Molding management system

Abstract

To provide a molding management system capable of allowing a user to quickly determine whether an injection molding apparatus is being operated normally or not.SOLUTION: A molding management system includes a server, and manages molding of a molded article by an injection molding apparatus. The server comprises: a reception unit for receiving standard cycle time information that shows a standard cycle time of the injection molding apparatus; an acquisition unit for acquiring actual cycle time information that shows an actual cycle time of the injection molding apparatus; and a display control unit for displaying, on a display unit, an information display image including a cycle time display image in which the standard cycle time shown by the standard cycle time information received by the reception unit according to a received operation and the actual cycle time shown by the actual cycle time information acquired by the acquisition unit are displayed side by side.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] This disclosure relates to a mold management system. [Background technology]

[0002] Research and development is being conducted into techniques for controlling the molding of molded products using injection molding machines that use materials containing metal powder.

[0003] In this regard, a production efficiency improvement support system is known that calculates cycle times, etc. for production by production equipment based on data showing the operating status of the production equipment, and displays a chart showing changes over time in the calculated cycle times, etc. (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-170454 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The production efficiency improvement support system described in Patent Document 1 generates charts based on collected data. For this reason, the production efficiency improvement support system may cause a delay in a user's determination of whether or not the production equipment is operating normally. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, one aspect of the present disclosure is a molding management system that includes a server and manages the molding of molded products by an injection molding apparatus, wherein the server is equipped with a reception unit that receives standard cycle time information indicating a standard cycle time of the injection molding apparatus, an acquisition unit that acquires actual cycle time information indicating an actual cycle time of the injection molding apparatus, and a display control unit that causes a display unit to display an information display image including a cycle time display image in which the standard cycle time indicated by the standard cycle time information received by the reception unit and the actual cycle time indicated by the actual cycle time information acquired by the acquisition unit are displayed side by side in accordance with the received operation. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of a molding management system 1. [Diagram 2] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration of an information display image. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a server 30. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a functional configuration of a server 30. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a process flow in which the server 30 receives standard cycle time information. [Figure 6] 11 is a diagram showing an example of a processing flow in which the server 30 causes the information processing terminal 40 to display an information display image. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a cycle time display image generated as a summary display image. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an analysis result display image. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a breakdown table displaying the breakdown of the actual cycle time of the injection molding device 11. [Figure 10] 1 is a stacked bar graph showing a breakdown of the actual cycle time of the injection molding device 11 for each hour. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] <Embodiment> Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0009] <Outline of molding management system> First, an overview of the molding management system according to the embodiment will be described.

[0010] A molding management system according to an embodiment manages molding of molded products by an injection molding apparatus. The molding management system includes a server. The server includes a reception unit, an acquisition unit, and a display control unit. The reception unit receives standard cycle time information indicating a standard cycle time of the injection molding apparatus. The acquisition unit acquires actual cycle time information indicating an actual cycle time of the injection molding apparatus. In response to the received operation, the display control unit causes the display unit to display an information display image including a cycle time display image in which the standard cycle time indicated by the standard cycle time information received by the reception unit and the actual cycle time indicated by the actual cycle time information acquired by the acquisition unit are displayed side by side. This enables the molding management system to allow a user to quickly determine whether the injection molding apparatus is operating normally.

[0011] The configuration of the injection molding system according to the embodiment and the processing performed by the server included in the injection molding system will be described in detail below.

[0012] <Molding management system configuration> The configuration of the molding management system according to the embodiment will be described below by taking the molding management system 1 as an example.

[0013] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of a molding management system 1. As shown in FIG.

[0014] The molding management system 1 is a type of manufacturing execution system (MES). For example, the molding management system 1 includes one or more managed devices 10, an information processing device 20, and a server 30. The molding management system 1 may be configured not to include some or all of the one or more managed devices 10. The molding management system 1 may be configured not to include the information processing device 20. In the following, as an example, a case will be described in which the molding management system 1 includes a plurality of managed devices 10 as the one or more managed devices 10.

[0015] Each of the multiple managed devices 10 provided in the molding management system 1 is a device managed by the molding management system 1. In FIG. 1, the multiple managed devices 10 are each indicated by the same reference numeral for convenience of explanation. However, some or all of the multiple managed devices 10 may be different types of devices. At least one injection molding device that molds molded products by metal powder injection molding (MIM; Metal Injection Molding) is included among the multiple managed devices 10. In the following, as an example, a case where one injection molding device 11, which is an example of the injection molding device, is included among the multiple managed devices 10, will be described. That is, the molding management system 1 at least manages the molding of molded products by the injection molding device 11. In addition, in the following, as an example, a case where the managed devices 10 other than the injection molding device 11 among the multiple managed devices 10 are peripheral equipment of the injection molding device 11 will be described. Examples of peripheral equipment include, but are not limited to, a material supplying device that supplies the injection molding device 11 with material used by the injection molding device 11 to mold the molded product, a transporting device that transports the molded product molded by the injection molding device 11, a cleaning device that cleans the molded product molded by the injection molding device 11, and a sintering device that sinters the molded product after it has been cleaned by the cleaning device.

[0016] The injection molding apparatus 11 may have any configuration as long as it is capable of molding a molded product by MIM. For convenience of explanation, the molding of a molded product by one injection molding apparatus 11 will be referred to as one shot below. In this case, for example, two shots refers to molding of a molded product by two injection molding apparatus 11.

