Working system, working method, and processing program

Abstract

A work system (1) is provided with a machine tool (M1) connected to a network, machine tools (M2, M3) connected to the network, and a hand-held terminal (2) that is connected to the machine tool (M1) via a connection line (L1) and that operates the machine tools (M1 to M3), and the hand-held terminal (2) transmits first operation information for operating the machine tool (M1) to the machine tool (M1). Or second operation information for operating the machine tools (M2, M3) is transmitted to the machine tool (M1), the machine tool (M1) executes a process corresponding to the first operation information when receiving the first operation information from the hand-held terminal (2), and relays the second operation information via the network at the machine tools (M2, M3) when receiving the second operation information from the hand-held terminal (2), and the machine tool (M1) executes a process corresponding to the second operation information when receiving the second operation information from the hand-held terminal (2). When the machine tools (M2, M3) receive the second operation information, the machine tools (M2, M3) execute a process corresponding to the second operation information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a work system, a work method, and a processing program for operating a work machine by an operation terminal. Background Art

[0002] An operation terminal such as a hand-held terminal is a device that executes communication with a work machine connected via a communication line and can manually operate the work machine. The hand-held terminal has an operation unit such as an operation switch for operating the work machine, and by operating the operation unit, the work machine can be operated at a position away from the operation screen of the work machine.

[0003] When operating a work machine using a hand-held terminal, a user usually directly connects the hand-held terminal to the work machine to be operated. For example, the user operates while observing the processing state of a workpiece in the work machine. At this time, in the case where there are a plurality of work machines, a plurality of hand-held terminals corresponding to the respective work machines are required.

[0004] The hand-held terminal described in Patent Document 1 is connected to a transfer station to which a target device is connected when attempting to operate various instruments of workshop equipment. The hand-held terminal described in Patent Document 1 identifies the identification mark of the connected transfer station and automatically generates an operation screen corresponding to the device connected to the identified transfer station, whereby operations on a plurality of devices can be performed by one hand-held terminal.

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-011690 Summary of the Invention

[0006] However, the technique of Patent Document 1 has the following problem: when switching the device to be operated, reconnection between the device of the transfer station and the hand-held terminal is required.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to obtain a work system that can operate a plurality of work machines by one operation terminal without changing the connection between the work machine and the operation terminal.

[0008] In order to solve the above problems and achieve the object, the working system of the present invention includes: a first working machine connected to a network; a second working machine connected to the network; and an operation terminal connected to the first working machine through a connection line and used to operate the first working machine and the second working machine. The operation terminal sends first operation information for operating the first working machine or second operation information for operating the second working machine to the first working machine. When the first working machine receives the first operation information from the operation terminal, it performs processing corresponding to the first operation information, and when it receives the second operation information from the operation terminal, it relays the second operation information to the second working machine via the network. If the second working machine receives the second operation information, it performs processing corresponding to the second operation information.

[0009] Effects of the Invention

[0010] The working system according to the present invention has the following effects, that is, without changing the connection between the working machine and the operation terminal, multiple working machines can be operated by one operation terminal. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] Figure 1 It is a diagram showing a structural example of the working system according to the embodiment.

[0012] Figure 2 It is a diagram showing an external structural example of the hand-held terminal included in the working system according to the embodiment.

[0013] Figure 3 It is a flowchart showing the processing sequence of the working system when the hand-held terminal sends operation information to the working machine in the working system according to the embodiment.

[0014] Figure 4 It is a flowchart showing the processing sequence of the working system when another working machine sends display information corresponding to the operation information to the hand-held terminal in the working system according to the embodiment.

[0015] Figure 5 It is a diagram showing a hardware structural example of the working machine according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0016] Hereinafter, the working system, working method, and processing program according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings.

[0017] Embodiment.

[0018] Figure 1This is a diagram showing a structural example of the work system related to the embodiment. The work system 1 includes one handheld terminal 2, machine tools M1 to M3, and a HUB (hub) 3.

[0019] The handheld terminal 2 is an operation terminal for operating the machine tools M1 to M3. In addition, in Embodiment 1, the case where the work system 1 includes three machine tools M1 to M3 is described. However, the work system 1 only needs to include multiple (two or more) machine tools. Therefore, the number of machine tools included in the work system 1 can be two, or four or more.

[0020] Among the machine tools M1 to M3 included in the work system 1, one machine tool is a representative machine tool that directly communicates with the handheld terminal 2. In the embodiment, the case where the machine tool M1 is the representative machine tool is described. In addition, in the following description, the representative machine tool, i.e., the machine tool M1, is sometimes referred to as the representative machine tool M1. Also, in the following description, the machine tools M2 and M3 other than the machine tool M1 are sometimes referred to as other machine tools M2 and M3.

