Information processing method, information processing apparatus, production system, article manufacturing method, program and recording medium

Abstract

To provide an information processing apparatus capable of easily grasping the operation state of a mechanical installation.SOLUTION: There is adopted an information processing apparatus for indicating the state of a machine, a control unit of which displays chronologically a process related to an operation of a machine, a control signal related to the process and a range of timing related to a start or an end of the process and / or timing related to an output of the control signal.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 12

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device. [Background technology]

[0002] In a production line consisting of multiple machines and equipment controlled by a control device such as a sequence control device, it is desirable to quickly and appropriately grasp the operating status of the machines and perform maintenance of the machines. Therefore, a function has been proposed that detects deviations from the normal operating status by monitoring the operating status of the machines and notifies the user. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a monitoring system that records the ON / OFF states of signals from sensors and actuators mounted on the machines and equipment a predetermined number of times while operating the machines and equipment, and monitors the operating status of the machines and equipment based on the ON / OFF states of the signals. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Application No. 2008-97096 Public Relations Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in order to monitor using the time from when the machine starts to turn on / off the machine's signal as in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to teach the monitoring system the machine's start of operation timing that serves as the measurement standard for each signal. Also, in the past, the control signals were simply listed on the screen showing the operating status of the machine, so when identifying the location of an abnormality, it was necessary to check each component that makes up the machine for abnormalities. As a result, it took a very long time to identify when and where an abnormality occurred in the machine.

[0005] In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an information processing device that can easily grasp the operating status of machinery and equipment. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides an information processing device that displays the state of a machine, wherein a control unit of the information processing device displays, in a chronological order, a process related to the operation of the machine, a control signal related to the process, a timing related to the start and / or end of the process, and / or a timing range related to the output of the control signal. The present invention employs an information processing device characterized by the above. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, the operating state of mechanical equipment can be easily grasped. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a control block diagram of the production system 100 according to the embodiment. [Diagram 2] 1 is a schematic diagram of a production line 100 according to an embodiment. [Diagram 3] 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of each unit in the embodiment. [Figure 4] 1 is a diagram showing each process number 130 and a control signal 131 in the embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a used signal list 133 in the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a list of judgment conditions for a control signal in the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a determination condition list in a process according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing states of control signals in processes 1 to 5 of the feeding unit 203 in the embodiment. [Figure 9]11 is a diagram showing the average and standard deviation of the measurement results of control signals at the ON / OFF timing of each control signal, and a determination threshold value at the ON / OFF timing in an embodiment. FIG. [Figure 10] 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on a display device 150 by a display unit 126 in the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 11] 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on a display device 150 by a display unit 126 in the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 12] 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on a display device 150 by a display unit 126 in the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 13] 4 is a control flowchart of a display unit 126 in the embodiment. [Figure 14] 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on a display device 150 by a display unit 126 in the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 15] 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on a display device 150 by a display unit 126 in the embodiment. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the embodiment shown below is merely an example, and for example, those skilled in the art can appropriately change the detailed configuration without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Also, the numerical values ​​taken up in the present embodiment are for reference only and do not limit the present invention.

[0010] (First embodiment) 1 is a control block diagram showing a production system 1000 including a production line 100 and a monitoring device 120 in this embodiment. The production line 100 is made up of multiple machines 101-103 that can operate independently. Each of the machines 101-103 is made up of multiple sensors, pneumatic devices, robots, etc. The machines 101-103 are sequence-controlled by one PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) 110.

[0011] The monitoring device 120 is configured by programming a general-purpose computer, and is equipped with a CPU (Central Processing Unit), RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), etc. It also has a large-capacity non-volatile storage device such as memory and a magnetic disk device. The monitoring device 120 also has a display device 150 such as a display, and an input device 140 such as a mouse or keyboard. The program section of the monitoring device 120 is mainly composed of a CPU as a control section, and the functions of each control block of the program section are executed by the CPU. As described above, the monitoring device 120 functions as an information processing device.

[0012] Next, the transfer of information from the PLC 110 to the monitoring device 120 in Fig. 1 will be explained. The monitoring device 120 has a program section and a database section, and the program section is divided into a program for monitoring the machine and a program for creating the conditions for monitoring the machine. Information such as the process number 111 and the control signal 112, which are the history of control by the PLC 110 and are stored in the transfer area memory in the PLC 110, are transferred from the transmitting section 113 to the receiving section 121 of the monitoring device 120.

