Management System

Abstract

The management system (1) manages the production line (2), and the production line (2) includes: a processing device (20) and an inspection device (40). The management system (1) has: a control unit (61) that, based on the time when a non-conforming food is detected, infers the processing time at which the processing device (20) processes the non-conforming food, and the non-conforming food is determined to be a non-conforming product through the inspection by the inspection device (40); and a storage unit (62) that stores the processing information of the processing device (22) in an outputtable manner, and the processing information is associated with the processing time inferred by the control unit (61).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a management system. Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a management system has been known which manages a production line having: a processing device that processes food; and an inspection device that inspects whether the food processed by the processing device is a non-conforming product (for example, refer to Patent Document 1). When the inspection device determines that the food is a non-conforming product, it is separated from the food that is a conforming product and discarded. Thereby, only food that does not contain non-conforming food can be shipped.

[0003] Prior Art Documents

[0004] Patent Documents

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-190856 Summary of the Invention

[0006] Technical Problem to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] As described above, in the case where non-conforming products are produced, in order to reduce the re-occurrence of non-conforming products, it is desirable to identify the cause. By identifying the cause, it is easy for the operator to formulate improvement countermeasures.

[0008] However, even if the operator knows through the inspection device that the food processed by the processing device is a non-conforming product, it is difficult to identify the cause of the non-conforming food caused by the processing of the processing device because the entire system is complex.

[0009] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a management system that can easily identify the cause of non-conforming food caused by the processing of a processing device, which manages a production line having: a processing device that processes food; and an inspection device that inspects whether the food processed by the processing device is a non-conforming product.

[0010] Means for Solving the Technical Problem

[0011] A management system according to one aspect manages a production line including: a processing device that processes food; and an inspection device that inspects whether the food processed by the processing device is a non-conforming product. The management system includes: a control unit that infers a processing time at which the processing device processes the non-conforming food, based on the time when the non-conforming food is detected, the non-conforming food being determined to be a non-conforming product through the inspection of the inspection device; and a storage unit that stores the processing information of the processing device in an outputtable manner, the processing information being associated with the processing time inferred by the control unit.

[0012] Advantages of the Invention

[0013] According to the present invention, a management system that can easily determine the cause of non-conforming food resulting from the processing of a processing device is provided. The management system manages a production line that includes: a processing device that processes food; and an inspection device that inspects whether the food processed by the processing device is non-conforming. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] Figure 1 is a conceptual diagram of the production line according to the embodiment.

[0015] Figure 2 is a block diagram of the structure of the management system according to the embodiment.

[0016] Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of the operation of the management device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT

[0017] The article conveying device according to the embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description of the drawings, the same or similar parts are denoted by the same or similar reference numerals. The dimensional ratios in the drawings do not necessarily match the dimensional ratios described. The embodiment described below is one specific example of the present invention and does not limit the technical scope of the present invention.

[0018] (1) Structure of the Management System

[0019] The management system 1 manages the production line 2. In the production line 2, for example, foods such as snacks and candies that are mass-produced industrially are divided into small portions according to a specified weight or number, bagged, and then conveyed to the downstream process. In the downstream process of the production line 2, the bagged items are inspected for quality. In the downstream process, non-conforming products can be removed, and only the conforming products are boxed and shipped.

[0020] In Figure 1 shows a conceptual diagram of the production line 2 according to the present embodiment. In Figure 2 shows a block diagram of the structure of the management system 1. The production line 2 is managed by the management system 1 (management device 60). The production line 2 includes: a processing device 20 that processes food; an inspection device 40 that inspects whether the food processed by the processing device 20 is non-conforming; and a camera 70 that captures the processing status of the food by the processing device 20. The processing device 20 can perform multiple processes on the food. The processing device 20 can, for example, perform a first process and a second process performed after the first process. The processing device 20 includes: a supply device 21, a metering device 22, and a packaging device 23.