[0017] The information processing device 20 acquires status information indicating the status of the managed device 10 from each of the multiple managed devices 10. For example, the information processing device 20 acquires status information about the injection molding device 11 from the injection molding device 11. Such status information includes a time stamp indicating the date and time when the status information was acquired by the information processing device 20. In addition, some status information includes device identification information that identifies the managed device 10 in the state indicated by the status information. In addition, such acquisition of status information by the information processing device 20 may be performed periodically or non-periodically. In the following, as an example, a case where the information processing device 20 acquires status information every time the above-mentioned one shot is performed will be described. When the information processing device 20 acquires certain status information, it outputs the acquired status information to the server 30. In this way, the information processing device 20 can store the acquired status information in the server 30.

[0018] Here, the status information acquired by the information processing device 20 from the injection molding device 11 includes the actual cycle time information of the injection molding device 11. The actual cycle time information is information indicating the actual cycle time of the injection molding device 11. The actual cycle time is, for example, the time required by the injection molding device 11 for one most recent shot. The actual cycle time may be the average value of the time required by the injection molding device 11 for each of the most recent multiple shots. The actual cycle time may also be the average value of the time required by the injection molding device 11 for each of the multiple shots within a predetermined collection period. The collection period may be one hour, one day, a period including the current time, a period not including the current time, or another period. When such an average value is used as the actual cycle time, the molding management system 1 can suppress an increase in communication load even when the time required by the injection molding device 11 for one shot is short. In addition, below, as an example, a case will be described in which the information includes information indicating the total number of molded products produced by injection molding apparatus 11 on the current date, information indicating the total number of molded products scheduled to be produced by injection molding apparatus 11 on the current date, information indicating the defect rate for molded products produced by injection molding apparatus 11 on the current date, information indicating the remaining amount of material available for use by injection molding apparatus 11 on the current date, information indicating the scheduled completion time for production of molded products by the current injection molding apparatus 11, information identifying the mold currently attached to injection molding apparatus 11, information identifying molded products currently being produced by injection molding apparatus 11, etc.

[0019] Instead of acquiring actual cycle time information from the injection molding apparatus 11, the information processing apparatus 20 may be configured to calculate the actual cycle time of the injection molding apparatus 11 based on the information acquired from the injection molding apparatus 11. In this case, the information processing apparatus 20 generates actual cycle time information indicating the calculated actual cycle time. In this case, the status information acquired by the information processing apparatus 20 from the injection molding apparatus 11 includes information that can be used to calculate the actual cycle time of the injection molding apparatus 11.

[0020] The information processing device 20 is, for example, a workstation, a desktop PC (Personal Computer), a notebook PC, etc., but is not limited to these. The information processing device 20 is communicatively connected to each of the multiple managed devices 10 by wired or wireless communication. The communication network connecting the information processing device 20 and each of the multiple managed devices 10 is, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network) in a facility where the multiple managed devices 10 are installed, but is not limited to this. The communication network may be another communication network such as the Internet, a mobile communication network, etc.

[0021] The server 30 stores the state information acquired by the information processing device 20. For example, when the server 30 acquires certain state information from the information processing device 20, it stores the acquired state information. Here, when the server 30 has already stored state information including the device identification information included in the state information, the server 30 replaces the already stored state information with the newly acquired state information. This allows the server 30 to always keep the state information indicating the state of the managed device 10 indicated by the device identification information up to date. Note that the server 30 may be configured to store all acquired state information without performing such replacement. Also, even when the server 30 has performed such replacement, the server 30 may be configured to newly store the state information before the replacement as history information indicating the history of the state of the managed device 10.

[0022] As described above, the status information acquired by the information processing device 20 from the injection molding device 11 includes the actual cycle time information. Therefore, when the server 30 acquires the status information from the information processing device 20, the server 30 also stores the actual cycle time information included in the status information.

[0023] Furthermore, in response to a request from an information processing terminal communicatively connected to the server 30, the server 30 displays various images based on the status information stored in the server 30 on the display unit of the information processing terminal. In the following, as an example, a case in which the server 30 is communicatively connected to the information processing terminal 40 as shown in Fig. 1 will be described. Note that in this embodiment, the process relating to logging in to the server 30 by the information processing terminal 40 is known and therefore will not be described here.

[0024] Furthermore, server 30 accepts various information in response to an operation received from information processing terminal 40. For example, server 30 accepts standard cycle time information indicating a standard cycle time of injection molding apparatus 11 in response to an operation received from information processing terminal 40. The standard cycle time is a time calculated as a standard time required by injection molding apparatus 11 for one shot based on the production capacity of injection molding apparatus 11, the production cost of the molded product, etc. After accepting the standard cycle time information, server 30 stores the accepted standard cycle time information.

[0025] Furthermore, the server 30 displays an information display image based on the status information stored by the server 30 on the display unit of the information processing terminal 40 in response to an operation received from the information processing terminal 40. The display unit is, for example, a display of the information processing terminal 40, a display device communicably connected to the information processing terminal 40, or the like, but is not limited to these. In the following, as an example, a case where the display unit is the display of the information processing terminal 40 will be described. In addition, in the following, for convenience of explanation, displaying a certain image on the display unit will be described as displaying the image on the information processing terminal 40.

[0026] The information display image is an image that displays information necessary for the user of the information processing terminal 40 to manage the molding of molded products by the injection molding apparatus 11. The information display image may be referred to as a dashboard. The information display image includes a cycle time display image. The cycle time display image is an image in which the standard cycle time of the injection molding apparatus 11 and the actual cycle time of the injection molding apparatus 11 are displayed side by side.