[0013] This process number 111 indicates a number that identifies the minimum unit of operation of each unit, with each of the machines 101 to 103 being considered as a single unit. For example, the operation of opening the chuck of the robot arm of the machine 101 is defined numerically by the PLC 110 as process number (1).

[0014] Moreover, the control signal 112 indicates a signal outputted by the PLC 110 to control the machines 101 to 103. For example, the control signal 112 is used to inform the PLC 110 that a sensor attached to the machines 101 to 103 has detected a workpiece, or for the PLC 110 to instruct the machines 101 to 103 to start operating, and its state is expressed as ON (1) or OFF (0). Furthermore, the recording unit 122 of the monitoring device 120 structures the process number 111 and the control signal 131 received by the receiving unit 121 so that they can be easily searched later, and records them in a database. The definition of the process number 111 and the recording of the control signal 112 described above are executed, for example, by describing the specification of the definition of the process number 111 and the specification of the recording of the control signal 112 in a ladder program or the like referenced by the PLC 110.

[0015] Next, the analysis unit 123 and the judgment creation unit 124, which are programs for creating the conditions for monitoring the above-mentioned machine, will be described.

[0016] The analysis unit 123 automatically determines which signals are used by each process in each unit constituting the production line 100, based on the information on the process number 130 and the control signal 131 in the database of the monitoring device 120. Then, the analysis unit 123 records the results in the database as a signal usage list 133 (FIG. 5).

[0017] The judgment creation unit 124 measures the variation in operation time for each process in each unit, and determines a threshold value for judging whether the machine is normal or abnormal, for example, from the maximum and minimum values. After determining the threshold values ​​for the normal / abnormal judgment conditions for all processes, the results are stored in the database as a judgment condition list 133.

[0018] Next, the determination unit 125 and the display unit 126, which are programs for monitoring the above-mentioned machine, will be described.

[0019] The judgment unit 125 automatically starts processing when the judgment condition list 133 is created. Specifically, when a new process number 130 or control signal 131 is recorded in the monitoring system 120, the judgment unit 124 judges whether the control signal in each process is normal or abnormal based on the judgment condition list 133. When an abnormal signal that falls outside the threshold value of the judgment condition is detected, the time when the abnormality occurred and the signal symbol where the abnormality occurred are recorded in the database as an abnormality history 134.

[0020] The display unit 126 has a role of notifying and / or displaying the occurrence of an abnormality to an operator. When the abnormality history 134 is updated, the display unit 126 edits the abnormality history 134, the process number 130, the control signal 131, and the judgment condition list 133 into a highly visible chart, which will be described later, and displays it on the display device 150.

[0021] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing each unit in the production line 100 in this embodiment. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the minimum operation (process) of each unit in FIG. 2. The units of the production line 100 in FIG. 2 include an input unit 203, a conveyor 204, an adhesive application unit 207, and a discharge unit 209, and these machine units are controlled by one control device (PLC). Each of these units is used to perform a predetermined operation on a workpiece 201, thereby manufacturing an article. The input unit 203, the adhesive application unit 207, and the discharge unit 209 in FIG. 2 correspond to machine A (101), machine B (102), and machine C (103) in FIG. 1.

[0022] Next, the operation of each unit will be explained with reference to Figures 2 and 3. Figure 3(a) shows the operation flow of the feeding unit 203, Figure 3(b) shows the operation flow of the adhesive application unit 207, and Figure 3(c) shows the operation flow of the discharging unit 209. Note that for the purpose of simplifying the explanation, explanation of the control of the conveyor 204 using a flow chart will be omitted.

[0023] First, as shown in Fig. 3(a), when the input pallet 202 is set, the input unit 203 goes to pick up the workpiece 201 on the input pallet 202 and carries it onto the conveyor. In process 1 of Fig. 3(a), the chuck 1 of the input unit 203 is closed to grip the workpiece on the pallet. Then, in process 2, the X-axis of the robot 1 of the input unit 203 is rotated, and in process 3, the chuck 1 is opened to place the workpiece on the conveyor 204.

[0024] When the workpiece 201 is placed on the conveyor 204, the sensor 205 determines whether or not the workpiece 201 has been detected in process 4. If the sensor 205 detects the workpiece 201, process 4:ON is set, and in process 5, the X-axis of the robot 1 is rotated to pick up the workpiece 201 again, and the chuck 1 is controlled to move onto the pallet 202. At that time, the conveyor 204 operates, and continues to operate until the workpiece 201 is detected by the sensor 206. If the sensor 205 does not detect the workpiece 201 and the state of process 4:OFF continues for a predetermined time, an ERROR is notified.

