an external device.

[0018] An automated system connected to a work-in-progress stop state management device 1 is deployed on an automobile production line. Eight welding robots are positioned, four on each side, sandwiching a conveyor used to transport automobile bodies. The work-in-progress stop state management device 1 is electrically connected to each of the eight robots, and each robot outputs its status (operating state, stopped state) and posture information to the work-in-progress stop state management device 1.

[0019] The control device 10 includes a first setting unit 101, a second setting unit 102, a third setting unit 103, a first input unit 104, a first emphasis display unit 105, a second emphasis display unit 106, a recording unit 107, an accumulation unit 108, a first display unit 109, a second display unit 110, a third display unit 111, a fourth display unit 112 and an alarm unit 113.

[0020] The first setting unit 101 defines and sets the stop state of each robot in operation stored in the computer. Here, "stop" refers to a so-called "minor stop", which means a state in which the robot can be recovered from the stopped state by appropriate measures even if the robot is not repaired. Usually, with regard to the so-called "minor stop", the robot becomes stopped in a very short time, so the "minor stop" does not become a problem, but in the case where the "minor stop" continues for more than a specified time, countermeasures need to be taken to eliminate the stop state. Therefore, for this reason, the alarm unit 113 described later displays an alarm display on the display device 30 when the "minor stop" continues for more than a specified time. The stop state defined and set by the first setting unit 101 is, for example, Figure 3 As shown, the conditions are defined and set so that the states of output 08, output 07, and output 06 are each turned on (ON).

[0021] Here, regarding outputs 08, 07, and 06, by detecting the servo current of each robot, the robot's current status can be identified. Specifically, by detecting the current value of the robot's servo arm, it is possible to determine whether the robot is holding a workpiece or not. "Output 08," "Output 07," "Output 06," and so on, corresponding to the detected status, are configured to turn on based on the detected status. Instead of turning on or off, a fixed signal or a combination of multiple status signals, supplemented by logical OR or AND, can be used to indicate the stop condition corresponding to "Output 08," "Output 07," "Output 06," and so on.

[0022] The first input unit 104 is used to input the status, cause, and / or countermeasure of the stop state during operation in association with the stop state defined by the first setting unit 101 .

[0023] Specifically, for example, Figure 3 As shown, the supply of the workpiece to the eighth robot is delayed, and this situation is the cause of the eighth robot stopping. In this case, the input device 20 (refer to Figure 1 ) specifies the "eighth robot ( Figure 28 shown)" and enter "supply delay" in the "Name (condition, reason)" column. Then, in the input device 20, specify "output signal 08" as the condition and specify the state of output signal 08 as "on" in the status column. As a response (countermeasure), enter "confirm supply device." Furthermore, in the input device 20, it is set so that when the "output signal 08" state remains "on" for a specified period of time, an alarm display is displayed on the display device.

[0024] Figure 2 It is a graph showing the content of the first display unit 109 popped up by touching the display portion of "Minor stoppage is occurring" displayed at the robot 1 in the display device 30 of the stoppage status management device 1 during operation, the number of occurrences of the stoppage status of each robot, the stoppage time, etc. Figure 3 This figure shows a display for setting the content of a pop-up display displayed by the first display unit 109 by touching the display portion of “Minor downtime is occurring” displayed on the robot 1 , on the display device 30 of the in-progress stop state management device 1 .

[0025] Thus, when the output signal 08 is in the "ON" state during the alarm display, it is associated with the following: the supply of the workpiece to the eighth robot is delayed, and the robot has entered the stopped state due to this delay. The second setting unit 102 records the information thus associated and inputted via the first input unit 104 in the recording unit 107.

[0026] Furthermore, the content already input from the first input unit and recorded in the recording unit 107 by the second setting unit 102 can be changed, and content newly recorded by the second setting unit can be created based on the input from the first input unit.

[0027] For example, by performing an input from the first input unit Figure 3 By changing the "supply delay" displayed as "·Name" in the display to other content such as "supply delay of component A", it is possible to Figure 2 The content of the dialog box display (pop-up display) of the "supply delay" is changed to other content. Figure 3 In the case of the response content displayed in the Figure 3 In response to the input of "Confirmation of supply device" displayed in the display, the second setting unit 102 records the content of "Confirmation of supply device" in the recording unit 107. In addition, at least one of the content of the situation, cause, and countermeasure can be input from the first input unit.