[0027] Here, the molding management system different from the molding management system 1 generates a chart showing the change over time of the actual cycle time based on the collected data, for example. The molding management system is, for example, a conventional molding management system. For this reason, the molding management system may make it difficult for the user to quickly determine whether the injection molding device 11 is operating normally.

[0028] Therefore, the server 30 generates a cycle time display image based on the standard cycle time indicated by the received standard cycle time information and the actual cycle time indicated by the acquired actual cycle time information. The server 30 generates an information display image including the generated cycle time display image, and outputs information display image information indicating the generated information display image to the information processing terminal 40. As a result, the server 30 causes the information processing terminal 40 to display the information display image. That is, the server 30 causes the information processing terminal 40 to display the cycle time display image. As a result, the server 30 allows the user to quickly determine whether the injection molding apparatus 11 is operating normally or not. Note that the information display image may include one or more other images in addition to the cycle time display image. The one or more images may be any images. For this reason, in this embodiment, a description of a method for generating images other than the cycle time display image among images included in the information display image will be omitted.

[0029] The server 30 is, for example, a workstation, a desktop PC (Personal Computer), a notebook PC, etc., but is not limited to these. The server 30 may be configured integrally with the information processing device 20.

[0030] The server 30 is communicatively connected to the information processing device 20 by wired or wireless communication. The communication network connecting the server 30 and the information processing device 20 may be, for example, a LAN in a facility where a plurality of managed devices 10 are installed, the Internet, a mobile communication network, or other communication network. In the following, as an example, a case where the communication network connecting the server 30 and the information processing device 20 is the Internet will be described. In this case, the server 30 is a cloud server.

[0031] The server 30 is communicatively connected to the information processing terminal 40 by wired or wireless communication. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the server 30 is communicatively connected to the information processing terminal 40 by wireless communication. The communication network connecting the server 30 and the information processing terminal 40 may be, for example, a LAN in the facility where the server 30 is installed, the Internet, a mobile communication network, or another communication network. In the following, as an example, a case will be described in which the communication network connecting the server 30 and the information processing terminal 40 is the Internet.

[0032] <Composition of information display image> The configuration of an information display image will be described below with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information display image. Image P shown in Fig. 2 is an example of an information display image. Note that the information processing device 20 acquires state information including information required to generate an information display image such as image P shown in Fig. 2 from each of the multiple managed devices 10.

[0033] The image P includes a summary display image P1, a summary display image P2, a summary display image P3, a summary display image P4, a summary display image P5, and a molding management information display area R. In addition to these, the image P may include other GUIs (Graphical User Interfaces). The image P may not include some or all of the summary display image P1, the summary display image P2, the summary display image P3, the summary display image P4, and the summary display image P5. Here, the summary display image is an image in which specific information is displayed together among the images included in the information display image. In addition, the type of information displayed together in the summary display image may be selectable by the user in the server 30.

[0034] Summary display image P1 is an image that displays information about the production progress rate of molded products produced by injection molding apparatus 11. In the example shown in Fig. 2, summary display image P1 displays the current production progress rate, a pie chart showing the current production progress rate, the production progress rate of the previous day, and the production progress rate of the current month. Note that the production progress rate is a well-known quantity. For this reason, in this embodiment, a detailed description of the overall equipment effectiveness is omitted.

[0035] The summary display image P2 is an image that displays information related to the overall equipment efficiency of the injection molding apparatus 11. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the summary display image P2 displays the current overall equipment efficiency, a pie chart showing the current overall equipment efficiency, the overall equipment efficiency of the previous day, and the overall equipment efficiency of the current month. The overall equipment efficiency is a well-known quantity. Therefore, in this embodiment, a further detailed description of the overall equipment efficiency is omitted.

[0036] The summary display image P3 is an image that displays information about the operation rate of the injection molding apparatus 11. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the summary display image P3 displays the current operation rate, a pie chart showing the current operation rate, the operation rate of the previous day, and the operation rate of the current month. Note that the operation rate is a well-known quantity. Therefore, in this embodiment, further detailed description of the operation rate is omitted.

[0037] The summary display image P4 is an image that displays information about the defect rate for the injection molding apparatus 11. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the summary display image P4 displays the current defect rate, the defect rate for the previous day, and the defect rate for the current month. The defect rate is a well-known quantity. Therefore, in this embodiment, a further detailed description of the defect rate is omitted.

[0038] The summary display image P5 is an image that displays information regarding the remaining amount of material for the material to be supplied to the injection molding apparatus 11. In the example shown in Fig. 2, the summary display image P5 displays the current remaining amount of material and a bar graph indicating the current remaining amount of material.

[0039] The molding management information display area R is an area where the above-mentioned cycle time display image is displayed. In the example shown in Fig. 2, the molding management information display area R is an area where information used for managing molding of molded products by the injection molding device 11 in each of four time periods is displayed. The four time periods include, for example, a first time period of 8:00-12:00, a second time period of 12:00-17:00, a third time period of 17:00-22:00, and a fourth time period of 22:00-03:00.