[0025] Next, in Fig. 3(b), when the workpiece 201 is detected by the sensor 206, the adhesive application unit 207 turns on process 1 in Fig. 3(b) and starts applying adhesive to the workpiece 201. Process 1 in Fig. 3(b) is configured to loop in the state of process 1:OFF unless the workpiece 201 is detected by the sensor 206.

[0026] Process 1: If it is ON, in process 2, the X-axis that controls the dispenser in the adhesive application unit 207 is advanced to turn the dispenser ON and apply a predetermined amount of adhesive to the workpiece 201. Then, the process proceeds to process 3, where the X-axis that controls the dispenser is retracted.

[0027] Here, at the same time that the adhesive application unit 207 starts operating due to process 1: ON in FIG. 3(b), the input unit 203 executes processes 1 to 3 in FIG. 3(a) to take the next workpiece 201 out of the input pallet 202 and place it on the conveyor 204.

[0028] 3(c), when both the adhesive application by the adhesive application unit 207 and the placement of the workpiece 201 by the feeding unit 203 are completed, the conveyor 204 transports the workpiece 201. At that time, the conveyor 204 is operated until the workpiece 201 that was being worked on by the adhesive application unit 207 is detected by the sensor 208.

[0029] 3C, the discharge unit 209 starts the operation of storing the workpiece 201 on the discharge pallet 210. At the same time as the discharge unit 209 starts the operation, the input unit 203 and the adhesive application unit 207 each start the operation for the next workpiece 201.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 3(c), when the sensor 208 detects the workpiece, the discharge unit 209 goes to pick up the workpiece 201 on the conveyor 204 and carries it to the discharge pallet 210. In process 2 of FIG. 3(c), the chuck 2 of the discharge unit 209 is closed to grip the workpiece 201 on the conveyor 204. Then, in process 3, the X-axis of the robot 2 of the discharge unit 209 is rotated, and the chuck 2 is opened in process 3 to place the workpiece 201 on the discharge pallet 210. Then, in order to pick up the workpiece 201 again, the X-axis of the robot 2 is rotated in process 5, and the chuck 2 is controlled to move onto the conveyor 204. Process 1 in FIG. 3(c) is also looped in the state of process 1:OFF unless the sensor 208 detects the workpiece 201.

[0031] The above operations are repeated until all the workpieces 201 on the input pallet 202 are gone, and at this time, the period during which each unit works on one workpiece 201 is called a cycle. When the production line 100 starts operating with no workpieces 201 on the conveyor 204, only the input unit 203 operates in the first cycle, the input unit 203 and the adhesive application unit 207 operate in the second cycle, and all the units operate in the third cycle. From the third cycle onwards, each unit operates until all the workpieces 201 on the input pallet 202 are gone.

[0032] When there are no more works 201 in the input pallet 202, the input unit 203 goes into standby, and at the end of the next cycle the adhesive application unit 207 goes into standby, and at the end of the next cycle each unit goes into standby. The standby state of the input unit 203 is a state in which the chuck 1 is located on the pallet 204, the standby state of the adhesive application unit 207 is a state in which the X-axis is retracted, and the standby state of the discharge unit 209 is a state in which the chuck 2 is located on the conveyor 204.

[0033] From the above, if the initial number of workpieces 201 in input pallet 202 is N, then each unit will perform N cycles of operation until there are no more workpieces 201 in input pallet 202 and each unit ceases to operate.

[0034] Next, a method for determining the control signal used in each process in each unit in order to set the monitoring conditions will be described. Fig. 4 is a time chart for explaining the control operation timing of each machine, which is each unit constituting the production line 100 shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The upper part shows the machine (unit) operation state, and shows the operation state of the input unit 203 of machine number 1, the adhesive application unit 207 of machine number 2, and the discharge unit 208 of machine number 3. Also, the execution state of the operation process indicated by each process number 130 is shown in a timing chart with the horizontal axis being the time axis.

[0035] The lower part specifically shows various control signals 131 in the operation processes indicated by the process numbers 130 of the units indicated by the machine numbers 1 to 3. The signal symbols representing the control signals 131, the signal names indicating the control operations of the control signals 131, and the ON / OFF states of the control signals are shown as a timing chart with the horizontal axis as the time axis.

[0036] First, the monitoring device 120 is connected so as to be able to communicate with the PLC 110 that controls each unit of the production line 100, and the production line 100 is put into operation. The recording unit 122 of the monitoring device 120 structures information for 10 seconds of the process number 111 and control signal 112 of each unit from the PLC 110 as one record in a database, and records the information in the database as the process number 130 and control signal 131.

