Auxiliary device, auxiliary system and auxiliary method

Abstract

The technical problem of the present invention is to appropriately assist an operation when the operation is performed on a device. The technical means for solving the technical problem is to provide an assistance device for assisting a work when the work is performed on a facility, the assistance device comprising: a reception unit for receiving position information on the position of the facility transmitted from a device possessed by a worker who performs the work on the facility; a determination unit that determines the device on the basis of the position information received by the reception unit; and a transmission unit that transmits assistance information suitable for assisting the work on the equipment specified by the specifying unit to a device provided by a worker who performs the work on the equipment specified by the specifying unit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to an assisting device, an assisting system and an assisting method. Background Art

[0002] Patent document 1 discloses an auxiliary information display method for providing information requested by operators such as field engineers who perform maintenance on inspection equipment, manufacturing equipment, etc. (hereinafter referred to as "equipment"), and information that operators want to know. In the auxiliary information display method, first, an image of a maintenance target part of the equipment is acquired using a camera of a head-mounted display worn by the operator. Then, auxiliary information about the maintenance target part in the image is inferred from a database and visualized. Then, by displaying the image on the head-mounted display, the operator can visually confirm the auxiliary information.

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2014-164482 Summary of the invention

[0006] Technical problem to be solved by the invention

[0007] The technology according to the present invention can appropriately assist in performing work on equipment.

[0008] Technical solutions for solving technical problems

[0009] One embodiment of the technology of the present invention is an auxiliary device for assisting in performing an operation on a device, the auxiliary device comprising: a receiving unit that receives location information about the location of the device sent from a device owned by a worker performing the operation on the device; a determining unit that determines the device based on the location information received by the receiving unit; and a sending unit that sends auxiliary information suitable for assisting the operation performed on the device to a device owned by a worker performing the operation on the device determined by the determining unit.

[0010] Effects of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, when working on a device, the work can be appropriately assisted. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram schematically showing the configuration of an auxiliary system as one embodiment of the technology of the present invention.

[0013] Figure 2 Yes means Figure 1A block diagram showing an example of a hardware structure of an auxiliary device included in the auxiliary system shown.

[0014] Figure 3 Is Figure 2 An example of a virtual space image generated by the auxiliary device shown.

[0015] Figure 4 Yes means Figure 1 The illustrated support system is a block diagram of an example of a hardware configuration of a portable terminal.

[0016] Figure 5 It means by Figure 1 A sequence diagram showing an example of a sequence executed by the auxiliary system shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] The technique of Patent Document 1 is based on the premise of using a camera of a head mounted display worn by a worker such as a field engineer to acquire an image of a maintenance target portion of a device.

[0018] However, for example, when a device having a maintenance target location is arranged in a customer's factory, sometimes the camera is prohibited from acquiring images of the device for safety reasons. In this case, the maintenance target location cannot be estimated, and as a result, there is a problem of difficulty in properly acquiring auxiliary information.

[0019] The technology of the present invention can appropriately assist in maintenance operations on equipment without acquiring images of the equipment.

[0020] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the technology of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the structure described in the following embodiment is merely an example, and the present invention is not limited to the structure. For example, each part included in the structure can be replaced with any part that can play the same function (role). In addition, any structure can also be added.

[0021] Figure 1 This is a probability diagram that probabilistically represents the configuration of the support system that is one embodiment of the technology of the present invention. Figure 1 The auxiliary system 1 shown includes an auxiliary device 2 and a portable terminal 3 that can communicate with each other via an external information communication network 100. Through the auxiliary system 1, an auxiliary person M2 can remotely assist a worker (operator) M1 such as a field engineer working in a factory 10. In addition, the auxiliary device 2 is operated by the auxiliary person M2. On the other hand, the portable terminal 3 is a device carried by the worker M1 in the factory 10 and operated by the worker M1. A plurality of devices 11 are arranged in an array in the factory 10. The number of devices 11 configured is Figure 1 In the structure shown, there are three devices, but this is not limited to this. Sometimes these three devices 11 are separated from Figure 1The equipment 11A, the equipment 11B, and the equipment 11C are respectively referred to as "equipment 11A", "equipment 11B", and "equipment 11C" from the front side of the paper. In the present embodiment, the equipment 11 is, for example, a probe (inspection device) used when performing electrical inspection on a semiconductor device formed on a wafer. In the present embodiment, the work performed by the operator M1 in the factory 10 is the work on the equipment 11A among the equipments 11A to 11C. And, as the work performed on the equipment 11A, for example, the maintenance of the equipment 11A is performed.