[0040] The information RC1 shown in FIG. 2 is information used for managing the molding of molded products by the injection molding device 11 in the first time slot. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the information RC1 includes information identifying the molded products produced by the injection molding device 11 in the first time slot as a part name. The information RC1 also includes information identifying the mold attached to the injection molding device 11 in the first time slot as a mold name. The information RC1 also includes a target value for the number of molded products produced by the injection molding device 11 in the first time slot and a current actual value as a production result. The information RC1 also includes a scheduled time when the production by the injection molding device 11 will end as a scheduled completion time together with a delay time of the production of the molded products by the injection molding device 11. The information RC1 also includes a defect rate of the injection molding device 11. The information RC1 also includes a graph showing the production progress rate in the first time slot. The information RC1 also includes a cycle time display image as a C / T. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the cycle time display image included in the information RC1 displays the standard cycle time of 135.8 sec and the actual cycle time of 142.4 sec side by side. This allows the user of the information processing terminal 40 to quickly grasp the difference between the standard cycle time and the actual cycle time, and as a result, to quickly determine whether the injection molding device 11 is operating normally. That is, the server 30 allows the user to quickly determine whether the injection molding device 11 is operating normally. Note that the information RC1 may not include some or all of the graphs showing the part name, mold name, production record, scheduled completion time, defect rate, and production progress rate. Also, the configurations of the information RC2 to information RC4 shown in FIG. 2 are the same as those of the information RC1. Therefore, the description of the configurations of the information RC2 to information RC4 will be omitted. The server 30 generates each of the information RC1 to information RC4 based on the acquired status information.

[0041] Here, server 30 generates the cycle time display image included as C / T in information RC1 based on the actual cycle time information included in the status information about injection molding apparatus 11 acquired from information processing device 20 and the standard cycle time information received in advance. Server 30 generates an information display image including the cycle time display image thus generated, and causes information processing terminal 40 to display the generated information display image. This enables server 30 to allow the user to quickly determine whether injection molding apparatus 11 is operating normally.

[0042] Furthermore, the server 30 can prevent the user of the information processing terminal 40 from overlooking the cycle time display image by always displaying the cycle time display image on the information display image displayed on the information processing terminal 40 during management of the molded product.

[0043] <Server hardware configuration> The hardware configuration of the server 30 will be described below with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the server 30.

[0044] The server 30 includes, for example, a processor 31, a storage unit 32, and a communication unit 33. These components are connected to each other via a bus so that they can communicate with each other. The server 30 also communicates with each of the information processing device 20 and the information processing terminal 40 via the communication unit 33.

[0045] The processor 31 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The processor 31 may be another processor such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) instead of a CPU. The processor 31 executes various programs stored in the storage unit 32.

[0046] The storage unit 32 is a storage device including, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), an electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), a read only memory (ROM), and a random access memory (RAM). The storage unit 32 may be an external storage device connected via a digital input / output port such as a universal serial bus (USB) instead of being built into the server 30. The storage unit 32 stores various types of information, various images, and various programs processed by the server 30.

[0047] The communication unit 33 is a communication device including, for example, a digital input / output port such as a USB, an Ethernet (registered trademark) port, an antenna for wireless communication, and the like.

[0048] <Server functional configuration> The functional configuration of the server 30 will be described below with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the server 30.

[0049] The server 30 includes a memory unit 32, a communication unit 33, and a control unit .

[0050] The control unit 34 controls the entire server 30. The control unit 34 includes a reception unit 341, an acquisition unit 342, and a display control unit 343. These functional units included in the control unit 34 are realized, for example, by the processor 31 executing various programs stored in the storage unit 32. In addition, some or all of the functional units may be hardware functional units such as LSI (Large Scale Integration) and ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit).

[0051] The receiving unit 341 receives various information from devices communicatively connected to the server 30. For example, the receiving unit 341 receives standard cycle time information indicating the standard cycle time of the injection molding apparatus 11 from the information processing terminal 40.

[0052] The acquiring unit 342 acquires status information about each of the multiple managed devices 10 from the managed devices 10 via the information processing device 20. For example, the acquiring unit 342 acquires status information including actual cycle time information indicating the actual cycle time of the injection molding device 11 from the injection molding device 11 via the information processing device 20. The acquiring unit 342 may be configured to acquire the status information directly from the injection molding device 11 without going through the information processing device 20.

[0053] In response to the received operation, the display control unit 343 causes the information processing terminal 40 to display an information display image including a cycle time display image in which the standard cycle time indicated by the standard cycle time information received by the receiving unit 341 and the actual cycle time indicated by the actual cycle time information acquired by the acquiring unit 342 are displayed side by side.

[0054] <Processing when the server receives standard cycle time information> A process in which the server 30 receives standard cycle time information will be described with reference to FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a flow of a process in which the server 30 receives standard cycle time information. In the following, as an example, a case in which the server 30 receives a plurality of pieces of information including the standard cycle time information via a master setting image will be described. The master setting image may be any image as long as it is an image capable of receiving the plurality of pieces of information. In addition, in the following, as an example, a case in which the server 30 receives a master setting start operation for displaying a master setting image from the information processing terminal 40 at a timing before the process of step S110 shown in FIG. 5 is performed will be described.

[0055] After receiving the master setting start operation, the display control unit 343 generates a master setting image (step S110). The display control unit 343 may generate the master setting image by any method.

[0056] Next, the display control unit 343 outputs information indicating the master setting image generated in step S110 to the information processing terminal 40, and causes the information processing terminal 40 to display the master setting image (step S120).

[0057] Next, the reception unit 341 waits until the input of the plurality of pieces of information that can be received by the master setting image to the master setting image is completed via the master setting image displayed on the information processing terminal 40 in step S120 (step S130). Here, the plurality of pieces of information includes standard cycle time information. For example, when the server 30 acquires the plurality of pieces of information that have been input to the master setting image from the information processing terminal 40, the reception unit 341 determines that the input of the plurality of pieces of information to the master setting image is completed. On the other hand, when the server 30 has not acquired the plurality of pieces of information that have been input to the master setting image from the information processing terminal 40, the reception unit 341 determines that the input of the plurality of pieces of information to the master setting image is not completed. Note that the reception unit 341 may be configured to perform the determination in step S130 by another method.