[0037] This process number 130 indicates which process among the processes shown in Fig. 3 is being executed by each unit at a certain time. The analysis unit 123 uses the nature that the processes of each unit shown in Fig. 3 perform work on the work 201 in order to determine the control signal used by each process.

[0038] Next, a specific description will be given of a method for determining a control signal by the above-mentioned analysis unit 123. The analysis unit 123 automatically starts processing when the use signal list 132 in Fig. 5 has not been generated. First, the analysis unit 123 reads from the database the process number 130 and the control signal 131 for a period including a period from when there is no work 201 on the production line 100 and each unit is stopped, to when the work 201 is input into the production line 100 and when the finished product is discharged.

[0039] The analysis unit 123 may acquire the above-mentioned period, for example, from the operation data of the production line 100 accumulated in the past. The period during which the work is input is defined as the period from when all process numbers 130 of each unit are 0, i.e., when each unit is not executing a process, to when any of the process numbers 130 of each unit are other than 0, i.e., when a unit starts to move. The period from when a unit starts to move to when all process numbers 130 are 0, i.e., when each unit stops, is defined as the period until the finished product is discharged.

[0040] FIG. 4 shows each process number 130 and control signal 131 during the period from when there is no work 210 on the production line 100 and each unit is stopped until each unit operates at least once (one cycle of each flowchart in FIG. 3).

[0041] 4 indicate symbols and addresses used by the PLC 110 when managing the control signal 131, and will hereafter be referred to as signal symbols. The column indicated by 400 in Fig. 4 indicates the process number 130 in each unit, and the analysis unit 123 determines that the process is executed only during the period corresponding to the process number 130.

[0042] For example, it is determined that process 2 of input unit 203 is being executed in period 401 in the upper part of Fig. 4. Period 402 in the upper part of Fig. 4 and area 431 in the lower part represent the first operating state of input unit 203 of machine number 1, period 403 represents the second operating state of input unit 203 of machine number 1, and period 404 represents the third operating state of input unit 203 of machine number 1. From the above, it can be seen that each process in a certain unit is executed in stages in periods 402 to 404.

[0043] Similarly, period 411 and area 432 represent the first operating state of adhesive application unit 207 of machine number 2, period 412 represents the second operating state of adhesive application unit 2 of machine number 2, and period 421 and area 433 represent the first operating state of discharge unit 209 of machine number 3.

[0044] Based on this information, the analysis unit 123 recognizes signals that always change between ON and OFF when each process in the same unit is in an execution state as signals used by the machine. Then, each process is linked to each control signal on the assumption that one signal is always used in only one unit. In the above example, the period 402 corresponds to the area 431, the period 411 corresponds to the area 432, and the period 421 corresponds to the area 433.

[0045] Here, it is not easy to determine the signals used in each process from the ON / OFF information of the control signals when all units are operating, such as in periods 404, 412, and 421 in Fig. 4. However, by utilizing the nature of units and processes operating in stages, it becomes possible to easily and accurately associate the control signals with the unit processes.

[0046] 4, only process 2 of the input unit 203 is being executed. That is, it can be determined that the signals that change between ON and OFF during that period (shown in period 434) are used in process 2 of the input unit 203, and that the signals with the signal symbols Y6 and X6 are being used.

[0047] Next, looking at period 411 and area 432, during this period, the input unit 203 and adhesive application unit 207 are operating simultaneously. However, considering the difference between period 402, during which only the input unit 203 was operating, and period 411, it is also possible to identify the control signals used in each process of the adhesive application unit 207.

[0048] Similarly, during a period in which the input unit 203, adhesive application unit 207, and discharge unit 209 are operating simultaneously, a difference is calculated between the operation information during this period and the operation information during a period in which the input unit 203 and adhesive application unit 207 were operating independently. In this way, it is possible to identify only the control signals used in each process in period 421 and area 433 of the discharge unit 209.

[0049] The above-mentioned method identifies the control signals used in each process by utilizing the nature of units and processes operating in stages, from a state in which each unit has no work 201 to a state in which each unit is working on the work 201. Meanwhile, during the period from a state in which each unit is working on the work 201 to a state in which all the work 201 is discharged, the number of processes being executed also decreases in stages, so it is possible to similarly identify the control signals used in each process from this period.