[0028] When each robot is in a stopped state during operation defined by the first setting unit 101, the first display unit 109 outputs the content recorded in the recording unit 107 by the second setting unit 102. Specifically, for example, on a monitor constituting the display device 30, the display unit 109 displays the content recorded in the recording unit 107 by the second setting unit 102. Figure 2 The dialog box display (pop-up display) displayed at the first robot (robot 1) is output as shown to display "supply delay" as the "name" input through the first input unit 104, and "confirm supply device" as the "response".

[0029] The third setting unit 103 records the stop state of the job defined by the first setting unit 101 in association with the time series in the recording unit 107. Figure 3 The occurrence of the stop state corresponding to the output signals shown, such as "output signal 08", "output signal 07", and "output signal 06", is recorded in the recording unit 107 in chronological order as to the date and time of occurrence, as well as the status, cause, and countermeasures of the stop state.

[0030] When each robot is in a stopped state during operation defined by the first setting unit 101, the first highlighting unit 105 outputs a first highlighted display for highlighting the robot in the stopped state. Specifically, for example, when the first robot (robot 1) is in a stopped state, the first highlighting unit 105 outputs a first highlighted display for highlighting the robot in the stopped state on a monitor or the like constituting the display device 30. Figure 2 As shown in the figure, the red area surrounded by a rectangular frame superimposed on the first robot (robot 1) is Figure 2 In the example, the inside of the frame is displayed as a shadow (the inside of the frame is displayed as a shadow), and the display of "a minor outage is occurring" is performed, thereby performing the first highlight display for emphasized display.

[0031] The second display unit 110 performs output for displaying the cumulative number of times and / or the cumulative time within a specified period of time for the stop state of each robot recorded by the third setting unit 103 .

[0032] Specifically, for example, the second display unit 110 outputs to the display device 30 so as to be displayed on a monitor or the like constituting the display device 30. Figure 2 As shown on the lower side of the sixth robot (robot 6), the cumulative value of the number of stops from February 1 to June 30 is displayed as a total value of "5 times", and the cumulative value of the stop time from February 1 to June 30 is displayed as a total value of "02:05:25".

[0033] The accumulating unit 108 calculates the cumulative number of times and / or the cumulative time within a specified period for the stop state of each robot recorded by the third setting unit 103. Specifically, for example, Figure 2 As shown, the stop time and the number of stop occurrences related to the robot 6 are accumulated for the period from February 1 to June 30.

[0034] The second highlight display unit 106 performs an output for highlighting the robot with the longest cumulative time and / or the robot with the longest cumulative number of times as the second highlighted display. Specifically, for example, the second highlight display unit 106 compares the cumulative values ​​of the stop times of each robot accumulated by the accumulating unit 108 and outputs them to the display device 30, as shown in FIG. Figure 2 As shown, the robot 6 having the longest cumulative time is surrounded by a dot-dash line and is highlighted as the second highlighted display on the monitor or the like constituting the display device 30. In addition, for example, the second highlighted display unit 106 compares the cumulative value of the number of stoppages of each robot accumulated by the accumulating unit 108 and outputs it to the display device 30, as shown in FIG. Figure 2 As shown, the robot 3, which has the largest number of stops, is surrounded by a dotted line and is highlighted as the second highlighted display on the monitor or the like constituting the display device 30. Figure 2 In the figure, both the robot 3 and the robot 6 are highlighted as the second highlighted display. However, the second highlighted display unit 106 may output to the display device 30 in a manner that highlights at least one of the robot 3 and the robot 6 .

[0035] Figure 4 This is a graph showing the transition of the time of the stop state and the transition of the number of stop states occurring within a predetermined period on the display device 30 of the working stop state management device 1 .

[0036] The third display unit 111 outputs the accumulated number of times and / or accumulated time for each robot by associating the stop state of the robot recorded by the third setting unit 103 with the time series for a specified period. Specifically, for example, the second display unit 110 outputs to the display device 30 so that it can be displayed on a monitor or the like constituting the display device 30. Figure 4 As shown in FIG. 1 , the display of the stop time and the number of stop occurrences related to the robot 6 is shown in a bar graph for each day from February 1 to June 30. Figure 4 Although both the stop time and the number of stop occurrences are shown in the figure, the second display unit 110 may output to the display device 30 a display of at least one of the stop time and the number of stop occurrences.