[0058] When the reception unit 341 determines that input of the plurality of pieces of information that can be accepted by the master setting image into the master setting image has been completed (step S130-YES), the reception unit 341 accepts the plurality of pieces of information that have been input into the master setting image (step S140). For example, when the reception unit 341 determines that input of the plurality of pieces of information that have been input into the master setting image has been completed by the server 30 acquiring the plurality of pieces of information from the information processing terminal 40, the reception unit 341 accepts the plurality of pieces of information acquired by the server 30 from the information processing terminal 40. In other words, when the reception unit 341 determines that input of the plurality of pieces of information that can be accepted by the master setting image into the master setting image has been completed, the reception unit 341 accepts the standard cycle time information acquired by the server 30 from the information processing terminal 40 in step S140.

[0059] Next, the receiving unit 341 stores the multiple pieces of information received in step S140 in the storage unit 32 (step S150). That is, in step S150, the receiving unit 341 stores the standard cycle time information received in step S140 in the storage unit 32.

[0060] Next, the display control unit 343 causes the information processing terminal 40 to end the display of the master setting image on the information processing terminal 40 (step S160). In Fig. 5, the process of step S160 is indicated by "delete master setting image". After the process of step S160 is performed, the display control unit 343 ends the process of the flowchart shown in Fig. 5.

[0061] As described above, the server 30 receives the standard cycle time information via the master setting image displayed on the information processing terminal 40, and stores the received standard cycle time information in the storage unit 32. The server 30 may receive the standard cycle time information by another method, instead of receiving the standard cycle time information via the master setting image. Here, when the server 30 does not receive a plurality of pieces of information via the master setting image, the server 30 may receive the standard cycle time information as information necessary for calculating the production time by the injection molding device 11, instead of the plurality of pieces of information. The production time is calculated as a value obtained by dividing the number of production by the number and multiplying the value by the standard cycle time. In this way, the timing at which the server 30 receives the standard cycle time information may be any timing.

[0062] <Processing by the server to display the information display image on the information processing terminal> Hereinafter, a process in which the server 30 causes the information processing terminal 40 to display an information display image will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a process flow in which the server 30 causes the information processing terminal 40 to display an information display image. In the following, as an example, a case will be described in which the server 30 accepts an image display operation to display an information display image on the information processing terminal 40 via the information processing terminal 40 at a timing before the processing of step S210 shown in Fig. 6 is performed. In addition, in the following, as an example, a case will be described in which the status information and standard cycle time information for each of the multiple managed devices 10 are stored in the storage unit 32 at that timing.

[0063] After accepting the image display operation, the display control unit 343 reads the latest status information and standard cycle time information for each of the multiple managed devices 10 from the storage unit 32 (step S210). In Fig. 6, the process of step S210 is indicated by "information reading".

[0064] Next, the display control unit 343 generates a cycle time display image based on the actual cycle time information included in the status information of the injection molding apparatus 11 among the status information read in step S210 and the standard cycle time information read in step S210. Then, the display control unit 343 generates an information display image including the generated cycle time display image (step S220).

[0065] Here, when the actual cycle time indicated by the actual cycle time information included in the status information of the injection molding apparatus 11 among the status information read out in step S210 satisfies a predetermined judgment condition, the display control unit 343 may change the display mode of at least a part of the cycle time display image generated in step S220 to a display mode indicating that the judgment condition is satisfied. The judgment condition includes, for example, the following two conditions, Condition 1 and Condition 2.

[0066] Condition 1: The actual cycle time exceeds a predetermined first threshold value. Condition 2: The actual cycle time is less than a predetermined second threshold value.

[0067] The display control unit 343 determines that the judgment condition is satisfied when, for example, either the above-mentioned condition 1 or condition 2 is satisfied. Note that the judgment condition may be configured not to include condition 2.

[0068] The satisfaction of condition 1 means that the time required for one shot by injection molding apparatus 11 is delayed for some reason. For example, condition 1 may be satisfied if a minor problem occurs in injection molding apparatus 11, causing the operation of injection molding apparatus 11 to stop for a short time. On the other hand, the satisfaction of condition 2 means that the time required for one shot by injection molding apparatus 11 is too short for some reason. For example, condition 2 may be satisfied if the pressurization time, cooling time, etc. of the molded product are set too short.

[0069] For example, when it is determined that the determination condition is satisfied, the display control unit 343 changes the background color of the cycle time display image to red. This allows the user of the information processing terminal 40 to instantly recognize that the difference between the standard cycle time and the actual cycle time of the injection molding apparatus 11 is increasing, based on the background color of the cycle time display image. In other words, the server 30 allows the user to more reliably and quickly determine whether the injection molding apparatus is operating normally.

[0070] Furthermore, the control unit 34 may be configured to notify the information processing terminal 40 that the actual cycle time satisfies the judgment condition when the display control unit 343 determines that the judgment condition is satisfied. Note that the notification that the actual cycle time satisfies the judgment condition may be sent to another device instead of the information processing terminal 40.