[0050] Therefore, the worker can identify the period from when there is work 201 in all machines (units) of the production line 100 until the input of work 201 is stopped and all work 201 being worked on in each unit is removed, and create a usage signal list 132 using the process number 130 and control signal 131 for that period.

[0051] Depending on the production line, multiple units may work on one workpiece at the same time. For example, in the case of FIG. 2, there are two adhesive application units 207, and the two units apply adhesive to one workpiece 201 at the same time.

[0052] In this case, using the signal identification technique described above, it is possible to identify that a certain signal is used by either the first or second adhesive application unit 207, but it is not possible to identify which unit a certain signal is used by.

[0053] In such cases, the slight difference in the ON / OFF timing of the signal that occurs for each unit is used to identify the process that uses a certain signal. The difference in signal timing is due to various factors such as the reaction speed of each sensor, the transmission time of the control signal, or the sliding resistance of the unit, and slight differences occur in the ON / OFF timing even for the same control signal.

[0054] And the lag between the timing when the control signal actually used in the process of the unit turns ON and the timing when the process ends tends to be smaller than the lag in a unit that is not in use. For example, suppose there are units A and B that work on a workpiece at the same time, and control signal a is used in process 1 of unit A.

[0055] In this case, the difference between the timing when signal a goes ON and the timing when process 1 ends is smaller than the difference between the timing when process 1 of unit B ends.

[0056] From the above, when multiple units are working on one workpiece, the above-mentioned method is used to narrow down the processes that may be using the control signal to be identified. Then, as shown in period 434 in Figure 4, "the time from when a certain signal turns ON until the process ends" is measured for multiple cycles, and the process with the smallest difference between the maximum and minimum times is determined to be using that signal. As a result, even when multiple units are operating simultaneously, it is possible to identify the control signal used by each process.

[0057] 5 is a table in which each unit and each process obtained by each of the above-mentioned methods are associated with the control signal used in each process. The table shown in FIG. 5 is recorded in the database as the signal use list 132.

[0058] Next, a method for creating monitoring conditions for a machine (unit) will be described. The judgment creating unit 124 automatically starts processing when the used signal list 132 in FIG. 5 has been created and the judgment condition list 133 has not been created.

[0059] The judgment creation unit 124 refers to the signal usage list 132 shown in Fig. 5, which is created by the analysis unit 123 and stored in the database, and creates a judgment condition list 133 shown in Fig. 6 and Fig. 7, which judges whether each process and each signal is normal or abnormal. Fig. 6 shows the judgment condition list for the control signal 131, and Fig. 7 shows the judgment condition list for the process corresponding to the process number 130. The process of deriving these will be explained below.

[0060] Here, it is assumed that multiple judgment conditions can be set for one signal symbol in the signal usage list 132. It is assumed that the method for judging whether a control signal is normal / abnormal is predetermined, and in this embodiment, normality and abnormality are judged using the ON / OFF timing of each control signal. This ON / OFF timing is defined as the time from when each process in a unit starts to be executed to when the control signal used in that process turns ON or OFF.

[0061] 8 shows the state of each control signal in processes 1 to 5 of the input unit 203 recorded multiple times n times (n=1 to N), where t1, t2, and tn indicate the ON timing of the control signal X1, and T1, T2, and Tn indicate the OFF timing of the control signal X1. The natural numbers of the suffixes of t and T indicate the ON / OFF timing of the control signal X1 recorded n times.

[0062] As mentioned above, slight differences occur in the ON / OFF timing of each sensor due to various factors such as the reaction speed, transmission time of the control signal, sliding resistance of the machine, etc. Therefore, by utilizing this property, the ON / OFF timing of each control signal for multiple cycles is measured, and the range from the minimum value to the maximum value is defined as the "range in which the variation in ON / OFF timing under normal conditions is allowed."

[0063] Next, a flow of measuring the ON / OFF timing of each control signal in each process for multiple cycles will be described.

[0064] First, the process number 130 of the unit and the signal symbol of each control signal 131 are obtained from the signal usage list 132 stored in the database. Then, from this information, the ON / OFF timing of the control signal used in each process of each unit is measured n times (n=1 to N).

[0065] Fig. 9 shows the average and standard deviation of the measurement results of n control signals (n=1 to N) at the ON / OFF timing of each control signal, and the judgment threshold at the ON / OFF timing. The upper and lower limit values ​​of the judgment threshold used for normal and abnormal judgment are calculated from the statistical values ​​of the measurement results. For example, the calculation method may use the average value ±6 × standard deviation value, or the maximum value or minimum value.