[0021] The representative machine tool M1 is the first machine tool, and the other machine tools M2 and M3 are the second machine tools. In the case where the work system 1 includes two machine tools, the other machine tool is one of the machine tool M2 or the machine tool M3. In addition, when it is not necessary to distinguish between the machine tools M1 to M3, the machine tools M1 to M3 are sometimes referred to as machine tools Mx.

[0022] The machine tools M1 to M3 are connected to the HUB 3 and can communicate with each other. The handheld terminal 2 is connected to the representative machine tool M1 and can communicate with each other. The handheld terminal 2 in the embodiment enables the representative machine tool M1 to relay information, thereby enabling communication between the handheld terminal 2 and the other machine tools M2 and M3. The handheld terminal 2 executes the content of the instruction from the user for the machine tools M1 to M3 according to the instruction from the user. In addition, the handheld terminal 2 obtains information from the machine tools M1 to M3 according to the instruction from the user.

[0023] The machine tools M1 to M3 are connected through a network, and information is transmitted and received between the machine tools Mx. In addition, communication between the machine tools Mx can be performed according to a communication standard dedicated to the machine tools Mx, or can be performed according to a general communication standard.

[0024] In addition, in the work system 1, communication can also be performed between the representative machine tool M1 and the other machine tools M2 and M3 through a network connection via the HUB 3, or the representative machine tool M1 and the other machine tools M2 and M3 can perform communication through a directly connected network connection. In Figure 1In this case, by replacing the HUB 3 with a connection line, a network that directly connects the representative working machine M1 and other working machines M2 and M3 can be realized.

[0025] The working machines M1 to M3 connect, for example, control devices, sensors, drive devices, etc., and perform information transmission and reception using an industrial network (field network) for controlling the devices, monitoring the states of the devices, etc. Examples of such industrial networks are CC (Control and Communication) - Link (control and communication link), Profibus (Process Field Bus, fieldbus), Ethernet (registered trademark) / IP (Ethernet (registered trademark) IP), FL - net (effective network), etc. The working machines M1 to M3 perform data communication corresponding to the communication method of the industrial network.

[0026] Each of the working machines M1 to M3 holds individual identification information (ID, Identification) of each working machine for identifying its own working machine. The representative working machine M1 holds an ID table that associates the IDs of the working machines M1 to M3 with the communication addresses of the working machines M1 to M3. The representative working machine M1 uses the ID table to relay information between the handheld terminal 2 and the working machines M2 and M3.

[0027] The handheld terminal 2 has an operation unit 21, a display unit 22, and a communication IF (Interface) 23. The representative working machine M1 has an HT communication control unit 31A, a storage unit 32A, a communication IF 33, and an ID storage unit 34. In addition, the other working machine M2 has an HT communication control unit 31B and a storage unit 32B. In addition, the other working machine M3 has an HT communication control unit 31C and a storage unit 32C.

[0028] Here, the external structure of the handheld terminal 2 will be described. Figure 2 It is a diagram showing an example of the external structure of the handheld terminal included in the working system according to the embodiment. The handheld terminal 2 has an operation unit 21 and a display unit 22. The operation unit 21 is an operation switch, an operation button, an operation dial, etc., and receives an instruction corresponding to an operation performed by the user. The operation performed by the user is an operation for operating the working machine Mx. That is, the operation unit 21 receives an instruction from the user for causing the working machine Mx to execute a specific process.

[0029] An example of the display unit 22 is a liquid crystal monitor, which displays various types of information. The display unit 22 displays, for example, the name (machine name) of the machine tool Mx set as the operation target, candidates for the operation content of the machine tool Mx, operation information representing the operation content received from the user, information of the machine tool Mx received by the communication IF 23 from the machine tool Mx, and so on.

[0030] The information of the machine tool Mx received by the communication IF 23 from the machine tool Mx is, for example, information managed by the machine tool Mx, and is information (display information) provided from the machine tool Mx to the handheld terminal 2 and displayed through the handheld terminal 2.

[0031] If the operation unit 21 receives information designating the machine tool Mx set as the operation target from the user, the operation unit 21 causes information (such as the machine name) representing the designated machine tool Mx to be displayed on the display unit 22. In addition, if the operation unit 21 receives information designating the operation content from the user, the operation unit 21 causes information representing the designated operation content to be displayed on the display unit 22. The information representing the operation content designated by the user is, for example, a request for acquisition of display information collected by the machine tool Mx.