[0071] Furthermore, the control unit 34 may be configured to display a warning indicating that the actual cycle time satisfies the judgment condition on the information processing terminal 40 when the display control unit 343 judges that the judgment condition is satisfied. This means that the server 30 can automatically detect that an abnormality may have occurred in the injection molding apparatus 11.

[0072] In addition, in the server 30, at least one of the first threshold value and the second threshold value may be selectable by the user.

[0073] Next, the display control unit 343 outputs information indicating the information display image generated in step S230 to the information processing terminal 40, and causes the information processing terminal 40 to display the information display image (step S230).

[0074] Next, the display control unit 343 determines whether or not a termination operation for causing the information processing terminal 40 to terminate the display of the information display image displayed on the information processing terminal 40 has been received from the information processing terminal 40 (step S240).

[0075] When it is determined that the end operation has been received from the information processing terminal 40 (step S240-YES), the display control unit 343 causes the information processing terminal 40 to end the display of the information display image displayed on the information processing terminal 40. After that, the display control unit 343 ends the process of the flowchart shown in FIG.

[0076] On the other hand, when it is determined that a termination operation has not been received from the information processing terminal 40 (step S240-NO), the display control unit 343 determines whether or not the elapsed time since the information display image was displayed on the information processing terminal 40 in the most recently executed step S230 has exceeded a predetermined time (step S250). The predetermined time is an update cycle of the information display image, and may be, for example, a time determined based on the average time required for one shot by the injection molding apparatus 11, or may be another predetermined time.

[0077] If the display control unit 343 determines in the most recently executed step S230 that the elapsed time since the information display image was displayed on the information processing terminal 40 has not exceeded a predetermined time (step S250-NO), it transitions to step S240 and again determines whether or not an end operation has been received from the information processing terminal 40.

[0078] On the other hand, when the display control unit 343 determines that the elapsed time since the information display image was displayed on the information processing terminal 40 in the most recently executed step S230 exceeds the predetermined time (step S250-YES), the display control unit 343 transitions to step S210 and reads again the latest status information and the standard cycle time information of each of the multiple managed devices 10 from the storage unit 32. This enables the server 30 to update the information display image displayed on the information processing terminal 40 every time a predetermined time elapses.

[0079] As described above, in response to the received operation, the server 30 causes the information processing terminal 40 to display an information display image including a cycle time display image in which the standard cycle time indicated by the standard cycle time information received by the receiving unit 341 and the actual cycle time indicated by the actual cycle time information acquired by the acquiring unit 342 are displayed side by side. This enables the server 30 to allow the user to quickly determine whether the injection molding apparatus 11 is operating normally.

[0080] <First Modification of the Embodiment> A first modified example of the embodiment will be described below. The display control unit 343 may be configured to display a cycle time display image as one of the summary display images in the information display image. Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a cycle time display image generated as a summary display image.

[0081] The image P6 shown in FIG. 7 is an example of a cycle time display image generated as a summary display image. The image P6 displays "130 sec" as the standard cycle time of the injection molding device 11. The image P6 also displays "140 sec" as the actual cycle time of the injection molding device 11. In the example shown in FIG. 7, the actual cycle time is the time required for the injection molding device 11 to perform one shot most recently. For this reason, the image P6 displays a character string "Previous Shot" as a label for the actual cycle time. The image P6 also displays "135 sec" as the average value of the time required for one shot by the injection molding device 11 on the previous day. Such an image P6 is displayed, for example, to the right of the summary display image P5 in the image P shown in FIG. 2. This allows the server 30 to display the cycle time display image at a position on the information display image that is likely to catch the eye of the user of the information processing terminal 40. As a result, the server 30 can make the user more reliably aware of the difference between the standard cycle time and the actual cycle time of the injection molding apparatus 11.

[0082] <Modification 2 of the embodiment> A second modified example of the embodiment will be described below. The display control unit 343 may be configured to display, within the information display image, a GUI that accepts an operation to display an analysis result display image showing the analysis result related to the actual cycle time. For example, the position of the GUI within the information display image may be a position within the cycle time display image, may be a position adjacent to the cycle time display image, or may be another position. For convenience of explanation, the GUI will be referred to as an analysis result display button below. Note that the display form of the analysis result display button may be any display form.

[0083] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of an analysis result display image. The image PG shown in FIG. 8 is an example of an analysis result display image. The image PG includes an image G1, an image G2, and an image G3. The analysis result display image may be configured not to include at least one of the images G1 and G2. The image PG may be configured to include other images showing analysis results related to actual cycle time instead of some or all of the images G1 to G3, or in addition to all of the images G1 to G3.

[0084] Image G1 is an image including a graph showing the change over time in the production progress rate for each hour of the injection molding apparatus 11.

[0085] Image G2 is an image including a graph showing the change over time in the hourly defect rate for the injection molding apparatus 11.

[0086] Image G3 is an image including a graph showing the change over time in the actual cycle time for each hour of the injection molding apparatus 11.