[0066] These calculations of the judgment thresholds are performed for the control signals shown in the used signal list 132, and a judgment condition list is generated for the control signal 131 shown in Fig. 6. Also, for the process of each unit, the process execution time is calculated from the process number 130, and the upper and lower limit values ​​of the judgment threshold are calculated from the statistics (e.g., average, deviation) of the measurement results for n times (n=1 to N) in the same manner as for the calculation of the judgment threshold for the control signal. Then, a judgment condition list for the process corresponding to the process number 130 shown in Fig. 7 is generated. Then, the judgment condition lists shown in Figs. 6 and 7 are stored together in a database as judgment condition list 133.

[0067] Next, a method for monitoring each unit and each process will be described. When the judgment condition list 133 shown in Figures 8 and 9 is stored in the database, the monitoring system 120 starts monitoring the process number 130 and each control signal 131 transmitted from the PLC 110.

[0068] Then, the judgment unit 125 judges whether each process and each control signal is normal or abnormal based on the judgment condition list 133. In this embodiment, the judgment of a process is performed when the process is turned OFF (when the process is finished), and the judgment of a control signal is performed when the control signal is turned ON.

[0069] This is because each control signal is a signal, and so even if it remains ON it has no effect on the process itself, so the timing of turning it OFF is not suitable for judgment. Also, a process is turned ON when a control signal is turned ON, so the start of a process can be determined by looking at the ON state of the control signal. Furthermore, if the ON timing is wrong, the OFF timing will inevitably be wrong, so the correct timing of when the process is turned OFF is more suitable for judgment.

[0070] If either or both of the OFF timing of the process and the ON timing of the control signal are outside the judgment thresholds described in the judgment condition list 133, the time when the judgment thresholds were exceeded, the machine number, the process number, the signal symbol, and the signal name are recorded in the abnormality history 134.

[0071] 10 shows an example of a screen that the display unit 126 displays on the display device 150. In this embodiment, the display device 150 is described as a display used in a PC or the like, but it may be configured as a touch panel. When the abnormality history 134 is updated, the display unit 126 displays the update result on the display device 150, and when an abnormality occurs, notifies the operator of the occurrence of the abnormality.

[0072] Block 1001 in Fig. 10 indicates the history period in the abnormality history 134. In this embodiment, abnormality history for the past 10 days from the date and time when the abnormality history 134 was last updated is displayed first. The operator can also change the display period by operating block 1001.

[0073] 10 shows in table form the total delay time and number of delays for each process in each unit, and table 1003 is displayed when a cell in the total delay time column in table 1002 is selected, and shows the time when the delay of the selected item occurred and the delay time. For example, when a cell showing a total delay time of 2.45 is selected, the display format such as the color of the row of that cell (left and right on the page) changes, and table 1003 shows the delay time and occurrence timing in process 3 of input unit 203.

[0074] A graph 1004 is a bar chart showing the total delay time in all processes of all units per day during the display period shown by the block 1001. For example, the bar 1005 shows that a total delay of 5 minutes occurred on the production line 100 on 2015 / 2 / 11.

[0075] Fig. 11 shows the history of abnormalities that occurred during the display period indicated by block 1101, displayed as the number of delay occurrences. The screen and display format can be switched to that shown in Fig. 11 by using the display switching button 1006. Table 1102 in Fig. 11 shows the history of abnormalities 134 that occurred during the display period indicated by block 1101 in a tabular format.

[0076] Graph 1103 in Fig. 11 is a bar chart showing the number of delays that occurred in all processes of all units per day, calculated from the abnormality history 134. For example, bar 1104 in Fig. 11 shows that 60 delays occurred in production line 100 on 2 / 11 / 2015. The worker checks the abnormality history in Fig. 10 or 11 to understand the occurrence of abnormalities.

[0077] In the above example, the display was switched by the display switching button 1006, but when the cell of the total number of delays in the table 1002 is selected, the display may be switched to the display screen of FIG.

[0078] Then, the operator selects an anomaly that he / she wishes to investigate in detail from the tabular anomaly history shown in table 1003 of Fig. 10 or table 1102 of Fig. 11. For example, when the operator selects the first row (time of occurrence: 2015 / 2 / 1 14:30:55) in table 1003 of Fig. 10, the screen of display device 150 transitions to that shown in Fig. 12.