[0021] The supply device 21 supplies the produced food to the metering device 22. Specifically, the supply device 21 causes the food to fall from above the metering device 22 and supplies it to the metering device 22. For example, when the article is potato chips, the supply device 21 may include: a fryer that fries the material with oil; and a flavoring device that flavors the article.

[0022] The metering device 22 divides the articles supplied from the supply device 21 into small portions according to a specified weight or number and supplies them to the packaging device 23. The metering device 22 has: an umbrella-shaped dispersion table 223 whose central part is supported by an exciter 222; a plurality of vibratory feeders 224 disposed around the dispersion table 223; a storage hopper 225 disposed below each vibratory feeder 224; and a metering hopper 226 disposed below each storage hopper 225.

[0023] The food supplied from the supply device 21 is placed on the upper surface of the dispersion table 223. When the dispersion table 223 vibrates by the drive of the exciter 222, the food is radially dispersed on the upper surface of the dispersion table 223. After the dispersed food is placed on the vibratory feeder 224, it falls by the vibration of the vibratory feeder 224 and is temporarily stored in the storage hopper 225. The food in the storage hopper 225 is put into the metering hopper 226. The metering hopper 226 measures the weight of the put-in food. The metering device 22 selects and combines the measured values of the food weights measured by the plurality of metering hoppers 226 so that the weight of the food supplied to the packaging device 23 reaches the specified value. Then, the food in the metering hopper 226 that displays the selected measured value is discharged and merged and supplied to the packaging device 23.

[0024] The packaging device 23 bags the food divided into small portions by the metering device 22 according to a specified weight or number using a packaging material and transports it to the inspection device 40. The packaging device 23 forms the thermoplastic film as the packaging material into a cylindrical shape, fills the article, and seals it.

[0025] The inspection device 40 inspects the quality of the articles (food) packaged by the packaging device 23. As Figure 2 shown, the inspection device 40 includes a foreign matter detection device 41, a weight checker 42, and a sealing checker 43. The inspection device 40 uses these respective devices to determine whether the articles transported from the packaging device 23 are qualified products or unqualified products.

[0026] The foreign matter detection device 41 detects whether foreign matters such as metal pieces are not mixed in the articles packaged by the packaging device 23. The foreign matter detection device 41 is, for example, a metal detector capable of detecting metal foreign matters, an X-ray foreign matter detector capable of detecting not only metal foreign matters but also non-metal foreign matters. The foreign matter detection device 41 determines the articles with detected foreign matters as unqualified products.

[0027] The weight checker 42 measures the weight of the articles packed by the packing device 23 and determines whether the measured value of the weight is within a specified range. The weight checker 42 determines the articles with weights not within the specified range as non-conforming products.

[0028] The seal checker 43 detects whether the bags filled with the articles packed by the packing device 23 are unsealed. The seal checker 43 determines the articles packed in the bags detected as unsealed as non-conforming products.

[0029] The production line 2 may include: a distribution device (not shown), a boxing device (not shown), and a box checker (not shown). The distribution device removes the articles determined as non-conforming products by the inspection device 40 from the production line 2 and conveys them to the boxing device. Specifically, the distribution device removes the non-conforming products detected with foreign matters by the foreign matter detection device 41, the non-conforming products determined by the weight checker 42 as having weights not within the specified range, and the non-conforming products detected as unsealed by the seal checker 43 from the production line 2, and conveys only the conforming products to the boxing device. The boxing device packs the articles conveyed from the distribution device into boxes in a specified number and seals them. The boxing device may also have a mechanism for assembling the boxes. The box checker measures the weight of the boxes sealed by the boxing device and determines whether the measured value of the weight is within the specified range. The box checker removes the boxes with weights not within the specified range from the production line 2.

[0030] (2) Structure of the management device 60

[0031] The management device 60 manages the production line 2. The management device 60 is a personal computer connected to each device constituting the production line 2 via a communication line. The management device 60 includes: a control unit 61, a storage unit 62, a communication unit 63, and an output unit 64.