[0087] Here, the graph included in the image G3 is a graph using a box-and-whisker plot. The box-and-whisker plot in the image G3 shows the average, median, 75% value, 25% value, maximum value, and minimum value of the actual cycle time of the injection molding device 11. Since the box-and-whisker plot is publicly known, detailed description thereof will be omitted here. The solid line SD drawn on the graph indicates the standard cycle time. The dotted line SH1 drawn on the graph indicates the first threshold value described above. The dotted line SH2 drawn on the graph indicates the second threshold value described above. The server 30 causes the information processing terminal 40 to display an analysis result display image including such an image G3 via an operation on the analysis result display button, thereby allowing the user to easily identify the time period during which the actual cycle time fluctuated significantly. As a result, the user can easily identify, for example, the cause of the fluctuation in the actual cycle time. The display control unit 343 may be configured to display the box plots overlapping the solid line SD, the box plots not overlapping the solid line SD, and the box plots not overlapping the solid line SD and overlapping the dotted line SH1 or SH2 in different display modes. For example, the display control unit 343 may be configured to display the box plots overlapping the solid line SD in blue, the box plots not overlapping the solid line SD in yellow, and the box plots not overlapping the solid line SD and overlapping the dotted line SH1 or SH2 in red. This allows the user of the information processing terminal 40 to quickly identify the actual cycle time that is significantly different from the standard cycle time on the graph.

[0088] When an operation on the analysis result display button is accepted, the display control unit 343 may be configured to display the details table shown in Fig. 9 instead of or in addition to the image PG. Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a details table displaying the details of the actual cycle time of the injection molding apparatus 11.

[0089] In the example shown in FIG. 9, the actual cycle time of the injection molding device 11 is "20.8 sec." The actual cycle time is the sum of the injection filling time, the A-position passing time, the plasticization time, the weighing time, the cooling time, and the mold opening and closing time. The injection filling time is the time required for the material to be filled into the mold of the injection molding device 11. The A-position passing time is the time required for the molded product molded in the mold to pass through the A-position, which is a predetermined position, after being removed from the mold. The plasticization time is the time required for the material to be filled into the mold to be plasticized. The weighing time is the time required for the material to be filled into the mold to be cooled and solidified after the pressure retention of the material filled into the mold is completed. The mold opening and closing time is the time required for the mold to be opened and closed. In this example, the injection filling time is "0.8 sec," and the A-position passing time is "3 sec." In this example, the plasticization time is "5 seconds" and the weighing time is "3 seconds." In this example, the cooling time is "4 seconds" and the mold opening / closing time is "5 seconds."

[0090] By looking at a breakdown table such as that shown in FIG. 9, the user of the information processing terminal 40 can quickly identify possible causes of the deviation when the actual cycle time deviates from the standard cycle time.

[0091] Furthermore, when an operation on the analysis result display button is accepted, the display control unit 343 may be configured to display the graph shown in Fig. 10 instead of at least one of the image PG and the breakdown table, or in addition to the image PG and the breakdown table. Fig. 10 is a stacked bar graph showing the breakdown of the actual cycle time of the injection molding apparatus 11 for each hour.

[0092] By looking at a stacked bar graph such as that shown in FIG. 10, the user of the information processing terminal 40 can quickly identify the time period during which the actual cycle time deviates from the standard cycle time and the possible causes of the deviation.

[0093] In addition, the display control unit 343 may be configured to display other information such as quality information indicating the quality of the molded article when the analysis result display button is operated.

[0094] In addition, in the above, when an operation on the analysis result display button is received, the display control unit 343 may be configured to display a scatter plot, a line diagram, or the like related to the actual cycle time instead of or in addition to the box plot, the stacked bar graph, or the like.

[0095] In addition, the display control unit 343 may be configured to display a standard deviation display image that displays the standard deviation of the actual cycle time in at least one of the information display image, the cycle time display image, the summary display image, the analysis result display image, the breakdown table, the stacked bar graph, and the like. The standard deviation may be, for example, the standard deviation of the actual cycle time for each hour, or the standard deviation of the actual cycle time for another period. For example, the display control unit 343 causes the information processing terminal 40 to further display a standard deviation display image that displays standard deviation information indicating the standard deviation of the time required for each of the multiple shots within the aforementioned aggregation period, in response to the accepted operation. This allows the user of the information processing terminal 40 to quickly identify that the standard deviation of the actual cycle time has increased, and to take measures to bring the actual cycle time closer to the standard cycle time before the actual cycle time deviates significantly from the standard cycle time.

[0096] The molding management system 1 described above may include an information processing terminal 40.

[0097] Furthermore, the above-described contents may be combined in any manner.

[0098] <Additional Notes> [1] A molding management system that includes a server and manages the molding of molded products by an injection molding apparatus, the server comprising: a reception unit that receives standard cycle time information indicating a standard cycle time of the injection molding apparatus; an acquisition unit that acquires actual cycle time information indicating an actual cycle time of the injection molding apparatus; and a display control unit that causes a display unit to display an information display image including a cycle time display image in which the standard cycle time indicated by the standard cycle time information received by the reception unit and the actual cycle time indicated by the actual cycle time information acquired by the acquisition unit are displayed side by side in accordance with a received operation. [2] The molding management system according to [1], wherein one molding of a molded product by the injection molding device is defined as one shot, and the actual cycle time is the time required for the most recent shot. [3] The molding management system according to [1], wherein one molding of a molded product by the injection molding device is defined as one shot, and the actual cycle time is the average value of the times required for each of the most recent multiple shots. [4] The molding management system described in [1], wherein one molding of a molded product by the injection molding device is defined as one shot, and the actual cycle time is the average time required for each of multiple shots within a predetermined period of time. [5] The molding management system described in [4], wherein the display control unit further causes the display unit to display a standard deviation display image displaying standard deviation information indicating the standard deviation of the time required for each of the multiple shots within the period in response to the received operation. [6] The molding management system described in any one of [1] to [5], wherein the display control unit displays a master setting image on the display unit that accepts a plurality of pieces of information including the standard cycle time information, and the acceptance unit accepts the standard cycle time information via the master setting image. [7] The molding management system described in any one of [1] to [6], wherein, when the actual cycle time indicated by the actual cycle time information acquired by the acquisition unit satisfies a predetermined condition, the display control unit changes the display mode of at least a part of the cycle time display image to a display mode indicating that the condition is satisfied. [8] The molding management system described in [7], wherein the condition includes that the actual cycle time indicated by the actual cycle time information acquired by the acquisition unit exceeds a first threshold value. [9] The molding management system described in [8], wherein the condition includes that the actual cycle time indicated by the actual cycle time information acquired by the acquisition unit is less than a second threshold value which is lower than the first threshold value.