[0022] Figure 2 To express Figure 1 A block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of an assist device included in the assist system shown. Figure 3 Is Figure 1 An example of a virtual space image displayed by the assisting system shown in FIG. The assisting device 2 (assisting method) can assist the operator M1 in performing the work. Figure 2 As shown in FIG. 1 , the auxiliary device 2 includes a device body 21, a display unit 22, and a headphone unit 23 connected to each other in a manner capable of communicating with each other. The device body 21 includes a CPU 24, a storage unit 25, a receiving unit 26, a transmitting unit 27, and an image generating unit 28. In this embodiment, a desktop personal computer (see FIG. 1 ) is used as the device body 21. Figure 1 ), but is not limited thereto, and for example, a notebook personal computer, a tablet terminal, etc. can be used. In addition, the display unit 22 is not particularly limited, and for example, an organic EL display, a liquid crystal display, etc. can be used.

[0023] The CPU 24 is a control unit that controls the storage unit 25 , the receiving unit 26 , the transmitting unit 27 , the image generating unit 28 , the display unit 22 , and the headphone unit 23 .

[0024] Auxiliary information 251 suitable for assisting the operation of each device 11, configuration information 252 of each device 11 in the factory 10, and specification information 253 indicating the specifications of each device 11 are pre-stored in the storage unit 25. The auxiliary information 251 is information suitable for maintenance assistance, and includes a manual of each device 11 and at least one of the past maintenance records (records) of each device 11. In addition, the manual of each device 11 includes at least one of the operating procedures (operation instructions) and instructions (specifications) of each device 11. The maintenance record includes a record of past malfunctions of each device 11 and a record of measures to eliminate the malfunctions. Moreover, the assistant M2 can select the auxiliary information 251 considered to be the best from the manual and maintenance records of the device 11 determined by the determination unit 241 described later, based on a request from the operator M1, and provide it to the operator M1 (refer to Figure 5 ).

[0025] The configuration information 252 is obtained from a customer who has the factory 10, for example, when the device 11 is delivered to the factory 10. The specification information 253 includes, for example, three-dimensional CAD data as design information of each device 11. In addition, the specification information 253 also includes specification information of the device 11 of standard specifications, other equipment added to the device 11 for the customer, and information on the contents after modification. The specification information 253 can be obtained from any one of the developer, designer, and manufacturer of each device 11. In addition, the storage unit 25 also stores in advance various programs executed by the CPU 24.

[0026] The receiving unit 26 receives the position information 30 about the position of the device 11 (receiving step). The position information 30 is sent from the portable terminal 3 (see Figure 5 ). In addition, the location information 30 may also include the location information of the factory 10. The location information of the factory 10 can be obtained from a map application as a network map platform, for example.

[0027] The transmission unit 27 transmits the auxiliary information 251 to the portable terminal 3 owned by the operator M1 (transmission step). In addition, the transmission unit 27 can also transmit the virtual space image 281 generated by the image generation unit 28 (see Figure 3 , Figure 5 ).

[0028] The CPU 24 has a function as a specifying unit 241 that specifies the equipment 11 to be maintained (specifying step). In the present embodiment, the equipment 11 to be maintained is the equipment 11A. The specifying unit 241 specifies the facility 11A based on the position information 30 received by the receiving unit 26 and the configuration information 252 stored in the storage unit 25.

[0029] However, as described above, in the factory 10, for safety reasons, it is sometimes prohibited to obtain an image of the device 11A through a camera. In this case, the determination unit 241 cannot use the captured image obtained by capturing the device 11A when determining the device 11A. In addition, the size of the device 11A varies depending on its type. In the case of a detector including a plurality of small types (inspection rooms), the device 11A is a large device with a width and depth of about 2000 to 4000 mm. Therefore, in the auxiliary system 1, when the operator M1 carrying the portable terminal 3 is located near the device 11A, the device 11A can be fully determined based on the position information 30 and the configuration information 252 from the portable terminal 3 (the same applies to the device 11B and the device 11C). In this way, in the auxiliary system 1, since the large device is taken as the object as described above, the characteristic accuracy of the determination unit 241 can be appropriately ensured using only the position information 30 from the portable terminal 3.