[0032] Before operating on the machine tool Mx, the handheld terminal 2 stores correspondence information associating the machine name of the machine tool Mx and the ID for identifying the machine tool Mx through a storage unit (not shown) or the like. For example, through the first communication with the representative machine tool M1, the handheld terminal 2 obtains information (correspondence information) associating the ID of the machine tool Mx to be the operation target from the handheld terminal 2 and the machine name from the representative machine tool M1. In the correspondence information of the embodiment, the IDs of the machine tools M1, M2, and M3 and the machine names of the machine tools M1, M2, and M3 are associated. The ID of the representative machine tool M1 is the first identification information, and the IDs of the other machine tools M2 and M3 are the second identification information.

[0033] The display unit 22 displays the information (machine name) of the operable machine tool Mx included in the correspondence information obtained from the representative machine tool M1. Thereby, the machine tool Mx that the user wishes to operate can be selected by the user.

[0034] If the handheld terminal 2 receives the machine name or the like of the machine tool Mx designating the machine tool Mx set as the operation target from the user, the handheld terminal 2 reads out the ID corresponding to the machine name of the machine tool Mx designated by the user from the correspondence information.

[0035] In addition, the handheld terminal 2 receives operation information, which is the operation content for the machine tool Mx, from the user. The handheld terminal 2 associates the machine name input by the user and the operation information.

[0036] The communication IF 23 of the handheld terminal 2 is connected to the communication IF 33 of the representative working machine M1 via the connection line L1. The communication IF 23 sends the ID for identifying the working machine Mx specified by the user and the operation information representing the operation instruction to the working machine Mx specified by the user via the connection line L1 to the communication IF 33 of the representative working machine M1. That is, the communication IF 23 attaches the ID corresponding to the working machine Mx selected by the user to the operation information and sends it to the communication IF 33. The operation information specified by the user represents the content of the operation to the working machine Mx. The operation information for the representative working machine M1 is the first operation information, and the operation information for the other working machines M2, M3 is the second operation information. In addition, the connection line L1 can be wired or wireless.

[0037] In addition, sometimes the information sent from the communication IF 23 to the communication IF 33 does not include an ID. In this case, the representative working machine M1 determines that the representative working machine M1 (its own working machine) to which the handheld terminal 2 is connected is the working machine that is the operation object.

[0038] In addition, the communication IF 23 receives the display information collected by the working machine Mx from the communication IF 33 of the representative working machine M1. The display information received by the communication IF 23 from the communication IF 33 is displayed by the display unit 22.

[0039] The communication IF 33 of the representative working machine M1 receives the ID of the working machine Mx and the operation information for the working machine Mx from the communication IF 23 of the handheld terminal 2. The communication IF 33 sends the received ID and operation information to the HT communication control unit 31A.

[0040] The ID storage unit 34 of the representative working machine M1 is a non-volatile memory. The ID storage unit 34 holds an ID table that associates the IDs of the other working machines M2, M3 with the communication addresses of the other working machines M2, M3.

[0041] This ID table is previously registered by the user in the ID storage unit 34. In the ID table in the embodiment, information associating the ID of the other working machine M2 with the communication address of the other working machine M2 and information associating the ID of the other working machine M3 with the communication address of the other working machine M3 are stored.

[0042] The storage unit 32A representing the working machine M1 stores the display information collected by the working machine M1 and the operation information received by the working machine M1 from the handheld terminal 2. The display information stored in the storage unit 32A of the working machine M1 is information corresponding to the operation information received by the working machine M1 from the handheld terminal 2. In addition, the storage unit 32A stores in advance ID information (not shown) indicating the ID of the working machine M1 representing the present device.

[0043] Based on the ID information in the storage unit 32A, the HT communication control unit 31A determines whether the ID received by the communication IF 33 corresponds to the ID of the working machine M1 representing the present device. When it is determined that the ID received by the communication IF 33 corresponds to the ID of the working machine M1, the working machine M1 executes processing corresponding to the operation information received by the communication IF 33. For example, when the operation information received by the working machine M1 from the handheld terminal 2 is information for executing processing to collect the operation state of the working machine M1, the working machine M1 collects information on the operation state of the working machine M1 (first operation state information) as display information and stores it in the storage unit 32A.

[0044] When the ID received by the communication IF 33 corresponds to the ID of the working machine M1, the HT communication control unit 31A transmits the display information in the storage unit 32A to the communication IF 33. As a result, the display information in the storage unit 32A is transmitted from the communication IF 33 to the communication IF 23.