[0032] The control unit 61 is an arithmetic device such as a CPU. The control unit 61 controls the storage unit 62, the communication unit 63, and the output unit 64. For example, the control unit 61 reads and executes the programs stored in the storage unit 62, processes the data received by the communication unit 63 from each device constituting the production line 2, and displays the processing results on the output unit 64. In the present embodiment, the control unit 61 may include: a program for performing arithmetic processing on the input data and outputting the arithmetic results; and a program for acquiring the data used in the arithmetic processing.

[0033] The storage unit 62 is a main storage device such as a RAM, and an auxiliary storage device such as an HDD and a USB memory. The storage unit 62 stores the programs executed by the control unit 61 and the data transmitted and received by the communication unit 63, etc.

[0034] The communication unit 63 is a network interface device such as a LAN card or a modem that has connection terminals for communication lines. The communication unit 63 is connected to the metering device 22, the packaging device 23, and the inspection device 40 that constitute the production line 2 via communication lines respectively. The communication unit 63 can also be connected to the distribution device, the boxing device, and the box inspector via communication lines respectively. The communication lines are LAN cables, Internet lines, etc. The communication unit 63 receives data sent from each device that constitutes the production line 2 and sends instructions from the control unit 61 to each device. The communication unit 63 can obtain the metering data, error information, etc. of each device in real time, for example, by receiving data from each device that constitutes the production line 2 every few seconds.

[0035] The output unit 64 is a device that outputs data such as a monitor or a printer. In the present embodiment, the output unit 64 is a display device with a screen. The output unit 64 outputs the data processed by the control unit 61, the data stored in the storage unit 62, and the data transmitted and received by the communication unit 63 from each device that constitutes the production line 2, etc.

[0036] The camera 70 photographs the processing status of the food by the processing device 20. The image information representing the processing status photographed by the camera is sent to the management device 60 via the communication unit 63 and stored in the storage unit 62. The image information can be a still image or a moving image. The image information can be compressed and stored in the storage unit 62 in a prescribed form. For example, the image information can be compressed by Motion JPEG. The image information can be sent to the management device 60 together with the image time information indicating the date and time of the photographing.

[0037] The camera 70 can be composed of multiple cameras. In the embodiment, the camera 70 is composed of a first camera 71, a second camera 72, and a third camera 73. The first camera 71 photographs the processing status of the food in the first processing. In the embodiment, the first camera 71 photographs the first conveying processing status of the food. Specifically, the first conveying processing status is at least any one of the statuses of conveying the food from the supply device 21 to the metering device 22 (dispersion table 223), from the dispersion table 223 to the vibratory feeder 224, and from the vibratory feeder 224 to the storage hopper 225. The second camera 72 photographs the processing status of the food in the second processing executed after the first processing. The second camera 72 photographs the second conveying processing status of the food. Specifically, the second conveying processing status is the status of discharging the food from the metering device 22. The third camera 73 photographs the processing status of the food in the third processing executed after the second processing. The third camera 73 photographs the third conveying processing status of the food. Specifically, the third conveying processing status is the status of conveying the food from the metering device 22 to the packaging device 23.

[0038] (3) Operations of the management device

[0039] Next, use Figure 3 to describe the operations of the management device 60. Figure 3 This is a diagram showing an example of the operations of the management device 60 according to the embodiment. Hereinafter, the operations of at least any one of the control unit 61, the storage unit 62, the communication unit 63, and the output unit 64 will be appropriately described as the operations of the management device 60.

[0040] In step S1, the management device 60 stores image information. Specifically, the storage unit 62 of the management device 60 stores the image information sent from the camera 70. The camera 70 can send the image information to the management device 60 at a predetermined cycle (for example, every few seconds). The storage unit 62 can store the image information together with the image time information. The storage unit 62 can store the image information together with the reception time when the image information is received. The image information can be composed of a plurality of consecutive still images or can be composed of a moving image.

[0041] In step S2, the management device 60 (control unit 61) infers the processing time when the processing device 20 processes the non-conforming food based on the time when the non-conforming food is detected. In the embodiment, the management device 60 (control unit 61) infers the processing time when the metering device 22 processes the non-conforming food.