[0037] The fourth display unit 112 performs output for displaying the accumulated time and / or accumulated number of times for each robot as a total divided by the content of the stop state defined by the first setting unit 101 .

[0038] Specifically, for example, the second display unit 110 outputs to the display device 30 so as to be displayed on a monitor or the like constituting the display device 30. Figure 4 As shown in the "Minor Downtime Details" box at the bottom of the display, for robot 6, the cumulative value of the downtime from February 1 to June 30 is displayed as a total value of "02:05:25", and in its details, "01:05:15" is displayed as "grasping failure", "00:50:10" is displayed as "supply delay", and "00:10:00" is displayed as "placing failure". In addition, the second display unit 110 outputs to the display device 30 so that it can be displayed on a monitor or the like constituting the display device 30. Figure 4 As shown in the box of "Details of Minor Stoppages" at the bottom, for robot 6, the cumulative value of the number of stops from February 1 to June 30 is displayed as a total value of "5 times", and in its details, "3 times" is displayed as "supply delay", "1 time" is displayed as "holding failure", and "1 time" is displayed as "placing failure".

[0039] For example, when the robot continues to be stopped during operation for a predetermined time, the alarm unit 113 outputs an alarm to the PLC so that the display device 30 displays an alarm.

[0040] Specifically, for example, Figure 2 As shown, when the robot 1 stops, "output 08" corresponding to the supply delay is output. If output 08 continues to be output for a predetermined time, the alarm unit 113 outputs to the PLC to display an alarm on the display device 30.

[0041] In the operation stop state management device 1 of the above structure, when the operation is performed using the automation system having the first to eighth robots, for example, when a stop state occurs in the robot 1, the first display unit 109 displays the display device 30 for example. Figure 2 As shown, a display indicating "Minor downtime is occurring" is output in the red area surrounded by a rectangular frame superimposed on the first robot (robot 1), and the first highlight display is performed on the display device 30 for emphasized display.

[0042] Then, the operator of the system clicks (taps) on the highlighted display "Minor downtime is occurring" in the red area surrounded by a rectangular frame on the display device 30 to display the Figure 2A dialog box display (pop-up display) is displayed in a manner extending from the display of the first robot (robot 1). The content of the dialog box display (pop-up display) is the content corresponding to the condition "output 08" of the stop state occurring in the robot, and is recorded in the recording unit 107 together with the condition, "supply delay" as the "name" and "confirm supply device" as the "response". And, when it is desired to change the content of the dialog box display (pop-up display), for example, by clicking (tapping) the dialog box display (pop-up display), a dialog box display (pop-up display) is displayed on the display device 30. Figure 3 Here, for example, if the content of "·Name" is to be changed, the content of "supply delay" can be rewritten to other content, such as "supply delay of component A".

[0043] In addition, for example, by clicking (tapping) Figure 2 The robot 6 shown is switched to Figure 4 The display shown shows the accumulated time and / or accumulated number of times from February 1 to June 30 related to the robot 6 as a total divided by the content of the stop state. In addition, the accumulated number of times and / or accumulated time from February 1 to June 30 are displayed on the display device 30.

[0044] The present embodiment described above has the following effects.

[0045] In this embodiment, the content recorded by the second setting unit 102 can be newly created and changed based on input from the first input unit 104. As a result, the cause (name) and countermeasure (checking the supply device) displayed in conjunction with the system stop state can be simply rewritten to the content of the cause and countermeasure that conforms to the actual situation and used as needed. In this way, the content of the cause, countermeasure, etc. can be changed or added according to the system stop state that occurs, so the content of the cause, countermeasure, etc. can be changed or added to always provide accurate instructions to the operator. As a result, it is possible to utilize accumulated knowledge to teach the reasons why the robot is in a stopped state, and it is possible to teach part-time operators and inexperienced operators what countermeasures to take for which parts.

[0046] When each robot is in a stopped state during operation defined by the first setting unit 101 , the first highlighting unit 105 outputs a first highlighting display to highlight the stopped robot. This allows the stopped robot to be easily identified on the display device 30 .

[0047] Furthermore, the second display unit 110 outputs information for displaying the cumulative number of stop states and / or the cumulative time for each robot within a specified period, as recorded by the third setting unit 103. This allows the cumulative number of stop states and / or the cumulative time for each robot within a specified period to be displayed on the display device 30. Therefore, it is easy to identify on the display device 30 which robot has been stopped multiple times or which robot has been stopped for a long period of time.