[0045] When the ID received by the communication IF 33 does not correspond to the ID of the working machine M1, that is, when the ID received by the communication IF 33 corresponds to the ID of any of the other working machines M2 and M3, the ID and the operation information are relayed to the corresponding other working machine.

[0046] Specifically, the HT communication control unit 31A reads out the communication address corresponding to the ID received by the communication IF 33 from the ID table stored in the ID storage unit 34. The HT communication control unit 31A transmits the ID and the operation information received by the communication IF 33 to the read communication address. The HT communication control unit 31A transmits the ID and the operation information via the HUB 3.

[0047] As described above, the representative working machine M1 communicates with the handheld terminal 2 through the HT communication control unit 31A. Moreover, the representative working machine M1 uses the ID table to relay information between the handheld terminal 2 and other working machines M2 and M3. For example, when the ID received by the communication IF 33 is the ID of the working machine M2, the representative working machine M1 sends the ID and operation information received by the communication IF 33 to the working machine M2.

[0048] As described above, the HT communication control unit 31A performs communication control with the handheld terminal 2 directly connected to the representative working machine M1. In addition, when the ID received from the handheld terminal 2 is other than the representative working machine M1, the HT communication control unit 31A converts the communication data (operation information and ID) sent from the handheld terminal 2 into network communication information and sends it to other working machines M2 and M3.

[0049] In addition, when the HT communication control unit 31A receives display information for the handheld terminal 2 through network communication from other working machines M2 and M3, it converts the received display information into information for communication with the handheld terminal 2 and sends it to the handheld terminal 2. That is, the HT communication control unit 31A performs communication control between the handheld terminal 2 and other working machines M2 and M3 connected to the network.

[0050] Other working machines M2 and M3 have the same structure. Therefore, the structure of the working machine M2 will be described here. The storage unit 32B of the working machine M2 stores the display information collected by the working machine M2 and the operation information received by the working machine M2 from the handheld terminal 2 via the representative working machine M1. The display information stored in the storage unit 32B of the working machine M2 is information corresponding to the operation information received by the working machine M2 from the handheld terminal 2 via the representative working machine M1. In addition, the storage unit 32B stores ID information (not shown) indicating the ID of the working machine M2 in advance.

[0051] The HT communication control unit 31B of the working machine M2 determines whether the ID received from the HUB 3 corresponds to the ID of the working machine M2 as this device based on the ID information in the storage unit 32B. When the working machine M2 determines that the ID received by the HT communication control unit 31B corresponds to the ID of the working machine M2, it performs processing corresponding to the received operation information. For example, when the operation information received by the working machine M2 is information for collecting the operation state of the working machine M2, the working machine M2 collects information on the operation state of the working machine M2 as display information.

[0052] When the ID received by the representative working machine M1 from the handheld terminal 2 is the ID of the working machine M2, the working machine M2 is the second working machine, and the information on the operation state of the working machine M2 is the second operation state information. Further, when the ID received by the representative working machine M1 from the handheld terminal 2 is the ID of the working machine M3, the working machine M3 is the second working machine, and the information on the operation state of the working machine M3 is the second operation state information. Further, when the ID received by the representative working machine M1 from the handheld terminal 2 is the IDs of the working machines M2 and M3, the working machines M2 and M3 are the second working machines, and the information on the operation states of the working machines M2 and M3 is the second operation state information.

[0053] When the received ID matches the ID of the working machine M2, the HT communication control unit 31B transmits the display information in the storage unit 32A to the HT communication control unit 31A of the representative working machine M1 via the HUB 3. Thereby, the display information in the storage unit 32B is transmitted to the handheld terminal 2 via the representative working machine M1. When the received ID does not match the ID of the working machine M2, the HT communication control unit 31B transmits an error indication message to the representative working machine M1.

[0054] Next, the processing sequence of the processing executed by the work system 1 will be described. First, in the work system 1, the processing of the work system 1 when the handheld terminal 2 transmits operation information to any one of the working machines M1 to M3 will be described.

[0055] Figure 3 is a flowchart showing the processing sequence of the work system when the handheld terminal transmits operation information to the working machine in the work system according to the embodiment. In the work system 1, the handheld terminal 2 acquires an ID list from the representative working machine M1 (step S10).

[0056] The operation unit 21 of the handheld terminal 2 receives the working machine Mx to be the operation target and the operation information from the user (step S20). The operation unit 21 receives the machine name and the like of the working machine Mx as the working machine Mx to be the operation target.

[0057] For example, the user selects the working machine Mx to be the operation target from the machine names of the plurality of working machines Mx displayed on the display unit 22, thereby specifying the working machine Mx to be the operation target. The operation unit 21 receives the specified working machine Mx as the working machine Mx to be the operation target.