[0042] The management device 60 infers the processing time based on the situation where the inspection device 40 determines the food as non-conforming. The inspection device 40 can send the determination information indicating that the non-conforming food is determined to the management device 60. The determination information can include the information indicating the time when the non-conforming food is detected, and the non-conforming food is determined as a non-conforming product through the inspection of the inspection device. In addition, when the package of the food is given a separate identification information, the determination information can include the identification information. The management device 60 can infer the processing time based on the reception of the determination information with the time when the non-conforming food is detected as a reference.

[0043] The management device 60 can infer the processing time based on the processing speed of the food per unit time in the production line 2. The processing speed of the food per unit time can also be input by the operator to the management device 60. In addition, by flowing the sample used for inferring the processing speed to the production line 2, the management device can infer the processing speed based on the processing speed of processing the sample.

[0044] The management device 60 can infer each processing time corresponding to multiple processes based on the inspection time. The management device 60 can infer the first processing time for processing non-conforming food through the first process and the second processing time for processing non-conforming food through the second process. In the embodiment, for example, when the management device 60 detects non-conforming food at time t, it can infer the processing time in the first process as t - x, the processing time in the second process as t - y, and the processing time in the third process as t - z. x, y, and z are values that satisfy the relationship x > y > z. The units of x, y, and z are, for example, seconds. x, y, and z can be determined according to the processing speed.

[0045] In process S3, the management device 60 (control unit 61) selects the image information of the period including the processing time from the image information representing the processing status captured by the camera 70. The period is based on the processing time and can be, for example, several seconds before and after. The selected image information can be composed of a plurality of consecutive still images of a specified period or a moving image of a specified period. The specified period can be determined according to the processing speed. The specified period is preferably a relatively long period in which the entire processing status of the food that becomes non-conforming food in the processing device 20 is captured by each camera 70. On the other hand, from the perspective of saving storage capacity, it is preferably a relatively short period. Therefore, it is preferably to not include as much as possible the period during which the food that becomes non-conforming food is outside the shooting range of the camera.

[0046] The management device 60 can select the image information of a specified period from the respective image information captured by each of the multiple processes for each of the multiple processes. Specifically, the management device 60 can select the image information of the first period including the first processing time from the image information representing the processing status captured by the first camera 71, select the image information of the second period including the second processing time from the image information representing the processing status captured by the second camera 72, and select the image information of the third period including the third processing time from the image information representing the processing status captured by the third camera 73. In addition, the period can be changed according to the multiple processes. For example, the period of the processing time in the first process with a slower food conveyance speed can be longer than the periods of the processing times in the second process and the third process with a faster food conveyance speed than the first process.

[0047] In process S4, the management device 60 (storage unit 62) stores processing information. Specifically, the storage unit 62 can store the processing information of the processing device 20 in an outputtable manner, and this processing information is associated with the processing time inferred by the control unit 61. In the present embodiment, the management device 60 (storage unit 62) stores the selected image information as the processing information. When multiple processes are performed, the storage unit 62 can store each selected image information as the processing information.

[0048] In addition, the processing information includes information indicating the inferred processing time. The processing information may include other information. For example, the processing information may include information indicating at least any one of the time when non-conforming food is detected (error occurrence time), the inspection content (error content), the production line number where non-conforming products occur, etc. Each image information can be stored with a file name associated with any of the above information included in the processing information.

[0049] In process S5, the management device 60 (output unit 64) outputs the processing information. The management device 60 (control unit 61) can output at least a part of the processing information to the output unit 64 according to the storage of the processing information. The management device 60 can output the processing information according to the operation of the operator. The management device 60 can display the image information selected as the processing information. In addition, the management device 60 can display the processing time inferred as the processing information. The operator can retrieve the image information based on the file name. Through the operation of the operator, the retrieved image information can be reproduced by the output unit 64 (for example, a monitor).