[0048] Furthermore, the second highlighting unit 106 outputs a second highlighted display for highlighting the robot with the longest cumulative time and / or the robot with the greatest cumulative number of times. This allows the display device 30 to easily identify which robot has been in a stopped state the longest and which robot has been in a stopped state the most times.

[0049] The third display unit 111 outputs, for each robot, a display of the cumulative number of robot stop states recorded by the third setting unit 103 over a specified period, in association with a time series, and displays the cumulative number of stops and / or the cumulative time over a specified period. This allows the recording and display of the stop state transition, status, and detailed information on the causes of the stops during the specified period, providing clues to the root cause of the stops.

[0050] Furthermore, the fourth display unit 112 displays the accumulated time and / or accumulated number of times for each robot as a total output divided by the details of the stop state defined by the first setting unit 101. This makes it easy to identify the cause of each robot's stop state during a specified period, the extent of the stop state, and the duration of the stop state caused by each cause, thereby enabling statistics on the stop state to be compiled.

[0051] The above describes the present embodiment. The above embodiment is a preferred embodiment, but is not limited to the above embodiment and can be implemented in various ways. For example, it can be implemented by modifying it as described in the following modified examples.

[0052] In this embodiment, the number of robots serving as devices is eight, but this is not limited to this. The number of robots may be one or more. Furthermore, the devices are not limited to robots. For example, the devices may be actuators, transport devices, or machine tools. Furthermore, the automation system is deployed on an automobile production line, but this is not limited to this.

[0053] In addition, in this embodiment, the in-progress stop state management device 1 includes a display device 30, but this configuration is not limiting. For example, the in-progress stop state management device may not include the display device 30, and the first display unit, the second display unit, the third display unit, the fourth display unit, the first emphasized display unit, and the second emphasized display unit may output to an output destination external to the in-progress stop state management device and be displayed at that output destination.

[0054] Description of Reference Numerals

[0055] 1: Operation stop status management device; 10: Control device; 101: First setting unit; 102: Second setting unit; 103: Third setting unit; 104: First input unit; 105: First emphasized display unit; 106: Second emphasized display unit; 107: Recording unit; 108: Accumulation unit; 109: First display unit; 110: Second display unit; 111: Third display unit; 112: Fourth display unit.

Claims

1. A device for managing a stopped state during operation, connected to a device of an automation system having one or more devices, the device comprising: a computer connected to the device; a first setting unit for defining a stop state of the device during operation stored in the computer; a first input unit for inputting a status and / or cause and / or countermeasure of the stop state during the operation in association with the stop state defined by the first setting unit; a second setting unit for recording the content inputted through the first input unit in a recording unit; a first display unit configured to output a display of the content recorded in the recording unit by the second setting unit when the apparatus is in the idle state during the operation defined by the first setting unit; a third setting unit for recording, in the recording unit, a stop state during the operation defined by the first setting unit in association with a time sequence; a first emphasis display unit configured to output a first highlight display for emphasizing the device when the device is in the idle state during the operation defined by the first setting unit; an accumulating unit that calculates a cumulative number of times and / or a cumulative time within a specified period of time with respect to the stop state of the device recorded by the third setting unit; as well as a second emphasis display unit configured to output a second highlighted display for emphasizing the device with the largest cumulative time and / or the device with the largest cumulative count; Here, the content of the display recorded by the second setting unit and displayed on the first display unit can be newly created and changed based on the input from the first input unit.

2. The device for managing a stopped state during operation according to claim 1, wherein: The device further includes a second display unit configured to output a display of the cumulative number of times and / or the cumulative time during a predetermined period of time of the stop state of the device recorded by the third setting unit.

3. The device for managing a stopped state during operation according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: A third display unit is further provided for displaying, for each of the devices, a cumulative number of stops recorded by the third setting unit and a time series for a specified period, with respect to the device.

4. The device for managing a stopped state during operation according to claim 2, wherein: A fourth display unit is provided for outputting, for each of the devices, the accumulated time and / or the accumulated number of times as a total divided by the content of the stop state defined by the first setting unit.

5. The device for managing a stopped state during operation according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: A display device for performing the above-mentioned display is also provided.

6. The device for managing a stopped state during operation according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The condition of the stop state in the operation is obtained by logical OR or logical AND using a combination of a plurality of status signals.

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