[0079] Fig. 12 is an example of displaying the operating status of each process and each control signal in each unit in a bar chart with time on the horizontal axis. Block 1201 in Fig. 12 displays a total of 10 seconds, including 5 seconds before and after the date and time when the abnormality occurred, selected in table 1003 in Fig. 10. The time before and after can be set by the operator as appropriate. The operator can change the display period by operating block 1201. Tab 1202 in Fig. 12 is a tab for selecting a unit that displays the operating status of each process and each control signal in bar chart format.

[0080] Next, a control flow for displaying the operating status of the process and each control signal in each unit in a bar chart format as in Fig. 12 will be described with reference to Fig. 13. Fig. 13 is a control flowchart for displaying the operating status of the process and each control signal in each unit in a bar chart format as in Fig. 12. The control flow in Fig. 13 is executed by a CPU functioning as the display unit 126. Also, the blocks described below are described as examples, and similar blocks in Fig. 12 have similar functions to those described below.

[0081] First, in S101, the process number 130 and control signal information 131 for the display period 1201 in Fig. 12 are obtained from the abnormality history 134. Then, in S102, the period during which each obtained process is operating is displayed from the top in order of start time as a single rectangle as shown in block 1203 in Fig. 12. Also, a portion without a bar chart indicates that the process is waiting (0).

[0082] Next, in S103, the judgment condition list 133 is referenced to obtain the judgment upper and lower limit values ​​(judgment thresholds) for each process, and in S104, these are displayed as dashed rectangles (block 1205) superimposed on the rectangles (blocks 1203) of the processes that are in operation. The width of these dashed rectangles (blocks 1205) indicates the range within which each process is judged to have ended normally. Since each process is executed at a fixed cycle as shown in Fig. 8, each dashed rectangle is also displayed on the time chart so that it appears at a fixed cycle while maintaining the width of the judgment threshold.

[0083] Next, in S105, the judgment condition list 133 is referenced to obtain the control signal used in each process and the judgment upper and lower limit values ​​(judgment thresholds) for that signal. Then, in S106, the period during which one signal is in the ON state is represented by one rectangle (block 1204) just like for each process, and the blocks 1204 are displayed from top to bottom in the order of control in each process. Also, a portion without a bar chart indicates that the control signal is on standby (0).

[0084] In this embodiment, in order to make the display easier to understand, the process blocks and the control signal blocks are displayed in different patterns, but other display formats may be used.

[0085] Next, in S107, the upper and lower judgment limits (judgment thresholds) of each control signal are displayed as dashed rectangles (1206) superimposed on the rectangles (blocks 1204) in which the signals are in the ON state. The width of these dashed rectangles indicates the range in which it is judged that the timing for each signal to be in the ON state is normal. Since each control signal is generated at a constant cycle as shown in Fig. 8, each dashed rectangle is also displayed on the time chart so that it appears at a constant cycle and maintains the width of the judgment threshold. This concludes the display control flow.

[0086] In this embodiment, the process and control signal determination thresholds are illustrated by dashed rectangles, but are not limited to this. For example, the process and control signal blocks may be displayed with a higher transparency than the process and control signal blocks, or may be displayed using a different pattern from the process and control signal blocks.

[0087] 12, for example, the start of time T during which the chuck 1 open signal (control signal X2) is in the ON state is not within the normal range (block 1208). Therefore, the start timing of time t during which process 3 related to the control signal X2 is in the execution state is delayed, and the end of time t is not within the normal range (block 1207), indicating that an abnormality has been detected.

[0088] Furthermore, when the third row (time: 2015 / 2 / 1 14:32:17) of table 1102 in Fig. 11 is selected, the screen of display device 150 transitions to Fig. 14, which is similar to Fig. 12. Fig. 14, like Fig. 12, is an example of displaying the operating status of each process and each control signal in each unit as a bar chart with time on the horizontal axis.

[0089] The explanation of the display period, unit tabs, and bar chart of the operation status of the process and each control signal in Fig. 14 are the same as in Fig. 12. Block 1301 in Fig. 14 shows an example of a portion where the sensor for the chuck 1 open command signal (control signal Y2) does not turn ON and becomes abnormal. In both cases of 1208 in Fig. 12 and 1301 in Fig. 14, the portion that is abnormal and not within the normal range can be recognized at a glance.

[0090] In this case, in order to improve visibility, the control signal whose ON timing is not within the judgment threshold and / or the process signal whose OFF timing is not within the judgment threshold, and the judgment thresholds related thereto may be displayed in a different format than before, as shown in Fig. 15. In Fig. 15, the display format of the process 3 and chuck 1 open end signal (control signal X2), and blocks 1207 and 1208 has been changed. Using a color or display format different from that of the normal portion makes it easier to distinguish.