[0058] Further, for example, the user selects the desired operation information from the plurality of operation information displayed on the display unit 22, thereby specifying the desired operation information. The operation unit 21 receives the specified operation information.

[0059] The handheld terminal 2 reads out the ID corresponding to the machine tool Mx specified by the user from the corresponding information. The communication IF 23 of the handheld terminal 2 transmits the ID and operation information to the representative machine tool M1 (step S30).

[0060] The communication IF 33 of the representative machine tool M1 receives the ID and operation information (step S40). The HT communication control unit 31A of the representative machine tool M1 reads the ID information attached to the information received from the handheld terminal 2 and discriminates the ID (step S50). That is, the HT communication control unit 31A determines which machine tool Mx the ID belongs to. The HT communication control unit 31A determines whether the ID is the ID of the representative machine tool M1 (step S60).

[0061] When the ID is the ID of the representative machine tool M1 (step S60, Yes), the HT communication control unit 31A stores the operation information in the storage unit 32A, and the representative machine tool M1 executes the process corresponding to the operation information (step S70).

[0062] In addition, when the operation information transmitted from the handheld terminal 2 does not include an ID, the HT communication control unit 31A also stores the operation information in the storage unit 32A. Moreover, the representative machine tool M1 executes the process corresponding to the operation information. As described above, when the received ID is the ID of the representative machine tool M1 or when the received information does not include an ID, the representative machine tool M1 determines that it is the operation information for the representative machine tool M1 and executes the process corresponding to the operation information.

[0063] For example, when the operation information is information requesting collection of display information, the representative machine tool M1 collects the display information corresponding to the operation information. The collected display information is stored in the storage unit 32A. When the operation information is information requesting collection of display information, the HT communication control unit 31A transmits the display information to the communication IF 33. The communication IF 33 transmits the display information collected by the representative machine tool M1 to the handheld terminal 2.

[0064] When the ID does not represent the ID of the working machine M1 (No in step S60), the HT communication control unit 31A relays the operation information to other working machines corresponding to the ID (step S80). Specifically, the HT communication control unit 31A reads out the communication address corresponding to the ID from the ID table stored in the ID storage unit 34. Here, a case where the ID received by the representative working machine M1 is another working machine M2 and the communication address read out by the HT communication control unit 31A is the communication address of the other working machine M2 will be described. The HT communication control unit 31A sends the operation information to the read communication address. In addition, the HT communication control unit 31A may also send the operation information and the ID to the read communication address.

[0065] The other working machine M2 corresponding to the communication address receives the operation information from the representative working machine M1. That is, the other working machine M2 corresponding to the ID received by the representative working machine M1 receives the operation information (step S90).

[0066] The other working machine M2 that has received the operation information stores the operation information in the storage unit 32B and executes the process corresponding to the operation information (step S100).

[0067] After the process of step S70 or after the process of step S100, the work system 1 returns to the process of step S20 and executes the processes of step S20 and subsequent steps. Thus, the work system 1 can operate multiple working machines Mx with one hand-held terminal 2 without changing the connection between the working machine Mx and the hand-held terminal 2. Therefore, the work system 1 does not need to carry the hand-held terminal 2 for changing the connection between the working machines Mx, and can eliminate the workload of connection change.

[0068] In addition, the operation information may include multiple IDs. In this case, the work system 1 executes the processes of steps S50 to S100 for each ID included in the operation information.

[0069] Alternatively, the operation information may be information specifying a case where multiple operations are to be performed. In this case, in the work system 1, the multiple operations included in the operation information are executed. The multiple operations may be operations on one working machine Mx or operations on multiple working machines Mx. When the operation information is an operation on multiple working machines Mx, multiple IDs corresponding to the working machines Mx to be operated are sent from the hand-held terminal 2 to the representative working machine M1. When the operation information includes the first operation information for the representative working machine M1 and the second operation information for other working machines M2 and M3, the operation information including the first operation information and the second operation information is the third operation information.