[0030] The image generation unit 28 generates a virtual space image 281 (see FIG. 28 ) simulating the equipment 11 in the actual factory 10 based on the position information 30, the arrangement information 252, and the specification information 253. Figure 3 , Figure 5 The image generation unit 28 generates the image based on the position information 30, the configuration information 252 and the specification information 253. Figure 3 The virtual space image 281 shown. In the virtual space image 281, the three-dimensional appearance image of the device 11A is represented by solid lines in detail. Here, "details" means a degree sufficient to assist maintenance work. In addition, next to the device 11A in the virtual space image 281, the three-dimensional appearance image of the device 11B is simplified, for example, represented by a two-dot chain line. In addition, the position of the operator M1 can also be displayed in the virtual space image 281.

[0031] The display unit 22 displays, for example, a virtual space image 281 generated by the image generation unit 28. Thus, the assistant M2 can provide the auxiliary information 251 to the operator M1 while checking the virtual space image 281. The headphone assembly 23 is worn on the head of the assistant M2 for use. The headphone assembly 23 includes headphones 231 and a microphone 232. Thus, the assistant M2 can have a conversation with the operator M1.

[0032] Figure 4 To express Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example of a hardware structure of a portable terminal included in the auxiliary system shown in FIG. Figure 4 As shown, the portable terminal 3 includes a CPU 31, a storage unit 32, a display unit 33, a microphone 34, a speaker 35, a GPS 36, a terminal side receiving unit 37, and a terminal side sending unit 38. Such a portable terminal 3 is not particularly limited, and for example, a smart phone, a tablet terminal, a notebook personal computer, etc. can be used.

[0033] The CPU 31 is a control unit that controls the storage unit 32, the display unit 33, the microphone 34, the speaker 35, the GPS 36, the terminal side receiving unit 37, and the terminal side transmitting unit 38. Various programs executed by the CPU 31 are stored in advance in the storage unit 32. In the support system 1, the position information of the portable terminal 3 is used as the position information 30 about the position of the device 11. The position information of the portable terminal 3 is the position information acquired from the GPS 36. Thus, the position information 30 can be acquired as accurate position information.

[0034] The terminal-side transmission unit 38 transmits the position information 30 to the receiving unit 26 of the auxiliary device 2. An application for transmitting position information is installed in the portable terminal 3. In addition, a transmission operation unit (operation unit) 331 for performing a transmission operation of transmitting the position information 30 from the terminal-side transmission unit 38 is displayed as an icon on the display unit 33. The operator M1 can transmit the position information 30 at any time by operating the transmission operation unit 331.

[0035] The terminal-side receiving unit 37 receives the auxiliary information 251 from the transmitting unit 27 of the auxiliary device 2. In addition, the terminal-side receiving unit 37 can also receive the virtual space image 281 transmitted from the transmitting unit 27.

[0036] The display unit 33 displays, for example, the auxiliary information 251 received by the terminal side receiving unit 37, the virtual space image 281, and the like. Thus, in the present embodiment, the display unit 33 functions as a reporting unit 39 that reports the auxiliary information 251 through images. The speaker 35 can, for example, emit the voice of the assistant M2 collected by the microphone 232 of the auxiliary device 2. Thus, the operator M1 can hear the voice of the assistant M2. In addition, the speaker 35 can also generate the auxiliary information 251 received by the terminal side receiving unit 37 through sound. Similar to the display unit 33, the speaker 35 functions as a reporting unit 39 that reports the auxiliary information 251 through sound. Through the reporting unit 39, the operator M1 can accurately grasp the auxiliary information 251. In addition, the reporting unit 39 is not limited to the method of reporting the auxiliary information 251 through both images and sounds, as long as the report is made through at least one of them. The microphone 34 collects, for example, the voice of the operator M1. The voice is emitted from the headset 231 of the auxiliary device 2, and the assistant M2 can hear it.

[0037] In addition, when the operator M1 is performing maintenance on the device 11A, he may not stay at one place, for example, he may move to multiple places around the device 11A. In this case, the position information 30 also changes. At this time, it is preferred that the direction of the device 11A in the virtual space image 281 also changes to follow the movement of the operator M1. Therefore, in the portable terminal 3, it is also possible to be configured to send the position information 30 periodically (for example, every 60 seconds to 120 seconds) from the start of maintenance to the end of maintenance. In this case, the auxiliary device 2 is configured so that each time the position information 30 is received, the image generation unit 28 generates a virtual space image 281 that follows the movement of the operator M1. As a result, the auxiliary personnel M2 can provide the auxiliary information 251 corresponding to the maintenance place (maintenance part) while confirming the virtual space image 281 that follows. In addition, the portable terminal 3 is provided with a start operation unit operated when starting maintenance and an end operation unit operated when maintenance ends as icons on the display unit 33.