[0091] As described above, by dividing the operating status of each unit into process units, identifying the control signals related to each process, and displaying the processes and control signals in the order of control on a time chart, operators can easily grasp the occurrence of abnormalities.

[0092] In addition, by displaying the abnormal process and control signal in a different format from the normal state, the scope of confirmation when an abnormality occurs can be narrowed. Furthermore, by tracking the control signal chronologically, it is possible to grasp at a glance how much the signal ON / OFF timing deviates from the normal state and at what timing the deviation occurred. This makes it possible to significantly reduce the time wasted in identifying abnormalities. And even if the number of units, processes, and signals increases, the monitoring conditions can be automatically set by simply operating the production line as usual, making it easy to build a monitoring system.

[0093] The control methods of the various embodiments described above have been specifically described as being executed by a CPU constituting the program section of the monitoring device 120. However, the control program of software capable of executing the functions described above and a recording medium on which the program is recorded may be mounted on, for example, another information processing device and implemented. Thus, the control program of software capable of executing the functions described above and the recording medium on which the program is recorded, the communication device, and the application constitute the present invention.

[0094] The control program for carrying out the present invention may be recorded on any computer-readable recording medium. For example, a HDD, an external storage device, a recording disk, etc. may be used as a recording medium for supplying the control program.

[0095] (Other embodiments) In the various embodiments described above, the units of the production line 100 are described as using robots having joints that drive one axis, but the number of joints is not limited to this. The same configuration as above can be implemented with different types of joints, such as a vertical multi-axis type or a parallel link type, as the type of robot arm.

[0096] Furthermore, the various embodiments described above can be applied to machines that can automatically perform movements such as extension, contraction, bending, vertical movement, horizontal movement, or rotation, or a combination of these movements, based on information stored in a memory device provided in the control device.

[0097] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and many modifications are possible within the technical concept of the present invention. Furthermore, the effects described in the embodiment of the present invention are merely a list of the most preferable effects resulting from the present invention, and the effects of the present invention are not limited to those described in the embodiment of the present invention. [Industrial Applicability]

[0098] It can be used as an information processing device that can grasp the operating status of machinery and equipment used in industry. [Explanation of symbols]

[0099] 110 Control equipment (PLC) Process number 111 112, 131 control signal, 120 Surveillance equipment (computers) 123 Analysis Department 124 Judgment Creation Department 125 Judgment section 126 Display section Process number 130 150 Display device 1203, 1204, 1205, 1206 blocks

Claims

1. An information processing device that indicates a machine status, A control unit of the information processing device A process associated with the operation of the machine; A control signal associated with the process; a range of timings for starting and / or ending said process and / or for outputting said control signals; Display in chronological order, 23. An information processing apparatus comprising:

2. 2. The information processing device according to claim 1, The judgment threshold value is A first range indicating a range of timing when the process should be terminated; a second range indicating a range of timing at which the control signal should be output; the control unit displays the first range so as to be superimposed on the process, and displays the second range so as to be superimposed on the control signal; 23. An information processing apparatus comprising:

3. 3. The information processing device according to claim 2, The control unit: a display format for a process whose end timing is not within the first range and a display format for a control signal whose output timing is not within the second range are made different from a display format for a process whose end timing is within the first range and a display format for a control signal whose output timing is within the second range; 23. An information processing apparatus comprising:

4. 4. The information processing device according to claim 1, The control unit: acquiring information about the process and information about the control signal; identifying the control signal associated with each of the processes from the process information and the control signal information; 23. An information processing apparatus comprising:

5. 5. The information processing device according to claim 4, The control unit: determining the first range and the second range from information on the process and information on the control signal; 23. An information processing apparatus comprising:

6. 6. The information processing device according to claim 5, The control unit: Based on the first range and the second range, a process whose end timing is not within the first range and a control signal whose output timing is not within the second range are recorded as abnormal.

23. An information processing apparatus comprising:

7. A production system comprising: the information processing device according to claim 1 ; the machine; and a control device that controls the machine.

8. A method for manufacturing an article, comprising the steps of: manufacturing the article by using the production system according to claim 7;

9. An information processing method for an information processing device that indicates a machine status, comprising: The control unit: A process associated with the operation of the machine; A control signal associated with the process; a range of timings for starting and / or ending said process and / or for outputting said control signals; Display in chronological order, 23. An information processing method comprising:

10. A control program capable of executing the information processing method according to claim 9.

11. A computer-readable recording medium storing the control program according to claim 10.

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