[0070] The operation information includes, for example, information specifying a situation where the machine tool Mx is to be emergently stopped. When the machine tool Mx includes information for emergently stopping the machine tool Mx in the operation information transmitted from the hand-held terminal 2, the machine tool Mx is emergently stopped. For example, when the machine tool M1 includes information for emergently stopping the machine tool M1 in the operation information received from the hand-held terminal 2, the machine tool M1 is emergently stopped. In addition, when the machine tool M2 includes information for emergently stopping the machine tool M2 in the operation information received from the machine tool M1, the machine tool M2 is emergently stopped. In addition, the machine tool M1 may also emergently stop the machine tool M2 when the operation information received from the hand-held terminal 2 includes information for emergently stopping the machine tool M2. In addition, the machine tool M1 may also emergently stop the machine tool M1 when the operation information received from the hand-held terminal 2 includes information for emergently stopping the machine tool M2. In addition, if the operation information is information specifying a situation where a plurality of machine tools Mx are to be emergently stopped, then the plurality of machine tools Mx are emergently stopped. For example, when the operation information transmitted from the hand-held terminal 2 includes information for emergently stopping the machine tools M1 and M2, the machine tools M1 and M2 respectively emergently stop the machine tools M1 and M2.

[0071] The operation information may be information for simultaneously performing operations on a plurality of machine tools Mx. The operations in this case may be common operations in each machine tool Mx or may be different operations. When the operation information is information for simultaneously performing operations on a plurality of machine tools Mx, the representative machine tool M1 simultaneously performs a plurality of operations.

[0072] In addition, the operation information may also be information specifying a situation where a plurality of machine tools Mx are to be interlocked. In this case, the operation information also includes the IDs of the plurality of machine tools Mx that are to be interlocked. The operation information in this case includes information on the order in which each operation is to be performed, and the representative machine tool M1 sequentially performs each operation based on the order information. Thus, it becomes easy to operate a plurality of machine tools with one operation terminal.

[0073] The representative machine tool M1, for example, performs the first operation. If a completion notification indicating completion of execution is received, the second operation is performed. In this case, the HT communication control unit 31A of the representative machine tool M1 causes the first machine tool Mx corresponding to the first operation to perform the first operation, and receives a completion notification from the first machine tool Mx. Then, the HT communication control unit 31A causes the second machine tool Mx corresponding to the second operation to perform the second operation, and receives a completion notification from the second machine tool Mx.

[0074] As described above, the HT communication control unit 31A repeatedly performs a process of causing the Nth (N is a natural number) machine tool Mx to execute the Nth operation, and after the execution is completed, causing the (N + 1)th machine tool Mx to execute the (N + 1)th operation. For example, when the operation information is information specifying that a plurality of machine tools Mx are to be emergently stopped in sequence, the plurality of machine tools Mx are caused to be emergently stopped in sequence. In addition, the Nth machine tool Mx and the (N + 1)th machine tool Mx may also be the representative machine tool M1.

[0075] In addition, when the HT communication control unit 31A receives operation information for an emergency stop for one machine tool Mx, the HT communication control unit 31A may send an emergency stop instruction to all the machine tools Mx and cause the representative machine tool M1 to be emergently stopped. For example, when the HT communication control unit 31A receives operation information for an emergency stop for the representative machine tool M1, the HT communication control unit 31A sends an emergency stop instruction to all the other machine tools M2 and M3 and causes the representative machine tool M1 to be emergently stopped.

[0076] The handheld terminal 2 can store in advance information that associates operation information used to execute a plurality of operations with the ID of the machine tool Mx that executes the operations included in the operation information, that is, an operation information set. In this case, if the handheld terminal 2 designates an operation information set through user operation, the designated operation information set is sent to the representative machine tool M1. The operation information set includes a plurality of pieces of operation information, a plurality of IDs, and information on the order of each operation.

[0077] In addition, the handheld terminal 2 may also receive from the user information that includes the same information as the operation information set. That is, the handheld terminal 2 may receive from the user an operation information set that includes operation information used to execute a plurality of operations, the ID of the machine tool Mx that executes the operations included in the operation information, and information on the order of each operation.

[0078] Next, in the work system 1, the processing of the work system 1 when other machine tools M2 and M3 send display information corresponding to the operation information to the handheld terminal 2 will be described. Here, the processing when other machine tools M2 send display information corresponding to the operation information to the handheld terminal 2 will be described.

[0079] Figure 4 It is a flowchart showing the processing order of the work system when other machine tools send display information corresponding to the operation information to the handheld terminal in the work system according to the embodiment.

[0080] If other working machine M2 of the working system 1 receives operation information requesting display information, it collects the display information. Moreover, the HT communication control unit 31B of the other working machine M2 sends the ID of the other working machine M2 and the collected display information to the representative working machine M1 (step S110).

[0081] The HT communication control unit 31A of the representative working machine M1 receives the ID and the display information from the other working machine M2 (step S120). The representative working machine M1 relays the ID and the display information received by the HT communication control unit 31A to the handheld terminal 2 (step S130).