[0050] As described above, in the present embodiment, the control unit 61 infers the processing time when the processing device 20 processes non-conforming food based on the time when non-conforming food is detected. The storage unit 62 can store the processing information of the processing device 20 in an outputtable manner, and this processing information is associated with the processing time inferred by the control unit 61. Thus, by outputting the processing information stored in the storage unit, the operator can confirm the processing information. As a result, based on the processing information, the operator can easily determine the cause of the occurrence of non-conforming food caused by the processing of the processing device.

[0051] In addition, in the present embodiment, the control unit 61 infers the processing time based on the processing speed of food per unit time in production line 2. Thereby, the accuracy of the processing time inferred by the control unit 61 can be improved.

[0052] In addition, the control unit 61 selects image information including a time period of the processing time from the image information representing the processing status captured by the camera 70. The storage unit 62 stores the selected image information as processing information. By outputting the selected image, the operator can confirm the image including the processing time. Thus, the operator does not need to search for the image information of the non-conforming food processed from the image information obtained by photographing the processing status of the food, and therefore the time for determining the cause of the non-conforming food caused by the processing of the processing device 20 can be shortened.

[0053] In addition, the storage unit 62 stores each piece of image information selected from each of the image information captured by the plurality of cameras 70 as processing information. Thus, the operator does not need to search for the image information of the non-conforming food processed in each process from the plurality of pieces of image information captured by the plurality of cameras 70, and therefore the time for determining the cause of the non-conforming food caused by the processing of the processing device 20 can be further shortened.

[0054] In addition, in the embodiment, the control unit 61 infers the processing time when the metering device 22 processes the non-conforming food. Since it is particularly difficult to assign a separate identification number to the food before packaging, it is particularly difficult to determine the cause of the non-conforming food caused by the processing of the metering device 22. However, since the control unit 61 infers the processing time of the metering device 22, it is easy for the operator to determine the cause of the non-conforming food caused by the processing of the metering device 22.

[0055] (Other Embodiments)

[0056] As described above, the embodiment has been described, but the discussions and the drawings forming a part of this disclosure should not be construed as limiting the present invention. Based on this disclosure, those skilled in the art can clarify various alternative embodiments, examples, and application techniques.

[0057] For example, the camera 70 may have a camera that captures the packaging processing status in the packaging device 23.

[0058] Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0059] 1: Management system; 2: Production line; 20: Processing device; 21: Supply device; 22: Metering device; 23: Packaging device; 40: Inspection device; 41: Foreign object detection device; 42: Weight checker; 43: Sealing checker; 60: Management device; 61: Control unit; 62: Storage unit; 63: Communication unit; 64: Output unit; 70: Camera; 71: First camera; 72: Second camera; 73: Third camera.

Claims

1. A management system for managing a production line, the production line comprising: a processing device including a metering device for metering food and a packaging device for packaging the metered food in bags; and an inspection device for inspecting whether the packaging of the food packaged in the bags by the processing device is a non-conforming product, the management system having: a control unit for inferring the processing time at which the processing device meters or packages the non-conforming food included in the packaging, based on the time when the packaging determined to be a non-conforming product by the inspection of the inspection device is detected; and a storage unit capable of storing the processing information of the processing device output, the processing information being associated with the processing time inferred by the control unit.

2. The management system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit infers the processing time based on the processing speed of the food per unit time in the production line.

3. The management system according to claim 1, wherein the management system is provided with a camera for photographing the processing state of the food by the processing device, the control unit selects the image information of the period including the processing time from the image information representing the processing state photographed by the camera, and the storage unit stores the selected image information as the processing information.

4. The management system according to claim 3, wherein the processing device performs a first process on the food and a second process performed after the first process, the camera has: a first camera for photographing the processing state of the food in the first process; and a second camera for photographing the processing state of the food in the second process, the control unit infers a first processing time at which the non-conforming food is processed by the first process and a second processing time at which the non-conforming food is processed by the second process, based on the time when the inspection is performed, selects the image information of the first period including the first processing time from the image information representing the processing state photographed by the first camera, selects the image information of the second period including the second processing time from the image information representing the processing state photographed by the second camera, and the storage unit stores each of the selected image information as the processing information.

Images