[10] A molding management system described in any one of [7] to [9], which notifies that the condition is satisfied when the actual cycle time indicated by the actual cycle time information acquired by the acquisition unit satisfies the condition.

[11] A molding management system described in any one of [1] to

[10] , wherein the server is communicatively connected to an information processing terminal via a network, and the display unit is provided on the information processing terminal.

[12] The molding management system described in any one of [1] to

[11] , wherein the acquisition unit acquires the actual cycle time information from the injection molding apparatus via an information processing device communicatively connected to the injection molding apparatus.

[13] The molding management system described in

[12] , comprising the information processing device.

[14] The molding management system according to any one of [1] to

[12] , comprising the injection molding apparatus.

[0099] Although an embodiment of the present disclosure has been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and may be changed, substituted, deleted, etc. without departing from the gist of this disclosure.

[0100] In addition, a program for implementing the functions of any of the components in the above-described apparatus may be recorded in a computer-readable recording medium, and the program may be read and executed by a computer system. Here, the apparatus may be, for example, the injection molding apparatus 11, the information processing apparatus 20, the server 30, etc. Note that the term "computer system" here includes hardware such as an operating system (OS) and peripheral devices. Furthermore, the term "computer-readable recording medium" refers to portable media such as flexible disks, optical magnetic disks, ROMs, and compact disks (CDs)-ROMs, and storage devices such as hard disks built into a computer system. Furthermore, the term "computer-readable recording medium" refers to a storage device that holds a program for a certain period of time, such as a volatile memory inside a computer system that becomes a server or a client when a program is transmitted via a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line.

[0101] The above program may be transmitted from a computer system in which the program is stored in a storage device or the like to another computer system via a transmission medium or by transmission waves in the transmission medium. Here, the "transmission medium" that transmits the program refers to a medium that has a function of transmitting information, such as a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line. The above program may be for implementing some of the above functions. Furthermore, the above program may be a so-called differential file or differential program that can implement the above functions in combination with a program already recorded in the computer system. [Explanation of symbols]

[0102] 1... molding management system, 10... managed device, 11... injection molding device, 20... information processing device, 30... server, 31... processor, 32... memory unit, 33... communication unit, 34... control unit, 40... information processing terminal, 341... reception unit, 342... acquisition unit, 343... display control unit

Claims

1. A molding management system that includes a server and manages molding of a molded product by an injection molding device, The server, a receiving unit that receives standard cycle time information indicating a standard cycle time of the injection molding device; an acquisition unit that acquires actual cycle time information indicating an actual cycle time of the injection molding device; a display control unit that causes a display unit to display, in response to the received operation, an information display image including a cycle time display image in which the standard cycle time indicated by the standard cycle time information received by the receiving unit and the actual cycle time indicated by the actual cycle time information acquired by the acquiring unit are displayed side by side; Equipped with Molding management system.

2. One molding of a molded product by the injection molding device is defined as one shot, The actual cycle time is the time required for the most recent shot. The molding management system according to claim 1 .

3. One molding of a molded product by the injection molding device is defined as one shot, The actual cycle time is an average value of the time required for each of the most recent multiple shots. The molding management system according to claim 1 .

4. One molding of a molded product by the injection molding device is defined as one shot, The actual cycle time is an average value of the time required for each of a plurality of shots within a predetermined period of time. The molding management system according to claim 1 .

5. the display control unit, in response to the received operation, further causes the display unit to display a standard deviation display image that displays standard deviation information indicating a standard deviation of the time required for each of the plurality of shots within the period. The molding management system according to claim 4.

6. the display control unit causes the display unit to display a master setting image that accepts a plurality of pieces of information including the standard cycle time information; The reception unit receives the standard cycle time information via the master setting image. The molding management system according to claim 1 .

7. when the actual cycle time indicated by the actual cycle time information acquired by the acquisition unit satisfies a predetermined condition, the display control unit changes a display mode of at least a part of the cycle time display image to a display mode indicating that the condition is satisfied. The molding management system according to claim 1 .

8. The condition includes that the actual cycle time indicated by the actual cycle time information acquired by the acquisition unit exceeds a first threshold value. The molding management system according to claim 7.

9. The condition includes that the actual cycle time indicated by the actual cycle time information acquired by the acquisition unit is less than a second threshold value that is lower than the first threshold value. The molding management system according to claim 8.

10. when the actual cycle time indicated by the actual cycle time information acquired by the acquisition unit satisfies the condition, notifying that the condition is satisfied. The molding management system according to claim 7.

11. the server is communicably connected to an information processing terminal via a network; The display unit is provided in the information processing terminal. The molding management system according to claim 1 .

12. the acquiring unit acquires the actual cycle time information from the injection molding device via an information processing device communicably connected to the injection molding device. The molding management system according to claim 1 .

13. The information processing device includes The molding management system of claim 12.

14. The injection molding apparatus includes: The molding management system according to claim 1 .

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