[0082] The communication IF 23 of the handheld terminal 2 receives the ID and the display information from the representative working machine M1 (step S140). The handheld terminal 2 reads out the machine name of the working machine M2 corresponding to the received ID from the corresponding information that pre-stores the association between the machine name of the working machine Mx and the ID. The display unit 22 of the handheld terminal 2 displays the machine name corresponding to the ID and the display information (step S150). In addition, the working machine Mx may also send information that is not a display object to the handheld terminal 2 as information corresponding to the operation information.

[0083] Here, the hardware structures of the handheld terminal 2 and the working machines M1 to M3 will be described. In addition, since the handheld terminal 2 and the working machines M1 to M3 have the same hardware structure, the hardware structure of the working machine M1 will be described here.

[0084] Figure 5 This is a diagram showing an example of the hardware structure of the working machine related to the embodiment. The working machine M1 can be implemented by an input device 300, a processor 100, a memory 200, and an output device 400. Examples of the processor 100 are a CPU (also known as Central Processing Unit, central processing device, processing device, arithmetic device, microprocessor, microcomputer, DSP (Digital Signal Processor)) or a system LSI (Large Scale Integration). Examples of the memory 200 are a RAM (Random Access Memory) and a ROM (Read Only Memory).

[0085] The working machine M1 is implemented by the processor 100 reading out and executing a computer-executable processing program stored in the memory 200 for executing the actions of the working machine M1. The processing program for executing the actions of the working machine M1 can be said to cause the computer to execute the sequence or method of the working machine M1.

[0086] The processing programs executed by the machine tool M1 have a modular structure including the HT communication control unit 31, and they are downloaded to and generated on the main storage device. In the processing programs executed by the machine tool M1, there are a communication control program for controlling communication with the handheld terminal 2, an operation execution program for executing processing corresponding to operation information, etc. The machine tool M1 executes processing to receive operation information for operating the machine tool M1 or operation information for operating the machine tools M2 and M3 from the handheld terminal 2 through the processing programs. In addition, when the machine tool M1 receives operation information for operating the machine tool M1, it executes processing corresponding to the operation information through the processing programs. When it receives operation information for operating the machine tools M2 and M3, it executes processing to relay the operation information in the machine tool corresponding to the ID through the processing programs. In addition, the machine tool M1 executes processing to receive display information from the machine tools M2 and M3 and processing to forward the received display information to the handheld terminal 2 through the processing programs.

[0087] The input device 300 receives the ID and operation information sent from the handheld terminal 2, the ID and display information sent from other machine tools M2 and M3, etc., and sends them to the processor 100. The memory 200 stores display information, operation information, ID tables, processing programs, etc.

[0088] The processing programs are read out from the memory 200 by the processor 100. In addition, the memory 200 is used as a temporary memory when various processes are executed by the processor 100. The output device 400 outputs the ID and display information sent to the handheld terminal 2, the ID and operation information sent to other machine tools M2 and M3, etc.

[0089] The processing programs can be provided as computer program products stored in a computer-readable storage medium in the form of installable or executable files. In addition, the processing programs can also be provided to the machine tool M1 via a network such as the Internet. Furthermore, regarding the functions of the machine tool M1, a part can be implemented by dedicated hardware such as a dedicated circuit, and a part can be implemented by software or firmware.

[0090] As described above, the working system 1 of the embodiment has a representative working machine M1 and other working machines M2 and M3 connected to a network, and a handheld terminal 2 that is connected to the representative working machine M1 via a connection line L1 and is used to manually operate the working machine Mx. Moreover, when the representative working machine M1 receives operation information directed to the representative working machine M1 from the handheld terminal 2, it executes processing corresponding to the operation information. In addition, when the representative working machine M1 receives operation information directed to the other working machines M2 and M3, it relays the operation information to the other working machines M2 and M3 via the network. If the other working machines M2 and M3 receive the operation information, they execute processing corresponding to the operation information. Thus, without changing the connection between the working machine Mx and the handheld terminal 2, multiple working machines Mx can be operated by one handheld terminal 2.

[0091] The structure shown in the above embodiment represents an example. It can also be combined with other known technologies, or the embodiments can be combined with each other. Within the scope not departing from the gist, a part of the structure can also be omitted or changed.

[0092] Explanation of reference numerals

[0093] 1 Working system, 2 Handheld terminal, 3 HUB, 21 Operation unit, 22 Display unit, 23, 33 Communication IF, 31A - 31C HT communication control unit, 32A - 32C Storage unit, 34 ID storage unit, 100 Processor, 200 Memory, 300 Input device, 400 Output device, L1 Connection line, M1 - M3, Mx Working machine.