[0038] Figure 5 It means by Figure 1 The sequence diagram of an example of a sequence executed by the auxiliary system shown in FIG. Figure 5 As shown, in step S501, the worker M1 operates the transmission operation unit 331 of the portable terminal 3. As a result, in step S502, the CPU 31 of the portable terminal 3 activates the terminal-side transmission unit 38 to transmit the position information 30 to the support device 2.

[0039] In step S503, the receiving unit 26 of the auxiliary device 2 receives the position information 30. Then, the CPU 24 determines the device 11 to be maintained by the determination unit 241 based on the position information 30 received by the receiving unit 26 and the configuration information 252 in the storage unit 25. Here, the device 11 determined by the determination unit 241 is set to be the device 11A. In step S504, the CPU 24 generates a virtual space image 281 that simulates the device 11A in the actual factory 10 based on the position information 30, the configuration information 252 and the specification information 253. In step S505, the CPU 24 operates the display unit 22 to display the virtual space image 281 to the auxiliary staff M2. As a result, the auxiliary staff M2 can understand that the maintenance target is the device 11A.

[0040] In step S506 , the worker M1 requests the assistant M2 to provide the assistant information 251 necessary for maintenance of the device 11A via the microphone 34 of the mobile terminal 3 .

[0041] In step S507, the assistant M2 selects the auxiliary information 251 that is considered to be most suitable for the maintenance of the device 11A this time from the manual (manual, guide) and maintenance history of all the auxiliary information 251 according to the request (requirement) from the operator M1 (portable terminal 3). In step S508, the CPU 24 of the auxiliary device 2 causes the transmission unit 27 to operate and transmit the auxiliary information 251 selected in step S507 and the virtual space image 281 generated in step S504. In addition, the auxiliary information 251 is transmitted as an image that can be displayed on the portable terminal 3 or as information that can be uttered.

[0042] In step S509, the CPU 31 of the mobile terminal 3 operates the display unit 33 to display the auxiliary information 251 and the virtual space image 281 to the operator M1, and according to circumstances, the CPU 31 causes the speaker 35 to produce the auxiliary information 251 as sound. Thus, the operator M1 can obtain the auxiliary information 251, and thus can quickly perform maintenance on the device 11A.

[0043] Furthermore, in step S510, the assistant M2 can provide the operator M1 with suggestions for supplementary auxiliary information 251 via the microphone 232 of the auxiliary device 2 as needed. The suggestions may include information that is difficult to express in text or drawings. Thus, the operator M1 can perform maintenance on the device 11A more quickly.

[0044] As described above, in the support system 1, the device 11 that is the target of the current operation can be identified from a plurality of devices 11 without capturing the captured image of the device 11, and the support information 251 suitable for the operation of the device 11 can be provided to the operator M1. Thus, even if the acquisition of the image of the device 11 in the factory 10 is prohibited, the operation of the device 11 can be appropriately supported.

[0045] In addition, as described above, in the support system 1, since the determination device 11 does not need to capture the image captured by the capture device 11, the security in the factory 10 can be maintained, that is, the leakage of confidential information can be prevented. In addition, since the labor and time of capturing images can be saved, the support information 251 can be provided quickly.

[0046] The preferred embodiments of the present invention are described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and various deformations and changes can be made within the scope of its main purpose. In addition, the device 11 is a detector in this embodiment, but it is not limited to this, and it can also be a film forming device, etching device, etc. used in the manufacture of semiconductor elements.

[0047] The operation on the device 11 is the maintenance of the device 11 in this embodiment, but it is not limited to this. For example, it can also be maintenance training that imitates the maintenance of the device 11. Therefore, the auxiliary system 1 (auxiliary device 2) can also be used for maintenance education of the operator M1. When the auxiliary system 1 is used for maintenance education, the operator M1 can wear VR goggles that display the virtual space image 281 to perform maintenance training. In addition, tools for maintenance and the like can be additionally displayed in the virtual space image 281.

[0048] In the present embodiment, the auxiliary information 251 is provided to the operator M1 by the auxiliary person M2 operating the auxiliary device 2, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, when the auxiliary device 2 has built-in artificial intelligence, the auxiliary information 251 can also be provided by the operation of the auxiliary device 2 by the artificial intelligence. In this case, for example, the CPU 24 of the auxiliary device 2 has a learned model, and the learned model is configured to output the auxiliary information 251 when the specifications, setting environment, current status, etc. of the device 11 are input. In addition, the artificial intelligence preferably has an automatic speech recognition function for recognizing the voice of the operator M1. Thus, the artificial intelligence can determine the content of the request from the operator M1 and can also provide corresponding suggestions.

[0049] In this embodiment, the position information 30 is obtained from the GPS 36 of the mobile terminal 3 , but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, when the mobile terminal 3 has an acceleration sensor or a gyro sensor built in, information obtained from these sensors can be used.

[0050] This application claims priority based on Japanese patent application No. 2022-127190 filed on August 9, 2022, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0051] Description of Reference Numerals

[0052] 1 auxiliary system; 2 auxiliary device

[0053] 241 determination unit; 251 auxiliary information

[0054] 26 receiving unit; 27 sending unit

[0055] 3 portable terminal; 30 location information

[0056] 37 terminal side receiving unit; 38 terminal side sending unit

[0057] 11, 11A, 11B, 11C equipment

[0058] M1 operator (operator).

Claims

1. An auxiliary device, which is used to assist in the operation of a device, wherein the auxiliary device is characterized in that it comprises: a receiving unit that receives location information about the location of the equipment transmitted from a device owned by an operator who operates the equipment; a determining unit that determines the device based on the location information received by the receiving unit; and A transmitting unit transmits auxiliary information suitable for assisting the operation on the equipment to a device owned by an operator who performs the operation on the equipment specified by the specifying unit.

2. The auxiliary device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The auxiliary information is transmitted as an image that can be displayed by a device owned by an operator who operates the equipment.

3. The auxiliary device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A storage unit capable of storing the auxiliary information is included.

4. The auxiliary device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The equipment is configured with multiple The storage unit stores: configuration information of each of the devices in the factory; and specification information indicating specifications of each of the devices.

5. The auxiliary device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The determination section determines the device based on the position information and the configuration information.

6. The auxiliary device according to claim 4, characterized in that: An image generating unit is included that can generate a virtual space image that simulates the actual equipment in the factory based on the position information, the configuration information, and the specification information.

7. The auxiliary device according to claim 6, characterized in that: A display unit for displaying the virtual space image is included.

8. The auxiliary device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The transmitting unit transmits the virtual space image to a device owned by an operator who operates the equipment specified by the specifying unit.

9. The auxiliary device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The auxiliary information includes: a manual for the device comprising at least one of operating instructions and instructions for the device; and / or A history of the equipment's adverse conditions and measures to correct them.

10. The auxiliary device according to claim 9, characterized in that: The auxiliary information is selected from the manual and the history in response to a request from a device owned by an operator who operates the equipment.

11. The auxiliary device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The determination unit does not use a captured image obtained by capturing the device in determining the device.

12. The auxiliary device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The work is maintenance of the equipment or maintenance training simulating the maintenance.

13. An auxiliary system, characterized in that: include: Auxiliary devices that assist in the operation of the equipment; and a portable terminal capable of communicating with the auxiliary device, The auxiliary device comprises: a receiving unit configured to receive location information regarding the location of the device; a determination unit that determines the device based on the position information received by the reception unit; and a transmitting unit configured to transmit auxiliary information suitable for assisting the operation performed on the device identified by the identifying unit, The portable terminal comprises: a terminal-side sending unit that sends the location information to the receiving unit; a terminal-side receiving unit that receives the auxiliary information from the transmitting unit; and A reporting unit that reports the auxiliary information received by the terminal-side receiving unit through at least one of an image and a sound.

14. The auxiliary system according to claim 13, characterized in that: The portable terminal includes an operation unit for performing an operation of transmitting the position information when the terminal-side transmission unit transmits the position information.

15. The assistance system according to claim 13, characterized in that: The location information of the portable terminal is used as the location information.

16. The assistance system according to claim 15, characterized in that: The location information of the portable terminal is location information acquired from GPS.

17. An assisting method for assisting an operation of a device, wherein the assisting method comprises: A receiving step of receiving location information about the location of the equipment transmitted from a device owned by an operator who operates the equipment; a determining step of determining the device based on the location information received in the receiving step; and A sending step of sending auxiliary information suitable for assisting the work on the equipment to a device owned by an operator who performs the work on the equipment identified in the identifying step.

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