Claims

1. A working system, characterized in that, comprising: a first machine tool connected to a network; a second machine tool connected to the network; and an operation terminal connected to the first machine tool via a connection line and configured to operate the first machine tool and the second machine tool, wherein the operation terminal sends first operation information for operating the first machine tool or second operation information for operating the second machine tool to the first machine tool, wherein the first machine tool, when receiving the first operation information from the operation terminal, performs processing corresponding to the first operation information, and when receiving the second operation information from the operation terminal, relays the second operation information to the second machine tool via the network, wherein the second machine tool, if receiving the second operation information, performs processing corresponding to the second operation information.

2. The working system according to claim 1, characterized in that when the operation terminal sends the first operation information to the first machine tool, the operation terminal attaches first identification information for identifying the first machine tool to the first operation information and sends it to the first machine tool, and when sending the second operation information to the second machine tool, the operation terminal attaches second identification information for identifying the second machine tool to the second operation information and sends it to the first machine tool, wherein the first machine tool, if receiving the first identification information, determines that it has received the first operation information from the operation terminal and performs processing corresponding to the first operation information, and if receiving the second identification information, relays the second operation information to the second machine tool based on the second identification information.

3. The working system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the first operation information or the second operation information includes processing for performing a plurality of operations.

4. The working system according to claim 3, characterized in that the first operation information or the second operation information includes information on the order of operations when performing the plurality of operations, and the first machine tool causes the plurality of operations to be performed in sequence based on the order information.

5. The working system according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the operation terminal stores operation information for performing the plurality of operations, i.e., an operation information set, and if the user selects the operation information set, the operation terminal sends the operation information set to the first machine tool, and the first machine tool performs the plurality of operations corresponding to the operation information set.

6. The working system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the operation terminal sends third operation information including the first operation information and the second operation information to the first machine tool.

7. The working system according to claim 3, characterized in that the first machine tool causes the plurality of operations to be performed simultaneously.

8. The working system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that When the first machine tool includes information for emergency stop of the first machine tool in the first operation information received from the operation terminal, the first machine tool performs an emergency stop.

9. The working system according to claim 8, wherein: When the first machine tool includes information for emergency stop of the second machine tool in the first operation information received from the operation terminal, the first machine tool causes the second machine tool to perform an emergency stop.

10. The working system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein: When the second machine tool includes information for emergency stop of the second machine tool in the second operation information received from the first machine tool, the second machine tool causes the second machine tool to perform an emergency stop.

11. The working system according to claim 10, wherein: When the first machine tool includes information for emergency stop of the second machine tool in the second operation information received from the operation terminal, the first machine tool causes the first machine tool to perform an emergency stop.

12. The working system according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein: When the first operation information is information for collecting the operation state of the first machine tool, if the first machine tool receives the first operation information from the operation terminal, the first machine tool collects information on the operation state of the first machine tool, i.e., first operation state information, and transmits it to the operation terminal, and the operation terminal displays the first operation state information.

13. The working system according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein: When the second operation information is information for collecting the operation state of the second machine tool, if the second machine tool receives the second operation information from the first machine tool, the second machine tool collects information on the operation state of the second machine tool, i.e., second operation state information, and transmits it to the first machine tool, the first machine tool transmits the second operation state information to the operation terminal, and the operation terminal displays the second operation state information.

14. The working system according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein: In the network, the first machine tool and the second machine tool are connected via a hub.

15. The working system according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein: In the network, the first machine tool and the second machine tool are directly connected.

16. A working method, characterized in that, comprising: a sending step, in which an operation terminal of a working system including a first machine tool connected to a network, a second machine tool connected to the network, and an operation terminal connected to the first machine tool through a connection line and used to operate the first machine tool and the second machine tool, sends first operation information for operating the first machine tool or second operation information for operating the second machine tool to the first machine tool; Relay step: When the first working machine receives the first operation information from the operation terminal, perform processing corresponding to the first operation information; when receiving the second operation information from the operation terminal, relay the second operation information to the second working machine via the network. And Processing execution step: If the second working machine receives the second operation information, perform processing corresponding to the second operation information.

17. A processing program, characterized in that, Cause a computer to execute the following steps: Receiving step: Receive the first operation information for operating the first working machine or the second operation information for operating the second working machine from an operation terminal for operating the first working machine connected to the network and the second working machine connected to the network. And Relay step: When receiving the first operation information from the operation terminal, perform processing corresponding to the first operation information; when receiving the second operation information from the operation terminal, relay the second operation information to the second working machine via the network.

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